Given name & surname · also Germanic
Bernard
“as strong and brave as a bear”
Bernard is used as a given name and a surname. One German interpretation is “as strong and brave as a bear.”
Original GermanBernhard
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “as strong and brave as a bear.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Germanic.
How it developed
Its Germanic formation brings together ber(n) (“bear”) and hard (“hardy, brave, strong”).
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Bernard through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 201,070
- 200,087 boys · 983 girls
- Most popular year
- 1924
- 4,524 babies
- 2025
- 137
- #1,362 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −12%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 137 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,362 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 11.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 4,505 in 1924. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (12). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 82,518 as a first name in 2020; 37,873 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Bernard’s family of names
Bernard has a diminutive in Bernadette. Bernard shares a linguistic root with Bernardo. In German usage, Bernard has a related form in BERNHARD.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Bernard has relatives in 38 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
42 related names in 38 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 28
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Bernhartvariant · German
- Bernhardtvariant · German
- Bernhardvariant · German, Swedish
- Bernadettediminutive · French
- Bernardovariant · Portuguese, Italian
- Berniepet form · English, French
- Barneydiminutive · English
- Barnardvariant · English, Afrikaans
Show 20 moreShow fewer
- Bernclipped form · English
- Benardvariant
- Burnardvariant
- Berndvariant · German
- Bernarrvariant
- Bernnardlikely variant
- Bernodiminutive · Slovene
- Narddiminutive · English
- Bernerdiminutive · English
- Benatvariant
- Bernadenvariant
- Bernadinvariant
- Bernadynvariant
- Bernhardovariant
- Berndtvariant
- Bearnardvariant
- Barnhardovariant
- Barnhardvariant
- Barnardovariant
- Nanarddiminutive · French
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 37
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Bernadinefeminine form
- Bernaldoequivalent
- Berendequivalent
- Bernalequivalent
- Berntcognate · Norwegian Nynorsk, Norwegian Bokmål
- Bernharðequivalent
- Bernaldequivalent
- बेर्नार्डequivalent
Show 29 moreShow fewer
- БернхардRussian
- Pärnänencognate · Finnish
- Biernådcognate · Walloon
- ΒερνάρδοςGreek
- Bernardascognate · Lithuanian
- Bernátcognate · Hungarian
- Bernardshas masculine form
- Bernatcognate · Catalan, Occitan
- BernartBasque, Old French
- BeñatBasque
- BirnarduSicilian
- BernezBreton
- Beornheardcognate · Old English
- BênađôVietnamese
- Берна́рдRussian
- PerenataMāori
- BernardusLatin
- BearnárdIrish
- BernharðurIcelandic
- ბერნარდიGeorgian
- BernaartDutch
- 班拿特Cantonese
- বার্নার্ডBengali
- BirnárdAlbanian
- BinárdAlbanian
- BernhárdAlbanian
- Benárd m BernárdAlbanian
- Bernd(t)cognate
- Bernhard(t)cognate
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Bernard
- Bernie SandersUnited States Senator from Vermontborn 1941
- Bernard of ClairvauxBurgundian saint, abbot and theologian (1090–1153)1091–1153
- Bernard MontgomeryBritish Army officer (1887–1976)
- Bernard Le Bovier de FontenelleFrench writer and philosopher of the enlightenment (1657–1757)
- Bernie MacAmerican actor (1957–2008)
- Bernard BolzanoBohemian mathematician and priest (1781–1848)
- Bernard KatzGerman-British biophysicist (1911–2003)
- Bernard CazeneuveFrench prime ministerborn 1963
- Bernie MadoffAmerican fraudster and financier (1938–2021)
Characters named Bernard: Bernard Quatermass (fictional scientist), Bernard Nadler (the American television series Lost).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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