Given name
Bernardine
“one who has bearlike strength and courage”
In English use, Bernardine has a related form in Bernadine. In English use, Bernadine carries the interpretation “one who has bearlike strength and courage.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Bernardine has a related form in Bernadine. In English use, Bernadine carries the interpretation “one who has bearlike strength and courage.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Bernardine connects to the Bernard name family through Bernadine. An origin associated with Bernard is Germanic.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From French Bernardine, built from English Bernard + -ine.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1888. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Bernardine through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 3,128
- 0 boys · 3,128 girls
- Most popular year
- 1925
- 85 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 5 in 1978. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 85 in 1925. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,076 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Bernardine’s family of names
In English usage, Bernardine has a related form in Bernadine. In French usage, Bernardine has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form BERNARDYNA.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Bernardine
- Bernardine EvaristoBritish author and academic (1959-)
- Bernardine DohrnAmerican radical activist and law professorborn 1942
- Bernardine do RégoBeninese diplomat1937–2024
- Bernardine of LippeGerman noblewoman1563–1628
- Bernardine FlynnAmerican actress and comedian (1904-1977)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Bernardine, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Earline
“a noble woman; a great leader” · “a nobleman”
>99% girls
Ernestine
“one who is determined; serious” · “one who is sincere and determined; serious”
>99% girls
Bernetta
“one who has bearlike strength and courage”
>99% girls
Berneice
>99% girls
Arline
“an oath; a pledge”
>99% girls
Berniece
>99% girls
Beverlee
“from the beaver's stream”
>99% girls
Bertie
“one who is noble and bright” · “one who is illustrious”
>99% girls