Given name & surname
Bernardo
“as strong and brave as a bear”
Bernardo is a variant of Bernard. One German interpretation is “as strong and brave as a bear.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Bernardo is a variant of Bernard. One German interpretation is “as strong and brave as a bear.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Bernardo is a variant of Bernard. An origin associated with Bernard is Germanic.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From Latin Bernardus, from Proto-Germanic *Bernuharduz.
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
Bernardo through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 11,175
- 11,175 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1995
- 240 babies
- 2025
- 140
- #1,347 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +2%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 140 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,347 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 2.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 240 in 1995. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (30). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 19,954 as a first name in 2020; 7,238 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.
Bernardo’s family of names
In Italian usage, Bernardo has a diminutive in Dino. Bernardo shares a linguistic root with Bernard. In Spanish usage, Bernardo has a conventional equivalent in the German form BERNHARD.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Bernardo has relatives in 23 languages.
22 related names in 23 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 23
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Bernardo
- Bernardo BertolucciItalian film director and screenwriter (1941–2018)
- Bernardo HoussayArgentine physician (1887–1971)
- Bernardo SilvaPortuguese association football player (born 1994)
- Bernardo O'HigginsChilean independence leader (1778–1842)
- Bernardo BellottoItalian artist (1722–1780)
- BernardoBrazilian association football playerborn 1965
- Bernardo ProvenzanoItalian mob boss1933–2016
- Bernardo PasquiniItalian Baroque composer1637–1710
- Bernardo RezendeBrazilian volleyball coach and former playerborn 1950
Characters named Bernardo: Bernardo del Carpio (legendary Iberian hero).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Bernardo, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Rolando
“well-known throughout the land” · “from the renowned land”
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“one who is mighty with a spear”
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Armando
“of the army; a soldier”
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Alfredo
“one who counsels the elves”
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Eduardo
“a wealthy protector”
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Ricardo
“a powerful ruler”
>99% boys
Dangelo
“a messenger from God”
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Gilberto
Gilberto is a masculine given name. It is used in English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and 2 other languages.
>99% boys