Given name & surname
Bernd
“as strong and brave as a bear”
Bernd is a variant of Bernard. One German interpretation is “as strong and brave as a bear.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Bernd 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
Bernd is a variant of Bernard. An origin associated with Bernard is Germanic.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In German usage, Bernd is a short form of BERNHARD.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1957. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Bernd through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 97
- 97 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1960
- 11 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 boys is 6 in 1979. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 11 in 1960. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,240 as a first name in 2020; 527 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.
Bernd’s family of names
In German usage, Bernd is a diminutive of BERNHARD. Bernd has a related form in Bernard. In German usage, Bernd is a short form of BERNHARD.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Bernd has relatives in 3 languages.
23 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 22
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Bernardvariant · English
- Bernhardfull form · German
- Berntvariant · German
- Bernhartvariant · German
- Bernhardtvariant · German
- Bernsvariant · English
- Berndtvariant · German
- Perntvariant · German
Show 14 moreShow fewer
- Perndvariant · German
- Bernzvariant · German
- Bernthvariant · German
- Bernhardyvariant · German
- Bernhardsvariant · German
- Bernhardivariant · German
- Berndsenvariant · German
- Berndsvariant · German
- Behrenzvariant · German
- Behrenthvariant · German
- Behrensvariant · German
- Behrendtvariant · German
- Behrendsvariant · German
- Behrendvariant · German
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Bernd
- Heinrich von KleistGerman poet, dramatist, novelist and short story writer (1777–1811)
- Bernd LenoGerman association football player (born 1992)
- Bernd SchusterGerman association football manager and former playerborn 1959
- Bernd HölzenbeinGerman footballer (1946-2024)
- Bernd SchneiderGerman association football playerborn 1973
- Bernd EichingerGerman film producer, director, and screenwriter (1949–2011)
- Bernd FörsterGerman footballerborn 1956
- Bernd BranschEast German footballer (1944–2022)
- Bernd SchneiderGerman racing driverborn 1964
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Bernd, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Brad
“one who has broad shoulders”
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Ted
“a gift from God” · “having heart”
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Cris
“follower of Christ” · “one who bears Christ inside”
97% boys · 3% girls
Ward
“a guardian”
86% boys · 14% girls
Ladd
“a servant; a young man”
>99% boys
Ken
“born of fire” · “handsome, fair one”
>99% boys