Given name & surname · also German
Berthold
“having bright strength”
Berthold is used as a given name and a surname. One German interpretation is “having bright strength.”
Original GermanBert
Meaning & origin
What it means
One German interpretation is “having bright strength.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Germanic.
How it developed
In German usage, Berthold developed from Berhthold.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1908. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Berthold through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 267
- 267 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1919
- 18 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 5 in 1956. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 18 in 1919. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 173 as a first name in 2020; 1,292 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.
Berthold’s family of names
In German usage, Berthold has a diminutive in Bert. In German usage, Berthold shares a linguistic root with the Danish form Bertel. Berthold has a related form in Bertil.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Berthold has relatives in 7 languages. Lines run from its Proto-Germanic roots to each of them.
10 related names in 7 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 15
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 8
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 Berthold
- Berthold AuerbachGerman author (1812–1882)
- Berthold, Margrave of BadenGerman prince (1906-1963)
- Berthold of MeraniaDuke of Merania and Margrave of Istria (1153–1204)
- Berthold II of SwabiaDuke of Swabia1050–1111
- Berthold DelbrückGerman comparative linguist and Sanskrit scholar (1842–1922)
- Berthold V of ZähringenDuke of Zähringen1160–1218
- Berthold IV of ZähringenDuke of Zähringen and Rector of Burgundy1125–1186
- Bert KaempfertGerman orchestra leader, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, arranger and composer (1923-1980)
- Berthold II of CarinthiaDuke of Carinthia and Margrave of Verona1000–1078
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Berthold, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Baldo
“bold”
>99% boys
Algerd
“holy temple”
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Bernard
“as strong and brave as a bear”
>99% boys
Welch
Welch is a surname from Middle English, ultimately from Proto-Germanic.
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Holbert
“favourable, gracious, loyal” · “bright”
>99% boys
Richmond
“from the wealthy hill” · “a powerful protector”
>99% boys
Arnold
“the eagle ruler”
>99% boys
Ferdinand
“a courageous voyager”
>99% boys