Bernadette
Bernadette is a French name, a female form of the name Bernard, which means "brave bear". Bernadett is the Hungarian spelling.
- French
- English
- German
- Dutch
Meaning & Origin of Bernadette
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Bernadette is a French name, a female form of the name Bernard, which means "brave bear". Bernadett is the Hungarian spelling.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- French
- English
- German
- Dutch
The Story of Bernadette
The earliest SSA record of Bernadette as a baby girl name dates back to 1880, when 8 babies received it. 1958 was its biggest year on record, with 1,494 newborns named Bernadette — #213 in the national rankings. In the latest 2026 data it stands at #1,207 among baby girl names with 195 births, gradually rising (+11%). In total, more than 55K Bernadettes have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Bernadette
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Bernadette. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Bernadette
Phonetically similar names — useful when Bernadette is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bernadette
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About the name Bernadette
Bernadette is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 55K births in the dataset. Bernadette's peak popularity came in 1958 when it ranked #188. Use the chart and map above to compare Bernadette's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1958 →
- Names of the 1950s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.