Bernard
Bernard (Bernhard) is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname.
- English
- French
- Dutch
- Polish
Meaning & Origin of Bernard
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Bernard (Bernhard) is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- French
- Dutch
- Polish
- Croatian
- Slovene
- Czech
- Germanic
The Story of Bernard
Bernard first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 140 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1924, when 4,505 Bernards were born — ranking #46 that year. As of 2026, Bernard ranks #1,374 for baby boys with 138 births, gradually falling (-10%). In total, more than 200K Bernards 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 Bernard
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Bernard. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Bernard
Phonetically similar names — useful when Bernard 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 Bernard
What does the name Bernard mean?
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How popular is Bernard in 2026?
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In which U.S. states is Bernard most popular?
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About the name Bernard
Bernard is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 200K births in the dataset. Bernard's peak popularity came in 1924 when it ranked #45. Use the chart and map above to compare Bernard's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1924 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all boy 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.