BabyNameLens · Girl names · Boy names

Bernard

“Bear” — Germanic via French origin

Boy's name · #1362 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Bernard has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #45 (1919) · 200,087 babies named Bernard all-time · 1 in 13,000 boys born in 2025.

Around the world: about 1 in 1,500 boys in Sweden (2025) · about 1 in 1,700 boys in Norway (2025) · about 1 in 2,200 boys in Poland (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 17 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Bernards

• Bernard of Clairvaux — Burgundian saint, abbot and theologian (1090-1153)
• Bernard Montgomery — British Army officer (1887–1976)
• Bernard Arnault — French entrepreneur
• Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle — French writer and philosopher of the enlightenment (1657–1757)
• Bernard Bolzano — Bohemian mathematician and priest (1781–1848)

In stories & tradition

• Bernard Quatermass — The Quatermass Xperiment · Quatermass 2
• Bernard Nadler — Lost
• Bernard Weish — human whose existence is disputed

What Bernards become

Among 6,735 notable people named Bernard:

Political leaders appear 1.93× more often than among typical names — e.g. Bernard Cazeneuve, French prime minister.

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

Privacy Policy · Terms of Service