Bernadette

“Variant of Bernard — Bear” — Germanic via French origin

Girl's name · #1034 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Few names move less than Bernadette — on the books since 1880, #1034 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 55,000 girls share it. Its center of gravity has moved: strongest in the Northeast in the 1940s and 1950s, strongest in the Midwest today. Bernadette's short forms are Bernie and Bennie.

Around the world: about 1 in 5,300 girls in Ireland (2025) · about 1 in 15,000 girls in England & Wales (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 22 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Bernadettes

Bernadette Soubirous — French saint (1844–1879)
Bernadette Peters — American actress and singer (born 1948)
Bernadette Lafont — French actress (1938-2013)
Bernadette Meehan — American diplomat (born 1975)
Bernadette Chirac — French politician (1933–2026)

In stories & tradition

Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz — The Big Bang Theory
Bernadette Bassenger — Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Bernadette Thompson — Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

What Bernadettes become

Among 598 notable people named Bernadette:

Political leaders appear 1.71× more often than among typical names — e.g. Bernadette Meehan, American diplomat (born 1975).

Similar names: Rosemarie · Berkley · Paulette · Claudia · Brigitte · Marcella

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

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