Bernard is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Bernard means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Bernard across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Bernard has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Bernard is a boy name of Germanic origin meaning “strong as a bear”. borne by two influential medieval saints.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 201,070 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 782 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 275 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 82 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 4,031 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 657 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Bernard per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1924 (4,524/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1965 (211/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2024 (62/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1975 (28/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1998 (10/yr).
Bernard has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1924, when it ranked #107 nationally (given to 4,524 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1920s.
Bernardo · Bernhard · Bernhardt · Bernerd · Bernarda · Barnard · Brainard · Burnard
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