The first name Bernard

In 2025, 42 boys were named Bernard, making it the 782nd most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2024, with 62 births (#613).

Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Bernard with other names.

In 2025, 137 boys born in the United States were named Bernard, the 1,362nd most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1924, when 4,505 were.

US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

Spelled Bernard in Czech, French and Polish too.

Nicknames for Bernard

• Bern
• Bernie
• Berner
• Nard

• Bernard of Clairvaux
  Burgundian saint, abbot and theologian (1090–1153)
• Bernard Montgomery
  British Army officer (1887–1976)
• Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle
  French writer and philosopher of the enlightenment (1657–1757)
• Bernardo Houssay
  Argentine physician (1887–1971)
• Bernard Bolzano
  Bohemian mathematician and priest (1781–1848)
• Bernard Katz
  German-British biophysicist (1911–2003)
• Bernard Cazeneuve
  French prime minister, born 1963
• Bernard Madoff
  American fraudster and financier (1938–2021)
• Bernard Hill
  British actor (1944-2024)
• Bernard Lewis
  British-American historian (1916–2018)
• Bernard Hinault
  French cyclist, born 1954
• Bernard Malamud
  American author (1914–1986)

What does the name Bernard mean?

Inherited from Middle English Bernard, from Old French Bernard, Bernart, from Medieval Latin Bernardus, probably from Frankish *Bernhard (cognate with Old High German Bernhart, Old English Beornheard), from Proto-Germanic *Bernuharduz, equivalent to bear + -ard. Popularized by…

How popular is the name Bernard?

In 2025, 42 boys born in England and Wales were named Bernard, ranking 782nd. Its peak was 2024, with 62 births.

What are nicknames for Bernard?

Common nicknames for Bernard include Bern, Bernie, Berner, Nard.

Is Bernard a boy's or a girl's name?

Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 201,070 US babies named Bernard since 1880 were boys.

When was Bernard most popular?

1924 in the United States, when 4,505 babies were named Bernard, its highest rank at 46th.

How do you pronounce Bernard?

Bernard is /bəɹˈnɑɹd/, 2 syllables.

What are other spellings of Bernard?

Barnard.

Is Bernard also a surname?

Yes. Bernard is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.