# Bernard (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/bernard/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 38,512 |
| US rank (2010) | 899 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 8,017 people |
| Change since 2000 | +5.4% (36,546 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /bəɹˈnɑɹd/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Barnard |

## Etymology

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 medieval European saints.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Bernard in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 63% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 26% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 7.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.1% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Bernard in the United States, Argentina and the Kingdom of Great Britain.

## People named Bernard

- Carlos Bernard, American actor
- Susan Bernard, American actress (1948-2019)
- Crystal Bernard, American singer-songwriter and actress
- Hilda Bernard, Argentine actress (1920–2022)
- Dorothy Bernard, actress (1890-1955)
- Molly Bernard, American actress
- Jason Bernard, American actor (1938–1996)
- Harry Bernard, American actor (1878-1940)
- Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet, British colonial administrator (1712-1779)
- Alfred Aloysous Bernard, American singer (1888–1949)
- Ed Bernard, American actor
- Jessie Bernard, American sociologist and feminist scholar (1903–1996)

and 1 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Barnard, Bernardo, Brainard, Bernardi, Brainerd, Bernier, Bernhardt, Berner, Bernhard, Bernardino, Boerner, Bernardini.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.