Total births
54,973
Girls' name · since 1880
Bernadette
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 54,973 babies named Bernadette, peaking in 1958. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1242
- among girls today
- 54,973
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
Bernadette currently ranks #1242 among girls' names in America, with 54,973 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Bernadette recorded 54,973 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #1242 nationally today, ahead of 93% of girls, peaking in the 1960s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1242 among girls today
- 54,973 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
- 93% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Bernadette is currently the #1242 girls' name in America, more common than 93% of girls - 54,973 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #1242
- among girls today
- 54,973
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 93%
- more common than other girls
Bernadette vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1242
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 93% of names given to girls today.
1960s
Peak decade
19% of everyone ever named Bernadette was born in this single decade.
1958
Single peak year
1,494 babies were named Bernadette in 1958 - its busiest year on record.
How Bernadette compares
54,973 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Bernadette's all-time total is 144x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bernadette | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 54,973 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,494 | 48 | 19,840 |
Bernadette's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Bernadette splits its recorded history at 1953: 60% of all births land in the more recent half, 40% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1881 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1958 peak of 1,494 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Bernadette at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1958
Current rank
#1,242
Active since
1880
Bernadette popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1958)
- 1,494
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Bernadette popularity over time - boys
60 total births recorded since 1962 (Bernadette as boys' name)
Bernadette by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Bernadette's strongest decade.
10,719 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Bernadette births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 93
1880s
93 births
- 1890s 348
1890s
348 births
- 1900s 598
1900s
598 births
- 1910s 2,078
1910s
2,078 births
- 1920s 3,533
1920s
3,533 births
- 1930s 3,772
1930s
3,772 births
- 1940s
1940s
8,631 births
- 1950s
1950s
10,701 births
- 1960s
1960s
10,719 births
- 1970s
1970s
5,887 births
- 1980s 3,271
1980s
3,271 births
- 1990s 1,980
1990s
1,980 births
- 2000s 946
2000s
946 births
- 2010s 1,259
2010s
1,259 births
- 2020s 1,157
2020s
1,157 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 10,719 births (19% of all-time use).
How Bernadette compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Bernadette's total volume
Bernadette vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Bernadette by state
Where Bernadette concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 8,268 | 15.0% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 7,008 | 12.7% |
| #3 | California | | 4,603 | 8.4% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 3,351 | 6.1% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 3,065 | 5.6% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 2,024 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 1,946 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 1,908 | 3.5% |
New York share of Bernadette's total US births 15.0%
Even split
8,268 of 54,973 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Bernadette appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bernadette? ▼
54,973 babies have been named Bernadette since 1880. It currently ranks #1242 among girls. The peak year was 1958 with 1,494 births.
When was Bernadette most popular? ▼
Bernadette was most popular in the 1960s decade with 10,719 total births. The single peak year was 1958.
Where is Bernadette most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Bernadette are New York (8,268 births), Pennsylvania (7,008 births), California (4,603 births).
How long has the name Bernadette been used? ▼
Bernadette has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Bernadette? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Bertha, Bernice, Bernadine, Bertie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Bernadette's data
- Bernadette's decade-level peak was the 1960s (10,719 total births); usage has since declined to 1,157 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Bernadettes (8,268 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bernadette
Nearby Names Like Bernadette
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bernadette
Bertha Girl
#4669 207,870 births
Bernice Girl
#3823 182,130 births
Bernadine Girl
#15327 21,933 births
Bertie Girl
#7594 13,736 births
Beryl Girl
#11128 10,130 births
Compare Bernadette side by side: Bernadette vs Bertha Bernadette vs Bernice Bernadette vs Bernadine
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bernadette
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Bernadette: #1242 Girls' Name - 54,973 Births, Peak 1958." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/bernadette. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Bernadette draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.