US rank #1245 Girls' name Peak 1958 54,728 births

Bernadette — #1245 US girls' name

54,728 babies named Bernadette in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1958. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s931890s3481900s5981910s20781920s35331930s37721940s86311950s107011960s107181970s58871980s32711990s19792000s9462010s12592020s914
#1245
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 93% of names given to girls today.

1960s
Peak decade

20% 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.

What the Data Says About Bernadette

The Social Security Administration has registered 54,728 babies named Bernadette between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Bernadette currently holds the #1245 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1958, when 1,494 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Bernadette performed strongest in the 1960s, accumulating 10,718 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Bernadette shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 8,253 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Bernadette in 50 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Bernadette in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 54,728 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Bernadette at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

54,728

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1958

1,494 births that year

Strongest decade: 1960s

Current rank

#1,245

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Bernadette popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1958)
1,494
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-50005001,0001,5002,000 202420061988197019521934191618981880 8

Bernadette popularity over time — boys

60 total births recorded since 1962 (Bernadette as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 60 births
456789 1983197719731971196919671966196419631962 5

Bernadette by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1960s
Peak decade
1960s
10,718 births that decade — 20% of Bernadette's all-time total
1880s931890s3481900s5981910s20781920s35331930s37721940s86311950s107011960s107181970s58871980s32711990s19792000s9462010s12592020s914

Bernadette by state

Where Bernadette concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Bernadette
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
8,253 15.1%
#2 Pennsylvania
7,002 12.8%
#3 California
4,586 8.4%
#4 Illinois
3,333 6.1%
#5 New Jersey
3,059 5.6%
#6 Massachusetts
2,018 3.7%
#7 Michigan
1,934 3.5%
#8 Ohio
1,897 3.5%
New York share of Bernadette's total US births 15.1%
Even split

8,253 of 54,728 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?
54,728 babies have been named Bernadette since 1880. It currently ranks #1245 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 10,718 total births. The single peak year was 1958.
Where is Bernadette most popular?
The top states for the name Bernadette are New York (8,253 births), Pennsylvania (7,002 births), California (4,586 births).
How long has the name Bernadette been used?
Bernadette has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
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.

Keep exploring Bernadette

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.