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.
- #550 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,034 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 54,973
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
Bernadette currently ranks #1034 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 #1034 nationally today, ahead of 94% 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.
- #550 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #1,034 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 54,973 born since 1880
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bernadette ranks #550 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,034 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 54,973 born since 1880, peaking in the 1960s.
- #550 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #1,034 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 54,973
- born since 1880
- 1960s
- peak decade
Bernadette's 54,973 recorded births place it above 99.23% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
50 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Bernadette compares
54,973 Top 4% higher than 96% of 17,297 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 146x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bernadette | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 54,973 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 1,494 | 21 | 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 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
1960s is the heaviest window (10,719 births, 19% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
Where does Bernadette sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Bernadette most popular? ▼
Where is Bernadette most popular? ▼
How long has the name Bernadette been used? ▼
What names are similar to Bernadette? ▼
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
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
Compare Bernadette side by side: Bernadette vs Bertha Bernadette vs Bernice Bernadette vs Bernadine
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bernadette
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bernadette: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1958)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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).
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 August 2026.