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.
More common than 93% of names given to girls today.
20% of everyone ever named Bernadette was born in this single decade.
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 1,000Peak year
Current rank
Active since
Bernadette popularity over time — girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880
- Peak year (1958)
- 1,494
- Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
Currently ranks #1245 among girls.
54,728 total births across 145 years of SSA records. Peaked in 1958 with 1,494 births in a single year.
Bernadette popularity over time — boys
60 total births recorded since 1962 (Bernadette as boys' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The boys' variant of Bernadette accounts for 0% of total recorded use across both genders.
Bernadette by decade
Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance
- Peak decade
- 1960s
- 10,718 births that decade — 20% of Bernadette's all-time total
Bernadette decade highlights
- Peak decade 10,718 births
- Runner-up 10,701 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
1960s was Bernadette's strongest decade
10,718 babies received the name during that ten-year window — about 20% of all-time use.
Bernadette by state
Where Bernadette concentrates geographically — total births since 1880
| 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% |
8,253 of 54,728 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 50 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- New York 15.1% of nationwide
- Pennsylvania 12.8% of nationwide
- California 8.4% of nationwide
- Illinois 6.1% of nationwide
- New Jersey 5.6% of nationwide
Recorded in 50 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
New York accounts for 15.1% of all recorded births nationwide — a relatively diffuse profile for this name.
Bernadette appears in 50 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bernadette? ▼
When was Bernadette most popular? ▼
Where is Bernadette most popular? ▼
How long has the name Bernadette been used? ▼
What names are similar to Bernadette? ▼
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
Baby Name Guides
Learn more about naming trends and how to use data to choose a name
Explore more names
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.