Bernard
Bernard was given to 137 boys in 2025, #1,362 among boys’ names; 201,070 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 69,500 Americans named Bernard and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (35% of everyone recorded); the median is 65 years old and half are between 50 and 75.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Bernard by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Bernard mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Bernard is “a male given name from the Germanic languages.”
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.
/bəɹˈnɑɹd/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Bernard?
#1,362 among boys’ names, 2025
Bernard fell from #1,216 in 2015 to #1,362 in 2025 among boys’ names, although its share of boys born rose from 78.8 to 80.2 per million.
4,524 babies in 1924, the peak
Bernard peaked in 1924, when 4,524 babies were given it (4,505 boys, #46 among boys’ names). The 137 births of 2025 are 3% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 137 | #1,362 | 0.08 |
| 2024 | 147 | #1,318 | 0.09 |
| 2023 | 122 | #1,473 | 0.07 |
| 2022 | 148 | #1,290 | 0.08 |
| 2021 | 143 | #1,308 | 0.08 |
| 2020 | 148 | #1,250 | 0.09 |
| 2019 | 150 | #1,251 | 0.08 |
| 2018 | 168 | #1,142 | 0.09 |
| 2017 | 160 | #1,171 | 0.09 |
| 2016 | 163 | #1,169 | 0.09 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 151 | #1,216 | 0.08 |
| 2014 | 158 | #1,179 | 0.08 |
| 2013 | 168 | #1,100 | 0.09 |
| 2012 | 150 | #1,195 | 0.08 |
| 2011 | 168 | #1,102 | 0.09 |
| 2010 | 172 | #1,108 | 0.09 |
| 2009 | 189 | #1,027 | 0.10 |
| 2008 | 214 | #944 | 0.10 |
| 2007 | 212 | #934 | 0.10 |
| 2006 | 194 | #958 | 0.09 |
| 2005 | 223 | #832 | 0.11 |
| 2004 | 238 | #765 | 0.12 |
| 2003 | 220 | #790 | 0.11 |
| 2002 | 226 | #761 | 0.12 |
| 2001 | 261 | #688 | 0.13 |
| 2000 | 275 | #655 | 0.14 |
| 1999 | 266 | #648 | 0.14 |
| 1998 | 297 | #616 | 0.16 |
| 1997 | 319 | #579 | 0.17 |
| 1996 | 323 | #565 | 0.17 |
| 1995 | 431 | #496 | 0.23 |
| 1994 | 413 | #495 | 0.21 |
| 1993 | 506 | #434 | 0.26 |
| 1992 | 530 | #421 | 0.27 |
| 1991 | 558 | #408 | 0.28 |
| 1990 | 516 | #429 | 0.25 |
| 1989 | 659 | #349 | 0.33 |
| 1988 | 609 | #345 | 0.32 |
| 1987 | 593 | #340 | 0.32 |
| 1986 | 595 | #333 | 0.32 |
| 1985 | 653 | #312 | 0.35 |
| 1984 | 615 | #317 | 0.34 |
| 1983 | 640 | #308 | 0.36 |
| 1982 | 677 | #297 | 0.37 |
| 1981 | 697 | #289 | 0.39 |
| 1980 | 769 | #274 | 0.43 |
| 1979 | 760 | #272 | 0.44 |
| 1978 | 738 | #267 | 0.45 |
| 1977 | 758 | #261 | 0.46 |
| 1976 | 793 | #249 | 0.51 |
| 1975 | 847 | #242 | 0.54 |
| 1974 | 858 | #238 | 0.55 |
| 1973 | 945 | #226 | 0.61 |
| 1972 | 1,047 | #213 | 0.65 |
| 1971 | 1,168 | #205 | 0.66 |
| 1970 | 1,186 | #210 | 0.64 |
| 1969 | 1,284 | #199 | 0.72 |
| 1968 | 1,306 | #189 | 0.75 |
| 1967 | 1,442 | #179 | 0.83 |
| 1966 | 1,522 | #177 | 0.85 |
| 1965 | 1,675 | #170 | 0.90 |
| 1964 | 1,878 | #165 | 0.94 |
| 1963 | 1,946 | #165 | 1.0 |
| 1962 | 1,970 | #161 | 1.0 |
| 1961 | 2,150 | #156 | 1.0 |
| 1960 | 2,302 | #152 | 1.1 |
| 1959 | 2,274 | #152 | 1.1 |
| 1958 | 2,407 | #143 | 1.1 |
| 1957 | 2,532 | #137 | 1.2 |
| 1956 | 2,485 | #129 | 1.2 |
| 1955 | 2,560 | #127 | 1.2 |
| 1954 | 2,727 | #123 | 1.3 |
| 1953 | 2,746 | #119 | 1.4 |
| 1952 | 2,748 | #111 | 1.4 |
| 1951 | 2,772 | #107 | 1.5 |
| 1950 | 2,636 | #110 | 1.5 |
| 1949 | 2,680 | #111 | 1.5 |
| 1948 | 2,715 | #107 | 1.5 |
| 1947 | 2,994 | #100 | 1.6 |
| 1946 | 2,605 | #102 | 1.6 |
| 1945 | 2,388 | #98 | 1.8 |
| 1944 | 2,619 | #94 | 1.9 |
| 1943 | 2,744 | #92 | 1.9 |
| 1942 | 2,724 | #90 | 2.0 |
| 1941 | 2,509 | #87 | 2.0 |
| 1940 | 2,468 | #82 | 2.1 |
| 1939 | 2,624 | #76 | 2.4 |
| 1938 | 2,715 | #75 | 2.4 |
| 1937 | 2,672 | #73 | 2.5 |
| 1936 | 2,853 | #68 | 2.8 |
| 1935 | 2,933 | #67 | 2.8 |
| 1934 | 3,146 | #65 | 3.0 |
| 1933 | 3,005 | #63 | 3.0 |
| 1932 | 3,252 | #60 | 3.1 |
| 1931 | 3,514 | #54 | 3.4 |
| 1930 | 3,831 | #52 | 3.5 |
| 1929 | 3,807 | #52 | 3.5 |
| 1928 | 4,067 | #49 | 3.7 |
| 1927 | 4,165 | #50 | 3.7 |
| 1926 | 4,172 | #49 | 3.8 |
| 1925 | 4,259 | #48 | 3.8 |
| 1924 | 4,505 | #46 | 4.0 |
| 1923 | 4,376 | #46 | 4.0 |
| 1922 | 4,409 | #46 | 4.1 |
| 1921 | 4,485 | #45 | 4.1 |
| 1920 | 4,163 | #46 | 3.9 |
| 1919 | 3,915 | #45 | 4.0 |
| 1918 | 4,098 | #47 | 4.0 |
| 1917 | 3,711 | #49 | 4.0 |
| 1916 | 3,476 | #49 | 3.9 |
| 1915 | 3,302 | #48 | 3.9 |
| 1914 | 2,436 | #50 | 3.7 |
| 1913 | 1,916 | #52 | 3.7 |
| 1912 | 1,437 | #60 | 3.3 |
| 1911 | 777 | #54 | 3.4 |
| 1910 | 560 | #62 | 2.9 |
| 1909 | 463 | #68 | 2.8 |
| 1908 | 414 | #70 | 2.7 |
| 1907 | 378 | #73 | 2.6 |
| 1906 | 343 | #74 | 2.6 |
| 1905 | 292 | #82 | 2.2 |
| 1904 | 326 | #72 | 2.5 |
| 1903 | 271 | #79 | 2.3 |
| 1902 | 259 | #83 | 2.1 |
| 1901 | 242 | #80 | 2.3 |
| 1900 | 308 | #86 | 2.0 |
| 1899 | 222 | #85 | 2.1 |
| 1898 | 284 | #73 | 2.3 |
| 1897 | 234 | #78 | 2.1 |
| 1896 | 241 | #82 | 2.0 |
| 1895 | 259 | #77 | 2.2 |
| 1894 | 256 | #78 | 2.2 |
| 1893 | 217 | #84 | 1.9 |
| 1892 | 237 | #85 | 1.9 |
| 1891 | 187 | #85 | 1.8 |
| 1890 | 178 | #98 | 1.6 |
| 1889 | 215 | #81 | 1.9 |
| 1888 | 207 | #87 | 1.7 |
| 1887 | 159 | #97 | 1.6 |
| 1886 | 180 | #91 | 1.6 |
| 1885 | 160 | #91 | 1.5 |
| 1884 | 140 | #108 | 1.2 |
| 1883 | 141 | #96 | 1.3 |
| 1882 | 144 | #103 | 1.3 |
| 1881 | 130 | #96 | 1.3 |
| 1880 | 140 | #97 | 1.3 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Bernard a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Bernard has been given almost only to boys: 983 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Bernard: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Bernard, and how old are they?
69,500 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 35% of the 201,070 Americans ever recorded as Bernard. The median Bernard alive today is 65 years old; half are between 50 and 75.
The 2020 Census counted 82,518 people named Bernard (143 women and girls, 82,375 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 82,946 born in the U.S. The Census count is 1% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 9,450 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 30,800 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 15,100 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 8,610 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 3,560 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 1,950 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Bernard born?
The states with the most babies named Bernard are New York, Pennsylvania and Illinois, with 34% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 29,942 | #1,001 | 1.7× |
| Pennsylvania | 20,706 | #1,258 | 1.5× |
| Illinois | 12,937 | #1,312 | 1.2× |
| Michigan | 10,024 | not ranked | 1.3× |
| Ohio | 9,482 | #1,290 | 0.9× |
| Massachusetts | 7,501 | not ranked | 1.2× |
| New Jersey | 6,608 | not ranked | 1.1× |
| California | 6,140 | #1,517 | 0.5× |
| Maryland | 5,810 | not ranked | 2.0× |
| Wisconsin | 5,733 | not ranked | 1.2× |
Where Bernard is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Bernard is most over-represented in Vermont: since 1910 it was given 2.3 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Bernard with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 4 names spelled alike, given to 204,163 babies since 1880, Bernard is the most given (98% of them). In 2025 it was given to 137 of their 137 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Bernard
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Bernard and names like it
- Compare Bernard and BernhardBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1920sBernard peaked in 1924.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Bernard since 1910.
- Germanic namesWiktionary’s origin for Bernard: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1924The year the most babies were named Bernard.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Bernard alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with BMost given first.