Boys' name · since 1880
Bernard
200,087 babies named Bernard in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1924. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #185 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,362 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 200,087
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
200,087 babies have been named Bernard since 1880, making it today's #1362 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Bernard recorded 200,087 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #1362 nationally today, ahead of 90% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #185 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,362 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 200,087 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bernard ranks #185 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,362 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 200,087 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #185 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,362 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 200,087
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Bernard's 200,087 recorded births place it above 99.59% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Bernard compares
200,087 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Bernard's all-time total is 542x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bernard | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 200,087 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 4,505 | 34 | 22,252 |
Bernard's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Bernard's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 30% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 70%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2023, with only 122 births recorded -- set against the 1924 peak of 4,505, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Bernard popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1924)
- 4,505
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Bernard popularity over time - girls
983 total births recorded since 1897 (Bernard as girls' name)
Bernard by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (42,408 births, 21% of the file).
1920s was Bernard's strongest decade.
42,408 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 21% of all-time use.
Bernard births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,616
1880s
1,616 births
- 1890s 2,315
1890s
2,315 births
- 1900s 3,296
1900s
3,296 births
- 1910s
1910s
25,628 births
- 1920s
1920s
42,408 births
- 1930s
1930s
30,545 births
- 1940s
1940s
26,446 births
- 1950s
1950s
25,887 births
- 1960s
1960s
17,475 births
- 1970s 9,100
1970s
9,100 births
- 1980s 6,507
1980s
6,507 births
- 1990s 4,159
1990s
4,159 births
- 2000s 2,252
2000s
2,252 births
- 2010s 1,608
2010s
1,608 births
- 2020s 845
2020s
845 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 42,408 births (21% of all-time use).
How Bernard compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Bernard's total volume
Bernard by state
Where Bernard concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 29,920 | 15.0% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 20,696 | 10.3% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 12,937 | 6.5% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 10,019 | 5.0% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 9,482 | 4.7% |
| #6 | Massachusetts | | 7,501 | 3.7% |
| #7 | New Jersey | | 6,608 | 3.3% |
| #8 | California | | 6,140 | 3.1% |
29,920 of 200,087 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Bernard appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bernard? ▼
Where does Bernard sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Bernard most popular? ▼
Where is Bernard most popular? ▼
How long has the name Bernard been used? ▼
What names are similar to Bernard? ▼
What to do with Bernard's data
- Bernard's decade-level peak was the 1920s (42,408 total births); usage has since declined to 845 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Bernards (29,920 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 Bernard
Nearby Names Like Bernard
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bernard
Compare Bernard side by side: Bernard vs Bert Bernard vs Bernardo Bernard vs Bernie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bernard
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bernard: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1924)
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 Bernard 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.