Girls' name · since 1880
Bernice
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 182,130 babies named Bernice, peaking in 1921. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #219 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,067 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 182,130
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
182,130 babies have been named Bernice since 1880, making it today's #4067 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Bernice recorded 182,130 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #4067 nationally today, ahead of 76% of girls, 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.
- #219 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #4,067 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 182,130 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bernice ranks #219 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,067 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 182,130 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #219 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,067 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 182,130
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Bernice's 182,130 recorded births place it above 99.69% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Bernice compares
182,130 Top 2% higher than 98% 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
Bernice's all-time total is 484x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bernice | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 182,130 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 6,190 | 21 | 19,840 |
Bernice's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Bernice's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 11% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 89%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 2025, with only 35 births recorded -- set against the 1921 peak of 6,190, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Bernice popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1921)
- 6,190
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Bernice popularity over time - boys
3,403 total births recorded since 1883 (Bernice as boys' name)
Bernice by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (55,842 births, 31% of the file).
1920s was Bernice's strongest decade.
55,842 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 31% of all-time use.
Bernice births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,037
1880s
1,037 births
- 1890s 4,094
1890s
4,094 births
- 1900s 10,010
1900s
10,010 births
- 1910s
1910s
40,346 births
- 1920s
1920s
55,842 births
- 1930s
1930s
29,905 births
- 1940s 17,032
1940s
17,032 births
- 1950s 10,829
1950s
10,829 births
- 1960s 6,047
1960s
6,047 births
- 1970s 2,525
1970s
2,525 births
- 1980s 1,489
1980s
1,489 births
- 1990s 1,249
1990s
1,249 births
- 2000s 868
2000s
868 births
- 2010s 611
2010s
611 births
- 2020s 246
2020s
246 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 55,842 births (31% of all-time use).
How Bernice 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 Bernice's total volume
Bernice by state
Where Bernice concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 12,610 | 6.9% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 12,027 | 6.6% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 9,864 | 5.4% |
| #4 | Texas | | 7,946 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Georgia | | 6,711 | 3.7% |
| #6 | California | | 6,281 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 6,240 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Alabama | | 6,157 | 3.4% |
12,610 of 182,130 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Bernice appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bernice? ▼
Where does Bernice sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Bernice most popular? ▼
Where is Bernice most popular? ▼
How long has the name Bernice been used? ▼
What names are similar to Bernice? ▼
What to do with Bernice's data
- Bernice's decade-level peak was the 1920s (55,842 total births); usage has since declined to 246 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Bernices (12,610 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 Bernice
Nearby Names Like Bernice
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bernice
Compare Bernice side by side: Bernice vs Bertha Bernice vs Bernadette Bernice vs Bernadine
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bernice
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bernice: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1921)
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 Bernice 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.