Unisex name · since 1880
Bernie
Bernie has 9,225 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1960 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,270 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #8,251 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 9,225
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
9,225 babies have been named Bernie since 1880, making it today's #8251 unisex name.
Social Security Administration records show Bernie recorded 9,225 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #8251 nationally today, ahead of 41% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #1,270 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #8,251 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 9,225 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bernie ranks #1,270 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #8,251 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 9,225 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #1,270 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #8,251 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 9,225
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Bernie's 9,225 recorded births place it above 97.2% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
36 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Bernie compares
9,225 Top 9% higher than 91% 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
Bernie's all-time total is 25x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Bernie | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 9,225 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 231 | 34 | 22,252 |
Bernie's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Bernie's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 46% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 54%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1960 peak of 231, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Bernie popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1960)
- 231
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Bernie popularity over time - girls
1,535 total births recorded since 1890 (Bernie as girls' name)
Bernie by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (1,505 births, 16% of the file).
1950s was Bernie's strongest decade.
1,505 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 16% of all-time use.
Bernie births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 72
1880s
72 births
- 1890s 99
1890s
99 births
- 1900s 154
1900s
154 births
- 1910s 594
1910s
594 births
- 1920s
1920s
953 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,280 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,410 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,505 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,468 births
- 1970s
1970s
663 births
- 1980s 340
1980s
340 births
- 1990s 267
1990s
267 births
- 2000s 224
2000s
224 births
- 2010s 113
2010s
113 births
- 2020s 83
2020s
83 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 1,505 births (16% of all-time use).
How Bernie 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 Bernie's total volume
Bernie by state
Where Bernie concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 754 | 8.2% |
| #2 | Texas | | 489 | 5.3% |
| #3 | New York | | 397 | 4.3% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 290 | 3.1% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 242 | 2.6% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 240 | 2.6% |
| #7 | New Mexico | | 210 | 2.3% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 205 | 2.2% |
754 of 9,225 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 36 reporting states.
Bernie appears in 36 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bernie? ▼
Where does Bernie sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Bernie most popular? ▼
Where is Bernie most popular? ▼
Is Bernie a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Bernie been used? ▼
What names are similar to Bernie? ▼
What to do with Bernie's data
- Bernie's decade-level peak was the 1950s (1,505 total births); usage has since declined to 83 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Bernies (754 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bernie
Nearby Names Like Bernie
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bernie
Compare Bernie side by side: Bernie vs Bernard Bernie vs Bert Bernie vs Bernardo
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Bernie
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bernie: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1960)
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 Bernie 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.