Girls' name · since 1900
Bernita
4,630 babies named Bernita in U.S. Social Security records since 1900, with the highest year being 1954. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #2,699 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 4,630
- born since 1900
- 1950s
- peak decade
Bernita is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 4,630 have been recorded since 1900.
Bernita has 4,630 recorded births among girls since 1900, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1900 to 2000.
- #2,699 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 4,630 born since 1900
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Bernita ranks #2,699 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 4,630 born since 1900, peaking in the 1950s.
- #2,699 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 4,630
- born since 1900
- 1950s
- peak decade
Bernita's 4,630 recorded births place it above 96.26% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
26 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Illinois.
Bernita's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Bernita's full recorded timeline at 1952, 43% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 57% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1905, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1954 peak of 117 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Bernita popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1900–2000
- Peak year (1954)
- 117
- Annual births at peak, across 101 years of records
Bernita by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (871 births, 19% of the file).
1950s was Bernita's strongest decade.
871 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 19% of all-time use.
Bernita births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1900s 28
1900s
28 births
- 1910s
1910s
452 births
- 1920s
1920s
754 births
- 1930s
1930s
685 births
- 1940s
1940s
585 births
- 1950s
1950s
871 births
- 1960s
1960s
700 births
- 1970s 322
1970s
322 births
- 1980s 173
1980s
173 births
- 1990s 55
1990s
55 births
- 2000s 5
2000s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 871 births (19% of all-time use).
How Bernita 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 Bernita's total volume
Bernita by state
Where Bernita concentrates geographically, total births since 1900
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Illinois | | 298 | 6.4% |
| #2 | Iowa | | 192 | 4.1% |
| #3 | Kansas | | 177 | 3.8% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 111 | 2.4% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 93 | 2.0% |
| #6 | Georgia | | 88 | 1.9% |
| #7 | Missouri | | 80 | 1.7% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 58 | 1.3% |
298 of 4,630 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 26 reporting states.
Bernita appears in 26 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Bernita? ▼
Where does Bernita sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Bernita most popular? ▼
Where is Bernita most popular? ▼
How long has the name Bernita been used? ▼
What names are similar to Bernita? ▼
What to do with Bernita's data
- Bernita's decade-level peak was the 1950s (871 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2000s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Illinois records the most Bernitas (298 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Illinois names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Bernita
Nearby Names Like Bernita
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Bernita
Compare Bernita side by side: Bernita vs Bertha Bernita vs Bernice Bernita vs Bernadette
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Bernita: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1954)
Similar record span (~100 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, 1900–2000 (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 Bernita 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.