Bernard

Did you know?

A few things about Bernard you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Bernard

Bernard Katz

German-British biophysicist (1911–2003)

Choose Bernard and your child shares a first name with Bernard Katz, a German-British biophysicist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Bernard, like who?” Bernard Katz's Wikipedia article is available in 59 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Bernard Katz on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Willy Pragher, CC BY 3.0 de (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 12,469 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Bernard, 137 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Bernard would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryBernard has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Bernards, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1921, when it ranked #45. Today it's #1,362, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendBernard has slipped 112 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,362. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedBernard is most popular in New York, where it ranks #994. It's in the top 1,000 in 1 state.
• 💬MeaningIn Germanic, Bernard means “brave as a bear”.

About the name Bernard

Bernard is a boy name meaning “brave as a bear”. It has 7 letters and 2 syllables, starting with B and ending in “-ard”. US birth records list Bernard for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1921, when it ranked #45 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #1,362, with 137 babies.