Nicknames: The Ultimate Guide

Literary Ladies: Unique names from  Books

Best Rare Names from 100 Years Ago

Endearing Baby Names: Honey, Sugar & Dove

Vintage Boy Names: How To Find A Cool Old Name

Animal Names: Cool bear baby names beyond Paddington and Pooh

Poetic Baby Names: 60+ Charming Choices

100 Brilliant Boy Names in Translation

What was your great grandfather’s name?

Bernard

The name Bernard peaked for girls at #1285 in 1929. Bernard is occasionally used for boys in 2025.

The name Bernard is a boy's name of German origin meaning "strong, brave as a bear".

German Names

German Names for Boys

7 Letter Boy Names

Names Ending in D for Boys

Names That Mean Brave

Names That Mean Bear

Two Syllable Names for Boys

Names that Peaked in 1919

Names that Peaked in 1921

Boy Dog Names That Start With B

Boy Cat Names That Start With B

Dog Names That Start With B

Cat Names That Start With B

Animal Names for Boys

German Names that Start With B

Bernard is obviously a saint's name, but how did it get to the big, benevolent dog? The eleventh century monk, patron saint of mountain climbers, who lived in the Alps, was famed for setting up safe houses for pilgrims on their way to Rome over the treacherous St. Bernard Pass, and the canine breed, also used to rescue people in treacherous conditions, was named for him.
<br/><br/>Over the years, though, the name has taken on a highly intellectual image, losing most of that old Alpine energy. There were lots of little Bernies in the early decades of the twentieth century; Bernard reached as high as Number 45 in 1921.
<br/><br/>And the name does have some cultural cred, via playwright (George) Bernard Shaw, seminal art historian Bernard Berenson, and novelist Bernard Malamud. And let's not forget that 2016 and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders's first name is Bernard as well.

Boy Names Like Oscar

Victorian Boy Names

Bold Boy Names

Top 1910s Baby Names 

Urban Prairie Names

Catholic Baby Names (with Meanings and Popularity)

Top 1920s Baby Names 

Names That Mean Strong

Dog Names That Mean Brave

Old People Names

Old-Fashioned Baby Names

Cool Classic Boy Names Below the Top 1000 

Cat Names

German Shepherd Names

French Last Names

Victorian Names from the 1800s

Nameberry's Favorite Boy Names

Nameberry's Favorite Names

Cat Names That Mean Strong

Old-Fashioned Boy Names

Old-Fashioned Names

Disney Cat Names

Cat Names That Mean Brave

Names That Mean Brave, Strong, or Powerful

Dog Names That Mean Strong, Powerful, or Brave

Dog Names

Disney Baby Names

Nameberry's Favorite Vintage Names

Unique Dog Names

German Dog Names

Telegraph Baby Names 

Disney Dog Names

Baby Names from Books

Confirmation Names for Boys (with Meanings and Definitions)

Serious Names

Nerdy Boy Names: Geek Chic Cool

Old Man Names Back in Style

Names from Theater

Saint Names

German

Nameberry

Unique

England

Poland

The name Bernard is currently ranked #940 in U.S. births. and peaked for boys at #45 in 1919. It is currently rising in popularity. The name is most popular in BERNARD, BERNARD, and BERNARD. Bernard is occasionally used for girls in 1993.

Bjorn

Year	US rank	Births	Per million
2014	—	0	0
2015	—	0	0
2016	—	0	0
2017	—	0	0
2018	—	0	0
2019	—	0	0
2020	—	0	0
2021	—	0	0
2022	—	0	0
2023	—	0	0
2024	—	0	0
2025	—	0	0

Bernard

About Bernard

Popularity & trends

Bernard in blog posts

Community discussions

Advanced Search

Save Bernard

The Nameberry App is live