Berenise
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "bringer of victory".
Name Census estimates that about 626 living Americans carry the first name Berenise. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Berenise today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Berenise births was 1993 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Berenise. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
626
~ 1 in 547,531 Americans
Peak year
1993
45 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2015 SSA rank
#16,859
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Berenise: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Berenise from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 299 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Berenise by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Berenise during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Berenises live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Berenise, while Illinois, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 100 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Berenise
The name Berenise originates from the Greek language, with roots dating back to ancient Greece. It is a feminine form of the name Berenice, which traces its origins to the ancient Macedonian language spoken in parts of Greece and the surrounding regions.
The name Berenice itself is derived from the Greek word "phereniké," which means "the bringer of victory." This suggests that the name was originally associated with strength, success, and triumph, perhaps given to children with the hope of bestowing these qualities upon them.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Berenice is found in the Bible's Book of Acts, where a woman named Berenice is mentioned as the wife of King Herod Agrippa II, who ruled over parts of ancient Judea in the 1st century AD.
In ancient Greek history, the name Berenice was borne by several notable figures, including Berenice I, the wife of Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian ruler who founded the Ptolemaic dynasty in ancient Egypt. Another famous Berenice was Berenice II, the daughter of Ptolemy III Euergetes and Berenice I, who ruled as co-regent of Egypt in the 3rd century BC.
Moving forward in time, the name Berenise gained prominence during the Byzantine Empire, where it was used by members of the imperial family and nobility. One such example is Berenise of Lecce, a Byzantine noblewoman who lived in the 11th century and was the wife of Robert Guiscard, a Norman noble and adventurer.
In medieval Europe, the name Berenise was sometimes used as a variant of the more common name Berengaria or Berenguela. One notable figure with this name was Berengaria of Navarre, who was born in 1165 and became the wife of King Richard I of England, also known as Richard the Lionheart.
Another historical figure with the name Berenise was Berenise of Portugal, a 13th-century Portuguese noblewoman who was the daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal and Queen Urraca of Castile.
Throughout history, the name Berenise has been used across various cultures and regions, with slight variations in spelling and pronunciation. Its enduring presence reflects the name's rich heritage and the diverse influences that have shaped its evolution over time.
People
Berenise + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Berenise as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Berenise: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Berenise?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 626 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Berenise going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 547,531 US residents.
Is Berenise a common name?
We classify Berenise as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 645 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Berenise most popular?
The single biggest year for Berenise was 1993, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Berenise is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Berenise a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Berenise in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.