Bernardino
A masculine name of Italian origin meaning "hardy" or "brave as a bear".
Name Census estimates that about 1,173 living Americans carry the first name Bernardino. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bernardino today is around 45 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bernardino births was 1974 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bernardino. 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
1.2K
~ 1 in 292,203 Americans
Peak year
1974
30 babies that year
Average age
45
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,477
Tracked since 1911
Popularity
Bernardino: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bernardino from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 214 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bernardino 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 Bernardino during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bernardinos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Texas, California, New Mexico recorded the most babies named Bernardino, while Florida, Arizona, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 99 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bernardino
The name Bernardino originated from the Italian language during the Medieval period. It is a masculine given name derived from the Germanic words "bern" meaning "bear" and "hard" meaning "brave" or "hardy." The name can be traced back to the 5th century AD, when it first appeared as the name of a Frankish leader.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bernardino can be found in the 12th century, when it was used by Saint Bernardino of Siena (1380-1444), an Italian Franciscan missionary and preacher. He is famous for his efforts in promoting the devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus and was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1450.
Another notable figure with the name Bernardino was Bernardino Luini (c. 1480-1532), an Italian painter from the Renaissance period. He was a prominent artist in the Lombard school and is best known for his frescoes and altarpieces depicting religious themes.
In the 16th century, Bernardino Baldi (1553-1617) was an Italian scholar, historian, and poet. He is renowned for his work "Vita e Fatti di Federigo di Montefeltro Duca d'Urbino" (Life and Deeds of Federico da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino), a biography of the famous Italian condottiero.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Bernardino Ramazzini (1633-1714) was an Italian physician and the founder of occupational medicine. He is celebrated for his groundbreaking work "De Morbis Artificum Diatriba" (Diseases of Workers), which explored the health hazards associated with various professions.
Finally, in the 19th century, Bernardino Rivadavia (1780-1845) was an Argentine statesman and the first President of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata (modern-day Argentina). He played a crucial role in the country's independence and is remembered for his efforts in promoting education and democratic reforms.
People
Bernardino + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bernardino 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
Bernardino: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bernardino?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,173 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bernardino 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 292,203 US residents.
Is Bernardino a common name?
We classify Bernardino as "Rare". It ranks above 91.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,649 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bernardino most popular?
The single biggest year for Bernardino was 1974, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bernardino is about 45 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bernardino a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bernardino in the SSA data are male. 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.