Bernel
Of Old German origin, meaning "bear-brave, brave as a bear".
Name Census estimates that about 18 living Americans carry the first name Bernel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bernel today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bernel births was 1939 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bernel. 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.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Bernel is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Bernels were born before 1966.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bernel. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
18
~ 1 in 19,041,908 Americans
Peak year
1939
7 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
1967 SSA rank
#4,018
Tracked since 1939
Census
Bernel in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 125 people with the first name Bernel, which placed it at #49,507 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#49,507
National first-name rank
People counted
125
125 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
62.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bernel
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bernel is Black at 62.4%. The next largest groups are White (20.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Bernel described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Bernel at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American62.4% · 78
- White20.8% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.6% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.8% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 5
- Two or more races2.4% · 3
Popularity
Bernel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bernel from the 1930s through to the 1960s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 15 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bernel 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 Bernel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bernel
The name Bernel originates from the Old Germanic language, with roots that can be traced back to the 5th century AD. It is believed to be a compound name derived from the words "bern" meaning "bear" and "ell" meaning "strength" or "courage." The name was commonly found among the various Germanic tribes that inhabited present-day Germany, the Netherlands, and parts of France during the Dark Ages.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Bernel can be found in the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century manuscript containing fragments of the Gothic Bible translation by Wulfila. The name is mentioned in the Book of Ezra, where a person named Bernel is listed as one of the scribes who assisted Ezra in transcribing the holy scriptures.
During the Middle Ages, the name Bernel gained popularity among the Frankish nobility and was borne by several prominent figures. One notable example is Bernel of Navarre, a French nobleman who fought alongside King Louis IX during the Seventh Crusade in the 13th century. He was captured during the Battle of Mansurah in 1250 and spent several years as a prisoner before being ransomed and returning to France.
Another historically significant individual with the name Bernel was Bernel of Aire, a Flemish scholar and theologian who lived in the 12th century. He authored several treatises on religious philosophy and was renowned for his teachings at the University of Paris.
In the 16th century, Bernel Krüger was a German explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous voyage around the world. Krüger was among the crew members who survived the treacherous journey and returned to Spain in 1522, providing valuable accounts of the expedition's discoveries.
One of the most celebrated figures named Bernel was Bernel von Rohr, a Prussian general who served under Frederick the Great during the Seven Years' War in the 18th century. Von Rohr distinguished himself in numerous battles, including the Battle of Leuthen in 1757, and played a crucial role in several Prussian victories against the Austro-Russian alliance.
While the name Bernel has become relatively uncommon in modern times, it has left an indelible mark on history, borne by individuals who have made significant contributions across various fields, from exploration and warfare to religion and academia.
People
Bernel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bernel 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
Bernel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bernel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 18 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bernel 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 19,041,908 US residents.
Is Bernel a common name?
We classify Bernel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 38.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 28 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bernel most popular?
The single biggest year for Bernel was 1939, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bernel is about 70 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Bernel in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 125 people with the name Bernel, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #49,507 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Bernel in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Bernel?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Bernel on both sides of the split. Of the 127 people counted with this name, 97 were male (76.4%) and 30 were female (23.6%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Bernel?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Bernel is Black at 62.4%. The next largest groups are White (20.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Bernel most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Bernel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.4% (78 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Bernel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bernel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bernel 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.
Is Bernel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bernel in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Bernel can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are called Bernel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.