Bernell
A masculine name of English origin meaning "brave as a bear".
Name Census estimates that about 1,011 living Americans carry the first name Bernell. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 67.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Bernell today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bernell births was 1923 (56 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bernell. 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
1.0K
~ 1 in 339,025 Americans
Peak year
1923
56 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
2019 SSA rank
#7,569
Tracked since 1912
Gender
Gender distribution for Bernell
Bernell is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 2,308 total registrations, 1,558 (67.5%) were male and 750 (32.5%) were female.
Bernell as a male name
- Ranked #10,958 in 2019
- 6 male births in 2019
- Peak: 1923 (39 births)
Bernell as a female name
- Ranked #7,569 in 1969
- 5 female births in 1969
- Peak: 1927 (27 births)
Popularity
Bernell: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bernell from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 456 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bernell 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 Bernell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Bernells live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Louisiana, Illinois, Texas recorded the most babies named Bernell, while South Carolina, Missouri, Arkansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 28 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bernell
The given name Bernell originated from the Germanic language family, specifically the Old English and Old Norse languages. It is derived from the combination of two words: "bern" meaning "bear" and "ellen" meaning "strength" or "valor." The name was popular among the Anglo-Saxon and Viking cultures during the Early Middle Ages, roughly from the 5th to the 11th centuries.
In its early usage, Bernell was a name commonly given to male children, symbolizing the virtues of strength, courage, and resilience, traits that were highly valued in the warrior cultures of that era. The name's association with the mighty bear further reinforced its connotations of physical prowess and bravery.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Bernell can be found in the Old English poem "Beowulf," which dates back to around the 8th or 9th century. In this epic work, the name is mentioned in connection with a legendary warrior, suggesting its use among the Germanic tribes of that time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Bernell. One of the earliest was Bernell of Burgundy (c. 950-1008), a French nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the conflicts between the Duchy of Burgundy and the Kingdom of France during the late 10th century.
Another prominent figure was Bernell the Brave (c. 1066-1120), a Norman knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror during the Norman conquest of England in 1066. He was renowned for his bravery and military exploits, earning him the epithet "the Brave."
In the 13th century, Bernell of Toulouse (c. 1210-1271) was a renowned scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the development of medieval scholastic thought. His writings on logic, metaphysics, and theology were widely studied and influential during his time.
During the Renaissance period, Bernell Cellini (1500-1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and writer, best known for his masterpiece "Perseus with the Head of Medusa." His autobiography, published in 1558, provided a fascinating glimpse into the life of a Renaissance artist and is considered a literary classic.
In more recent times, Bernell Trammell (1932-2022) was an American jazz musician and composer, renowned for his innovative approach to the baritone saxophone. He performed and recorded with many legendary artists, including Miles Davis and John Coltrane, and left a lasting impact on the jazz scene.
People
Bernell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bernell 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
Bernell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bernell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,011 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bernell 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 339,025 US residents.
Is Bernell a common name?
We classify Bernell as "Rare". It ranks above 90.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,308 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bernell most popular?
The single biggest year for Bernell was 1923, when 56 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bernell is about 64 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Bernell a male name?
Yes, 67.5% of people registered as Bernell 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.