2000
#73,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 244
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Bernabel
A surname derived from the Germanic name "Bernard" meaning "brave as a bear".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 422 Americans carry the last name Bernabel. That puts it at #59,374 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 812,214 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bernabel surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
422
1 in 812,214
Census rank
#59,374
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
368
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 368 bearers of the surname Bernabel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 59374th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernabel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and White (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bernabel
The surname Bernabel originated in the Catalonia region of northeastern Spain during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin personal name Bernabeus, which was formed from the Germanic elements "bern" meaning bear and "abel" meaning strength or vigor. This name likely evolved from the Catalan form "Barnabé."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bernabel surname appears in a 13th-century chronicle from the city of Barcelona, where a nobleman named Guillem Bernabel is mentioned as a participant in a local conflict. The surname also surfaced in various medieval tax rolls and property records throughout Catalonia.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure named Ramon Bernabel served as a magistrate in the town of Girona. His descendants continued to use the Bernabel surname for several generations.
During the 15th century, the Bernabel family expanded their influence and possessed landholdings in the vicinity of the town of Manresa. A certain Pere Bernabel, born in 1427, was a respected scholar and author of several treatises on philosophy and theology.
By the 16th century, branches of the Bernabel family had established themselves in other parts of Spain, including Aragon and Valencia. One notable individual was Jaume Bernabel (1502-1574), a military commander who fought in the Spanish conquest of the Americas and served as governor of Cuba for a brief period.
In the 17th century, Juan Bernabel (1612-1688) was a celebrated painter from Seville, known for his religious works and portraiture. His paintings can be found in various churches and museums throughout Spain.
As the centuries passed, the Bernabel surname continued to spread across Europe and beyond, often undergoing slight variations in spelling, such as Bernabelle, Bernabeu, or Barnabé. However, the original Catalan form, Bernabel, remains the most prevalent version of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bernabel
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernabel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and White (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bernabel bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bernabel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.5% · 355
- Black or African American1.9% · 7
- White1.6% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bernabel
Bernabel appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#58,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 346
+102 bearers (+41.8%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 15,327 places
2020
#59,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 368
+22 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 770 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #73,931 | 244 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #58,604 | 346 | 0.12 | +102 bearers (+41.8%) | Up 15,327 places |
| 2020 | #59,374 | 368 | 0.12 | +22 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 770 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bernabel surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #58,604 | #59,374 | -1.3% |
| Count | 346 | 368 | 6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.12 | 2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bernabel bearers went from 346 to 368 (+6.4% change). The surname moved down 770 positions in the national ranking, going from #58,604 to #59,374.
FAQ
Bernabel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bernabel?
Name Census estimates that about 422 living Americans carry the surname Bernabel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 812,214 residents.
How common is Bernabel?
Bernabel ranks #59,374 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 368 people with the surname Bernabel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (422), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bernabel.
Has Bernabel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bernabel went from 346 recorded bearers to 368. That is an increase of 22 (+6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #58,604 to #59,374.
What does the Census say about the background of Bernabel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernabel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and White (1.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bernabel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (355 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bernabel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.5%), Black (1.9%), White (1.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bernabel (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bernabel mean?
A surname derived from the Germanic name "Bernard" meaning "brave as a bear". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bernabel (0.12 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Bernabel?
Find out how many people are called Bernabel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.