2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bernadas
A variant spelling of the Portuguese surname Bernadaz, meaning "son of Bernard".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 144 Americans carry the last name Bernadas. That puts it at #137,553 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,380,238 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bernadas 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
144
1 in 2,380,238
Census rank
#137,553
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
126
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 126 bearers of the surname Bernadas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 137553rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernadas, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 56.3%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bernadas
The surname Bernadas has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the region of Aragon, Spain, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the personal name Bernardo, which itself has roots in the Germanic name Bernhard, meaning "brave bear."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bernadas surname can be found in the Codex of Saint Peter of Huesca, a manuscript dating back to the 12th century. This document contains references to several individuals bearing the name, including a certain Pedro Bernadas, who was a landowner in the village of Ejea de los Caballeros.
In the 13th century, the Bernadas family established a prominent presence in the city of Zaragoza, where they were involved in various trades and professions. A notable member of this family was Jaime Bernadas, a respected jurist who served as a judge in the city's courts during the latter half of the century.
The name Bernadas also has connections to several place names in the region, such as the village of Bernadas in the province of Teruel. This village likely took its name from an early settler or landowner bearing the Bernadas surname.
As the centuries passed, the Bernadas surname spread to other parts of Spain and even to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. One notable bearer of the name was Diego de Bernadas, a Spanish explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.
Another prominent figure with the Bernadas surname was Juan Bernadas, a renowned painter and sculptor from Seville who flourished in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His works can be found in various churches and museums across Spain and Latin America.
In the 18th century, the Bernadas family produced a notable scholar and writer, Father José Bernadas, who authored several influential works on theology and philosophy. He was born in Madrid in 1712 and spent much of his life teaching at the University of Salamanca.
Throughout its long history, the Bernadas surname has been associated with a diverse range of individuals, from landowners and jurists to explorers, artists, and scholars, all contributing to the rich cultural tapestry of Spain and its former colonies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bernadas
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernadas, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 56.3%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bernadas 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 Bernadas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander56.3% · 71
- White34.9% · 44
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 10
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bernadas
Bernadas appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#137,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+5 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 751 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #137,553 | 126 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.1%) | Up 751 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 Bernadas 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 | #138,304 | #137,553 | 0.5% |
| Count | 121 | 126 | 4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bernadas bearers went from 121 to 126 (+4.1% change). The surname moved up 751 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #137,553.
FAQ
Bernadas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bernadas?
Name Census estimates that about 144 living Americans carry the surname Bernadas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,380,238 residents.
How common is Bernadas?
Bernadas ranks #137,553 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 126 people with the surname Bernadas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (144), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bernadas.
Has Bernadas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bernadas went from 121 recorded bearers to 126. That is an increase of 5 (+4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #138,304 to #137,553.
What does the Census say about the background of Bernadas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernadas, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 56.3%. The next largest groups are White (34.9%) and Hispanic (7.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bernadas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.3% (71 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bernadas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (56.3%), White (34.9%), Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Bernadas (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 Bernadas mean?
A variant spelling of the Portuguese surname Bernadaz, meaning "son of Bernard". 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 Bernadas (0.04 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 many people share the surname Bernadas?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.