2000
#864
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,546
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.55
Uncommon Last name
Bernard
A French surname referring to a brave or strong person, derived from the Germanic element "bern" meaning bear.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 43,430 Americans carry the last name Bernard. That puts it at #908 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,892 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bernard 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bernard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
43K
1 in 7,892
Census rank
#908
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
38K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 37,873 bearers of the surname Bernard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 908th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernard, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.1%. The next largest groups are Black (27.3%) and Hispanic (8.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bernard
The surname Bernard has its origins in the Germanic tribes of ancient Europe. It is derived from the Proto-Germanic words 'bern' meaning 'bear' and 'hard' meaning 'brave' or 'hardy'. Together, the name means 'brave as a bear'.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 8th century in the Frankish kingdom of modern-day France and Germany. One of the first documented individuals with this surname was Bernard of Septimania, a Frankish nobleman and military leader who lived from around 795 to 844 AD.
In the Middle Ages, the name Bernard became particularly prevalent in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France. It is believed that the name was brought to England after the Norman Conquest of 1066 by French-Norman settlers.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, includes several references to individuals with the surname Bernard or similar spellings like Bernart and Bernhard.
One of the most famous historical figures with this surname was St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), a French abbot and major leader of the Cistercian monastic order. His writings and sermons had a profound influence on Western Christianity.
Another notable bearer of this name was Claude Bernard (1813-1878), a French physiologist and pioneer in the field of experimental medicine. He is renowned for his groundbreaking work on the function of the pancreas and the glycogenic function of the liver.
In the field of literature, the French writer and dramatist Tristan Bernard (1866-1947) was a prominent figure known for his satirical plays and comedies.
Moving to the 20th century, Pierre Bernard (1875-1955) was a French-American occultist and co-founder of the Tantrik Order, an influential organization that helped popularize yoga and Eastern spiritual practices in the United States.
In the realm of politics, Raymond Bernard (1891-1976) was a French right-wing politician and collaborator with the Vichy regime during World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bernard
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernard, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.1%. The next largest groups are Black (27.3%) and Hispanic (8.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bernard 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 Bernard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.1% · 22,022
- Black or African American27.3% · 10,330
- Hispanic or Latino8.6% · 3,261
- Two or more races3.9% · 1,475
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 579
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 206
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bernard
Bernard 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
#899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,512
+1,966 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 13.06
Rank movement Down 35 places
2020
#908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,873
-639 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 12.67
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #864 | 36,546 | 13.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #899 | 38,512 | 13.06 | +1,966 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 35 places |
| 2020 | #908 | 37,873 | 12.67 | -639 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 9 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 Bernard 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 | #899 | #908 | -1.0% |
| Count | 38,512 | 37,873 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 13.06 | 12.67 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bernard bearers went from 38,512 to 37,873 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #899 to #908.
FAQ
Bernard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bernard?
Name Census estimates that about 43,430 living Americans carry the surname Bernard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,892 residents.
How common is Bernard?
Bernard ranks #908 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 37,873 people with the surname Bernard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (43,430), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Bernard.
Has Bernard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bernard went from 38,512 recorded bearers to 37,873. That is a decrease of 639 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #899 to #908.
What does the Census say about the background of Bernard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernard, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.1%. The next largest groups are Black (27.3%) and Hispanic (8.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bernard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.1% (22,022 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bernard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.1%), Black (27.3%), Hispanic (8.6%). 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 Bernard (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 Bernard mean?
A French surname referring to a brave or strong person, derived from the Germanic element "bern" meaning 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 Bernard (12.67 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 have the surname Bernard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.