Find out how popular the last name Bernardez is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bernardez.

Bernardez, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Bernardez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bernardez in America

Bernardez is the 26189th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bernardez surname appeared 934 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Bernardez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bernardez to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Bernardez

The surname Bernardez originated in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Spain and Portugal, during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Germanic personal name Bernhard, which translates to "brave bear" (from the words "bern" meaning bear and "hard" meaning brave or hardy).

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Bernardez can be found in the Libro de las Behetrías, a 14th-century Castilian manuscript that documented landholdings and taxation in medieval Spain. This indicates that individuals bearing this surname were present in the region during that time.

The name Bernardez is also closely tied to the town of Bernardos in the province of Segovia, Spain. This town likely took its name from an individual with the surname Bernardez, or it may have been derived from the personal name Bernardo, which shares the same Germanic root.

In the 15th century, a notable figure named Juan Bernardez (1495-1564) served as a Spanish navigator and explorer. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to settle in the Bermuda Islands, which were initially named after him as the Islas de Bermudez.

Another prominent individual with this surname was Andrés Bernardez (1528-1594), a Spanish Renaissance painter and sculptor who was active in the city of Cuenca during the 16th century. His works can be found in various churches and museums in Spain.

In Portugal, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Bernardez was Gonçalo Bernardez, who lived in the 13th century and was a nobleman and landowner in the region of Alentejo.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Bernardez surname also appeared in various records and chronicles related to the Spanish colonization of the Americas. For example, Diego Bernardez de Ovando (1460-1515) was a Spanish explorer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of the Spanish colony of Hispaniola (present-day Dominican Republic and Haiti).

Overall, the surname Bernardez has a rich historical presence in the Iberian Peninsula, with roots dating back to the medieval period and connections to notable figures involved in exploration, arts, and colonial administration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bernardez

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bernardez.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bernardez was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Bernardez has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Bernardez was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Bernardez, please contact us.

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