2000
#10,251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,884
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Bernardi
An Italian surname referring to a bold or brave person, derived from the Germanic name Bernhard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,343 Americans carry the last name Bernardi. That puts it at #10,501 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,529 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bernardi 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 Bernardi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 102,529
Census rank
#10,501
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,915 bearers of the surname Bernardi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10501st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernardi, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bernardi
The surname Bernardi originated in Italy, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the personal name Bernardo, which itself has Germanic roots, coming from the elements "bern" meaning "bear" and "hard" meaning "hardy" or "brave." The name Bernardi is the patronymic form, indicating "son of Bernardo."
In medieval Italy, surnames were often derived from personal names, occupations, or places of origin. The Bernardi name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Tuscany and Lombardy, where it was associated with several noble families and prominent individuals throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bernardi name can be found in the Codice Diplomatico Longobardo, a collection of historical documents from the Lombard period in Italy, dating back to the 8th century. This suggests that the name had already established itself in certain regions of Italy by that time.
During the Renaissance period, several notable figures bore the Bernardi surname. Among them was the Italian humanist and scholar Francesco Bernardi, who lived from 1460 to 1535 and was known for his contributions to classical literature and philosophy. Another prominent individual was the artist Giovanni Bernardi, who was active in the late 15th and early 16th centuries and is remembered for his paintings and frescoes adorning churches in Florence and other Tuscan cities.
In the 17th century, the Bernardi family produced several influential figures in the Italian states, including the diplomat and historian Girolamo Bernardi (1605-1674) and the military commander Gian Battista Bernardi (1620-1688), who served under the Duchy of Savoy.
Moving into the 18th century, the name Bernardi gained further prominence with the birth of the Italian playwright and librettist Pietro Bernardi (1709-1769), whose works were performed in major opera houses across Europe.
Another noteworthy individual was the Italian botanist and naturalist Giuseppe Antonio Bernardi (1756-1836), who made significant contributions to the study of plant life and is remembered for his extensive herbarium collection.
Throughout its long history, the Bernardi surname has been associated with various places and regions within Italy, including the towns of Bernardo in Tuscany and Bernardi in Lombardy, both of which likely derived their names from the same linguistic roots as the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bernardi
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernardi, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bernardi 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 Bernardi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 2,558
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 233
- Two or more races2.2% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 27
- Black or African American0.7% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bernardi
Bernardi 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
#10,517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,050
+166 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 266 places
2020
#10,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,915
-135 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,251 | 2,884 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,517 | 3,050 | 1.03 | +166 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 266 places |
| 2020 | #10,501 | 2,915 | 0.98 | -135 bearers (-4.4%) | Up 16 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 Bernardi 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 | #10,517 | #10,501 | 0.2% |
| Count | 3,050 | 2,915 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.98 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bernardi bearers went from 3,050 to 2,915 (-4.4% change). The surname moved up 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,517 to #10,501.
FAQ
Bernardi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bernardi?
Name Census estimates that about 3,343 living Americans carry the surname Bernardi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,529 residents.
How common is Bernardi?
Bernardi ranks #10,501 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,915 people with the surname Bernardi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,343), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bernardi.
Has Bernardi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bernardi went from 3,050 recorded bearers to 2,915. That is a decrease of 135 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,517 to #10,501.
What does the Census say about the background of Bernardi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernardi, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Bernardi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (2,558 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bernardi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Hispanic (8.0%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Bernardi (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 Bernardi mean?
An Italian surname referring to a bold or brave person, derived from the Germanic name Bernhard. 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 Bernardi (0.98 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 Bernardi?
Find out how many people have the last name Bernardi on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.