2000
#13,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,073
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Bernardino
Derived from the Germanic name Bernard, meaning "brave bear" or "hardy bear," originally referring to someone with bear-like qualities.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,469 Americans carry the last name Bernardino. That puts it at #10,153 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,805 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bernardino 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
3.5K
1 in 98,805
Census rank
#10,153
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,025 bearers of the surname Bernardino in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10153rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernardino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 59.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.2%) and White (12.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bernardino
The surname Bernardino originated in Italy during the medieval period. It is derived from the Italian personal name Bernardo, which comes from the Germanic Bern-hard, meaning "brave bear." The name became popular in Italy due to the veneration of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th-century French abbot and reformer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bernardino surname can be found in the 13th-century tax records of Florence, where the name appears as Bernardino. It was likely adopted as a surname by families living in or around the city of Siena, where St. Bernardino of Siena, a famous 15th-century Franciscan preacher and missionary, was born.
In the 14th century, a branch of the Bernardino family settled in the town of Massa Marittima, located in the province of Grosseto, Tuscany. There, they became prominent landowners and merchants, and their name is recorded in various local chronicles and documents.
One notable member of the Bernardino family was Bernardino Ochino (1487-1564), an Italian Protestant reformer and Capuchin friar who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Italy. He was forced to flee Italy due to his religious views and spent the latter part of his life in Switzerland and Poland.
Another famous Bernardino was Bernardino Poccetti (1548-1612), an Italian painter and architect who worked in Florence during the late Renaissance period. He is best known for his frescoes in the Basilica of San Marco and the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.
In the 17th century, the Bernardino surname spread to other parts of Italy, including Naples, where the family produced several notable figures. One such individual was Bernardino Ramazzini (1633-1714), an Italian physician and scholar who is considered the founder of occupational medicine.
Bernardino Luini (c. 1480-1532) was a highly regarded Italian Renaissance painter from the Milanese school. He is known for his frescoes in the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan and the Church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore in the same city.
Throughout its history, the Bernardino surname has been associated with various industries and professions, including art, religion, medicine, and commerce. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Italy, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the migration and influence of Italian culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bernardino
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernardino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 59.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.2%) and White (12.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Bernardino 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 Bernardino surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino59.5% · 1,799
- Asian and Pacific Islander25.2% · 762
- White12.7% · 383
- Two or more races1.8% · 55
- Black or African American0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bernardino
Bernardino 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
#10,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,111
+1,038 bearers (+50.1%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 3,108 places
2020
#10,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,025
-86 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 205 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,466 | 2,073 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,358 | 3,111 | 1.05 | +1,038 bearers (+50.1%) | Up 3,108 places |
| 2020 | #10,153 | 3,025 | 1.01 | -86 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 205 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 Bernardino 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 | #10,358 | #10,153 | 2.0% |
| Count | 3,111 | 3,025 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 1.01 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bernardino bearers went from 3,111 to 3,025 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 205 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,358 to #10,153.
FAQ
Bernardino surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bernardino?
Name Census estimates that about 3,469 living Americans carry the surname Bernardino. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,805 residents.
How common is Bernardino?
Bernardino ranks #10,153 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,025 people with the surname Bernardino. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,469), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Bernardino.
Has Bernardino become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bernardino went from 3,111 recorded bearers to 3,025. That is a decrease of 86 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,358 to #10,153.
What does the Census say about the background of Bernardino?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernardino, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 59.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.2%) and White (12.7%). 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 Bernardino in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.5% (1,799 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bernardino appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (59.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (25.2%), White (12.7%). 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 Bernardino (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 Bernardino mean?
Derived from the Germanic name Bernard, meaning "brave bear" or "hardy bear," originally referring to someone with bear-like qualities. 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 Bernardino (1.01 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 Bernardino?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.