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

Bernardo, 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 Bernardo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bernardo in America

Bernardo is the 5017th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bernardo surname appeared 7,003 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Bernardo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bernardo 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 Bernardo

The surname Bernardo has its origins in Italy, emerging during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the personal name Bernardo, which traces its roots to the Germanic words "bern" meaning "bear" and "hard" signifying "brave" or "hardy." This name was particularly popular among the Lombards, a Germanic people who ruled a significant portion of Italy from the 6th to the 8th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bernardo can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Benedictine monastery of Cava dei Tirreni in southern Italy, dating back to the 9th century. The name also appears in various other historical records from the region, such as the Chronicon Vulturnense, a chronicle of the Abbey of San Vincenzo al Volturno, which mentions a certain Bernardo di Capua in the 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the surname Bernardo was particularly concentrated in the regions of Lombardy, Tuscany, and Campania. It was often associated with noble families and landowners, as evidenced by the presence of place names like Bernardo di Monte Rubiano, referring to a village near Parma, and Bernardo di Castelvetere, a town in the province of Benevento.

One notable figure bearing the surname Bernardo was Bernardo Tolomei (1272-1348), an Italian jurist and founder of the Olivetan Benedictine monastic order. Another prominent individual was Bernardo Buontalenti (1536-1608), an Italian architect and military engineer who designed the Palazzo Non Finito in Florence and worked on the fortifications of several Italian cities.

In the world of literature, the name Bernardo is associated with the 16th-century poet and playwright Bernardo Tasso (1493-1569), the father of the renowned epic poet Torquato Tasso. Another notable bearer of the surname was Bernardo Bellincioni (1452-1492), an Italian poet and chronicler who served as a courtier to the House of Sforza in Milan.

Bernardo Accolti (1465-1536), an Italian jurist and historian, is also remembered for his work "De Bello a Christianis contra Barbaros gesto" (On the War Waged by Christians against Barbarians), which recounts the successful defense of the island of Rhodes against the Ottoman Turks in 1522.

While the surname Bernardo has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply intertwined with the rich tapestry of Italian history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bernardo

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

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 Bernardo 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 Bernardo 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 Bernardo was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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