2000
#5,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,939
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.20
Rare Last name
Bernardo
An Italian surname derived from the Germanic name Bernhard, meaning "brave bear" or "hardy bear."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,300 Americans carry the last name Bernardo. That puts it at #4,742 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bernardo 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 Bernardo with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.3K
1 in 41,296
Census rank
#4,742
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,238 bearers of the surname Bernardo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4742nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernardo, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (33.6%) and Hispanic (17.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bernardo
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernardo, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (33.6%) and Hispanic (17.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Bernardo 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 Bernardo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White44.2% · 3,196
- Asian and Pacific Islander33.6% · 2,435
- Hispanic or Latino17.5% · 1,266
- Two or more races3.4% · 247
- Black or African American1.2% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bernardo
Bernardo 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
#5,017
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,003
+1,064 bearers (+17.9%)
Per 100,000 2.37
Rank movement Up 378 places
2020
#4,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,238
+235 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.42
Rank movement Up 275 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,395 | 5,939 | 2.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,017 | 7,003 | 2.37 | +1,064 bearers (+17.9%) | Up 378 places |
| 2020 | #4,742 | 7,238 | 2.42 | +235 bearers (+3.4%) | Up 275 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 Bernardo 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 | #5,017 | #4,742 | 5.5% |
| Count | 7,003 | 7,238 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.37 | 2.42 | 2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bernardo bearers went from 7,003 to 7,238 (+3.4% change). The surname moved up 275 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,017 to #4,742.
FAQ
Bernardo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bernardo?
Name Census estimates that about 8,300 living Americans carry the surname Bernardo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,296 residents.
How common is Bernardo?
Bernardo ranks #4,742 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,238 people with the surname Bernardo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,300), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Bernardo.
Has Bernardo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bernardo went from 7,003 recorded bearers to 7,238. That is an increase of 235 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,017 to #4,742.
What does the Census say about the background of Bernardo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernardo, the largest self-reported group is White at 44.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (33.6%) and Hispanic (17.5%). 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 Bernardo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.2% (3,196 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bernardo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (44.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (33.6%), Hispanic (17.5%). 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 Bernardo (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 Bernardo mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Germanic name Bernhard, meaning "brave bear" or "hardy 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 Bernardo (2.42 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 Bernardo?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Bernardo, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.