2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bernardon
An Italian surname derived from the personal name Bernard, meaning "brave bear."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Bernardon. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bernardon 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Bernardon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernardon, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bernardon
The surname BERNARDON has its origins in France, tracing back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th century. This name is believed to be derived from the Old French personal name "Bernard," which itself comes from the Germanic elements "bern" (bear) and "hard" (hardy or brave), essentially meaning "brave as a bear."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BERNARDON surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror. This document mentions a landowner named Bernardon in the county of Hampshire, England, suggesting that the name had already spread beyond its French roots.
During the 13th century, the BERNARDON name appeared in various records and manuscripts across different regions of France, including the provinces of Normandy and Brittany. It is also worth noting that the name was sometimes spelled as "Bernardone" or "Bernardoun" during this period.
In the 14th century, a notable bearer of the BERNARDON name was Jean Bernardon, a merchant and landowner from the city of Lyon. He is mentioned in several commercial documents from the time, indicating his involvement in the thriving trade industry of the region.
The 16th century saw the emergence of a prominent BERNARDON family in the town of Avignon, located in the southern region of Provence. This family produced several notable figures, including Pierre Bernardon (1523-1589), a renowned lawyer and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Parlement of Aix-en-Provence.
Another significant figure bearing the BERNARDON surname was Marie Bernardon (1590-1654), a Cistercian nun from the Abbey of Port-Royal in Paris. She was known for her piety and her writings on spiritual matters, which gained recognition within religious circles of the time.
Across the Atlantic, the BERNARDON name found its way to the French colonies of North America. One of the earliest settlers with this surname was Jacques Bernardon, who arrived in Quebec, Canada, in the late 17th century. He established a successful farming community in the region, and his descendants continued to bear the BERNARDON name for generations.
As the centuries passed, the BERNARDON surname spread throughout various parts of Europe and beyond, carried by individuals from different walks of life. While some embraced careers in law, academia, or the clergy, others pursued trades and professions that shaped the economic and cultural landscapes of their respective communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bernardon
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernardon, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Bernardon 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 Bernardon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bernardon
Bernardon 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,387 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+12 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,477 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 13,387 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 11,477 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 Bernardon 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 | #157,234 | #145,757 | 7.3% |
| Count | 103 | 115 | 11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 28.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bernardon bearers went from 103 to 115 (+11.7% change). The surname moved up 11,477 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #145,757.
FAQ
Bernardon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bernardon?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Bernardon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Bernardon?
Bernardon ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Bernardon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Bernardon.
Has Bernardon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bernardon went from 103 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 12 (+11.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Bernardon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernardon, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Bernardon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bernardon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Bernardon (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 Bernardon mean?
An Italian surname derived from the personal name Bernard, meaning "brave 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 Bernardon (0.04 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 Bernardon?
Want to know how many people have the last name Bernardon? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.