2000
#3,634
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,981
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.33
Uncommon Last name
Bernier
A French occupational surname referring to a basketmaker or a maker of barn sieves.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,230 Americans carry the last name Bernier. That puts it at #3,872 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,505 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bernier 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
10K
1 in 33,505
Census rank
#3,872
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,921 bearers of the surname Bernier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3872nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernier, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bernier
The surname BERNIER has its roots in France, originating from the Old French word "bernier," which means "shepherd." This name gained prominence during the medieval period, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Brittany.
The earliest recorded instances of the BERNIER surname can be traced back to the 11th century, with references found in various historical documents and records from that era. One notable mention is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where the name appears as "Bernier" and "Bernario."
In the 12th century, a notable figure bearing the BERNIER surname was Étienne BERNIER (c. 1150-1220), a French monk and theologian who served as the abbot of Cîteaux and played a significant role in the development of the Cistercian order.
During the Renaissance period, the BERNIER family produced several notable individuals, including François BERNIER (1620-1688), a French traveler and philosopher who is best known for his travels to India and his writings on the Mughal Empire.
In the 18th century, Jacques BERNIER (1720-1788) was a French architect and engineer who gained recognition for his work on the Basilica of St. Denis near Paris.
Moving into the 19th century, Louis BERNIER (1823-1892) was a French historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of Normandy and the Norman conquest of England.
Another prominent figure with the BERNIER surname was Charles BERNIER (1876-1957), a French painter and illustrator known for his impressionistic landscapes and scenes of rural life in Normandy.
Throughout history, the BERNIER surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Bernier, a commune in the Somme department of northern France, and Bernieressur-Mer, a commune in the Calvados department of Normandy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bernier
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernier, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bernier 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 Bernier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.9% · 7,575
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 612
- Two or more races3.8% · 337
- Black or African American3.3% · 292
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bernier
Bernier 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
#3,693
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,614
+633 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 3.26
Rank movement Down 59 places
2020
#3,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,921
-693 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 2.98
Rank movement Down 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,634 | 8,981 | 3.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,693 | 9,614 | 3.26 | +633 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 59 places |
| 2020 | #3,872 | 8,921 | 2.98 | -693 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 179 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 Bernier 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 | #3,693 | #3,872 | -4.8% |
| Count | 9,614 | 8,921 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.26 | 2.98 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bernier bearers went from 9,614 to 8,921 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,693 to #3,872.
FAQ
Bernier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bernier?
Name Census estimates that about 10,230 living Americans carry the surname Bernier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,505 residents.
How common is Bernier?
Bernier ranks #3,872 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,921 people with the surname Bernier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,230), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bernier.
Has Bernier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bernier went from 9,614 recorded bearers to 8,921. That is a decrease of 693 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,693 to #3,872.
What does the Census say about the background of Bernier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bernier, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Bernier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.9% (7,575 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bernier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.9%), Hispanic (6.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Bernier (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 Bernier mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a basketmaker or a maker of barn sieves. 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 Bernier (2.98 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 many people are called Bernier?
Want to know how many people are called Bernier? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.