The Bernard surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 38,512 people carried this name — #899 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 7,660 people counted. That is up 5% from 36,546 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Bernard surname
A surname transferred from the given name.
Inherited from Old High German Bernhart, from Old High German bero (“bear”, cf. Bär), + Old High German hart (“hard, strong”, cf. hart).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Bernard» (German), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 57,282 people named Bernard.
993 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 106 départements, most often Paris.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 4,331 people named Bernard live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Hainaut.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 1,190 people named Bernard live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
1,155 people named Bernard live in Switzerland.
They live in 19 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Poland’s population register
509 people named Bernard have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 667 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 15 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Greater Poland.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 6 births for the Bernard name in 1890.
Most were registered in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In the Nordic population registers
118 people named Bernard are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Bernard in American newspapers,
1839–1922.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 989,714 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Bernard,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Jacques Bernard 1658–1718 · mathematician -
Pierre-Joseph Bernard 1708–1775 · writer -
Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet 1712–1779 · politician -
Juliette Récamier 1777–1849 · writer -
Simon Bernard 1779–1839 · military personnel
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 133 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Bernard.
- Bermudez 26,691 · U.S. census
- Berna 1,017 · U.S. census
- Bernabe 4,915 · U.S. census
- Bernabei 404 · U.S. census
- Bernadin 356 · U.S. census
- Bernal 39,693 · U.S. census
- Bernardi 3,050 · U.S. census
- Bernardin 591 · U.S. census
- Bernardini 1,375 · U.S. census
- Bernardino 3,111 · U.S. census
- Bernardo 7,003 · U.S. census
- Bernardon 103 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Bernard is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.