Bernard

Bernard
	Bernard of Clairvaux (Saint Bernard)
Pronunciation	mainly UK: /ˈbɜːrnərd/ or /ˈbɜːrnəd/ ; mainly US: /bərˈnɑːrd/; French: [bɛʁ.naʁ]; Dutch: [ˈbɛrnɑrt]
Gender	masculine
Origin
Language(s)	West Germanic
Meaning	Brave as a bear
Region of origin	medieval Europe
Other names
Related names	Bernie, Barnard, Bernardas, Bearnárd, Bernardo, Beñat, Bernhard, Bernhardt, Bernd, Bernt, Bernadetta, Bernadette, Berend, Pearu, Pääru

Bernard (Bernhard) is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname.^[2]

The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic Bernhard is composed from the two elements bern "bear" and hard "brave, hardy".^[3] Its native Old English cognate was Beornheard, which was replaced or merged with the French form Bernard that was brought to England after the Norman Conquest. The name Bernhard was notably popular among Old Frisian speakers.^[4] Its wider use was popularized due to Saint Bernhard of Clairvaux (canonized in 1174).

Geographical distribution

Bernard is the second most common surname in France.^[5]

As of 2014, 42.2% of all known bearers of the surname Bernard were residents of France (frequency 1:392), 12.5% of the United States (1:7,203), 7.0% of Haiti (1:382), 6.6% of Tanzania (1:1,961), 4.8% of Canada (1:1,896), 3.6% of Nigeria (1:12,221), 2.7% of Burundi (1:894), 1.9% of Belgium (1:1,500), 1.6% of Rwanda (1:1,745), 1.2% of Germany (1:16,397), 1.2% of Jamaica (1:595), 1.1% of Ghana (1:6,179), 1.0% of England (1:13,691) and 1.0% of Madagascar (1:6,098).

In France, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:392) in the following regions:^[6]

List of people with the name

The following people and items share the name Bernard:

Given name

Catholic saints

Saint Bernard: see Saint Bernard (disambiguation)#People

Medieval

Bernard, son of Charles Martel (c. 720 – 787), Abbot of St. Quentin
Bernard (bishop of Carlisle) (died 1214), 13th-century Catholic bishop
Bernard (bishop of Gaeta) (died 1047)
Bernard (bishop of St Davids) (1115–1148)
Bernard (son of Charles the Fat) (died 891 or 892), Duke of Alemannia
Bernard Gui (c. 1260 – 1331), 14th century inquisitor
Bernard of Calvo (Bernat Calbó), 13th-century saint and Bishop of Vich
Bernard of Carinola (died 1109), 12th-century saint and Bishop of Carinola
Bernard of Cluny, 12th-century Benedictine monk
Bernard of Kilwinning (died c. 1331), Scottish abbot and chancellor
Bernard of Quintavalle (died 1241), companion of St. Francis of Assisi
Bernard of Verdun, author of the Tractatus super totam astrologiam

Modern

Bernard (footballer) (Bernard Anício Caldeira Duarte), Brazilian footballer
Bernard Aluwihare (1902–1961), Sri Lankan politician
Bernard Alvarez, NASCAR racing driver
Bernard Anício Caldeira Duarte, known as "Bernard", Brazilian footballer
Bernard Baruch (1870–1965), American financier and political adviser
Bernard Berrian (born 1980), American football player
Bernard Blandre (born 1948), French sociologist
Bernard Blaut (1940–2007), Polish football player
Bernard Bober (born 1950), Slovak Catholic Prelate, Archbishop of Košice
Bernard Bonnejean (born 1950), French author
Bernard Boursicot (born 1944), on whom the play M. Butterfly was based
Bernard Bresslaw (1934–1993), British actor, Carry On films
Bernard Butler (born 1970), English musician
Bernard Caprasse (born 1949), Belgian politician
Bernard Cerquiglini (born 1947), French linguist
Bernard Charvin (born 1947), French alpine skier
Bernard Cottret (1951–2020), French historian
Bernard Coyne (giant) (1897–1921), American who is one of only 20 individuals in medical history to have stood 8 feet (240 cm) or more
Bernard Cribbins (1928–2022), English children's TV personality, actor and voice artist
Bernard Dowiyogo (1946–2003), President of Nauru
Bernard Ebbers (1941–2020), engineered an accounting fraud at WorldCom while he was its CEO
Bernie Ecclestone (born 1930), British business magnate and primary authority in Formula One
Bernard Edwards (American football) (born 1969), American football player
Bernard Fanning (born 1969), Australian singer, Powderfinger
Bernard Finnigan (born 1972), Australian politician and sex offender
Bernard T. Feld (1919–1993), 20th century physicist and anti-nuclear activist
Bernard Fox (Irish republican) (born 1951), Provisional Irish Republican Army member
Bernard Freeman, birth name of American rapper Bun B
Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg, New Zealand's most famous soldier and General of World War II
Bernard Guignedoux (1947–2021), French football player
Bernard Hall (disambiguation), multiple people
Bernard Henry (born 1960), American football player
Bernard Herrmann (1911–1975), American film composer
Bernard Hill (1944–2024), English actor
Bernard Hinault (born 1954), French cyclist, five-time winner of the Tour de France
Bernard Hopkins (born 1965), boxer
Bernard Jayamanna (1908–1965), Sri Lankan Sinhala playwright, director, producer, actor
Bernard Jayasuriya, Sri Lankan businessman and politician
Bernard Kalb (1922–2023), American broadcast journalist
Bernard Koura (1923–2018), French painter
Bernard Ładysz (1922–2020), Polish singer and actor
Bernard Lagat (born 1974), Kenyan-American distance runner
Bernard Lee (1908–1981), English actor
Bernard Lepkofker, American competitive judoka
Bernard Looney (born 1969/1970), Irish businessman, CEO of BP
Bernie Mac (born Bernard McCullough, 1957–2008), comedian and actor
Bernard Madoff (1938–2021), American stockbroker who engineered a $65 billion Ponzi scheme
Bernard Malamud (1914–1986), American writer
Bernard Manning (1930–2007), British stand-up comedian
Bernard Matthews, English turkey farmer, founder of Bernard Matthews Limited
Bernard McGinley, American judge
Bernard Ménétrel (1906–1947), French physician and advisor to Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II
Bernard Mohlalisi (1933–2020), Mosotho Roman Catholic bishop
Bernard Montgomery (1887–1976), English military officer
Bernard of Offida (1604–1694), Italian Roman Catholic professed religious from the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
Bernard Opper (1915–2000), American basketball player
Bernard Orcel (born 1945), French alpine skier
Bernard Parrish (1919–1999), American politician
Bernard Peiris (1908–1977), Sri Lankan lawyer
Bernard Perera (1956–2012), Sri Lankan cricketer
Bernard Rajzman (born 1957), Brazilian volleyball player
Bernard H. "Johnny" Rogers (1905–1977), American politician
Bernard Sachs (1858–1944), American neurologist
Bernie Sanders (born 1941), US Senator from Vermont
Bernard Satenstein (1906–1959), American football player
Bernard Schuiteman (born 1973), Dutch football player
George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950), usually referred to as "Bernard Shaw", Irish playwright, critic, and essayist
Bernard Shaw (1940–2022), American broadcast journalist
Bernard Shir-Cliff (1924–2017), American editor
Bernard Spilsbury (1877–1947), English pathologist
Bernard Soysa (1914–1997), Sri Lankan Trotskyist
Bernard Stoeser (born 1930), American politician
Bernard Sumner (born 1956), British musician
Bernard Tapie (1943–2021), French businessman and politician
Bernie Taupin (born 1950), British songwriter and collaborator with Elton John
Bernard Tilakaratna (1927–2004), Sri Lankan diplomat
Bernard Tomic (born 1992), Australian tennis player
Bernard Vogler (1935–2020), French historian and academic
Bernard Whitman (fl. 1980s–2020s), Democratic strategist and pollster
Bernard "Bernie" Wolfe (born 1951), Canadian hockey player
Bernard Wolfman (1924–2011), American dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and law professor
Bernard Zehrfuss (1911–1996), French architect
Bernard Welsh (1959)

Surname

Agnes Bernard (1842–1932), British Roman Catholic nun
Alain Bernard (born 1983), French swimmer
Alfred Aloysous Bernard (1888–1949) American vaudeville singer
Antoine Bernard d'Attanoux (1853–1954), French journalist and explorer
Armand Bernard (1893–1968), French comic actor and composer
Brandon Bernard (1980–2020), American convicted murderer
Carlos Bernard (born 1962), American actor
Catherine Bernard (1662–1712), French novelist
Cheryl Bernard (born 1966), Canadian curler
Christian Bernard (born 1951), French esotericist
Claude Bernard (1813–1878), French physiologist
Crystal Bernard (born 1961), American actress
Daniel Bernard (disambiguation), multiple people
Dave Bernard (American football) (1912–1973), American football player
David Bernard (cricketer) (born 1981), West Indian cricketer
David Bernard (orchestra conductor) (born 1964), American conductor, pianist and clarinetist
Dwight Bernard (born 1952), American baseball player
Ed Bernard (born 1939), American actor
Edward Bernard (1638–1697), English scholar
Émile Bernard (composer) (1843–1902), French composer and organist
Émile Bernard (painter) (1868–1941), French painter
Francis Bernard (disambiguation), multiple people
Germie Bernard (born 2003), American football player
Giovani Bernard (born 1991), American football player
Henri Bernard (1899–1986), French judge
Henri Bernard (1900–1967), French hurdler
Henry Boyle Bernard (1812–1895), Irish Conservative Party politician, MP for Bandon 1863–68
Henry Bernard, designer of the Palace of Europe, the seat of the Council of Europe
Hilda Bernard (1920–2022), Argentine actress
Jacques Bernard (born 1929), French actor
Jay Bernard FRSL (born 1988), British writer.
Jean-David Bernard (born 1977), French rower
Jean-Pierre Bernard (1933–2017), French actor
Jeffrey Bernard (1932–1997), English journalist
John Henry Bernard (1860–1927) Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin
Joseph E. Bernard (1880–1958), American character actor
Joseph Karl Bernard (c. 1781 – 1850), Austrian journalist and librettist
Jules Bernard (born 2000), American basketball player
Laurent Bernard (born 1971), French basketball player
Lawrence G. Bernard (1914–1997), rear admiral in the U.S. Navy
Léonce Bernard (1943–2013), Canadian politician
Lorenzo Bernard, Italian para-cyclist
Lucas M. Bernard, American financial economist
Marvin Bernard, American rapper, better known by his stage name Tony Yayo
Micah Bernard (born 2001), American football player
Michel Bernard (disambiguation), multiple people
Nikhil Bernard, Indian footballer
Oliver Bernard (1925–2013), English poet and translator
Oliver Percy Bernard (1881–1939), English architect and scenic designer
Raymond Bernard (1891–1977), French film director and screenwriter
Raymond Bernard (esotericist) (1923–2006), French esotericist
Raymond W. Bernard (1903–1965), early 20th-century American alternative health, esoteric writer, author, and mystic
Rod Bernard (1940–2020), American singer
Samuel Bernard (1615–1687), French miniature painter
Sherman A. Bernard (1925–2012), Louisiana politician
Susan Bernard (1948–2019), American actress and author
Suzanne Bernard (1892–1910), French aviator
Terrel Bernard (born 1999), American football player
Tom Bernard American film distributor
Tristan Bernard (1866–1947), French playwright and novelist
Turner Bernard (born 1998), American football player
Valère Bernard (1860–1936), French artist and writer
William Bernard (disambiguation), multiple people
Wynton Bernard (born 1990), American baseball player

Fictional characters

Given name

Bernard (TV shorts), the curious polar bear from the animation series Bernard
Bernard, a character from Blackadder II, who is usually only called by her title: Nursie
Bernard, a character from Megamind
Bernard, the titular character in the 1980 picture book Not Now, Bernard by David McKee
Bernard, a character from The Waves
Bernard, a mouse from The Rescuers books and films
Bernard, the Sea Hag's pet vulture in the Popeye comics/cartoons
Bernarda Alba, the mother in Federico García Lorca's drama, La casa de Bernarda Alba
Bernard Beasley, a character from the children's programme Bernard's Watch
Bernard Bernoulli, a character from Maniac Mansion
Bernard Black, a character from Black Books
Bernard "Barney" Fife, deputy sheriff of Mayberry from The Andy Griffith Show
Bernard Lowe, a character from Westworld
Bernard Marx from Brave New World
Bernard Nadler, a character from the television show Lost
Bernard the Arch-elf, The Head elf from Disney's Santa Clause Movies
Bernard the Bee Boy, a boy raised by bees seen in two commercials for Honey Comb cereal
Bernard Wiseman, a character from Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
Bernard Woolley, a character from Yes Minister
Bernard Mickey Wrangle, an explosive character from Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins
Bernardo, Zorro's companion
Giant Bernard, wrestling name of Matt Bloom
Bernie Lomax The Boss who dies in the 80s comedy film Weekend at Bernie's

Surname

Andy Bernard, character on the United States television series The Office

References

^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
^ Albert Dauzat, Noms et prénoms de France, Librairie Larousse 1980. p. 38, New completed edition by Marie-Thérèse Morlet.
^ "Name Meaning and Origin". Ancestry.com.. T. F. Hoad, English Etymology, Oxford University Press 1993. p. 36.
^ Die Kosenamen der Germanen: Eine Studie, Franz Stark, 1868 (German)
^ "🇫🇷 Most Common Last Names In France". forebears.io. Archived from the original on 2021-02-07.
^ Bernard surname distribution

This page or section lists people that share the same given name or the same family name.
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[1] Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.

[2] Albert Dauzat, Noms et prénoms de France, Librairie Larousse 1980. p. 38, New completed edition by Marie-Thérèse Morlet.

[3] "Name Meaning and Origin". Ancestry.com.. T. F. Hoad, English Etymology, Oxford University Press 1993. p. 36.

[4] Die Kosenamen der Germanen: Eine Studie, Franz Stark, 1868 (German)

[5] "🇫🇷 Most Common Last Names In France". forebears.io. Archived from the original on 2021-02-07.

[bernard2014-6] Bernard surname distribution

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[2]

[3]

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[5]

[6]

Geographical distribution

List of people with the name

Given name

Catholic saints

Medieval

Modern

Surname

Fictional characters

Given name

Surname

See also

References