Bernardo

Meaning: Brave bear
Origin: Germanic — Italian/Portuguese/Spanish form of Bernard

Boy's name · #1347 in the US (2025) · 90s wave

Popularity over time

Bernardo's best rank, #672, came in 1994; it has settled back to #1347 today. Roughly 11,000 boys have been named Bernardo since 1888.

Across the states

In recent years, Bernardo ran about 5× its national rate in Massachusetts.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 9 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Bernardo ranks in other countries and regions.

#12 in Brazil (2025, through 23 Dec 2025, girls and boys combined) · #15 in Portugal (2023) · #247 in Italy (2024) · #300 in Mexico (2024) · #329 in Ireland (2025) · #469 in Switzerland (2025) · #500 in Ecuador (2025) · #1,466 in England & Wales (2025) · #1,799 in France (2025) · #2,144 in Sweden (2025) · #2,789 in Canada (2025) · #1,031 in Austria (2024) and 3 more.

Famous Bernardos

Bernardo Bertolucci — Italian film director and screenwriter (1941–2018)
Bernardo Houssay — Argentine physician (1887–1971)
Bernardo O'Higgins — Chilean independence leader (1778–1842)
Bernardo Silva — Portuguese footballer (born 1994)
Bernardo Bellotto — Italian painter and printmaker (c. 1721–1780)
Bernardo Arévalo de León — President of Guatemala since 2024 (born 1958)
Bernardo Fernandes da Silva — Brazilian footballer (born 1965)
Bernardo Rezende — Brazilian volleyball coach and former player (born 1950)
Bernardo Atxaga — Basque-language writer from Gipuzkoa, Spain (born 1951)
Bernardo Pasquini — Italian composer (1637–1710)

In stories & tradition

Bernardo del Carpio — Legendary Iberian hero
Bernardo^it — The Curse of Capistrano (book)
Bernardo Soares^pt — Heteronym

What Bernardos become

Among 1,155 notable people named Bernardo:

Lawyers & judges appear 1.48× more often than among typical names — e.g. Bernardo Sepúlveda Amor, Mexican diplomat and jurist (born 1941).

Similar names: Bernard · German · Benedict · Everardo · Humberto · Gerardo

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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