Name meaning & stats
Bernhard
Bernhard means “brave as a bear” (Germanic origin). 713 US babies since 1940, peak 1963. Notable Bernhards are 3.0× over-represented as doctors.
What it means
“brave as a bear”
GermanicSpelling of Bernard
Bernard around the world
- Бернард / Бернар · Russian
- Бернард / Бернар · Ukrainian
- Μπερνάρ · Greek
- برنارد · Arabic
- ברנרד · Hebrew
- バーナード · Japanese
- 베르나르 · Korean
- Bernhard · Dutch
- Bernát · Hungarian
- Bernat · Catalan
Famous Bernards
- Bernard of Clairvaux · Burgundian saint, abbot and theologian (1090–1153)
- Bernard Montgomery · British Army officer (1887–1976)
- Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle · French writer and philosopher of the enlightenment (1657–1757)
- Bernard Bolzano · Bohemian mathematician and priest (1781–1848)
Bernard’s name day
- August 20 · France
In US birth records
Peak year: 1963
713 US babies were named Bernhard between 1940 and 2025.
Bernhard around the world
- Norway: 692 babies since 1945, peak 1946, No. 448 in 2025
- Sweden: 59 babies since 1998, peak 2022, No. 699 in 2022
- France: 110 babies since 1900, peak 1944
From official birth registries. Sources are listed on About the data.
Where Bernhards end up
| Career | vs expected | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Professor | 2.5× | High · 207 people |
| Politician | 0.7× | High · 108 people |
| Writer | 1.2× | High · 80 people |
| Doctor | 3.0× | High · 73 people |
Among notable men who are doctors, Bernhards show up 3.0× as often as you'd expect from how common the name is.
Notable people of every nationality born 1940–2005 (Wikidata). Patterns, not destiny.
One more thing…
Bernhards are 2.6× more likely than expected to be psychologists.
The surprise career: High confidence · 26 notable people.
Other spellings
1 in 134 Bernards spell it Bernhard
Names that sound the same, grouped by Heyotag. Share of US babies since 1940.
Name twins (peaked around 1963)