Bernarr
A masculine given name derived from the German words "bern" meaning "bear" and "hard" meaning "brave".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Bernarr. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Bernarr today is around 83 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Bernarr births was 1924 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Bernarr. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Bernarr is about 83 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Bernarrs were born before 1953.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Bernarr. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1924
11 babies that year
Average age
83
years old
1958 SSA rank
#4,003
Tracked since 1922
Popularity
Bernarr: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Bernarr from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 52 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Bernarr by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Bernarr during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Bernarr
The given name Bernarr has its roots in the Germanic language and is a variant of the more common name Bernard. It originated from the Frankish words "bern" meaning "bear" and "hard" meaning "brave" or "hardy". The combination of these two words suggests the name signifies a brave or hardy person, with the bear symbolizing strength and courage.
Bernarr is believed to have first appeared in the Middle Ages, around the 8th or 9th century, when it was used among the Franks and other Germanic tribes. The name gained popularity in medieval Europe, particularly in France, where it was often associated with Benedictine monasteries and religious figures.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Bernarr was Bernard of Clairvaux, a French abbot and a major leader of the Cistercian order in the 12th century. He played a significant role in the Second Crusade and was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1174.
Another notable figure who bore the name Bernarr was Bernarr Macfadden, an American writer and publisher born in 1868. He was a prominent advocate of physical culture and is credited with popularizing the concept of bodybuilding in the United States.
In the realm of literature, Bernarr Klene was an American mathematician and logician who made significant contributions to the field of recursion theory in the early 20th century. He was born in 1909 and passed away in 1991.
Bernarr Rainbow, born in 1914, was a British actor and playwright known for his work in theater and television. He had a prolific career spanning several decades and was awarded an OBE in 1982 for his contributions to the arts.
Lastly, Bernarr Zetterlund, a Swedish jazz singer and actress born in 1937, gained widespread recognition for her interpretations of American jazz standards and her theatrical performances. She was a celebrated figure in the Swedish entertainment industry until her passing in 2008.
People
Bernarr + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Bernarr as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Bernarr: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bernarr?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Bernarr going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Bernarr a common name?
We classify Bernarr as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 80 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Bernarr most popular?
The single biggest year for Bernarr was 1924, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Bernarr is about 83 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Bernarr in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Bernarr a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Bernarr in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Bernarr still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Bernarr in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Bernarr can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Bernarr?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.