Meaning not yet researched.
Bernard: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 137 in 2025. Its best rank was #45 in 1921.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #45 in 1921; #1,362 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Bernard in 2025 was a boy.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#1,362 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1921, at #45.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Bernard: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 137 boys in 2025. Peak: #45 in 1921 · most boys in one year: 4,505 (1924).
In 2025, 137 US boys were named Bernard, making it the 1,362nd most common boys’ name of the year, down 44 places from #1,318 in 2024. That is 10 fewer than the 147 boys named Bernard in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #45, reached in 1921. The most boys given the name in a single year was 4,505, in 1924. For comparison, it was #1,216 in 2015 and #110 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Bernard in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 140 babies with the name. In all, 201,070 US babies have been given the name, 0.5% of them girls and 99.5% boys. Its busiest decade was the 1920s, with 42,661 babies named Bernard.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 1,486 US boys were named Bernard; the busiest of those years was 2018, with 168. In 2025 that was about 1 in 12,468 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Bernard ranked highest in New York in 2025, at #1,001 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Related spellings in the SSA files include Bernardo (11,175 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Bernhard, Barnard and Bernerd are summarised on this page. The open nickname list we use links it to Barney, Berney, Bernie and Berny.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Rare spellings summarised here: Bernhard (1,671), Barnard (895), Bernerd (527), Bernal (190), Berend (38), Bernaldo (31).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 41 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 12 | #1,001 | #863 |
| North Carolina | 7 | #1,044 | #1,135 |
| Virginia | 5 | #1,110 | — |
| Florida | 10 | #1,201 | #1,104 |
| Georgia | 6 | #1,228 | #573 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | #1,258 | — |
| Ohio | 5 | #1,290 | #913 |
| Illinois | 5 | #1,312 | #1,084 |
| California | 11 | #1,517 | #1,218 |
| Texas | 8 | #1,930 | #1,251 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — | 137 | #1,362 |
| 2024 | — | — | 147 | #1,318 |
| 2023 | — | — | 122 | #1,473 |
| 2022 | — | — | 148 | #1,290 |
| 2021 | — | — | 143 | #1,308 |
| 2020 | — | — | 148 | #1,250 |
| 2019 | — | — | 150 | #1,251 |
| 2018 | — | — | 168 | #1,142 |
| 2017 | — | — | 160 | #1,171 |
| 2016 | — | — | 163 | #1,169 |
| 2015 | — | — | 151 | #1,216 |
| 2014 | — | — | 158 | #1,179 |
| 2013 | — | — | 168 | #1,100 |
| 2012 | — | — | 150 | #1,195 |
| 2011 | — | — | 168 | #1,102 |
| 2010 | — | — | 172 | #1,108 |
| 2009 | — | — | 189 | #1,027 |
| 2008 | — | — | 214 | #944 |
| 2007 | — | — | 212 | #934 |
| 2006 | — | — | 194 | #958 |
| 2005 | — | — | 223 | #832 |
| 2004 | — | — | 238 | #765 |
| 2003 | — | — | 220 | #791 |
| 2002 | — | — | 226 | #762 |
| 2001 | — | — | 261 | #689 |
| 2000 | — | — | 275 | #656 |
| 1999 | — | — | 266 | #650 |
| 1998 | — | — | 297 | #616 |
| 1997 | — | — | 319 | #579 |
| 1996 | — | — | 323 | #565 |
| 1995 | — | — | 431 | #496 |
| 1994 | — | — | 413 | #495 |
| 1993 | 8 | #9,659 | 506 | #434 |
| 1992 | — | — | 530 | #421 |
| 1991 | — | — | 558 | #408 |
| 1990 | — | — | 516 | #430 |
| 1989 | — | — | 659 | #349 |
| 1988 | 5 | #12,006 | 609 | #345 |
| 1987 | 6 | #9,965 | 593 | #340 |
| 1986 | 7 | #8,618 | 595 | #333 |
| 1985 | 7 | #8,428 | 653 | #312 |
| 1984 | 8 | #7,470 | 615 | #317 |
| 1983 | 9 | #6,761 | 640 | #308 |
| 1982 | 6 | #9,338 | 677 | #297 |
| 1981 | 8 | #7,465 | 697 | #289 |
| 1980 | — | — | 769 | #274 |
| 1979 | 5 | #10,359 | 760 | #272 |
| 1978 | 10 | #5,994 | 738 | #267 |
| 1977 | 7 | #7,624 | 758 | #261 |
| 1976 | 8 | #6,677 | 793 | #249 |
| 1975 | 10 | #5,557 | 847 | #242 |
| 1974 | 6 | #7,783 | 858 | #238 |
| 1973 | 8 | #6,138 | 945 | #226 |
| 1972 | 12 | #4,545 | 1,047 | #213 |
| 1971 | 6 | #7,461 | 1,168 | #205 |
| 1970 | 11 | #4,779 | 1,186 | #210 |
| 1969 | 11 | #4,451 | 1,284 | #199 |
| 1968 | 11 | #4,237 | 1,306 | #189 |
| 1967 | 8 | #5,019 | 1,442 | #179 |
| 1966 | 19 | #2,851 | 1,522 | #177 |
| 1965 | 6 | #5,865 | 1,675 | #170 |
| 1964 | 11 | #4,115 | 1,878 | #165 |
| 1963 | 18 | #2,964 | 1,946 | #165 |
| 1962 | 12 | #3,798 | 1,970 | #161 |
| 1961 | 16 | #3,201 | 2,150 | #156 |
| 1960 | 11 | #3,935 | 2,302 | #152 |
| 1959 | 15 | #3,113 | 2,274 | #152 |
| 1958 | 8 | #4,547 | 2,407 | #143 |
| 1957 | 17 | #2,826 | 2,532 | #137 |
| 1956 | 15 | #3,058 | 2,485 | #129 |
| 1955 | 6 | #5,265 | 2,560 | #127 |
| 1954 | 8 | #4,305 | 2,727 | #123 |
| 1953 | 10 | #3,712 | 2,746 | #119 |
| 1952 | 7 | #4,521 | 2,748 | #111 |
| 1951 | 7 | #4,415 | 2,772 | #107 |
| 1950 | 12 | #3,068 | 2,636 | #110 |
| 1949 | 6 | #4,717 | 2,680 | #111 |
| 1948 | — | — | 2,715 | #107 |
| 1947 | 12 | #3,074 | 2,994 | #100 |
| 1946 | 5 | #5,014 | 2,605 | #102 |
| 1945 | 16 | #2,157 | 2,388 | #98 |
| 1944 | 9 | #3,157 | 2,619 | #94 |
| 1943 | 12 | #2,716 | 2,744 | #92 |
| 1942 | 12 | #2,679 | 2,724 | #90 |
| 1941 | 6 | #4,000 | 2,509 | #87 |
| 1940 | 7 | #3,534 | 2,468 | #82 |
| 1939 | 11 | #2,609 | 2,624 | #76 |
| 1938 | 10 | #2,751 | 2,715 | #75 |
| 1937 | 9 | #2,965 | 2,672 | #73 |
| 1936 | 9 | #2,882 | 2,853 | #68 |
| 1935 | 9 | #2,947 | 2,933 | #67 |
| 1934 | 11 | #2,581 | 3,146 | #65 |
| 1933 | 19 | #1,786 | 3,005 | #63 |
| 1932 | 14 | #2,247 | 3,252 | #60 |
| 1931 | 24 | #1,555 | 3,514 | #54 |
| 1930 | 24 | #1,618 | 3,831 | #52 |
| 1929 | 34 | #1,285 | 3,807 | #52 |
| 1928 | 31 | #1,398 | 4,067 | #49 |
| 1927 | 34 | #1,388 | 4,165 | #50 |
| 1926 | 23 | #1,777 | 4,172 | #49 |
| 1925 | 24 | #1,753 | 4,259 | #48 |
| 1924 | 19 | #2,066 | 4,505 | #46 |
| 1923 | 20 | #1,950 | 4,376 | #46 |
| 1922 | 25 | #1,689 | 4,409 | #46 |
| 1921 | 15 | #2,387 | 4,485 | #45 |
| 1920 | 28 | #1,554 | 4,163 | #46 |
| 1919 | 10 | #3,030 | 3,915 | #45 |
| 1918 | 19 | #1,971 | 4,098 | #47 |
| 1917 | 16 | #2,110 | 3,711 | #49 |
| 1916 | 15 | #2,147 | 3,476 | #49 |
| 1915 | 20 | #1,685 | 3,302 | #48 |
| 1914 | 18 | #1,547 | 2,436 | #50 |
| 1913 | 8 | #2,360 | 1,916 | #52 |
| 1912 | — | — | 1,437 | #60 |
| 1911 | 9 | #1,673 | 777 | #54 |
| 1910 | 5 | #2,450 | 560 | #62 |
| 1909 | — | — | 463 | #68 |
| 1908 | — | — | 414 | #70 |
| 1907 | — | — | 378 | #73 |
| 1906 | — | — | 343 | #74 |
| 1905 | — | — | 292 | #82 |
| 1904 | — | — | 326 | #72 |
| 1903 | — | — | 271 | #79 |
| 1902 | — | — | 259 | #83 |
| 1901 | 5 | #1,708 | 242 | #80 |
| 1900 | — | — | 308 | #86 |
| 1899 | — | — | 222 | #85 |
| 1898 | — | — | 284 | #73 |
| 1897 | 5 | #1,574 | 234 | #78 |
| 1896 | — | — | 241 | #82 |
| 1895 | — | — | 259 | #77 |
| 1894 | — | — | 256 | #78 |
| 1893 | — | — | 217 | #84 |
| 1892 | — | — | 237 | #85 |
| 1891 | — | — | 187 | #85 |
| 1890 | — | — | 178 | #98 |
| 1889 | — | — | 215 | #81 |
| 1888 | — | — | 207 | #87 |
| 1887 | — | — | 159 | #97 |
| 1886 | — | — | 180 | #91 |
| 1885 | — | — | 160 | #91 |
| 1884 | — | — | 140 | #108 |
| 1883 | — | — | 141 | #96 |
| 1882 | — | — | 144 | #103 |
| 1881 | — | — | 130 | #96 |
| 1880 | — | — | 140 | #97 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).