U.S. first-name statistics

How common is Bernard?

Bernard was the #641 most frequent first name in the 2020 Census.

People with the first name Bernard

82,518

About 1 in 4,017 Americans had this first name in the 2020 Census.

Measured, privacy-protected national Census count—not a total of historical baby-name records.

National rank

#641

More common than 98.8% of listed first names

Peak year

1924

4,524 SSA-recorded births

2025 births

137

#2,855 across first names

Census frequency

1 in 4,017

Across the 2020 U.S. population

Sex distribution

Reported in the 2020 Census first-name table.

99.8% male0.2% female

Demographic distribution

Aggregated race and Hispanic-origin reporting in the 2020 Census name table.

White, non-Hispanic64.8%
Black, non-Hispanic25.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native0.69%
Asian / Pacific Islander3.32%
Two or more races1.95%
Hispanic or Latino3.32%

Reading the result

Bernard across two different records

The Census count answers “how many people had this name?” using a national snapshot of living residents in 2020. The SSA series answers “when was this name popular?” using Social Security card applications associated with births.

Bernard reached its highest published annual SSA count in 1924, with 4,524 recorded births. In 2025, SSA recorded 137 babies with the name.

Names do not determine a person’s identity. Demographic percentages above describe national aggregates and should never be applied to an individual.

Add a last name

How many Bernards share your full name?

Check Bernard + a surname ↗