Pronunciation | mainly UK: /ˈbɜːrnərd/ or /ˈbɜːrnəd/ mainly US: /bərˈnɑːrd/ [1] French: [bɛʁ.naʁ] Dutch: [ˈbɛrnɑrt] |
---|---|
Gender | masculine |
Origin | |
Language(s) | West Germanic |
Meaning | Brave as a bear |
Region of origin | medieval Europe |
Other names | |
Related names | Bernie, Barnard, Bernardas, Bearnárd, Bernardo, Beñat, Bernhard, Bernhardt, Bernd, Bernt, Bernadetta, Bernadette, Berend, Pearu, Pääru |
Bernard ( Bernhard ) is a French and West Germanic masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname. [2]
The name is attested from at least the 9th century. West Germanic Bernhard is composed from the two elements bern "bear" and hard "brave, hardy". [3] Its native Old English cognate was Beornheard, which was replaced or merged with the French form Bernard that was brought to England after the Norman Conquest. The name Bernhard was notably popular among Old Frisian speakers. [4] Its wider use was popularized due to Saint Bernhard of Clairvaux (canonized in 1174).
Bernard is the second most common surname in France. [5]
As of 2014, 42.2% of all known bearers of the surname Bernard were residents of France (frequency 1:392), 12.5% of the United States (1:7,203), 7.0% of Haiti (1:382), 6.6% of Tanzania (1:1,961), 4.8% of Canada (1:1,896), 3.6% of Nigeria (1:12,221), 2.7% of Burundi (1:894), 1.9% of Belgium (1:1,500), 1.6% of Rwanda (1:1,745), 1.2% of Germany (1:16,397), 1.2% of Jamaica (1:595), 1.1% of Ghana (1:6,179), 1.0% of England (1:13,691) and 1.0% of Madagascar (1:6,098).
In France, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:392) in the following regions: [6]
The following people and items share the name Bernard:
Edward is an English male given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name Ēadweard, composed of the elements ēad "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and weard "guardian, protector”.
Donald is a masculine given name derived from the Gaelic name Dòmhnall. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *Dumno-ualos. The final -d in Donald is partly derived from a misinterpretation of the Gaelic pronunciation by English speakers, and partly associated with the spelling of similar-sounding Germanic names, such as Ronald. A short form of Donald is Don. Pet forms of Donald include Donnie and Donny. The feminine given name Donella is derived from Donald.
Walter is a German, English masculine given name of Germanic origin, composed of the elements walt- "power", "ruler", and hari "army".
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic *rīk- 'ruler, leader, king' and *hardu- 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong in rule'. Nicknames include "Richie", "Dick", "Dickon", "Dickie", "Rich", "Rick", "Rico", "Ricky", and more.
Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ernst, meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include:
Bernie is a given name, most often a shortened form of Bernard and Bernadette, and may refer to:
Barry is both a given name and an Irish and West African surname. The given name can be an Anglicised form of some Irish personal names or shortened form of Barrington or Finbarr, while the surname has numerous etymological origins, and is derived from both place names and personal names.
Leonard or Leo is a common English masculine given name and a surname.
Gerard is a masculine forename of Proto-Germanic origin, variations of which exist in many Germanic and Romance languages. Like many other early Germanic names, it is dithematic, consisting of two meaningful constituents put together. In this case, those constituents are gari > ger- and -hard.
Godfrey is a given name and an English surname. The given name is derived from the Old French Godefroy, a name composed of the elements: the first being either God ("God") or gōd ("good"); the second being fred ("peace"). The name was brought to England by settlers from Normandy, the Low Countries, and France. The name is rendered Goraidh, Goiridh in Scottish Gaelic. In some cases the surname is derived from the Middle English personal name Godfrey, Godefrey; or the Old French Godefrei, Godefroi, Godefrois; or the Continental Germanic Godefrid. In other cases, the surname is derived from the Irish Mac Gothraidh or Ó Gothraidh.
The name Hamilton probably originated in the village of Hamilton, Leicestershire, England, but bearers of that name became established in the 13th century in Lanarkshire, Scotland. The town of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire was named after the family some time before 1445. Contemporary Hamiltons are either descended from the original noble family, or descended from people named after the town.
Martin may either be a given name or surname. In Scotland, Martin or McMartin is a common surname of Scottish Gaelic origin. Martin is, however, more common as a masculine given name in many languages and cultures. It comes from the Latin name Martinus, which is a late derived form of the name of the Roman god Mars, protective godhead of the Latins and, therefore, god of war. The meaning is usually rendered in reference to the god as "of Mars", or "of war/warlike" ("martial"). Alternatively, it may also be derived from the Proto-Germanic elements "mar", meaning famous and "tank", meaning thought, counsel.
Douglas is a masculine given name which originated from the surname Douglas. Although today the name is almost exclusively given to boys, it was used as a girl's name in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries in the north of England. The Scottish surname Douglas was borne by one of the most powerful families of the Kingdom of Scotland. It has sometimes been stated that the given name is connected with the given name Dougal, although it is more likely derived from the surname already mentioned.
Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name Hugues, itself the Old French variant of Hugo, a short form of Continental Germanic given names beginning in the element hug- "mind, spirit".
Henry is a masculine given name derived from Old French Henri or Henry, itself derived from the Old Frankish name Heimeric, from Common Germanic *Haimarīks. In Old High German, the name was conflated with the name Haginrich to form Heinrich.
Victor is both a given name and a surname. It is Latin in origin meaning winner or conqueror, and the word “victor” still means this in Modern English.
Coyne is a surname of Irish origin anglicised from the Gaelic Ó Cadhain meaning "descendant of Cadhan".
Maurice is a traditionally masculine given name, also used as a surname. It originates as a French name derived from the Latin Mauritius or Mauricius and was subsequently used in other languages. Its popularity is due to Mauritius, a saint of the Theban Legion. Mauritius is otherwise attested as a given name of the Roman Empire period, in origin meaning "one from Mauretania", i.e. "the Moor".
Clement or Clément is a French and English given name and surname, a form of the Late Latin name Clemens. People with those given names or surnames include: