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{{About|the name|other uses|Bernard (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox given name
| name = Bernard
| image = File:Stained glass St Bernard MNMA Cl3273.jpg
| imagesize = 
| caption = [[Bernard of Clairvaux]] (Saint Bernard)
| pronunciation = <small>mainly UK:</small> {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɜːr|n|ər|d}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɜːr|n|ə|d}} <br><small>mainly US:</small> {{IPAc-en|b|ər|ˈ|n|ɑːr|d}}<ref>{{cite book|last=Wells|first=John C.|year=2008|title=Longman Pronunciation Dictionary|edition=3rd|publisher=Longman|isbn=978-1-4058-8118-0}}</ref><br>{{IPA|fr|bɛʁ.naʁ|lang}}<br>{{IPA|nl|ˈbɛrnɑrt|lang}}
| gender = masculine
| meaning = Brave as a bear
| region = medieval Europe
| languageorigin = [[West Germanic]]
| related names = [[Bernie (given name)|Bernie]], [[Barnard]], [[Bernardas]], Bearnárd, [[Bernardo (disambiguation)|Bernardo]], [[Beñat]], [[Bernhard]], [[Bernhardt]], [[Bernd]], [[Bernt]], [[Bernadetta]], [[Bernadette (disambiguation)|Bernadette]], [[Berend]], Pearu, Pääru
| footnotes = 
}}

'''Bernard''' (''[[Bernhard]]'') is a French and [[West Germanic]] masculine given name. It has West Germanic origin and is also a surname.<ref>[[Albert Dauzat]], ''Noms et prénoms de France'', Librairie Larousse 1980. p. 38, New completed edition by [[:fr:Marie-Thérèse Morlet|Marie-Thérèse Morlet]].</ref>

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".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=bernhard|title=Name Meaning and Origin|publisher=Ancestry.com}}.
T. F. Hoad, ''English Etymology'', Oxford University Press 1993. p. 36.</ref> 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.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/diekosenamender00stargoog#page/n189/mode/2up Die Kosenamen der Germanen: Eine Studie], [[:de:Franz Stark (Philologe)|Franz Stark]], 1868 (German)</ref> Its wider use was popularized due to Saint [[Bernhard of Clairvaux]] (canonized in 1174). In Ireland, the name was an anglicized form of [[Brian]].

==Geographical distribution==
Bernard is the second most common surname in France.<ref>{{Cite web|title=🇫🇷 Most Common Last Names in France|url=https://forebears.io/france/surnames|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207225337/https://forebears.io/france/surnames |archive-date=2021-02-07 |publisher=forebears.io}}</ref>

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:<ref name="bernard2014">[https://forebears.io/surnames/bernard Bernard surname distribution]</ref>
* 1. [[Collectivity of Saint Martin]] (1:60)
* 2. [[Saint Barthélemy]] (1:189)
* 3. [[Bourgogne-Franche-Comté]] (1:260)
* 4. [[Nouvelle-Aquitaine]] (1:283)
* 5. [[Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]] (1:296)
* 6. [[Brittany (administrative region)|Brittany]] (1:333)
* 7. [[Pays de la Loire]] (1:336)
* 8. [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]] (1:348)
* 9. [[Hauts-de-France]] (1:391)

{{TOC right}}

==List of people with the name==
The following people and items share the name '''Bernard''':

===Given name===
====Catholic saints====
*Saint Bernard: see [[Saint Bernard (disambiguation)#People]]

====Medieval====
* [[Bernard, son of Charles Martel]] ({{circa|720}}{{snd}}787), Abbot of St. Quentin
* [[Bernard (bishop of Carlisle)]] (died 1214), 13th-century Catholic bishop
* [[Bernard (bishop of Gaeta)]] (died 1047)
* [[Bernard (bishop of St Davids)]] (1115–1148)
* [[Bernard (son of Charles the Fat)]] (died 891 or 892), Duke of Alemannia
* [[Bernard Gui]] ({{circa|1260}}{{snd}}1331), 14th century inquisitor
* Bernard of Calvo ([[Bernat Calbó]]), 13th-century saint and Bishop of Vich
* [[Bernard of Carinola]] (died 1109), 12th-century saint and Bishop of Carinola
* [[Bernard of Cluny]], 12th-century Benedictine monk
* [[Bernard of Kilwinning]] (died c. 1331), Scottish abbot and chancellor
* [[Bernard of Quintavalle]] (died 1241), companion of St. Francis of Assisi
* [[Bernard of Verdun]], author of the ''Tractatus super totam astrologiam''

====Modern====
* [[Bernard (footballer)]] (Bernard Anício Caldeira Duarte), Brazilian footballer
* [[Bernard Aluwihare]] (1902–1961), Sri Lankan politician
* [[Bernard Alvarez]], NASCAR racing driver
* [[Bernard Anício Caldeira Duarte]], known as "Bernard", Brazilian footballer
* [[Bernard Balleret]] (born 1954), Monegasque tennis player
* [[Bernard Baruch]] (1870–1965), American financier and political adviser
* [[Bernard Berrian]] (born 1980), American football player
* [[Bernard Blandre]] (born 1948), French sociologist
* [[Bernard Blaut]] (1940–2007), Polish football player
* [[Bernard Bober]] (born 1950), Slovak Catholic Prelate, [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Košice|Archbishop of Košice]]
* [[Bernard Bonnejean]] (born 1950), French author
* [[Bernard Boursicot]] (born 1944), on whom the play ''M. Butterfly'' was based
* [[Bernard Bresslaw]] (1934–1993), British actor, [[Carry On (franchise)|Carry On]] films
* [[Bernard Butler]] (born 1970), English musician
* [[Bernard Caprasse]] (born 1949), Belgian politician
* [[Bernard Cerquiglini]] (born 1947), French linguist
* [[Bernard Charvin]] (born 1947), French alpine skier
* [[Bernard Cottret]] (1951–2020), French historian
* [[Bernard Coyne (giant)]] (1897–1921), American who is one of only 20 individuals in medical history to have stood 8 feet (240&nbsp;cm) or more
* [[Bernard Cribbins]] (1928–2022), English children's TV personality, actor and voice artist
* [[Bernard Dowiyogo]] (1946–2003), President of Nauru
* [[Bernard Ebbers]] (1941–2020), engineered an accounting fraud at WorldCom while he was its CEO
* [[Bernie Ecclestone]] (born 1930), British business magnate and primary authority in Formula One
* [[Bernard Edwards (American football)]] (born 1969), American football player
* [[Bernard Fanning]] (born 1969), Australian singer, Powderfinger
* [[Bernard Finnigan]] (born 1972), Australian politician and sex offender
* [[Bernard T. Feld]] (1919–1993), 20th century physicist and anti-nuclear activist
* [[Bernard Fox (Irish republican)]] (born 1951), Provisional Irish Republican Army member
* Bernard Freeman, birth name of American rapper [[Bun B]]
* [[Bernard Freyberg, 1st Baron Freyberg]], New Zealand's most famous soldier and General of World War II
* [[Bernard Grech]], Maltese politician serving as the leader of the Nationalist Party and Opposition
* [[Bernard Guignedoux]] (1947–2021), French football player
* [[Bernard Hall (disambiguation)]], multiple people
* [[Bernard Henry (American football)|Bernard Henry]] (born 1960), American football player
* [[Bernard Herrmann]] (1911–1975), American film composer
* [[Bernard Hill]] (1944–2024), English actor
* [[Bernard Hinault]] (born 1954), French cyclist, five-time winner of the Tour de France
* [[Bernard Hopkins]] (born 1965), boxer
* [[B. A. W. Jayamanne|Bernard Jayamanna]] (1908–1965), Sri Lankan Sinhala playwright, director, producer, actor
* [[Bernard Jayasuriya]], Sri Lankan businessman and politician
* [[Bernard Kalb]] (1922–2023), American broadcast journalist
* [[Bernard Kester]] (1928–2018), American artist, designer
* [[Bernard Koura]] (1923–2018), French painter
* [[Bernard Ładysz]] (1922–2020), Polish singer and actor
* [[Bernard Lagat]] (born 1974), Kenyan-American distance runner
* [[Bernard Lee]] (1908–1981), English actor
* [[Bernard Lepkofker]], American competitive judoka 
* [[Bernard Looney]] (born 1969/1970), Irish businessman, CEO of BP
* [[Bernie Mac]] (born Bernard McCullough, 1957–2008), comedian and actor
* [[Bernard Madoff]] (1938–2021), American stockbroker who engineered a $65 billion Ponzi scheme
* [[Bernard Malamud]] (1914–1986), American writer
* [[Bernard Manning]] (1930–2007), British stand-up comedian
* [[Bernard Trevor Matthews|Bernard Matthews]], English turkey farmer, founder of Bernard Matthews Limited
* [[Bernard McGinley]], American judge
* [[Bernard Ménétrel]] (1906–1947), French physician and advisor to Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II
* [[Bernard Mohlalisi]] (1933–2020), Mosotho Roman Catholic bishop
* [[Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein|Bernard Montgomery]] (1887–1976), English military officer
* [[Bernard de Montréal]] (1939–2003), Canadian author and lecturer
* [[Bernard Moullier]] (born 1957), French ski jumper
* [[Bernard of Offida]] (1604–1694), Italian Roman Catholic professed religious from the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
* [[Bernard Opper]] (1915–2000), American basketball player
* [[Bernard Orcel]] (born 1945), French alpine skier
* [[Bernard Parrish]] (1919–1999), American politician
* [[Bernard Peiris]] (1908–1977), Sri Lankan lawyer
* [[Bernard Perera]] (1956–2012), Sri Lankan cricketer
* [[Bernard Rajzman]] (born 1957), Brazilian volleyball player
* [[Bernard Ringeissen]] (1934–2025), French classical pianist
* [[B. H. "Johnny" Rogers|Bernard H. "Johnny" Rogers]] (1905–1977), American politician
* [[Bernard Sachs]] (1858–1944), American neurologist
* [[Bernie Sanders]] (born 1941), US Senator from Vermont
* [[Bernard Satenstein]] (1906–1959), American football player
* [[Bernard Schuiteman]] (born 1973), Dutch football player
* [[George Bernard Shaw]] (1856–1950), usually referred to as "Bernard Shaw", Irish playwright, critic, and essayist
* [[Bernard Shaw (journalist)|Bernard Shaw]] (1940–2022), American broadcast journalist
* [[Bernard Shir-Cliff]] (1924–2017), American editor 
* [[Bernard Spilsbury]] (1877–1947), English pathologist
* [[Bernard Soysa]] (1914–1997), Sri Lankan Trotskyist
* [[Bernard Stoeser]] (1930–2024), American politician
* [[Bernard Sumner]] (born 1956), British musician
* [[Bernard Tapie]] (1943–2021), French businessman and politician
* [[Bernie Taupin]] (born 1950), British songwriter and collaborator with Elton John
* [[Bernard Tilakaratna]] (1927–2004), Sri Lankan diplomat
* [[Bernard Tomic]] (born 1992), Australian tennis player
* [[Bernard Vera]] (born 1950), French politician
* [[Bernard Vogler]] (1935–2020), French historian and academic
* [[Bernard Whitman]] ({{floruit|1980s–2020s}}), Democratic strategist and pollster
* [[Bernie Wolfe (hockey)|Bernard "Bernie" Wolfe]] (born 1951), Canadian hockey player
* [[Bernard Wolfman]] (1924–2011), American dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and law professor
*[[Bernard Zehrfuss]] (1911–1996), French architect
*[[Oatcake|Bernard Welsh]] (1959)

===Surname===
* [[Bernard (surname)]]

===Fictional characters===
====Given name====
* [[Bernard (TV shorts)|''Bernard'' (TV shorts)]], the curious polar bear from the animation series ''Bernard''
* [[Nursie|Bernard]], a character from ''[[Blackadder II]]'', who is usually only called by her title: Nursie
* Bernard, a character from ''[[Megamind]]'', Played by [[Ben Stiller]]
* Bernard, the titular character in the 1980 picture book ''[[Not Now, Bernard]]'' by [[David McKee]]
* Bernard, a character from ''[[Live with Yourself!]]''
* Bernard, a character from ''[[The Waves]]''
* Bernard, a mouse from ''[[The Rescuers]]'' books and films
* Bernard, the Sea Hag's pet vulture in the ''[[Popeye]]'' comics/cartoons
* Bernard, the teddy of [[Ernest Penfold]] in [[Danger Mouse (1981 TV series)|Danger Mouse]]
* Bernarda Alba, the mother in Federico García Lorca's drama, ''[[The House of Bernarda Alba|La casa de Bernarda Alba]]''
* Bernard Beasley, a character from the children's programme ''[[Bernard's Watch]]''
* [[Bernard Bernoulli]], a character from ''Maniac Mansion''
* [[Bernard Black]], a character from ''Black Books''
* [[Barney Fife|Bernard "Barney" Fife]], deputy sheriff of Mayberry from ''[[The Andy Griffith Show]]''
* Bernard Lowe, a character from ''[[Westworld (film)|Westworld]]''
* Bernard Marx from ''[[Captain America: Brave New World]]''
* [[Bernard Nadler]], a character from the television show ''Lost''
* [[Bernard Quatermass]], a British scientist in the ''Quatermass'' science fiction productions
* [[Bernard the Arch-elf]], The Head elf from Disney's Santa Clause Movies
* Bernard the Bee Boy, a boy raised by bees seen in two commercials for [[Honeycomb (cereal)|Honey Comb cereal]]
* [[Bernard Wiseman]], a character from ''Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket''
* [[Bernard Woolley]], a character from ''[[Yes Minister]]''
* Bernard Mickey Wrangle, an explosive character from ''[[Still Life with Woodpecker]]'' by Tom Robbins
* Bernardo, [[Zorro]]'s companion
* Giant Bernard, wrestling name of [[Matt Bloom]]
* Bernie Lomax The Boss who dies in the 80s comedy film [[Weekend at Bernie's]]

====Surname====
* [[Andy Bernard]], character on the United States television series ''The Office''

==See also==
* {{in title}}
* {{Lookfrom}}
* [[Barnard (disambiguation)]]
* [[Barney (disambiguation)]]
* [[Bernat (disambiguation)]]
* [[Bernhard (disambiguation)]]
* [[Grand Rivers, Kentucky]], United States, formerly known as Bernard
* [[Saint Bernard (disambiguation)]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{given name|type=both}}

[[Category:French masculine given names]]
[[Category:French-language surnames]]
[[Category:English masculine given names]]
[[Category:Given names derived from animals]]
[[Category:Masculine given names]]
[[Category:Patronymic surnames]]
[[Category:Surnames derived from given names]]