Bernard
Meaning and origin
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name from the Germanic languages. Inherited from Middle English Bernard, from Old French Bernard, Bernart, from Medieval Latin Bernardus, probably from Frankish *Bernhard (cognate with Old High German Bernhart, Old English Beornheard), from Proto-Germanic *Bernuharduz, equivalent to bear + -ard. Popularized by medieval European saints.
Source: Wiktionary, English entry for Bernard (CC BY-SA 4.0). This is the origin of the name in English; families in Sweden may have taken it from another language.
Popularity in Sweden
Among newborns, Bernard has been rising over the last few years. Its best year between 1998 and 2022 was 2020. The figures are for this exact spelling; other spellings of the name are counted on their own.
Years with fewer than two babies (fewer than ten before 2004) show as zero in the chart and as – in the table.
Show the figures
| Year | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1998 | – |
| 1999 | – |
| 2000 | – |
| 2001 | – |
| 2002 | – |
| 2003 | – |
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2005 | 2 |
| 2006 | – |
| 2007 | 5 |
| 2008 | 4 |
| 2009 | 4 |
| 2010 | 7 |
| 2011 | 7 |
| 2012 | 8 |
| 2013 | 11 |
| 2014 | 15 |
| 2015 | 8 |
| 2016 | 17 |
| 2017 | 15 |
| 2018 | 15 |
| 2019 | 20 |
| 2020 | 25 |
| 2021 | 21 |
| 2022 | 23 |
Everyone registered in Sweden on 31 December with this as the first name they use.
Show the figures
| Year | Men and boys |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 174 |
| 2000 | 176 |
| 2001 | 171 |
| 2002 | 176 |
| 2003 | 186 |
| 2004 | 196 |
| 2005 | 195 |
| 2006 | 202 |
| 2007 | 214 |
| 2008 | 223 |
| 2009 | 227 |
| 2010 | 235 |
| 2011 | 242 |
| 2012 | 249 |
| 2013 | 264 |
| 2014 | 282 |
| 2015 | 294 |
| 2016 | 317 |
| 2017 | 335 |
| 2018 | 364 |
| 2019 | 384 |
| 2020 | 411 |
Bernard in a sentence
- Hej! Jag heter Bernard.Hi! My name is Bernard.
- Bernard bor i Umeå och jobbar som snickare.Bernard lives in Umeå and works as a carpenter.
- Jag ska fika med Bernard i eftermiddag.I'm having coffee with Bernard this afternoon.
- Bernards mamma är lärare.Bernard's mum is a teacher.
Swedish shows possession with a plain -s and no apostrophe: Bernards mamma is Bernard's mum.
Related names and other spellings
More names
Questions about Bernard
How do you pronounce Bernard in Swedish?
Press Listen at the top of the page to hear Bernard in your device's Swedish voice.
What does the name Bernard mean?
Wiktionary describes it as a male given name from the Germanic languages. Inherited from Middle English Bernard, from Old French Bernard, Bernart, from Medieval Latin Bernardus, probably from Frankish *Bernhard (cognate with Old High German Bernhart, Old English Beornheard), from Proto-Germanic *Bernuharduz, equivalent to bear + -ard. Popularized by medieval European saints.
How popular is Bernard in Sweden?
23 babies were named Bernard in 2022. In 2020, 411 people in Sweden had Bernard as the first name they go by. Among newborns the name has been rising lately and peaked in 2020 in the years SCB covers (1998–2022).
Popularity figures: Statistics Sweden (SCB), name statistics (BE0001) from the Statistical Database, released as open data under CC0. Each spelling is counted as its own name, as SCB does. SCB's open name statistics end with babies named in 2022 and the population on 31 December 2020; SCB stopped producing name statistics in 2024 and now points to the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) for newer figures.
Origins, IPA and recordings: Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0), via kaikki.org; recordings from Lingua Libre on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Lingolib is not affiliated with SCB or Wiktionary. Sources last checked 7 October 2026.