Bernard

maleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Bernard: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Bernard: Recorded every year since 1952, it reached #33 in 1964, and it stood at #277 in 2025.

6registrars recorded it
167times a registrar ranked it
74years from first to last
#33highest recorded position
28groupings it qualifies for

What stands out in Bernard's record

Ranked every year since 1952, without a single year missing. Names by continuity of record
Held a top-100 place for 38 years running. Names by top-100 run
Moved 142 places between two consecutive years — its largest recorded change. Names by largest single-year move

Region

Rising

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2024

View as table

England and Wales · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#680
1997	#845
1998	#716
1999	#973
2000	#710
2001	#1027
2002	#907
2003	#865
2004	#815
2005	#982
2006	#1016
2007	#1306
2008	#1124
2009	#1133
2010	#1082
2011	#1251
2012	#1669
2013	#954
2014	#1012
2015	#977
2016	#946
2017	#968
2018	#1097
2019	#825
2020	#878
2021	#790
2022	#758
2023	#827
2024	#613

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

RisingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Norway in 32 of the 68 years from 1958 to 2025.

In 2025: #277 among boys in Norway, #509 among boys in Republic of Ireland.

Official data from 6 national registrars across 6 regions, 1952–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1952
First recorded at #84 among boys in New South Wales, Australia in 1952 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #33 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 1964 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #277 among boys in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Boys

Bernard appears in 6 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Boys, with 62 ranked years and 4,031 births registered; the earliest is New South Wales, Australia · Boys, from 1952.

Bernard across 6 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Bernard's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Norway · Boys	#453 (1958)	#200 (2021)	#277 (2025)	32 of 68	233 (1958–2025)	22 (2021)
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#33 (1964)	#33 (1964)	#509 (2025)	62 of 62	4,031 (1964–2025)	211 (1965)
England and Wales · Boys	#680 (1996)	#613 (2024)	#613 (2024)	29 of 29	781 (1996–2024)	62 (2024)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#271 (1997)	#163 (1998)	#339 (2024)	19 of 28	82 (1997–2024)	10 (1998)
New South Wales, Australia · Boys	#84 (1952)	#70 (1953)	#89 (1966)	15 of 15	1,212 (1952–1966)	101 (1962)
New Zealand · Boys	#81 (1954)	#79 (1957)	#94 (1965)	10 of 12	657 (1954–1965)	81 (1957)

Bernard by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Bernard in Republic of Ireland · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1960sbusiest	1,153	6 of 10	192
1970s	1,310	10 of 10	131
1980s	851	10 of 10	85
1990s	357	10 of 10	36
2000s	178	10 of 10	18
2010s	140	10 of 10	14
2020s	42	6 of 10	7

Across Republic of Ireland · Boys, the 1960s were its busiest decade — the 6 years of it this list covers, averaging 192 births a year.

Its sharpest single-year move came between 1966 and 1967, when recorded births fell by 45, from 209 to 164.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Bernard appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 6 regions, from 1952 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #33 in Republic of Ireland in 1964.

Bernard's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
2024	England and Wales	male	#613	62	High	Verified
2023	England and Wales	male	#827	39	High	Verified
2022	England and Wales	male	#758	43	High	Verified
2021	England and Wales	male	#790	41	High	Verified
2020	England and Wales	male	#878	33	High	Verified
2019	England and Wales	male	#825	37	High	Verified
2018	England and Wales	male	#1097	25	High	Verified
2017	England and Wales	male	#968	31	High	Verified
2016	England and Wales	male	#946	31	High	Verified
2015	England and Wales	male	#977	30	High	Verified
2014	England and Wales	male	#1012	28	High	Verified
2013	England and Wales	male	#954	30	High	Verified
2012	England and Wales	male	#1669	14	High	Verified
2011	England and Wales	male	#1251	20	High	Verified
2010	England and Wales	male	#1082	25	High	Verified
2009	England and Wales	male	#1133	22	High	Verified
2008	England and Wales	male	#1124	22	High	Verified
2007	England and Wales	male	#1306	17	High	Verified
2006	England and Wales	male	#1016	22	High	Verified
2005	England and Wales	male	#982	22	High	Verified
2004	England and Wales	male	#815	26	High	Verified
2003	England and Wales	male	#865	23	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	male	#907	19	High	Verified
2001	England and Wales	male	#1027	15	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	male	#710	25	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	male	#973	15	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	male	#716	23	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	male	#845	18	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	male	#680	23	High	Verified
1966	New South Wales, Australia	male	#89	69	Insufficient	Not yet available
1965	New South Wales, Australia	male	#89	67	Insufficient	Not yet available
1964	New South Wales, Australia	male	#89	65	Insufficient	Not yet available
1963	New South Wales, Australia	male	#83	79	Insufficient	Not yet available
1962	New South Wales, Australia	male	#73	101	Insufficient	Not yet available
1961	New South Wales, Australia	male	#77	97	Insufficient	Not yet available
1960	New South Wales, Australia	male	#86	80	Insufficient	Not yet available
1959	New South Wales, Australia	male	#85	80	Insufficient	Not yet available
1958	New South Wales, Australia	male	#75	98	Insufficient	Not yet available
1957	New South Wales, Australia	male	#87	80	Insufficient	Not yet available
1956	New South Wales, Australia	male	#81	75	Insufficient	Not yet available
1955	New South Wales, Australia	male	#73	81	Insufficient	Not yet available
1954	New South Wales, Australia	male	#89	66	Insufficient	Not yet available
1953	New South Wales, Australia	male	#70	99	Insufficient	Not yet available
1952	New South Wales, Australia	male	#84	75	Insufficient	Not yet available
1965	New Zealand	male	#94	65	High	Verified
1963	New Zealand	male	#98	61	High	Verified
1961	New Zealand	male	#87	75	High	Verified
1960	New Zealand	male	#97	63	High	Verified
1959	New Zealand	male	#98	57	High	Verified
1958	New Zealand	male	#84	73	High	Verified
1957	New Zealand	male	#79	81	High	Verified
1956	New Zealand	male	#89	55	High	Verified
1955	New Zealand	male	#83	59	High	Verified
1954	New Zealand	male	#81	68	High	Verified
2024	Northern Ireland	male	#339	4	High	Verified
2022	Northern Ireland	male	#414	3	High	Verified
2018	Northern Ireland	male	#416	3	High	Verified
2017	Northern Ireland	male	#415	3	High	Verified
2016	Northern Ireland	male	#421	3	High	Verified
2015	Northern Ireland	male	#415	3	High	Verified
2014	Northern Ireland	male	#315	5	High	Verified
2012	Northern Ireland	male	#346	4	High	Verified
2009	Northern Ireland	male	#329	4	High	Verified
2007	Northern Ireland	male	#276	5	High	Verified
2006	Northern Ireland	male	#282	4	High	Verified
2005	Northern Ireland	male	#265	4	High	Verified
2004	Northern Ireland	male	#235	5	High	Verified
2003	Northern Ireland	male	#210	6	High	Verified
2002	Northern Ireland	male	#281	3	High	Verified
2001	Northern Ireland	male	#192	7	High	Verified
1999	Northern Ireland	male	#277	3	High	Verified
1998	Northern Ireland	male	#163	10	High	Verified
1997	Northern Ireland	male	#271	3	High	Verified
2025	Norway	male	#277	14	High	Verified
2024	Norway	male	#237	18	High	Verified
2023	Norway	male	#240	18	High	Verified
2022	Norway	male	#277	14	High	Verified
2021	Norway	male	#200	22	High	Verified
2020	Norway	male	#397	6	High	Verified
2019	Norway	male	#370	8	High	Verified
2018	Norway	male	#414	7	High	Verified
2017	Norway	male	#443	6	High	Verified
2016	Norway	male	#405	8	High	Verified
2015	Norway	male	#400	8	High	Verified
2014	Norway	male	#439	7	High	Verified
2013	Norway	male	#370	10	High	Verified
2011	Norway	male	#487	5	High	Verified
2009	Norway	male	#510	5	High	Verified
2007	Norway	male	#546	4	High	Verified
2006	Norway	male	#489	5	High	Verified
1999	Norway	male	#498	5	High	Verified
1996	Norway	male	#507	5	High	Verified
1995	Norway	male	#574	4	High	Verified
1993	Norway	male	#584	4	High	Verified
1991	Norway	male	#608	4	High	Verified
1987	Norway	male	#611	4	High	Verified
1986	Norway	male	#612	4	High	Verified
1982	Norway	male	#560	5	High	Verified
1981	Norway	male	#630	4	High	Verified
1978	Norway	male	#550	5	High	Verified
1975	Norway	male	#554	5	High	Verified
1970	Norway	male	#522	5	High	Verified
1966	Norway	male	#518	4	High	Verified
1962	Norway	male	#411	6	High	Verified
1958	Norway	male	#453	4	High	Verified
2025	Republic of Ireland	male	#509	6	High	Verified
2024	Republic of Ireland	male	#582	5	High	Verified
2023	Republic of Ireland	male	#396	9	High	Verified
2022	Republic of Ireland	male	#572	5	High	Verified
2021	Republic of Ireland	male	#552	5	High	Verified
2020	Republic of Ireland	male	#342	12	High	Verified
2019	Republic of Ireland	male	#268	17	High	Verified
2018	Republic of Ireland	male	#291	15	High	Verified
2017	Republic of Ireland	male	#317	13	High	Verified
2016	Republic of Ireland	male	#313	14	High	Verified
2015	Republic of Ireland	male	#355	11	High	Verified
2014	Republic of Ireland	male	#325	13	High	Verified
2013	Republic of Ireland	male	#296	15	High	Verified
2012	Republic of Ireland	male	#336	12	High	Verified
2011	Republic of Ireland	male	#256	20	High	Verified
2010	Republic of Ireland	male	#373	10	High	Verified
2009	Republic of Ireland	male	#292	15	High	Verified
2008	Republic of Ireland	male	#275	16	High	Verified
2007	Republic of Ireland	male	#226	19	High	Verified
2006	Republic of Ireland	male	#200	21	High	Verified
2005	Republic of Ireland	male	#213	16	High	Verified
2004	Republic of Ireland	male	#203	15	High	Verified
2003	Republic of Ireland	male	#207	14	High	Verified
2002	Republic of Ireland	male	#204	14	High	Verified
2001	Republic of Ireland	male	#183	16	High	Verified
2000	Republic of Ireland	male	#130	32	High	Verified
1999	Republic of Ireland	male	#189	13	High	Verified
1998	Republic of Ireland	male	#150	20	High	Verified
1997	Republic of Ireland	male	#130	33	High	Verified
1996	Republic of Ireland	male	#112	45	High	Verified
1995	Republic of Ireland	male	#126	36	High	Verified
1994	Republic of Ireland	male	#128	33	High	Verified
1993	Republic of Ireland	male	#118	40	High	Verified
1992	Republic of Ireland	male	#129	34	High	Verified
1991	Republic of Ireland	male	#98	57	High	Verified
1990	Republic of Ireland	male	#108	46	High	Verified
1989	Republic of Ireland	male	#84	69	High	Verified
1988	Republic of Ireland	male	#91	57	High	Verified
1987	Republic of Ireland	male	#81	80	High	Verified
1986	Republic of Ireland	male	#88	67	High	Verified
1985	Republic of Ireland	male	#84	77	High	Verified
1984	Republic of Ireland	male	#82	79	High	Verified
1983	Republic of Ireland	male	#80	82	High	Verified
1982	Republic of Ireland	male	#71	116	High	Verified
1981	Republic of Ireland	male	#76	111	High	Verified
1980	Republic of Ireland	male	#75	113	High	Verified
1979	Republic of Ireland	male	#77	105	High	Verified
1978	Republic of Ireland	male	#77	96	High	Verified
1977	Republic of Ireland	male	#65	139	High	Verified
1976	Republic of Ireland	male	#73	105	High	Verified
1975	Republic of Ireland	male	#66	131	High	Verified
1974	Republic of Ireland	male	#65	118	High	Verified
1973	Republic of Ireland	male	#59	156	High	Verified
1972	Republic of Ireland	male	#60	138	High	Verified
1971	Republic of Ireland	male	#51	171	High	Verified
1970	Republic of Ireland	male	#47	151	High	Verified
1969	Republic of Ireland	male	#38	195	High	Verified
1968	Republic of Ireland	male	#41	173	High	Verified
1967	Republic of Ireland	male	#41	164	High	Verified
1966	Republic of Ireland	male	#36	209	High	Verified
1965	Republic of Ireland	male	#34	211	High	Verified
1964	Republic of Ireland	male	#33	201	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
New South Wales, Australia hub — collected by NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
New Zealand hub — collected by NZ Department of Internal Affairs
Northern Ireland hub — collected by NISRA
Norway hub — collected by Statistics Norway (SSB)
Republic of Ireland hub — collected by CSO Ireland

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 6 registrars between 1952 and 2025, ranked in 74 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #33, first reached in 1964.

It held a top-100 place in 39 years, 38 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 211 births, registered in Republic of Ireland in 1965.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1954, and 45 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Bernadette · #12, 66y
Bernadine · #262, 19y
Bernardo · #329, 21y
Bernhard · #189, 79y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 6 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Dennis · #34, 74y
Allan · #31, 78y
Owen · #31, 70y
Stuart · #31, 73y

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1950 and 1959.

Alicia · #34, 63y
Carolyn · #32, 68y
Clara · #32, 63y
Dennis · #34, 74y

Bernard was ranked #33 in Republic of Ireland · Boys in 1964. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Bernard and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Bernard without appearing here.

Bernard moved ahead of

Grant Compare
In 2012 they stood at #1669 and #1313 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2013 that had become #954 and #2055.
Geoffrey Compare
In 2012 they stood at #1669 and #1589 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2013 that had become #954 and #1920.
Graham Compare
In 2005 they stood at #982 and #954 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2006 that had become #1016 and #1892.
Keith Compare
In 2012 they stood at #1669 and #1507 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2013 that had become #954 and #1539.

Moved ahead of Bernard

Cillian Compare
In 2006 they stood at #1016 and #1084 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2007 that had become #1306 and #782.
Kasper Compare
In 2006 they stood at #1016 and #1168 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2007 that had become #1306 and #820.
Hunter Compare
In 2006 they stood at #1016 and #1643 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2007 that had become #1306 and #926.
Carter Compare
In 1996 they stood at #680 and #755 in England and Wales · Boys; by 1997 that had become #845 and #476.

Moved the opposite way to Bernard

Geir Compare
Between 1958 and 2024 in Norway · Boys, Bernard went from #453 to #237 while Geir went from #4 to #482.
Paul Compare
Between 1958 and 2024 in Norway · Boys, Bernard went from #453 to #237 while Paul went from #85 to #370.
Rune Compare
Between 1958 and 2024 in Norway · Boys, Bernard went from #453 to #237 while Rune went from #12 to #498.
Tommy Compare
Between 1958 and 2024 in Norway · Boys, Bernard went from #453 to #237 while Tommy went from #54 to #503.

Moved the same way as Bernard

Alfred Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Bernard went from #33 to #509 and Alfred from #134 to #286.
Andrew Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Bernard went from #33 to #509 and Andrew from #34 to #106.
Anthony Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Bernard went from #33 to #509 and Anthony from #12 to #135.
Brendan Compare
Between 1964 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Bernard went from #33 to #509 and Brendan from #17 to #402.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 6 regions, from 1952 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #33 in Republic of Ireland in 1964. Source data last verified 2026-07-21.

Bernard

Bernard at a glance

What stands out in Bernard's record

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Bernard across 6 official records

Bernard by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Bernard appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Names published alongside Bernard

Bernard and the names beside it

Bernard moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Bernard

Moved the opposite way to Bernard

Moved the same way as Bernard

Bernard at a glance

What stands out in Bernard's record

Bernard across 6 official records

Bernard by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Bernard appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Names published alongside Bernard

Bernard and the names beside it

Bernard moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Bernard

Moved the opposite way to Bernard

Moved the same way as Bernard