Bernard

This article is about the name. For other uses, see Bernard (disambiguation).
Bernard

Pronunciation /bɜːrnɑːrd/(US)
/bɛrnəd/, /bærnɑːrd/ (UK, the latter esp. Scotland)
French: [bɛʁ.naʁ]
Dutch: [ˈbɛrnɑrt]
Gender Male or Female
Origin
Word/name Germanic
Meaning "Strong" or "Brave" as a bear
Region of origin Europe
Other names
Related names Bernie, Barnard, Bearnárd, Bernardo, Beñat, Bernhard, Bernhardt, Bernadette, Berend
Look up Bernard or bernard in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

The masculine given name Bernard and its variations are of West Germanic origin.[1]

The meaning of the name is from a Germanic compound Bern-hard meaning "bear-hardy/brave/strong", or "hardy/brave/strong as a bear".[2] Bern- is the old form of bear, from West Germanic *beran-.[3]

The name was notably popular among Old Frisian speakers, where the most common spelling was Bernhard.[4]

Uses

The following people and items share the name Bernard.

Given name

Surname

Characters

Places

Companies

See also

References

  1. Albert Dauzat, Noms et prénoms de France, Librairie Larousse 1980. p. 38, New completed edition by Marie-Thérèse Morlet.
  2. "Name Meaning and Origin". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2013-06-16.
  3. T. F. Hoad, English Etymology, Oxford University Press 1993. p. 36.
  4. Die Kosenamen der Germanen: Eine Studie, Franz Stark, 1868 (German)
  5. Bernard (TV series)
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