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Bernard Family History

Bernard Name Meaning

English Scottish French Walloon Breton Dutch German Polish Czech Slovenian West Indian (mainly Haiti) and African (mainly Tanzania): from the personal name Bernard from an ancient Germanic name composed of the elements ber(n) ‘bear’ + hard ‘brave hardy strong’ (see Bernhard ). It was borne by several Christian saints including Saint Bernard of Menthon (923–1008) founder of Alpine hospices and patron saint of mountaineers whose cult accounts for the frequency of the name in Alpine regions. The popularity of the personal name was also greatly increased by virtue of its having been borne by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090–1153) founder and abbot of the Cistercian monastery at Clairvaux. In North America the English form of the surname has absorbed cognates from other languages e.g. Italian Bernardo . Bernard is the second most frequent surname in France. Compare Barnard Benore and Burnor .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Bernhard, Bernards, Bernardy, Leonard, Bernat, Reynard, Berard

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Where is the Bernard family from?

You can see how Bernard families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Bernard family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Bernard families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 2,617 Bernard families living in Quebec. This was about 70% of all the recorded Bernard's in Canada. Quebec had the highest population of Bernard families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Bernard surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Bernard ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Cultivateur and Servante were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Bernard. 25% of Bernard men worked as a Cultivateur and 9% of Bernard women worked as a Servante. Some less common occupations for Americans named Bernard were Labourer and Mnagre. .

View Census Data for Bernard | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Cultivateur
    25%
  • Farmer
    17%
  • Journalier
    12%
  • Labourer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Servante
    9%
  • Housekeeper
    8%
  • Servant
    8%
  • Mnagre
    6%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Bernard family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 214,000 census records available for the last name Bernard. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Bernard census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 43,000 immigration records available for the last name Bernard. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 37,000 military records available for the last name Bernard. For the veterans among your Bernard ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Bernard lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Bernard life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1943, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Bernard in 1941 was 50, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Bernard

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