Bernardo
A Romance and Germanic given-name surname from Bernardo, originally meaning “brave as a bear” or “strong bear.”
The #5,017 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 44,088 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bernardo is a surname formed from the medieval personal name Bernardo, the Romance equivalent of Germanic Bernhard/Bernard. The name is built from elements meaning “bear” and “hardy, strong, brave,” so the underlying sense is usually explained as “brave bear” or “strong as a bear.” In many cases the surname simply means “son or descendant of Bernardo,” rather than coming from an occupation or place-name.
History
The name was widely used as a baptismal name in medieval Europe, especially in Italy, Spain, and Portugal, and later passed into hereditary surnames. Historical records show it appearing in Iberian and Italian contexts, and related forms such as Bernard, Bernal, and Bernaldo spread through different Romance-speaking regions. In the United States, Bernardo is especially associated with immigrant families from Southern Europe and Latin America.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same old Germanic name behind Bernardo also gave English Bernard and the famous medieval saint-name Saint Bernard.
From the historical record
“Pablo Mendez Bernardo Verdejo Alberto Videla Micaela Cuadra V. Matea Vidal Tomas Caro”
— Diccionario de los apellidos