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Bernardine
How to Pronounce Bernardine
Pronounced BUR-nur-deen /ˈbɜr.nər.diːn/High
Meaning: Bernardine is a feminine form of Bernard, from Old Germanic bern ('bear') and hard ('bold, hardy, strong') — 'brave as a bear.' It also honors St. Bernardine of Siena, keeping the name in Catholic families.Medium
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Bernardine is a feminine form of Bernard, built from Germanic bern, 'bear,' and hard, 'bold, strong' — 'bold as a bear.' The -ine ending gave the sturdy male name a graceful early-twentieth-century feminine shape, reinforced by devotion to St. Bernardine of Siena. It was established by the late 1880s and peaked in 1925 before fading by the late 1970s.
A girl named Bernardine at its 1925 peak would be around a century old, a great-grandmother-era name. It belongs with Bernadette, Bernice and Geraldine among the stately -ine and -ette feminizations of that generation; it reads decidedly vintage today and has not revived, though the 'brave as a bear' meaning still carries quiet strength.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Bernardine mean?
Bernardine is a feminine form of Bernard, meaning 'bold, strong as a bear.'
How do you pronounce Bernardine?
It's said BUR-nur-deen /ˈbɜr.nər.diːn/ — three syllables, stress on the first.
Is Bernardine a boy or girl name?
Bernardine is used as a girl's name.
How popular is Bernardine?
Bernardine was an early-twentieth-century name that peaked in the nineteen-twenties and has been rare since.