Girl name · Germanic
Bernadette
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: brave bearBernadette is a girl's name that comes from Germanic and means "brave bear". It is used in English, French and Irish.
- Meaning
- Brave bear
- Origin
- Germanic
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #1034 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Bernadette
As a girl's name, Bernadette comes from Germanic and means "brave bear". It is used in English, French and Irish.
In French, say bair-nah-DET. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Its meaning puts Bernadette on our names that mean strong list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Bernadette on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Bernadette on 4 lists.
“Brave bear; Germanic. The saint of Lourdes. Say bair-nah-DET”
From French girl names, french saints' names for girls
“Germanic roots meaning brave as a bear, sweet and sturdy”
From Girl dog names, vintage human names for girl dogs
“Brave bear; the French feminine of Bernard”
From Names that mean strong, girl names that mean strong
“Brave bear; Germanic. The saint of Lourdes; Bernie for short”
From Strong female names, brave and bold girl names
How popular is Bernadette?
- US rank in 2025
- #1,034
- 241 babies, 150 per million girls
- Best rank
- #188 in 1946
- Most babies: 1,494 in 1958
- Babies since 1880
- At least 54,973
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 71 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 157 per million |
| 1900s | 204 per million |
| 1910s | 255 per million |
| 1920s | 296 per million |
| 1930s | 354 per million |
| 1940s | 596 per million |
| 1950s | 556 per million |
| 1960s | 587 per million |
| 1970s | 381 per million |
| 1980s | 190 per million |
| 1990s | 110 per million |
| 2000s | 51 per million |
| 2010s | 72 per million |
| 2020s | 119 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,526 | #1,318 | #1,271 | #1,549 | #1,445 | #1,175 | #1,296 | #1,237 | #1,244 | #1,034 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Other forms of Bernadette
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- BernarditaBrave bear (Germanic, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- AmeliaPossibly vigorous, brave (Germanic, girl)
- LeonardoBrave lion (Germanic, boy)
- RicardaBrave ruler (Germanic, girl)
- AndreaManly, brave (Greek, girl)
- AndreasManly, brave (Greek, boy)
- BahadurBrave, valiant (Turkic, boy)
- BernardBrave bear (Germanic, boy)
- BernardoBrave bear (Germanic, boy)
- GerardBrave spear (Germanic, boy)
- GerhardBrave spear (Germanic, boy)
Middle names for Bernadette
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Germanic
- EmmaWhole, universal (Germanic, girl)
- AlinaShort form of Adelina, Albina and names ending in -alina (Germanic, girl)
- AliceNobility, of noble kind (Germanic, girl)
- CharlotteFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- LouiseFamous warrior (Germanic, girl)
- AdaNoble (Germanic, girl)
- AdelaNoble (Germanic, girl)
- AdeleNoble one (Germanic, girl)
- BertaBright, famous (Germanic, girl)
- CarlaFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
Bernadette: common questions
What does the name Bernadette mean?
Bernadette comes from Germanic and means "brave bear".
Is Bernadette a boy or girl name?
Bernadette is mainly a girl's name.
Where does the name Bernadette come from?
Bernadette comes from Germanic and means "brave bear". Today it is used in English, French and Irish.
How popular is the name Bernadette?
Bernadette ranked #1,034 in the US in 2025, with 241 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Bernadette?
Forms of Bernadette with the same meaning and origin include Bernardita (Spanish).
What middle names go with Bernadette?
Middle names that flow well with Bernadette include Aoife, Daisy, Elise, Hazel and Holly. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.