girls' name ★ peaked 1958

Bernadette

Meaning From French Bernadette, made famous by St Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,034 Trend ↑ Rising 36%

From French Bernadette, made famous by St. Bernadette of Lourdes.

Rank 2025
#1,034
among girls · ↑210 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
241
named Bernadette · +29% vs 2024
How common
1 in 6,669
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1958
1,494 babies
All-time total
55,033
#550 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Bernadette popularity over time

55,033 babies have been named Bernadette since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 93 – 93 9 – #534
1890s 348 – 348 35 +274% #408
1900s 598 – 598 60 +72% #370
1910s 2,078 – 2,078 208 +247% #359
1920s 3,533 – 3,533 353 +70% #346
1930s 3,772 – 3,772 377 +7% #252
1940s 8,631 – 8,631 863 +129% #188
1950s 10,701 – 10,701 1,070 +24% #213
1960s 10,719 35 10,754 1,075 0% #226
1970s 5,887 20 5,907 591 -45% #340
1980s 3,271 5 3,276 328 -45% #478
1990s 1,980 – 1,980 198 -40% #739
2000s 946 – 946 95 -52% #1,499
2010s 1,259 – 1,259 126 +33% #1,271
2020s (to 2025) 1,157 – 1,157 193 +53% #1,034

Where Bernadette is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 253 0.16 outside top 500
2027 263 0.16 outside top 500
2028 272 0.17 outside top 500
2029 280 0.17 outside top 500
2030 287 0.18 outside top 500

Where Bernadette is most popular

Girls named Bernadette per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.124 per 1,000. Strongest in Minnesota, Kansas, and Wisconsin.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Bernadette born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Minnesota 47 0.436 +251%
Kansas 24 0.416 +235%
Wisconsin 39 0.379 +205%
Illinois 64 0.280 +125%
Missouri 31 0.257 +107%
Michigan 43 0.236 +90%
Colorado 26 0.233 +88%
Oregon 15 0.230 +86%
Washington 33 0.228 +84%
Indiana 31 0.221 +78%
Ohio 48 0.202 +63%
Nebraska 6 0.167 +34%
Pennsylvania 37 0.156 +26%
New York 54 0.136 +10%
Massachusetts 16 0.132 +7%
Arizona 18 0.128 ≈ national
Virginia 20 0.117 -5%
Maryland 12 0.113 -9%
California 86 0.102 -18%
Texas 56 0.070 -44%
New Jersey 11 0.061 -51%
North Carolina 13 0.057 -54%
Georgia 8 0.035 -72%
Florida 14 0.033 -74%
Tennessee 5 0.032 -75%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Bernadette

Bernadette is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,034 in 2025 with 241 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 55,033 American babies have been named Bernadette. Its peak came in 1958, when 1,494 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1950s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Bernadette stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Bernadette?

The median living Bernadette is about 62 years old; half are between 48 and 72. An estimated 40 thousand people named Bernadette are alive in the United States today.

median 62 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Bernadette year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 241 #1,034 – –
2024 187 #1,244 – –
2023 189 #1,237 – –
2022 182 #1,296 – –
2021 208 #1,175 – –
2020 150 #1,445 – –
2019 139 #1,549 – –
2018 181 #1,271 – –
2017 177 #1,318 – –
2016 148 #1,526 – –
2015 155 #1,479 – –
2014 134 #1,604 – –
2013 95 #2,035 – –
2012 88 #2,149 – –
2011 63 #2,773 – –
2010 79 #2,388 – –
2009 77 #2,467 – –
2008 78 #2,444 – –
2007 74 #2,516 – –
2006 95 #2,070 – –
2005 91 #2,062 – –
2004 96 #1,945 – –
2003 99 #1,860 – –
2002 101 #1,781 – –
2001 125 #1,499 – –
2000 110 #1,603 – –
1995 174 #1,039 – –
1990 281 #739 – –
1985 268 #673 – –
1980 434 #484 – –
1975 545 #381 – –
1970 775 #340 – –
1965 911 #292 – –
1960 1,424 #226 – –
1955 960 #278 – –
1950 1,043 #233 – –
1945 1,016 #196 – –
1940 323 #364 – –
1935 395 #315 – –
1930 323 #379 – –
1925 363 #359 – –
1920 330 #360 – –
1915 256 #378 – –
1910 96 #402 – –
1905 46 #498 – –
1900 47 #495 – –
1895 40 #456 – –
1890 20 #581 – –
1885 7 #852 – –
1880 8 #634 – –

Famous people named Bernadette

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters American actress and singer (born 1948) Contemporary
  2. 2 Bernadette Soubirous Bernadette Soubirous French Roman Catholic saint (1844–1879) 19th century
  3. 3 Bernadette Devlin McAliskey Bernadette Devlin McAliskey Irish socialist and republican political activist (born 1947) Contemporary
  4. 4 Bernadette Chirac Bernadette Chirac French politician (1933–2026) Contemporary
  5. 5 Bernadette Lafont Bernadette Lafont French actress 1938–2013 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Bernadette, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Bernadette?

The median living Bernadette is about 62 years old. Half of all living Bernadettes are between 48 and 72 years old.

How many people named Bernadette are alive today?

An estimated 40 thousand people named Bernadette are alive in the United States, based on 55,033 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Bernadette mean?

From French Bernadette, made famous by St. Bernadette of Lourdes.

How popular is the name Bernadette in 2025?

Bernadette ranked #1,034 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 241 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Bernadette?

55,033 babies have been named Bernadette in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Bernadette most popular?

Bernadette peaked in 1958, when 1,494 newborns received the name.

Is Bernadette a boy or girl name?

Bernadette is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Bernadette rising or falling?

Bernadette is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Bernadette become more popular?

Bernadette is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 287 girls named Bernadette in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Bernadette?

Well-known people named Bernadette include Bernadette Peters (actor), Bernadette Soubirous (religious figure), Bernadette Devlin McAliskey (politician).

Names like Bernadette

Names that sound and feel close to Bernadette: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Bernadette with similar names → More names starting with B →