Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1921

Bernice

Gender Girl · 2% boys Rank 2025 #4,082 Trend ↓ Falling 29%
Rank 2025
#4,082
among girls · ↓250 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
35
named Bernice · -10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 45,922
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1921
6,309 babies
All-time total
185,533
#219 all-time among girls
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Bernice popularity over time

185,533 babies have been named Bernice 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
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 1,037 19 1,056 106 – #154
1890s 4,094 78 4,172 417 +295% #96
1900s 10,010 149 10,159 1,016 +144% #61
1910s 40,346 680 41,026 4,103 +304% #41
1920s 55,842 1,054 56,896 5,690 +39% #39
1930s 29,905 649 30,554 3,055 -46% #58
1940s 17,032 356 17,388 1,739 -43% #121
1950s 10,829 215 11,044 1,104 -36% #206
1960s 6,047 124 6,171 617 -44% #319
1970s 2,525 62 2,587 259 -58% #518
1980s 1,489 6 1,495 150 -42% #868
1990s 1,249 11 1,260 126 -16% #1,176
2000s 868 – 868 87 -31% #1,716
2010s 611 – 611 61 -30% #2,512
2020s (to 2025) 246 – 246 41 -33% #3,117

Where Bernice 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 33 0.02 outside top 500
2027 31 0.02 outside top 500
2028 30 0.02 outside top 500
2029 29 0.02 outside top 500
2030 28 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Bernice

Bernice is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #4,082 in 2025 with 35 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 185,533 American babies have been named Bernice. Its peak came in 1921, when 6,309 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

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 Bernice stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Bernice?

The median living Bernice is about 75 years old; half are between 63 and 85. An estimated 42 thousand people named Bernice are alive in the United States today.

median 75 020406080100

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

Bernice 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 35 #4,082 – –
2024 39 #3,832 – –
2023 36 #4,060 – –
2022 42 #3,658 – –
2021 52 #3,117 – –
2020 42 #3,553 – –
2019 54 #3,009 – –
2018 64 #2,689 – –
2017 71 #2,517 – –
2016 53 #3,108 – –
2015 57 #3,004 – –
2014 66 #2,658 – –
2013 71 #2,512 – –
2012 47 #3,426 – –
2011 62 #2,801 – –
2010 66 #2,700 – –
2009 80 #2,403 – –
2008 85 #2,298 – –
2007 80 #2,372 – –
2006 81 #2,330 – –
2005 84 #2,185 – –
2004 86 #2,101 – –
2003 82 #2,126 – –
2002 88 #1,987 – –
2001 105 #1,716 – –
2000 97 #1,791 – –
1995 109 #1,466 – –
1990 146 #1,176 5 #8,243
1985 146 #1,031 – –
1980 177 #868 – –
1975 222 #674 6 #4,854
1970 375 #518 9 #3,304
1965 565 #389 12 #2,378
1960 872 #319 12 #2,434
1955 1,045 #256 23 #1,615
1950 1,300 #206 21 #1,618
1945 1,477 #157 24 #1,350
1940 2,087 #121 49 #907
1935 2,777 #90 75 #697
1930 4,439 #58 75 #730
1925 5,728 #46 89 #678
1920 5,928 #40 114 #583
1915 4,937 #42 93 #591
1910 1,721 #58 28 #539
1905 1,032 #74 20 #507
1900 702 #96 10 #845
1895 447 #109 6 #992
1890 229 #155 8 #747
1885 96 #193 – –
1880 59 #201 – –

Famous people named Bernice

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

  1. 1 Bernice Rubens Bernice Rubens Welsh novelist (1923–2004) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Bernice?

The median living Bernice is about 75 years old. Half of all living Bernices are between 63 and 85 years old.

How many people named Bernice are alive today?

An estimated 42 thousand people named Bernice are alive in the United States, based on 185,533 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Bernice in 2025?

Bernice ranked #4,082 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 35 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Bernice?

185,533 babies have been named Bernice in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Bernice most popular?

Bernice peaked in 1921, when 6,309 newborns received the name.

Is Bernice a boy or girl name?

Bernice is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Bernice rising or falling?

Bernice is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Bernice become more popular?

Bernice is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 28 girls named Bernice 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 Bernice?

Well-known people named Bernice include Bernice Rubens (writer).

Names like Bernice

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

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