Bernard
Meaning
"brave bear, strong as a bear"
Origin: Germanic
Cultural Roots
Quick Stats
- Popularity Rank
- #1,320
- Total SSA Count
- 147
- Syllables
- 2
- Formality
- Formal
- Nicknames
- Bernie, Bern, Barney
Baby Name Comparison — 2026
"brave bear, strong as a bear"
Origin: Germanic
"tree"
Origin: Hebrew
Bernard is more popular, ranked #1320 vs #1450 for Ilan.
Historical US popularity rank — lower number means more popular.
Historical trend data not available for this comparison.
Names that pair well as siblings.
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Bernard is more popular, ranked #1320 compared to Ilan at #1450 in the United States.
Bernard means "brave bear, strong as a bear" (Germanic origin). Ilan means "tree" (Hebrew origin).
Bernard is primarily a boy name. Ilan is primarily a boy name.