Show ContentsBerna History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Berna family

The surname Berna was first found in the north of Italy, especially in Tuscany. The name occasionally appears in the south, usually in forms which end in "o," but the northern forms ending in "i" are much more common. The name Berna, like many surnames originated as a personal name. The name Barnabas was a fairly common surname in Europe at the time surnames usage was first beginning, and was made popular by the fact that it was borne by a character in the Bible, a companion of St. Paul. The name means "son of Nabia," the name Nabia coming from an Arameic word meaning "confession."

Early History of the Berna family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Berna research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1500 and 1559 are included under the topic Early Berna History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Berna Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Barnabei, Barnabeo, Barnabo, Barnaba, Barnobi, Bernabeo, Bernabe, Bernabo, Bernaba, Barnabucci, Barnacchi, Barni, Barno, Barna, Barnini, Barnino and many more.

Early Notables of the Berna family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • Tommaso Barnabei (Bernabei), also known as Maso Papacello (c. 1500-1559), an Italian painter of the Renaissance, he was a pupil of Luca Signorelli, and aided Giulio Romano in Rome

Berna Ranking

In France, the name Berna is the 6,123rd most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Berna family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: the $ family, who settled along the east coast of North America in the late 19th century.


Contemporary Notables of the name Berna (post 1700) +

  • Berna Eli "Barney" Oldfield (1878-1946), American motor-racing driver


  1. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/


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