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."

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

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