Show ContentsBernardin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Bernardin family

The surname Bernardin was first found in Westmorland, where they had been granted lands by King William for their assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Sir Theophilus, a Norman knight, who assisted William the Conqueror in the conquest of England was succeeded by his son, Sir Dorbard, who took the surname Bernard. Sir Dorbard's descendants settled at Acornbank in the county of Westmorland, but stayed in good favor with the royalty.

It is believed they were descended from Bernardine monks of Furness Abbey. Barnard Castle in Durham dates back to 1093 when "Guido Balliol, a Norman nobleman, who had accompanied the Conqueror to England, and was ancestor of the kings of Scotland, his eldest son Bernard, about 1178, built a castle here, and, by a grant of privileges, encouraged the erection of houses near it, thus laying the foundation of the present town, to which he imparted his own name." 1

In 1172 King Henry II took Robert Fitz Bernard with him to Ireland, in the invasion of Ireland, and entrusted to his care the counties of Wexford and Waterford.

Bernard (d. 1333?), Bishop of Sodor, was "Chancellor of Scotland during the greater part of the reign of Robert Bruce. According to Crawford, this Bernard is identical with Bernard de Linton, parson of Mordington, near Berwick, who swore fealty to Edward I in 1296. If this be so, the local surname seems to point to Linton in Roxburgh as the place of his birth or origin. " 2

Early History of the Bernardin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bernardin research. Another 272 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1320, 1545, 1601, 1630, 1640, 1641, 1654, 1660, 1666, 1679, 1702, 1738, 1800, 1872 and 1903 are included under the topic Early Bernardin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bernardin Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bernard, Barnard, Bernyrd, Barnerd, Barnart, Barnert, Barnarde and many more.

Early Notables of the Bernardin family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir Robert Bernard, 1st Baronet (1601-1666), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640; and Sir John Bernard, 2nd Baronet (1630-1679), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1654 and 1660.Rev. John Barnard was a "minor canon of...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bernardin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bernardin Ranking

In France, the name Bernardin is the 1,346th most popular surname with an estimated 4,212 people with that name. 3

Ireland Migration of the Bernardin family to Ireland

Some of the Bernardin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bernardin family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Abell Barnard, who traveled to Virginia in 1685; Daniel, who came to Maryland in 1732; Catherine, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1819; Benjamin in New York in 1820.


Contemporary Notables of the name Bernardin (post 1700) +

  • Al Bernardin (1928-2009), American restaurateur and businessman who invented the McDonald's Quarter Pounder
  • Joseph Louis Bernardin (1928-1996), American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
  • Giorgio Bernardin (1928-2011), Italian professional footballer


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/


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