Bernhart History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Portugal

The Portuguese surname Bernhart is of patronymic origin, derived from the first name of the father and literally meant "(son) of Bernard". The forename Bernhard is an old German name composed of the elements "ber(n)" which means "bear" and "hard" which means "brave, strong, courageous."

Its popularity as a Christian name is largely due to the two saints of this name, St. Bernard of Menthon (d.1081), popularly known as the patron saint of mountaineers, who founded the Alpine hospices and whose name has been given to the dogs used to look for lost travelers, and the French St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153), churchman and mystic who became the most powerful influence in France, and later, in all Western Europe.

Early Origins of the Bernhart family

The surname Bernhart was first found in Portugal where "a family so-called of nobles existed already in time of Kings D. Afonso V and D. Joao II, living in Ponte from Lima. Many were Minho nobility and a branch of Bernardes de Obidos, and Heitor Bernardes Botado, people of great value and great spirits, including Manso de Lima, who was a warrior genius; he went to serve the Emperor Charles V. He returned to Portugal and, getting married, gave rise to Bernardes Botados." 1

Early History of the Bernhart family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bernhart research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1008, 1010, 1091, 1153, 1346, 1438, 1481, 1530, 1578, 1596, 1644 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Bernhart History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bernhart Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bernardo, Bernardes, Bernardi, Bernardino, Bernhard, Bernhardt, Bernhart, Barnhard, Barnhardt and many more.

Early Notables of the Bernhart family

Prominent members of the family include Guillermo Bernardo held the title of Duke of Gascua and was a son of Guillermo Sancho, who died in 1010. Oliver Bernardo held the office of Bishop of Barcelona in the mid 4th century, and was sent to the diocese of Tortosa by order of Pope Clement VI in 1346. Jesús Maria Bernardo was a member of the Carmelite order and prior of the...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bernhart Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bernhart migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bernhart Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Bernhart, who arrived in New York in 1709 2
Peeler Bernhart, who landed in New York in 1709 2
Johann Jost Bernhart, who landed in New York, NY in 1710 2
Christopher Bernhart, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 2
Henry Bernhart, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1741 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bernhart Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johann Bernhart, who arrived in St Vincent, Pennsylvania in 1847 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Bernhart (post 1700) +

Bernhart Henn (1817-1865), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Iowa 1st District, 1851-55 3

Citations +

De Faria, Antonio Machado. Armorial lusitano: genealogia e heráldica. Lisboa, 1961. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html