Show ContentsBernier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Bernier family

The surname Bernier was first found in Dauphiny (French: Dauphiné or Dauphiné Viennois), a former province in southeastern France, where the family has held a family seat since ancient times.

Early History of the Bernier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bernier research. Another 236 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1602, 1625, 1635, 1659, 1664, 1680, 1685, 1688, 1700, 1713 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Bernier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bernier Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Bernier, Bernière, Bernières and others.

Early Notables of the Bernier family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • François Bernier (1625-1688), a French physician and traveler
  • Nicolas Bernier (1664-1734), a French composer

Bernier World Ranking

In the United States, the name Bernier is the 2,238th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. [1] However, in Canada, the name Bernier is ranked the 134th most popular surname with an estimated 24,055 people with that name. [2] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Bernier is the 40th popular surname. [3] France ranks Bernier as 433rd with 9,928 people. [4]


United States Bernier migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bernier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johannes Bernier, who landed in Georgia in 1742 [5]
Bernier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mauricio Bernier, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1816 [5]
  • John J Lambert Bernier, who landed in New York in 1824 [5]
  • Herm Bernier, who arrived in America in 1848 [5]
  • F Bernier, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 [5]

Canada Bernier migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bernier Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Jacques Bernier, son of Thomas and Catherine, who married Gillette Bonne, daughter of Marin and Isabelle, in Quebec on 27th July 1653 [6]
  • Jacques Bernier, son of Yves and Michelle, who married Antoine Grenier, daughter of Claude and Catherine, in Quebec on 23rd July 1656 [6]
  • Antoine Bernier, married, Marguerite Bélanger, daughter of Françoise and Marie, in Château-Richer, Quebec on 19th November 1663 [6]
  • Mathurin Bernier, son of Mathurin and Renée, who married Jeanne Villain, daughter of Jean-Barbe and Jeanne, in Montreal, Quebec on 28th October 1670 [6]
  • Pierre Bernier, son of Jaques and Antoinette, who married Françoise Boulé, daughter of Robert and Françoise, in Saint-Thomas, Quebec on 21st February 1689 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bernier Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Charles Bernier, son of Jacques and Antoinette, who married Marie Faye, daughter of Pierre and Marie, in Quebec in 1700 [6]
  • Philippe Bernier, son of Jacques and Antoinette, who married Ursule Caron, daughter of Jean and Marguerite, in Sainte-Anne, Quebec on 30th October 1701 [6]
  • René Bernier, son of Pierre and Charlotte, who married Marie-Agnès Berthiaume, daughter of Jacques and Catherine, in Sainte-Foy, Quebec on 18th April 1712 [6]
  • Jacques Bernier, son of Pierre and Françoise, who married Élisabeth Guay, daughter of Michel and Élisabeth, in Cap-Saint-Ignace, Quebec in 1720 [6]
  • Alexandre Bernier, son of Charles and Marie-Anne, who married Marie-Louise Fortin, daughter of Eustache and Louise, in Cap-Saint-Ignace, Quebec on 24th November 1723 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Bernier (post 1700) +

  • Henriette Bernier (1937-2022), French novelist from Meuse Department, France
  • Georges Bernier (1929-2005), French humorist and founder of Hara Kiri magazine
  • Étienne-Alexandre Bernier, French religious figure and Royalist politician during the French Revolution
  • Sylvie Bernier (b. 1964), Canadian diver, gold medal winner at the 1984 Olympics
  • Leo Edward Bernier (b. 1929), Canadian politician from Ontario


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  3. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  4. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  5. 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)
  6. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.


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