Bernardo History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy
Portugal

The Portuguese surname Bernardo 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 Bernardo family

The surname Bernardo 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 Bernardo family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bernardo 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 Bernardo History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bernardo 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 Bernardo 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...
Another notable bearer was Diego Bernardo, Spanish-Portuguese poet (1530-1596). In 1578 he was part of King Sebastian's expedition to Africa; He is owed works such as "Varias rimas ao bom Jesus", "Flo...

Bernardo Ranking

In the United States, the name Bernardo is the 6,006^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Bernardo is ranked the 4,165^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 3

Bernardo migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bernardo Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mrs. Bernardo, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 4

Bernardo Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

F A Bernardo, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1813 4
Juan Bernardo, aged 22, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1838 4
Mr Bernardo, who arrived in Florida in 1838 4
J Bernardo, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
Jose Bernardo, aged 22, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1855 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Bernardo (post 1700) +

Vincenzo Bernardo (b. 1990), American soccer player
Maria Jesuína Carrilho Bernardo (1943-2022), Portuguese politician, member of the Socialist Party, she served in the Assembly of the Republic from 1995 to 1999 and again from 2005 to 2009
Joseph Bernardo (1929-2023), French swimmer and two-time bronze Olympic medalist
Bernardo Bernardo (1945-2018), Filipino veteran stage actor and film director
Paulo Bernardo (b. 1952), Brazilian politician
Sergio Bernardo (b. 1980), Argentine football midfielder
Narciso C. Bernardo (1937-2008), Filipino basketball player and coach
Kathryn Chandria M. Bernardo (b. 1996), Filipina actress
Michael "Mike" Bernardo (b. 1969), South African former kickboxer and boxer
Jhonatan Mariano Bernardo (b. 1988), Brazilian football striker

Citations +

De Faria, Antonio Machado. Armorial lusitano: genealogia e heráldica. Lisboa, 1961. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)