| ![Show Contents]() Bernie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of BernieWhat does the name Bernie mean? The name Bernie arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Bernie family lived in the hundred of North Greenhow, Norfolk where the town of Berney (Barney) was once found. 1 Looking back further, the family were Norman and claimed descent from Calvados, Normandy. "Ralph de Bernai, of Worcester and Hereford, witnessed a charter of Malmsbury Abbey, temp. William I., and was a tenant of William Fitz- Osborne, Earl of Hereford. In 1096, Robert de Bernay witnessed a charter of Stephen, Count of Aumerle, for the monks of Beauvais (Monasticon Anglicanum). The Baronets Berney derive their name from the English locality. " 2 Another source has a slightly different bent on the origin: "The baronet's family are asserted to have been seated at Berney, near Walsingham, co. Norfolk, at the time of the Norman Conquest-a great improbability, although their very early settlement there cannot be questioned. Bernays is of distinct origin, being a recent importation from Germany; it is supposed that the latter family were originally French, and that they derived their designation from the town of Bernay, in the department of the Eure, in Normandy." 3 Early Origins of the Bernie familyThe surname Bernie was first found in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Suffolk where Ralph de Bernai was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. 4 Many people claim descent from the Domesday Book, but truthfully few people do. This entry is particularly interesting as it is a record of a forename and surname, while in most cases only a surname is recorded. Later Norfolk records show: Henry de Berney, 1268; Adam de Berney, 15 Edward I; Richard de Berney, 48 Edward III; Sir Thomas de Berney, of Reedham, 1389; and Roger Burney, vicar of Holm-by-the-Sea, 1451. 5 Sir Robert Berney (before 1365-1415) of Great Witchingham, Norfolk was Sherriff of Norfolk and Suffolk from 1406-1430. His father (d. 1374) was elected knight of the shire for Norfolk four times between 1346 and 1368, and in the course of his career he acquired a number of landed holdings in the county. Early History of the Bernie familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bernie research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1558, 1591, 1620, 1622, 1668, 1688, 1693, 1697, 1706, 1710, 1742, 1757, 1759, 1778, 1780, 1825, 1843, 1870, 1893, 1900, 1907, 1952 and 1975 are included under the topic Early Bernie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Bernie Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Barney, Berney, Barny, Berny, Barnie, Bernie, Bernaye, Bairney, Bearnie, Bearny, Bernais, Berneys, Berneyes, Bearnay and many more. Early Notables of the Bernie familyHenry Barney who was listed on the Register of the University of Oxford in 1591. 1
The Berney Baronets, of Parkehall include: Sir Richard Berney, 1st Baronet (died 1668); Sir Thomas Berney, 2nd Baronet (died 1693); Sir Richard Berney, 3rd Baronet (died 1706); Sir Richard Berney, 4th Baronet (1688-1710); Sir Thomas Berney, 5th Baronet (died 1742); Sir...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bernie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Bernie family to IrelandSome of the Bernie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Bernie migration to the United States | + |
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Bernie or a variant listed above were:
Bernie Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Ann Bernie, aged 23, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 6
Bernie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Charles Bernie, who arrived in America in 1808 6
- Andres Bernie, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1816 6
- George Bernie, who landed in America in 1855 6
Bernie Settlers in United States in the 20th Century- Anton Bernie, who arrived in Arkansas in 1904 6
| Bernie migration to Australia | + |
Bernie Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Sarah M. Bernie, aged 19, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Flora" 7
| Bernie migration to New Zealand | + |
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include: Bernie Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Ebenezer Bernie, who landed in Tamaki, Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
| Contemporary Notables of the name Bernie (post 1700) | + |
- Dr. Bernie Critchfield (1923-1965), American chairman of the Utah State Medical Association, Athletic injures who died in the 1965 Douglas DC-3 crash with Marion Probert
- Bernie Constantin (1947-2025), Swiss songwriter and radio show host
- Bernie Worrell (1944-2016), American keyboardist and composer
- Bernie Fuchs (1932-2009), American illustrator known for advertising art and magazine illustration
- Bernie Wanden, New Zealand politician, Mayor of Horowhenua District of New Zealand's North Island (2019-)
- Bernie Vince (b. 1985), former Australian rules footballer for the Australian National Team in 2011
- Bernie Hannity, British researcher and academic with the School of Health Sciences, Jean McFarlane Building, The University of Manchester
- Bernie Crowe (1932-2022), Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club (1957)
- Bernie LaBarge (b. 1953), Canadian Juno Award nominated guitarist, singer, and songwriter from Ottawa, Ontario
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. 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)
- South Australian Register Monday 9th April 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Flora 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/flora1855.shtml
 |
