Bernard
[bɜːrˈnɑːrd]Meaning
from the Old German bern "bear" and hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy"
Background Story
Bernard comes from the Old German elements bern, "bear", and hart, "hard, firm, brave, hardy". The Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate Beornheard. It is attested from at least the 9th century and is used in Basque, Catalan, Danish, Frisian, German, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish.
Variations
Berny, Bernhard, Berno
Related Names
Barrett
From a surname probably meaning "quarrelsome, deceptive" in Middle English
Berny
A variant of Bernie, usually a short form of Bernard
Adalwin
From the Old German elements adal "noble" and wini "friend"
Bagheera
Hindi for panther or leopard; from bagh, meaning any Panthera.
Barnie
A variant of the name Bernard, meaning 'brave as a bear'.
Bennett
Medieval form of Benedict, from Latin Benedictus
Bernie
Diminutive form of Bernard, meaning 'brave as a bear'.
Big Boy
Biggles
A nickname of the fictional pilot James Charles Bigglesworth
Boswell
A surname of English origin, often associated with the historical figure James Boswell.