Bernadette

German

"brave as a bear"

Bernadette Origin and Meaning

The name Bernadette is a girl's name of German, French origin meaning "brave as a bear".

Although feminizations ending in "ette" are not particularly popular now, Bernadette is a pleasant, feminine, but strong name that doesn't feel prohibitively dated. And though strongly associated with the saint who saw visions of the Virgin Mary—Saint Bernadette of Lourdes—it is now no longer strictly inhabiting the Catholic diocese.

Bernadette was much more widely used at one time than it is now. The year after Saint Bernadette was canonized, her name reached Number 252, and not long after the successful film The Song of Bernadette was released, it hit Number 188 in 1946.

Bernadette Peters is a contemporary bearer, and Minnie Driver's breakthrough film role was as Bernadette "Benny" Hogan in Circle of Friends.

Bernadette Rank in US Top 1000

# 893 in the US

Bernadette Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 556 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Bernadette

• 556 Nameberry 2025
• 245 Unique 2023
• 778 Future 2028

20 Names Similar to Bernadette

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Bernadette.

• Marguerite
• Henrietta
• Augusta
• Constance
• Jemima
• Ethel
• Cornelia
• Caitrona
• Rosamund
• Agatha
• Magdalene
• Marjorie
• Millicent
• Prudence
• Georgiana
• Gertrude
• Joan
• Philippa
• Mildred
• Tabitha

Famous People Named Bernadette

• Saint Bernadette Soubirous French mystic and visionary of Our Lady of Lourdes
• Bernadette Peters American actress and singer
• Bernadette (Kraakman) Danish pop singer
• Bernadette Anne "Pixie" McKenna Irish physician and TV presenter
• Bernadette Lafont French actress
• Bernadette Chirac wife of former French President Jacques Chirac
• Bernadette Dupont French Senator
• Bernadette Bourzai French Senator
• Bernadette Yao American actor
• Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton English actress
• Shona Bernadette McGarty English actress
• Sinead Marie Bernadette O'Connor Irish singer,songwriter
• Bernadette Banner historical costumer and YouTube creater

The name Bernadette in Pop Culture

• Bernadette Maryann Rostenkowski Wolowitz, character on TV's "The Big Bang Theory"
• Bernadette Fox main character in "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?" by Maria Semple
• Sister Bernadette (later Shelagh Turner) character on TV's "Call the Midwife"
• Bernadette Ezkeniazki character in the movie "No Reservations"
• Bernadette Stabler Eliott Stabler's mother on TV's "Law and Order; SVU"
• "Bernadette " song by The Four Tops
• "Bernadette " song by IAMX
• "Bernadette " song by Paul Simon
• "Bernadette " song by The Kinks

International Variations of the name Bernadette

• Berneen Irish
• Bernardita Spanish
• Bernardetta Italian
• Bernadett Hungarian