Bernadette

Meaning of Bernadette

Bernadette (ber-nuh-DET) descends from the Old High German elements bern, “bear,” and hard, “strong,” making it, etymologically speaking, a diminutive that promises ursine resolve. The name crossed the Rhine into French usage and then into English consciousness on the coattails of Saint Bernadette Soubirous—the 19th-century miller’s daughter whose visions at Lourdes sparked worldwide devotion and a 1943 Oscar-winning biopic. American statisticians saw Bernadette’s high-water mark in 1958, when 1,494 newborns bore the name; today the annual figure hovers just under 200, slotting it in the low-700s to mid-800s in national rank and rendering it comfortably uncommon. Its three-syllable cadence, clipped opening and decisive “-DET” closing give it both courtly poise and a touch of mid-century chic—the sort of choice that feels at home in a parish register or a lab notebook alike. For parents seeking a vintage appellation with theological gravitas, Franco-German polish, and a quietly formidable meaning, Bernadette offers a bear hug in linguistic form.