Explore the Family Name Berna

The meaning of Berna

1. Italian, Spanish, and Catalan: from a short form of the personal name Bernardo or from any other ancient Germanic personal name beginning with Bern-. 2. Italian (Lombardy): nickname from dialect berna ‘partridge’ or from a short form of Bernardo.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Berna in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Berna has seen slight fluctuations in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, it ranked as the 24,368th most common surname, while in 2010, it dropped slightly to the 24,572nd position, showing a minor decrease of 0.84%. However, the count of individuals carrying this surname increased from 963 in 2000 to 1,017 in 2010, marking a rise of 5.61%. Despite this increase in count, the proportion of individuals with this surname per 100,000 people decreased by 5.56%.

20002010Change
Rank#24,368#24,572-0.84%
Count9631,0175.61%
Proportion per 100k0.360.34-5.56%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Berna

The ethnicity distribution data for the surname Berna, also based on the Decennial U.S. Census, shows some interesting changes between 2000 and 2010. The White ethnic identity group, which made up 90.45% of individuals with the Berna surname in 2000, decreased to 84.27% by 2010—a drop of 6.83%. Meanwhile, the Hispanic representation saw a significant increase of 115.99%, from 5.19% in 2000 to 11.21% in 2010. There was also a noticeable rise in those identifying as Two or more races, from 1.45% in 2000 to 2.26% in 2010. Representation by individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander and Black ethnic identities were initially non-existent in 2000 but appeared in 2010 at 0.49% and 0.88% respectively. Conversely, the American Indian and Alaskan Native group saw a decrease from 1.66% in 2000 to 0.88% in 2010.

20002010Change
White90.45%84.27%-6.83%
Hispanic5.19%11.21%115.99%
Two or More Races1.45%2.26%55.86%
Black0%0.88%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native1.66%0.88%-46.99%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0.49%0%