Bernice
Bernice was the 4082nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 35 babies. Its best year was 1921, when it ranked 39th with 6,190 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,078 places. More babies were named Bernice in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning bringing victory (from Berenice) · Greek
Say it ber-NEESS /bɚˈnis/
- Rank in 2025
- #4,082 girls, down 529 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 35girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19216,190 babies
- Total since 1880
- 185,533babies recorded
What does the name Bernice mean?
Bernice is the biblical form of Berenice, as Wiktionary notes; in Acts 25:13 Bernice is a sister of King Herod Agrippa II. Berenice is the Macedonian form of Greek Pherenikē, from pherein 'to bring' and nikē 'victory', and was borne by queens of Ptolemaic Egypt. Bernice was popular in the US in the 1910s and 1920s.
φέρειν (pherein) (Ancient Greek, “to bring”)νίκη (nikē) (Ancient Greek, “victory”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Berenice, Bernie, Veronica.
See also: Greek names, names that mean victory.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Bernice', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- New Testament, Acts 25:13, BibleGateway (NRSVUE)
Nicknames for Bernice
The usual nicknames for Bernice are Bernie.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bernie · also for Bernard, Bernadette | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Bernices go by each one.
Bernice popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 3,403 since 1883.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,082 | 35 |
| 2020 | #3,553 | 42 |
| 2010 | #2,700 | 66 |
| 2000 | #1,791 | 97 |
| 1990 | #1,176 | 146 |
| 1980 | #868 | 177 |
| 1970 | #518 | 375 |
| 1960 | #319 | 872 |
| 1950 | #206 | 1,300 |
| 1940 | #121 | 2,087 |
| 1930 | #58 | 4,439 |
| 1920 | #40 | 5,928 |
| 1910 | #58 | 1,721 |
| 1900 | #96 | 702 |
| 1890 | #155 | 229 |
| 1880 | #201 | 59 |
How popular is Bernice, counting every spelling?
Bernice has no other common spelling that sounds the same.
How many kids will share the name Bernice?
35 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Bernice (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Bernice born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 240 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Bernice.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Bernice?
About 36,500 people born in the US named Bernice are alive today, with a median age of 74; half are between 62 and 84. That makes Bernice a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Bernice by state
How common Bernice was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 49 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Bernice: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Bernice, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Bernice · Sibling names for Bernice
Questions about the name Bernice
What does Bernice mean?
Bernice means “bringing victory (from Berenice)” (Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Bernice?
Bernice was the 4082nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 35 babies. Its best year was 1921, when it ranked 39th with 6,190 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 1,078 places. More babies were named Bernice in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Bernice a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Bernice in the US.
Where is Bernice most popular?
In 2021–2025, Bernice was most common in Texas (0.01 per 1,000 girls), followed by California and California.