Where does “Bernard” come from?

Bernard comes from Middle English Bernard, from Old French Bernart, from Medieval Latin Bernardus, from Proto-Germanic Bernuharduz, a compound of bʰer- meaning "bear" and harduz meaning "hard" or "brave."

Bernard (English): Shortened form of Saint Bernard (the dog)

Definitions

  1. Shortened form of Saint Bernard (the dog)

Ancestry of “Bernard”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishBernard—
2Old FrenchBernard—
3Medieval LatinBernardus—
4FrankishBernhard—
5Proto-GermanicBernuharduzA male given name
6Proto-Germanicharduzhard; brave
7Proto-Indo-Europeankert-times; to weave, twist together; time
8Proto-Turkic*keŕ-to travel, tour
Every word from Proto-Turkic *keŕ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European kert- →Every word from Proto-Germanic harduz →
Bernard — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer