How Many People Are Named Bernice?
An estimated 33,016 people in the United States have the first name Bernice. It is predominantly female (98.2%). The average bearer is 70 years old, and Bernice peaked in popularity in 1921 with 6,309 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Bernice as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Bernice paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Bernice is overwhelmingly female, 3,403 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 70, Bernice is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1966.
- Bernice has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
33,016
About 1 in 10,381 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Female
98.2% confidence
Average Age
70
years old
Peak Year
1921
6,309 births
Total Registered
185,497
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Bernice
Bernice is predominantly female (98.2%), though 3,403 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Bernice as a male name
Ranked #7,729 in 1993
6 male births in 1993
Peak: 1922 (121 births)
Bernice as a female name
Ranked #3,821 in 2024
39 female births in 2024
Peak: 1921 (6,190 births)
Bernice: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Bernice span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 56,896 babies were registered. Bernice has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Bernice by Decade
How has Bernice tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,056 | 19 | 1,037 | |
| 1890s | 4,172 | 78 | 4,094 | |
| 1900s | 10,159 | 149 | 10,010 | |
| 1910s | 41,026 | 680 | 40,346 | |
| 1920s | 56,896 | 1,054 | 55,842 | |
| 1930s | 30,554 | 649 | 29,905 | |
| 1940s | 17,387 | 356 | 17,031 | |
| 1950s | 11,045 | 215 | 10,830 | |
| 1960s | 6,171 | 124 | 6,047 | |
| 1970s | 2,587 | 62 | 2,525 | |
| 1980s | 1,495 | 6 | 1,489 | |
| 1990s | 1,260 | 11 | 1,249 | |
| 2000s | 868 | 0 | 868 | |
| 2010s | 610 | 0 | 610 | |
| 2020s | 211 | 0 | 211 | |
Bernice by State
Birth registrations for Bernice span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania. The lowest are in Nevada, Alaska, Wyoming. On average, about 3,243 Bernices were registered per state.
Bernice + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Bernice as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Bernice
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
Bernice: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Bernice?
We estimate approximately 33,016 people named Bernice are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 10,381 Americans share this first name.
Is Bernice a common name?
Bernice is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 185,497 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Bernice most popular?
Bernice reached peak popularity in 1921, when 6,309 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Bernice is approximately 70 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Bernice a female name?
Bernice is predominantly female. 98.2% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Bernice Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Bernice Smith, Bernice Johnson, Bernice Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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