Bern Coat of Arms and Surname Origin

Bern is an established spelling of the German surname Berndt. Read literally, Bern points to “Bear-brave / Bernhard”.

• Bern sounds close to Brun, Burn and Born, so it can help to search both.
• Before spelling was fixed, Berndt was also written Bern.
• Related forms: Bernd, Bernt and Berny.
• The 2010 US Census counted 741 people named Bern, ranking it number 31,285 among American surnames. It sits among the 50,000 most common last names in the country.
• Census takers and immigration officers often wrote what they heard.

Heraldry and the Bern name

Looking for a Bern coat of arms? Arms were granted to families, not to surnames, and our research shows which heraldic tradition fits yours. For the full story, order the Bern surname pack.