About the Bernardo Surname

If your family name is Bernardo, its origin lies with Bernardi, an Italian surname. Name scholars give the meaning as “Son of Bernardo ("brave as a bear")”.

• Census takers and immigration officers often wrote what they heard.
• You may also find the name written Bernardini and Bernard.
• The change of ending between Bernardi and Bernardo reflects the Italian habit of naming a family in the plural or the singular.

Heraldry and the Bernardo name

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named Bernardo, so the heraldry linked to Bernardi is a starting point, not an automatic right. Want more than a summary? See the Bernardo family name pack.