Quick answer
Bernard is a boy name.
Pronunciation: American English /bəɹ.ˈnɑɹd/; British English /ˈbɜː.nəd/; French /bɛʁ.naʁ/; Dutch /ˈbɛr.nɑrt/; Polish /ˈbɛr.nart/; Croatian /ˈběr.nard/.
Meaning and history
This name is derived from the Old German element bern "bear" combined with hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". The Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate Beornheard. This was the name of several saints, including Saint Bernard of Menthon who built hospices in the Swiss Alps in the 10th century, and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th-century theologian and Doctor of the Church. Other famous bearers include the Irish playwright and essayist George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), the British World War II field marshal Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976) and the French cyclist Bernard Hinault (1954-).
Notes and context
Usage: english, french, dutch, polish, croatian, slovene, czech, germanic