Bernice
Girl name · #4067 in 2025 · Uniqueness 82/100
Bernice ranks #4067 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 35 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #3001, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 51,429 girls born in 2025 was named Bernice.
The 145-year story
Bernice first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 59 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1921, when 6,190 girls were named Bernice — good for #39 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Bernice per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Bernice against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Bernice in class?
Bernice scores 82 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "rare" band. A high score means genuine rarity — your Bernice will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Bernice is most common
State-level data for Bernice is sparse in 2025 — the name's footprint is too small for most states to report (the SSA suppresses counts under 5 per state for privacy).
Names like Bernice
Statistically, parents drawn to Bernice tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Clarice, Eunice, Loraine, Bertha, and Pauline.
ClariceEuniceLoraineBerthaPaulineSallieJohnnieHelene
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Bernice | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 35 | #4067 |
| 2024 | 39 | #3822 |
| 2023 | 36 | #4047 |
| 2022 | 42 | #3653 |
| 2021 | 52 | #3112 |
| 2020 | 42 | #3546 |
| 2019 | 54 | #3002 |
| 2018 | 64 | #2677 |
| 2017 | 71 | #2508 |
| 2016 | 53 | #3100 |
| 2015 | 57 | #3001 |
| 2014 | 66 | #2648 |
| 2013 | 71 | #2508 |
| 2012 | 47 | #3419 |
| 2011 | 62 | #2796 |
| 2010 | 66 | #2691 |
| 2009 | 80 | #2396 |
| 2008 | 85 | #2295 |
| 2007 | 80 | #2368 |
| 2006 | 81 | #2328 |
| 2005 | 84 | #2180 |
| 2004 | 86 | #2100 |
| 2003 | 82 | #2125 |
| 2002 | 88 | #1984 |
| 2001 | 105 | #1713 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Bernice a popular girl name?
Bernice ranked #4067 among girls in 2025 with 35 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #3001.
When was the name Bernice most popular?
Bernice peaked in 1921, when 6,190 American girls received the name (ranked #39 that year). Since 1921 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Bernice?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 51,429 newborn American girls was named Bernice. It scores 82/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.