girl's name
Bernice
ber-NEECE
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 186,722
Scotland
#669
1995 births
Bernice is a girl's name meaning bringer of victory, and it is the same name as Veronica — both descend from the Greek Berenike by different routes. It appears in Acts alongside her brother Agrippa.
- Bernice is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 1921, when 6,309 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 94,733 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Bernice over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,056 |
| 1890s | 4,172 |
| 1900s | 10,159 |
| 1910s | 41,026 |
| 1920s | 56,896 |
| 1930s | 30,554 |
| 1940s | 17,388 |
| 1950s | 11,044 |
| 1960s | 6,171 |
| 1970s | 2,587 |
| 1980s | 1,495 |
| 1990s | 1,260 |
| 2000s | 868 |
| 2010s | 611 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 246 |
What Bernice means
Bernice means bringer of victory. The Greek joins a word for bringing to one meaning victory, so the name describes what its bearer delivers rather than what she is.
Where Bernice comes from
Bernice is the Greek Berenike, a Macedonian form of Pherenike — pherein, to bring, joined to nike, victory. It was a royal name in Ptolemaic Egypt, and Berenice II's dedicated lock of hair became the constellation Coma Berenices, which is still on star charts. A Bernice appears in Acts as the sister of Herod Agrippa II, listening to Paul's defense. The Latin form of the same Greek name is the likelier source of Veronica, whose usual derivation from vera icon may be a later fitting — which would make Bernice and Veronica the same name arriving twice.
Bernice in use
Bernice peaked in the United States in 1921, when 6,309 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now charts in three of the seven markets we track — 2764th in Canada, 4081st in the United States on 35 births and 5262nd in England and Wales — across 186,722 lifetime births. Its 1921 peak places it with Gertrude, Pearl and Bessie in the 1916 to 1921 band.
How popular is Bernice?
In 2025, Bernice was given to 35 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Bernice is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Bernice
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Bernice also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Bernice over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Bernice
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Bernice in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Bernice
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Bernice — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Bernice
What does the name Bernice mean?
Bringer of victory — the Greek pherein, to bring, joined to nike, victory.
Is Bernice related to Veronica?
Probably the same name. Veronica's usual derivation from vera icon may be a later fitting to a Greek name already in use.
Is there a constellation named after it?
Coma Berenices — Berenice's hair, from the lock the Ptolemaic queen dedicated.
How popular is Bernice?
4081st in the United States, and our data marks it stable.
Is Bernice a girl's or a boy's name?
Bernice is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Bernice?
Bernice has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Bernice?
Bernice is usually shortened to Bernie and Nicey.
Is Bernice a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Bernice currently ranks #2,764 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.