Bernal
A surname found especially in Spanish-speaking families, likely built from the old given name Bernard/Bernald.
The #873 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,778 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bernal is generally treated as a surname formed from the medieval personal name Bernal, itself a reduced or altered form related to Bernard/Bernald. The deeper Germanic root is commonly taken to be the element bern, meaning "bear," combined with a second element often explained as "hard" or "brave/strong." In other words, the name began as a personal name with the sense of "bear-hard" or "strong as a bear," and the surname later developed from that given name.
History
The historical excerpts point to Bernal being understood in older surname studies as a derivative of a Germanic personal name, though some 19th-century writers also allowed a connection with Burnell. In Spanish records and later usage, Bernal appears as a familiar surname and occasionally as a forename, especially in noble and literary contexts. It is now best known as a Spanish and Latin American surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century Spanish genealogical work notes Bernal in the lineage of the noble house of Medinaceli, showing the name’s presence in high-status Iberian families.
From the historical record
“where they were settled temp. Hen. I. BERNAL, Probably the same as the O. Frankish personal naine Bernald. Fergu- son. It may, however, be the same as Burnell. BERNARD. BERNARDSON. A well- lvno\vii personal name. BERNAYS. See under Berney. BERNERS. According to Domesd., Hugh de Berners, as a tenant in chief, held”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom