Fun Facts About the Name Bearnice
- 10 babies named Bearnice: U.S. records list 10 babies given the name Bearnice from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Bearnice Mean?
Bearnice is a respelling of the name Bernice, whose established meaning is "bringer of victory" or "victory-bringer." The name goes back to the Greek Berenikē (Βερενίκη), a Macedonian Greek form of the earlier Pherenikē (Φερενίκη). That older name is a compound of pherein, "to carry or bring," and nikē, "victory," so the literal sense is "she who brings victory." In Macedonian Greek the first sound shifted from ph to b and the second vowel was lost, producing Berenikē; Latin wrote the name as Berenice. A shorter Greek form, Bernikē, lacks the second e and is the direct ancestor of the English Bernice. Bearnice keeps that meaning; the -ea- in the first syllable is a spelling choice modeled on the English word bear and does not signal a different origin or a separate meaning.
Bearnice Name History & Origins
The name originated in the Macedonian Greek world and spread widely in the Hellenistic period. Several queens of Ptolemaic Egypt bore it, among them Berenice I, wife of Ptolemy I Soter, and Berenice II, whose offering of a lock of her hair was celebrated in Callimachus's poem Coma Berenices, later adapted into Latin by Catullus. Later Egyptian queens named Berenice III and Berenice IV continued the pattern, and a number of Hellenistic towns were also called Berenice, including one on the Red Sea coast and one in Cyrenaica.
In the first century the shortened form Bernice (Greek Bernikē) appears in the New Testament. This Bernice was a daughter of Herod Agrippa I and sister of Herod Agrippa II, and she appears in the Acts of the Apostles during the hearings of Paul. The Jewish historian Josephus also writes about her, so the name circulated in both Greek and Latin sources of that era.
English use of the name descends from these Latin and Greek forms, and both Berenice and Bernice have been used in English. Bearnice is a respelling that reflects the sound of the English word bear in the first syllable; it carries no independent etymology of its own and simply inherits the Greek meaning and history of Bernice.
How Popular is the Name Bearnice?
Bearnice has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1919. Its best rank was #4,391 in 1931.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | #4,391 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1919 | #4,896 | 5 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Girl Names That Start with B
How the Name Bearnice Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Bearnice's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Bearnice's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.