Bernarda

Bernarda is the feminine form of Bernard, a name of Old High German origin composed of the elements bern, meaning bear, and hard, meaning brave or strong, yielding the overall sense of strong as a bear. The name spread widely across Europe through the influence of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, the twelfth-century French abbot and theologian. Bernarda is found chiefly in Slovene, Croatian, and Spanish-speaking traditions, reflecting the broad medieval diffusion of the Germanic name into Romance and Slavic cultures. Related forms include Bernardine, Bernardina, and the masculine Bernard and Bernardo.