Bernardina

Bernardina is a feminine Latinate form of Bernardino, itself a diminutive of the Germanic name Bernhard, composed of the elements bern, meaning bear, and hard, meaning brave or strong. The name was borne notably in honor of Saint Bernardino of Siena, the fifteenth-century Franciscan friar venerated across Italy and Spain, which helped spread feminine forms like Bernardina throughout those regions. Related forms include Bernardine in French and English, Bernhardine in German, and the masculine Bernardo and Bernardino.