Berny

Berny is a short form of Germanic names beginning with the element bern, meaning bear, most commonly a diminutive of Bernard or Bernadette. Bernard itself combines bern with hard, meaning brave or strong, yielding the sense of strong as a bear. The name gained widespread use in medieval Europe partly through the influence of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, the twelfth-century French theologian. Related forms include Bernie, Bern, Bernhard, and Bernardette.