Berl

Berl - A very unique male name

Berl appeared on the charts for the first time in 1922 on position #1758. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Berl and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Berl? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Berl. The baby boy name Berl was given to 16 baby boys in 2025, ranking #2631 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 91,643 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Berl peaked in popularity 94 years ago in 1932 on position 1563.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Berl, 1-5?

Berl is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Berl is currently topping the baby name charts in New York at position #850 - and is the least popular in New York at position #850.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Berl is where you live.

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Berl origin and meaning

Yiddish, diminutive

The Yiddish diminutive of Ber, 'bear' — the traditional paired name Dov-Ber, 'bear-bear' in Hebrew and Yiddish

Berl is a classic Yiddish name, the intimate form of Ber, long used in Ashkenazi Jewish families and often paired with the Hebrew Dov, both meaning bear. It has appeared in US data since 1922, always in small, community-centred numbers. Its best recent year was 2019.

Attested etymology

Berl is a 4 letter name with 1 syllables.

To see famous people named Berl, pop culture references for the name Berl and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Berl

We've found the following names that sound similar to Berl, sorted by popularity.

Burl / Braulio / Beverly / Beryl / Briley / Burley / Berel / Broly / Beverley / Burrell /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Berl

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Berl a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Berl?

1 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

BERL · /bərl/

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Spellings and nicknames

• Berel — A fuller Yiddish variant spelling.
• Ber — The base form, 'bear'.

Famous bearers

None yet — no bearer for this name is documented well enough for us to list, so we show none rather than pad the list.

Style

International

Why parents choose it

Berl is a warm, old-world Yiddish name that carries generations of Jewish family tradition in four letters.

Worth knowing

• Outside Jewish communities it will be misheard as Burl or Pearl.