Berner Family History

English (of Norman origin): from the Middle English personal name Berner of Norman origin (Old French Bernier from ancient Germanic Berner from ber(n) ‘bear’ + hari ‘army’). English: possibly an occupational name from Middle English berner a derivative of Old English beornan ‘to burn’ denoting a limeburner or charcoal burner (compare German Kalkbrenner).

Compare Ashburner; see also Brenner and Burner. It may also have denoted someone who baked bricks or distilled spirits or who carried out any other manufacturing process involving burning. English: occupational name from Middle English berner ‘keeper of the hounds’ (Old French bern(i)er brenier a derivative of bren bran ‘bran’ on which the dogs were fed).

Compare Brenner. German: habitational name in Silesia denoting someone from a place called Berna (of which there are two examples); in southern Germany and Switzerland denoting someone from the Swiss city of Berne. German: from the ancient Germanic personal name Bernher meaning ‘lord of the army’.

North German: occupational name for a lime or charcoal burner (cognate with 2 above) from an agent derivative of Middle High German brennen ‘to burn’.