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From a Germanic male given name, Bernwald, "bear-rule"; bear meaning the animal. This name is also found in Ireland, where it is a version of of the English surname Barnewall.
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I read your response and I was wondering since I am Hispanic, how can this name come from a Germanic name? Does this mean that this surname was not originally a Spanish surname? If so, how did it get to Latin America?
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Germanic names were found all over Western Europe, a consequence of migration by Germanic peoples; Lombards to Northern Italy, Goths to Spain, etc. Guzmán, Gutiérrez, Rodríguez, Ramirez, are all of Germanic origin. That doesn't make them German, or make their bearers descendants of Goths. Spanish migrants to Latin America took their names and their language with them.
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