SBERNA It is a Norman-Sicilian surname. Introduced to Sicily and southern Italy by the Normans (Vikings) between the 11th and 12th centuries. (Dizionario onomastico della Sicilia, Girolamo Caracausi, T. II, 1994)
Etymology
The name became from Osbern, Ansbern, of old saxon or nordic origin. Some version say that the name is derived from the Celtic word vern, gwern or berula (berle), meaning "alder tree" or place of alders. The name indicates a Celtic person who lived where alders grew. The etymology seems to be very old and dates back to the time of Gaul, which was inhabited by Celtic tribes.
In the Romansh language spoken in the Cantons of Grisons (Graubünden) and Ticino in Switzerland and in Lombardy (Italy), the word appears as s'bèrna and bèrna, with the accent over the letter "e". Its dialectal meaning is "skinny and ugly" (magro e brutto in Italian), indicating that the name derives from a physical appellation of people, although that is only a hypothesis.
The Eastern Alpine dialect is also spoken in parts of Sicily, having been introduced by the Vikings at the time of the Norman Conquest (Viking). According to Gerhard Rohlfs the name derives from a Sicilian word sberna which meant "alder"[1] whereas for Giuseppe Gioeni it means big cloth cover (cf. burnous).[2]
Variant forms
Related surnames are "Vernon" in the English-speaking world, and "Bernaz" in the Chablais.