Names Categorized "bears"

This is a list of names in which the categories include bears.
gender
usage
Adalbern m Germanic
Derived from the Old German elements adal "noble" and bern "bear".
Alfbern m Germanic
Derived from the Old German elements alb "elf" and bern "bear".
Arcadia f Various
Feminine form of Arcadius. This is the name of a region on the Greek Peloponnese, long idealized for its natural beauty.
Arcturus m Astronomy
From Ancient Greek Ἀρκτοῦρος (Arktouros), the name of the fourth brightest star in the sky, part of the constellation Boötes. It means "guardian of the bear", derived from ἄρκτος (arktos) meaning "bear" and οὖρος (ouros) meaning "guardian", referring to the star's position close to the constellations Ursa Minor and Ursa Major.
Arkadi m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Аркадий (see Arkadiy).
Arkadios m Ancient Greek
From an ancient Greek name meaning "of Arcadia". Arcadia was a region in Greece, its name deriving from ἄρκτος (arktos) meaning "bear". This was the name of a 3rd-century saint and martyr.
Arkadiusz m Polish
Polish form of Arkadios.
Arkadiy m Russian
Russian form of Arkadios. This is the name of one of the main characters in Ivan Turgenev's Fathers and Sons (1862).
Arkady m Russian
Alternate transcription of Russian Аркадий (see Arkadiy).
Armel m Breton, French
Breton and French form of the Old Welsh name Arthmail, which was composed of the elements arth "bear" and mael "prince, chieftain". This was the name of a 6th-century Welsh saint who founded abbeys in Brittany.
Arthfael m Medieval Welsh
Medieval Welsh form of Armel.
Arthur m English, French, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Welsh Mythology, Arthurian Romance
The meaning of this name is unknown. It could be derived from the Celtic elements *artos "bear" (Old Welsh arth) combined with *wiros "man" (Old Welsh gur) or *rīxs "king" (Old Welsh ri). Alternatively it could be related to an obscure Roman family name Artorius.... [more]
Arzhel m Breton
Breton form of Armel.
Ásbjörn m Icelandic
Icelandic form of Ásbjǫrn.
Ásbjǫrn m Old Norse
Old Norse name derived from the elements áss "god" and bjǫrn "bear". It is therefore a cognate of Osborn.
Asbjørn m Norwegian, Danish
Norwegian and Danish form of Ásbjǫrn.
Bear m English (Modern)
From the English word for the animal, derived from Old English bera, probably derived from a root meaning "brown".
Ben 2 m Dutch
Short form of Bernhard.
Beowulf m Anglo-Saxon Mythology
Possibly means "bee wolf" (in effect equal to "bear") from Old English beo "bee" and wulf "wolf". Alternatively, the first element may be beadu "battle". This is the name of the main character in the anonymous 8th-century epic poem Beowulf. Set in Denmark, the poem tells how he slays the monster Grendel and its mother at the request of King Hroðgar. After this Beowulf becomes the king of the Geats. The conclusion of the poem tells how Beawulf, in his old age, slays a dragon but is himself mortally wounded in the act.
Ber m Yiddish
Means "bear" in Yiddish, a vernacular form of Dov.
Berard m Germanic
Variant of Bernard using the related root bero "bear" as the first element. This was the name of a 13th-century saint from Carbio, Italy who was martyred in Morocco.
Berardo m Italian
Italian form of Berard.
Berendina f Dutch
Feminine form of Bernhard.
Berengar m Germanic
Old German name derived from the elements bern "bear" and ger "spear". This was the name of two medieval kings of Italy and a Holy Roman emperor.
Berengaria f Germanic (Latinized)
Latinized feminine form of Berengar. This name was borne by a 13th-century queen of Castile.
Bérenger m French
French form of Berengar.
Bérengère f French
French form of Berengaria.
Berenguer m Catalan
Catalan form of Berengar.
Bernadeta f Polish
Polish form of Bernadette.
Bernadett f Hungarian
Hungarian form of Bernadette.
Bernadetta f Polish
Polish form of Bernadette.
Bernadine f English
Feminine form of Bernard.
Bernard m English, French, Dutch, Polish, Croatian, Slovene, Czech, Germanic
Derived from the Old German element bern "bear" combined with hart "hard, firm, brave, hardy". The Normans brought it to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate Beornheard. This was the name of several saints, including Saint Bernard of Menthon who built hospices in the Swiss Alps in the 10th century, and Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a 12th-century theologian and Doctor of the Church. Other famous bearers include the Irish playwright and essayist George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) and the British World War II field marshal Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976).
Bernarda f Slovene, Croatian, Spanish
Feminine form of Bernard.
Bernardetta f Italian (Rare)
Italian feminine form of Bernard.
Bernardina f Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish feminine form of Bernardino.
Bernardine f French (Rare)
French feminine form of Bernardino.
Bernardita f Spanish
Spanish feminine form of Bernard.
Bernardo m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Italian, Spanish and Portuguese form of Bernard.
Bernhard m German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Germanic
German, Dutch and Scandinavian form of Bernard.
Bjarne m Danish, Norwegian, Swedish
Modern form of Bjarni.
Bjarni m Old Norse, Icelandic, Faroese
Old Norse diminutive of Bjǫrn and other names containing the element bjǫrn meaning "bear".
Bjǫrn m Old Norse
Old Norse form of Björn.
Dov m Hebrew
Means "bear" in Hebrew.
Espen m Norwegian
Variant of Asbjørn.
Garsea m Medieval Spanish
Meaning unknown, possibly related to the Basque word hartz meaning "bear". This was the name of several medieval kings of Navarre and Leon.
Gerben m Dutch
Derived from the Germanic elements ger meaning "spear" and bern meaning "bear".
Gerbern m Germanic
Old German form of Gerben.
Hallbjǫrn m Old Norse
Derived from the Old Norse elements hallr "rock" and bjǫrn "bear".
Humbert m French, German (Rare), English (Rare), Germanic
Derived from the Old German elements hun "bear cub" and beraht "bright". The Normans introduced this name to England, though it has always been uncommon there. It was the name of a 7th-century Frankish saint who founded Maroilles Abbey. It was also borne by two kings of Italy (called Umberto in Italian), who ruled in the 19th and 20th centuries. A notable fictional bearer is Humbert Humbert from Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita (1955).
Humberto m Spanish, Portuguese
Spanish and Portuguese form of Humbert.
Humphrey m English
From the Old German elements hun "bear cub" and fridu "peace". The Normans introduced this name to England, where it replaced the Old English cognate Hunfrith, and it was regularly used through the Middle Ages. A famous bearer was the American actor Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957), who starred in The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca.
Hunberht m Germanic
Old German form of Humbert.
Hunfrid m Germanic
Old German form of Humphrey.
Kallisto f Greek Mythology, Ancient Greek
Derived from Greek κάλλιστος (kallistos) meaning "most beautiful", a derivative of καλός (kalos) meaning "beautiful". In Greek mythology Kallisto was a nymph who was loved by Zeus. She was changed into a she-bear by Hera, and subsequently became the Great Bear constellation. This was also an ancient Greek personal name.
Mahon m Irish
Anglicized form of Mathúin.
Math m Welsh Mythology
Possibly from the old Celtic root *matus meaning "bear". According to the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi, Math ap Mathonwy was a king of Gwynedd and a magician. Whenever he was not at war, it was required that he rest his feet in the lap of a virgin. He was the uncle of the hero Gwydion, with whom he shared most of his adventures.
Mathgamain m Old Irish
Means "bear" in Old Irish, a compound of math, itself meaning "bear", and gamuin meaning "calf". This was the name of a brother of the Irish king Brian Boru.
Mathúin m Irish (Rare)
Modern Irish form of Mathgamain.
Nanook m Indigenous American, Inuit (Anglicized)
Variant of Nanuq. This was the (fictional) name of the subject of Robert Flaherty's documentary film Nanook of the North (1922).
Nanuq m Indigenous American, Inuit
Means "polar bear" in Inuktitut.
Nita 2 f Indigenous American, Choctaw
Means "bear" in Choctaw.
Oddbjørn m Norwegian
From the Old Norse name Oddbjǫrn, derived from the elements oddr "point of a sword" and bjǫrn "bear".
Ombeline f French
Feminine form of Humbelin, a medieval diminutive of Humbert. The Blessed Humbeline (known as Hombeline or Ombeline in French) was a 12th-century nun, the sister of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.
Onfroi m Medieval French
Norman French form of Humphrey.
Orsina f Italian (Rare)
Feminine form of Orsino.
Orsino m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of the Roman name Ursinus, itself derived from Ursus (see Urs). This is the name of a duke in Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night (1602).
Orso m Italian (Rare)
Italian form of Ursus (see Urs).
Orsola f Italian
Italian form of Ursula.
Orsolya f Hungarian
Hungarian form of Ursula.
Orson m English
From a Norman nickname derived from a diminutive of Norman French ors "bear", ultimately from Latin ursus. American actor and director Orson Welles (1915-1985) was a famous bearer of this name.
Osbeorn m Anglo-Saxon
Old English form of Osborn.
Osborn m English
Derived from the Old English elements os "god" and beorn "warrior, man". During the Anglo-Saxon period there was also a Norse cognate Ásbjǫrn used in England, and after the Norman Conquest the Norman cognate Osbern was introduced. It was occasionally revived in the 19th century, in part from a surname that was derived from the given name.
Otso m Finnish
Means "bear" in Finnish.
Ott m Estonian
Possibly an Estonian form of Otto. It may also be inspired by an archaic Estonian word meaning "bear".
Swiðhun m Anglo-Saxon
Old English form of Swithin.
Swithin m History
From the Old English name Swiðhun or Swiþhun, derived from swiþ "strong" and perhaps hun "bear cub". Saint Swithin was a 9th-century bishop of Winchester.
Swithun m History
Variant of Swithin.
Tarben m Danish (Rare)
Danish variant of Torben.
Thorben m Danish, German
Variant of Torben.
Þórbjǫrn m Old Norse
Old Norse form of Torbjörn.
Þorbjörn m Icelandic
Icelandic form of Torbjörn.
Thorburn m English (Rare)
From a Scottish and English surname that was derived from the Norse name Þórbjǫrn (see Torbjörn).
Torben m Danish, German
Danish form of Torbjörn.
Torbjörn m Swedish
From the Old Norse name Þórbjǫrn, which meant "Thor's bear" from the name of the Norse god Þórr (see Thor) combined with bjǫrn "bear".
Torbjørn m Norwegian
Norwegian form of Torbjörn.
Ula f Polish, Slovene
Diminutive of Urszula (Polish) or Uršula (Slovene).
Ulla f Swedish, Danish, Finnish, German
Scandinavian diminutive of Ulrika or Hulda 1, or a German diminutive of Ursula.
Umberto m Italian
Italian form of Humbert. A famous bearer was Italian author Umberto Eco (1932-2016).
Urs m German (Swiss)
German form of the Latin name Ursus, which meant "bear". Saint Ursus was a 3rd-century soldier in the Theban Legion who was martyred with Saint Victor. He is the patron saint of Solothurn in Switzerland.
Ursa f Late Roman
Feminine form of Ursus. This is the name of two constellations in the northern sky: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
Ursel f German
German diminutive of Ursula.
Ursinus m Late Roman
Latin name that was a derivative of Ursus (see Urs).
Urška f Slovene
Slovene diminutive of Ursula.
Úrsula f Spanish, Portuguese (Rare)
Spanish and Portuguese form of Ursula.
Uršula f Slovene
Slovene form of Ursula.
Ursula f English, Swedish, Danish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Late Roman
Means "little bear", derived from a diminutive form of the Latin word ursa "she-bear". Saint Ursula was a legendary virgin princess of the 4th century who was martyred by the Huns while returning from a pilgrimage. In England the saint was popular during the Middle Ages, and the name came into general use at that time.
Ursule f French (Rare)
French form of Ursula.
Ursus m Ancient Roman
Latin form of Urs.
Urszula f Polish
Polish form of Ursula.
Uschi f German
Diminutive of Ursula.
Winnie f English
Diminutive of Winifred. Winnie-the-Pooh, a stuffed bear in children's books by A. A. Milne, was named after a real bear named Winnipeg who lived at the London Zoo.
Yonaguska m Indigenous American, Cherokee
Means "drowning bear" from Cherokee ᏲᎾ (yona) "bear" and possibly ᎫᏂᏍᎧ (guniska) "drown". This was the name of a 19th-century Eastern Cherokee chief.