Save Gender Feminine Usage English (Rare) Pronounced Pron. BIE-rə [key·IPA] Meaning & History Feminine form of Byron. This was borne by Byra Louise 'Puck' Whittlesey (1922-1988), the wife of Jack Hemingway, daughter-in-law of Ernest Hemingway and mother of actresses Mariel Hemingway and Margaux Hemingway.