ARMEL m Breton, FrenchBreton and French form of the Brythonic name
Arthmael, 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.
BERARD m Ancient GermanicVariant of
BERNARD using the related root
bero "bear" as the first element. This was the name of a 13th-century saint who was martyred in Morocco.
BERNARD m English, French, Dutch, Polish, Croatian, Slovene, Czech, Ancient GermanicDerived from the Germanic element
bern "bear" combined with
hard "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).
GARSEA m Medieval SpanishMeaning unknown, possibly related to the Basque word
hartz meaning
"bear". This was the name of several medieval kings of Navarre and Leon.
HUMBERT m French, German (Rare), English (Rare), Ancient GermanicMeans
"bright warrior", derived from the Germanic elements
hun "warrior, bear cub" and
beraht "bright". The Normans introduced this name to England, though it has always been uncommon there. It was borne by two kings of Italy (called Umberto in Italian), who ruled in the 19th and 20th centuries.
HUMPHREY m EnglishMeans
"peaceful warrior" from the Germanic elements
hun "warrior, bear cub" and
frid "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.
KALLISTO f Greek Mythology, Ancient GreekDerived 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.
MATH m Welsh MythologyPossibly from Celtic
matu meaning
"bear". According to the Mabinogion, Math ap Mathonwy was a king of Gwynedd and a magician. He was the uncle of the hero
Gwydion.
ORSINO m ItalianItalian form of the Roman name
Ursinus, itself derived from
Ursus (see
URS). This is the name of a character in Shakespeare's play
Twelfth Night (1602).
ORSON m EnglishFrom 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.
OSBORN m EnglishDerived from the Old English elements
os "god" and
beorn "bear". 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.
OTT m EstonianPossibly an Estonian form of
OTTO. It may also be inspired by an archaic Estonian word meaning
"bear".
SWITHIN m HistoryFrom 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.
TORBJÖRN m SwedishFrom the Old Norse name
Þórbjǫrn, which meant
"Thor's bear" from the name of the Norse god
Þórr (see
THOR) combined with
bjǫrn "bear".
URS m GermanGerman 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 RomanFeminine form of
URSUS. This is the name of two constellations in the northern sky: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
URSULA f English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Finnish, Late RomanMeans
"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.
WINNIE f EnglishDiminutive of
WINIFRED. Winnie-the-Pooh, a stuffed bear in the children's books by A. A. Milne, was named after a real bear named
Winnipeg who lived at the London Zoo.