ARMELmBreton, French Breton 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.
BEN (2)mDutch Short form of BERNHARD and other Germanic names beginning with the element bern meaning "bear".
BERmYiddish Means "bear" in Yiddish, a vernacular form of Dov.
BERARDmAncient Germanic Variant 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.
BERNARDmEnglish, French, Dutch, Polish, Croatian, Slovene, Czech, Ancient Germanic Derived 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).
GARSEAmMedieval Spanish Meaning unknown, possibly related to the Basque word hartz meaning "bear". This was the name of several medieval kings of Navarre and Leon.
HUMBERTmFrench, German (Rare), English (Rare), Ancient Germanic Means "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.
HUMPHREYmEnglish Means "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.
KALLISTOfGreek 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.
MATHmWelsh Mythology Possibly 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.
ORSINOmItalian Italian 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).
ORSONmEnglish 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.
OSBORNmEnglish Derived 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.
OTTmEstonian Possibly an Estonian form of OTTO. It may also be inspired by an archaic Estonian word meaning "bear".
SWITHINmHistory 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.
TORBJÖRNmSwedish 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".
UMBERTOmItalian Italian form of HUMBERT. A famous bearer was Italian author Umberto Eco (1932-2016).
URSmGerman (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.
URSAfLate Roman Feminine form of URSUS. This is the name of two constellations in the northern sky: Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
URSULAfEnglish, Swedish, Norwegian, 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.
WINNIEfEnglish Diminutive 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.