Names That Mean Bear

Berold is one of the more obscure boy names meaning bear, which also include Arthur, Orson, and (in a different vein) Teddy.

Rhythmic and powerful, if you don't mind the nickname Vern.

Corsican form of Ursus

Too close in sound to the so-far-out-it-will-always-be-out Bernard.

Derived from the Gaulish and old Celtic word artos meaning "bear", Artula shares its roots with the classic boy name Arthur. Some sources also suggest it could be linked, or even part of the inspiration behind the Latin name Ursula, which has the same meaning, but from the Latin Ursa.

If you're looking for a girl's name that honors an ancestral Arthur, try Artis.

Also spelled Artūrs, this is one of many international forms of the classic Arthur. Both spellings of the name are popular in Latvia and ranked in the Top 100 in a recent year. Notable bearers include Latvian ice hockey players Artūrs Irbe and Artūrs_Šilovs, Olympic rower Artūrs Garonskis, and chess player Arturs Neikšāns. In Latvian, the sounds are just slightly gentler than they are in the English pronunciation.

Berangere has never seen much usage in the US, but it has an interesting meaning of "bear spear." The name it stems from—Berengaria—was used as a common royal name during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

If you're looking for a girl's name that honors an ancestral Arthur, try Artis.