Names That Mean Bear

Unusual multicultural choice that may appeal to the artistically inclined. The bear meaning gives it a new trendy edge as an animal name.

Unusual multicultural choice that may appeal to the artistically inclined. The bear meaning gives it a new trendy edge as an animal name.

This Welsh name, also used in France, is the name of a 6th century saint who went to Brittany and established abbeys. Armel has a pleasant and familiar sound, making it easily used outside of Wales and France.

The advantage of Orsa over the arguably-more-attractive Ursula is that it breaks the tie to the hideous she-witch of The Little Mermaid. Orsa definitely feels more ready for modern life now that brother name Orson is on the rise.

Artie is a cute short form rarely given on its own, unlike the more grownup Art. But for a young Arthur, it's adorable.

Cool bearlike option, though Orson might be easier to embrace.

Fierce meaning, gentle image. This name is very common in Israel, where an endearing pet form is Dubi.

Orson is being rediscovered and Orsino is every bit as attractive.

As dated as the old Pat Boone song.

A surname style choice that could get you nicknames Bear and Ozzy, which is pretty cool. It comes from the Old English variant of the Old Norse Ásbjǫrn, which was introduced to England after the Norman conquest and used occasionally as a given name ever since. Victorian author Elizabeth Gaskell used the spelling variation Osborne in her final novel, Wives and Daughters.

This evocative Spanish surname would make an unusual but lively choice for a girl.

Reversed vowels make it seem less fierce.

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

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

With the growing popularity for girls of such names as Aubrey and Audrey, Auberon feels like a fresh and viable option.

Orsola is chic in Italy in a way that Ursula is not in the U.S. And English speakers will inevitably hear this chic, sleek name as Ursula, condemned to purgatory as the name of the hideous sea-witch who terrorized Disney's Little Mermaid.

Hip short form of Bernard, also Swiss place-name.

Berengaria was one of the medieval queens of England - married to Richard I (also known as Richard the Lionheart). She was originally from Navarre (in modern northern Spain) and despite being the Queen of England, she only lived in England after her husband had died. Despite its royal roots, Berengaria is one of the less attractive medieval names, although it gets points for having an unusually strong meaning for a feminine name.

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.

A Slovene diminutive of Ursula. Unlike in the Anglosphere, where many still see Ursula as a heavy name, Urška is popular in Slovenia and has even ranked in the Top 20.