Names That Mean Bear

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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