150 Baby Girl & Boy Names That Mean Bear

Bears are powerful without needing to prove it. They can appear calm and protective one moment, then fearless and unstoppable the next. Across different cultures and legends, bears symbolize strength, courage, independence, protection, and deep connection with nature. That balance of power and quiet confidence is what makes bear-inspired names feel so memorable.

Below are 150 baby girl and boy names connected to bears, wild strength, forest symbolism, and fearless spirit from different cultures and traditions. Some sound rugged and bold, while others feel warm, grounded, and quietly powerful.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

Bear names exist across dozens of languages including Japanese, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Korean, French, Hawaiian, and Native American tongues.
Many names do not translate directly as “bear” but carry meanings like “bear warrior,” “divine bear,” “little bear,” or “bear cub.”
Several names on this list work beautifully for either gender.
Bear-inspired last names can also double as strong, modern first names.
Most bear names sound gentle but carry fierce historical and mythological roots.

Baby Girl Names That Mean Bear

These names bring together beauty and strength, drawing from cultures worldwide where the bear was a symbol of the divine feminine, the protector, and the wild.

#	Name	Origin	Meaning
1	Ursula	Latin	Little she-bear
2	Orsa	Italian	She-bear
3	Callisto	Greek	Most beautiful bear; figure placed in the stars as Ursa Major
4	Artis	Scottish	Bear
5	Arthes	Welsh	She-bear
6	Armelle	Breton/French	Bear princess
7	Arzhela	Breton	Bear princess
8	Bera	Norse/German	Bear
9	Bernadette	French/German	Brave as a bear
10	Bernarda	Croatian	Bear-brave; feminine form of Bernard
11	Bernadita	Spanish/Portuguese	Brave as a bear
12	Berangere	French	Bear spear
13	Adalberna	German	Noble bear
14	Winnie	English/Welsh	Fair and gentle; iconic bear character
15	Orsola	Italian	Little she-bear; Italian form of Ursula
16	Orsina	Italian	Bear-like; feminine form of Orsino
17	Nita	Choctaw (Native American)	Bear
18	Calissa	Greek	Bear variant of Callisto
19	Mielikki	Finnish	Bear goddess of the forest; means “luck”
20	Ildiko	Hungarian/Germanic	Warrior; connected to the Hungarian bear goddess
21	Arthurette	Celtic	Bear
22	Arthurina	Celtic	Bear
23	Hon’mana	Hopi (Native American)	Bear girl
24	Yrse	Swedish/Norse	She-bear
25	Artie	Celtic	Bear; feminine diminutive
26	Sachet	Navajo (Native American)	Little bear
27	Andarta	Gaulish	Great bear; Gaulish warrior goddess
28	Auberone	Old French/German	Royal bear
29	Eadhun	Old English	Bear cub; from ead (wealth) and hun (bear cub)
30	Arthurine	Celtic	Bear
31	Hi’ilani	Hawaiian	Held in the arms of heaven; from hi’i meaning “bear in arms”
32	Bernelle	French/German	Brave little bear
33	Ursine	Latin	Of the bear
34	Arcadia	Greek	Land of bears; poetic and literary
35	Kuma	Japanese	Bear
36	Orsetta	Italian	Little bear; a rare and elegant Italian diminutive
37	Barsha	Sanskrit-influenced	Bear-like strength
38	Berenice	Greek/Macedonian	Brings victory; bear root in phero “to bear/bring”
39	Artjana	Slavic/Celtic blend	Bear
40	Berette	French	Brave little bear; soft French diminutive

Baby Boy Names That Mean Bear

From Celtic legends to Scandinavian sagas, these boy names carry the bear’s spirit of protection, strength, and leadership.

#	Name	Origin	Meaning
41	Arthur	Celtic/Welsh	Bear; legendary king
42	Björn	Swedish/Norse	Bear
43	Bjørnar	Norwegian	Bear army
44	Espen	Scandinavian	God bear
45	Torben	Norse	Bear of Thor; thunder bear
46	Dov	Hebrew	Bear
47	Ber	Yiddish	Bear
48	Orson	Latin/French	Bear cub
49	Ursus	Latin	Bear
50	Bruin	Dutch	Bear; brown
51	Bernard	German/French	Brave as a bear
52	Barney	Old English	Strong like a bear
53	Barrett	German/English	Bear strength
54	Berengar	German	Bear spear
55	Berndt	German	Brave bear; compact form
56	Kuruk	Pawnee (Native American)	Bear
57	Otso	Finnish	Bear; the great bear of Finnish mythology
58	Armel	Breton/French	Bear prince
59	Hallbjorn	Old Norse	Rock bear
60	Asbjorn	Norse	Divine bear
61	Gunnbjorn	Old Norse	Battle bear
62	Holmbjorn	Old Norse	Island bear
63	Enyeto	Native American (Miwok)	One who walks as a bear
64	Avonaco	Native American (Cheyenne)	Lean bear
65	Uzumati	Native American (Miwok)	Grizzly bear
66	Yona	Cherokee (Native American)	Bear
67	Liwanu	Hopi/Miwok	Bear growling
68	Artek	Polish	Bear
69	Artair	Scottish	Bear; Scottish form of Arthur
70	Ardal	Irish	Bear-like valor
71	Arte	Irish	Bear
72	Humbert	French/German	Splendid bear cub
73	Humphrey	English/German	Bear cub of peace
74	Oberon	English/German	Noble bear; from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
75	Orso	Italian	Bear
76	Ursino	Italian	Bear-like
77	Gerben	Dutch	Spear bear
78	Bjarni	Old Norse	Bear; modern Scandinavian variant
79	Adalbern	German	Noble bear
80	Alfbern	Old German	Elf bear
81	Woong	Korean	Hero; bear
82	Vebjorn	Norwegian	Home bear
83	Vetle	Norse	Bear cub; winter traveler
84	Wyborn	Old Norse/English	War bear
85	Berlin	German	Named from the bear symbol; bear city
86	Guoxiong	Chinese	Country bear; from xiong meaning bear
87	Gau	Vietnamese	Bear
88	Dubhan	Old Irish	Dark bear; black bear
89	Minoru	Japanese	Bear; enduring and fruitful
90	Airt	Irish	Bear

Unisex Names That Mean Bear

These names cross gender lines gracefully, rooted in cultures where strength had no assigned form.

#	Name	Origin	Meaning
91	Yona	Native American (Cherokee)	Bear; used for boys and girls
92	Art	Celtic/Irish	Bear; champion
93	Hi’ilani	Hawaiian	Held in arms of heaven; carry or bear
94	Arth	Celtic	Bear; ancient word for strength
95	Callisto	Greek	Bear figure; Ursa Major
96	Teddy	English	Gift of a bear; from Theodore or Edward
97	Otava	Finnish	Bear; ancient sky word also used for the Great Bear constellation
98	Aarttu	Finnish	Bear; rarely used outside Finland
99	Bernell	German/French	Brave bear; soft and modern
100	Eden	Old English	Wealthy bear cub; from ead and hun

Greek Names That Mean Bear

Greek mythology gave us some of the most dramatic bear names, most tied to the constellation Ursa Major.

#	Name	Origin	Meaning
101	Arkadios	Greek	Bear; from arktos
102	Arcturus	Greek	Guardian of the bear; name of a bright star
103	Arkos	Greek	Bear
104	Vernados	Greek	Courage of a bear
105	Calista	Greek	Variant of Callisto; most beautiful bear

Italian and Spanish Names

Romance languages gave the bear a poetic, musical quality that makes these names stand apart.

#	Name	Origin	Meaning
106	Orsini	Italian	Little bear; a famous Italian noble surname
107	Orsu	Corsican/Italian	Bear
108	Orsola	Italian	Little she-bear
109	Garcia	Spanish/Basque	Bear; one of the most common Spanish surnames used now as a first name
110	Osuna	Spanish	From the estate of the bear
111	Oso	Spanish	Bear; popularized by Disney’s Special Agent Oso
112	Arturo	Spanish/Italian	Bear; the Romance form of Arthur
113	Berengario	Italian	Bear spear; rare and regal

French Names That Mean Bear

French bear names are polished and elegant, often carrying centuries of royalty behind them.

#	Name	Origin	Meaning
114	Ours	French	Bear; a rare but authentic French name
115	Bérard	French	Strong, hard bear
116	Armel	Breton/French	Bear prince
117	Bernard (French form)	French	Brave bear
118	Humbert (French)	French	Splendid bear

Viking and Old Norse Names That Mean Bear

Norse bear names were battle-ready, often combining the bear with warrior elements like spear, battle, or thunder.

#	Name	Origin	Meaning
119	Gunnbjorn	Old Norse	Battle bear
120	Geirbjorn	Old Norse	Spear bear
121	Holmbjorn	Old Norse	Island bear
122	Hildiglumr	Old Norse	Battle bear; used in Old Norse poetry
123	Hallbjorn	Old Norse	Rock bear
124	Vebjorn	Norwegian	Home bear
125	Asbjorn	Norse/Danish	Divine bear
126	Torben	Norse	Bear of Thor

Native American Names That Mean Bear

Native American names for bear are among the most vivid, grounded in direct relationships with the animal rather than mythology.

#	Name	Origin	Meaning
127	Kuruk	Pawnee	Bear
128	Avonaco	Cheyenne	Lean bear
129	Enyeto	Miwok	One who walks as a bear
130	Uzumati	Miwok	Grizzly bear
131	Yona	Cherokee	Bear
132	Nita	Choctaw	Bear
133	Liwanu	Hopi/Miwok	Bear growling
134	Hon’mana	Hopi	Bear girl
135	Yonaguska	Cherokee	Drowning bear; name of a historic Cherokee chief

Japanese and Chinese Names That Mean Bear

Eastern names carry bear energy in a softer, more symbolic way, often pairing the bear with concepts of strength or heroism.

#	Name	Origin	Meaning
136	Kuma	Japanese	Bear
137	Minoru	Japanese	Bear; also means enduring or fruitful
138	Kurokuma	Japanese	Black bear; from kuro (black) and kuma (bear)
139	Guoxiong	Chinese	Country hero-bear; from xiong meaning bear
140	Xiong	Chinese	Bear; also means hero or male

African Names That Mean Bear

African naming traditions often tie animal names to traits of character, destiny, and community strength.

#	Name	Origin	Meaning
141	Armel	French-speaking African nations (Cameroon, Chad)	Bear prince; widely used across Central Africa
142	Chukuma	Igbo-influenced	Bear-like strength; power from within
143	Dumisani	Zulu	Honor; often given to bear-strong children

Last Names That Mean Bear (Used as First Names)

These surnames carry centuries of history and make bold, distinctive first name choices.

#	Name	Origin	Meaning
144	Baer	German	Bear; variant Bhaer from Little Women
145	Bjornberg	Swedish	Bear mountain
146	Orsini	Italian	Little bear; historic Roman noble name
147	De Beer	Dutch/Afrikaans	The bear
148	Berwald	German/Swedish	Bear ruler
149	Burney	English/Irish	Adapted from Bjorn; meaning bear
150	Garcia	Spanish	Bear; the most widely used bear surname now given as a first name

What Does It Mean to Name Your Child After a Bear?

Bears hold a symbolic place in nearly every human culture. They appear in Greek astronomical myths as Ursa Major, in Norse warrior sagas as the ultimate spirit animal, in Native American traditions as a healer and guide, and in children’s literature as the most beloved figure of warmth. A name that means bear does not just describe an animal. It carries an entire tradition of meaning into your child’s life.

In many Indigenous traditions, the bear is considered a teacher, entering the world with wisdom from long hibernation. In Celtic myth, Arthur himself was believed to mean “bear,” making him the bear-king who would rise again. In Hebrew, Dov is simply the word for bear, short and unadorned, used with pride in Jewish communities for generations.

How to Choose the Right Bear Name for Your Baby?

The culture of the name matters. A Welsh or Celtic name like Ardal or Arth will feel different from a sleek Italian name like Orso or a Japanese name like Kuma. Think about how the name sits in your family’s background.

Consider pronunciation and daily use. Names like Björn and Asbjorn are stunning but may need a lifetime of correction in English-speaking environments. Names like Orson, Bernard, or Winnie carry the same bear meaning with much easier everyday flow.

Pair the meaning with your intentions. If you want fierce and strong, names like Gunnbjorn, Wyborn, or Uzumati deliver that energy. If you want soft and warm, Winnie, Kuma, Bernadette, or Armelle are the gentler side of bear.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most popular baby name that means bear?

Arthur is considered the most widely recognized and historically used name with the meaning “bear,” rooted in Celtic mythology and used across dozens of languages including English, French, German, and Dutch.

Are there cute Japanese girl names that mean bear?

Kuma is the direct Japanese word for bear and works as a sweet, simple name. Kurokuma, meaning “black bear,” is used more as a surname but has been used creatively as a given name.

What Korean name means bear?

Woong is a Korean name that carries the meaning “hero” and “bear,” written with the hanja character for bear. It is used as a boy’s name but has a strong, clean sound that some parents also give to girls.

Do any Hawaiian names connect to the word bear?

Hi’ilani is the closest Hawaiian connection, meaning “held in the arms of heaven.” The word hi’i means to hold or carry in the arms, giving it a bear-like protective meaning rather than a direct translation.

What Spanish last name means bear?

Garcia is the most common Spanish and Portuguese surname with a bear connection, believed to come from the Basque word hartz meaning “bear.” It has grown popular as a first name in recent years.

Can bear names work for twins?

Absolutely. Pairs like Arthur and Winnie, Orson and Ursula, or Kuma and Callisto create a beautiful thematic connection without matching too obviously.

What is the meaning behind the name Orson?

Orson comes from the Latin and Old French word for bear cub. It was famously carried by director Orson Welles and has a warm, vintage feel that is seeing a strong revival among modern parents.

Is Bernard still a usable name today?

Yes. Bernard is seeing a quiet comeback, especially in European countries. Its meaning, “brave as a bear,” gives it a timeless weight, and the nickname Bernie or Bern softens it beautifully for a child.