Names That Mean Bear

This Latinate form of Bernard hovered in the lower regions of the US Top 1000 from the late 1940s until 2006, possibly inspired by the character in West Side Story.

Bruin is the Old English term for bear, taken from the Dutch word meaning brown. Bruin might be a sports fan's choice or an animal name in hiding. As a kind of hybrid of Roone and Bruno, it's definitely got some cool.

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

It's been shown that notable political figures often impact the use of their names, and the same can — sort of — be said about Bernie Sanders. His name increased in use by 47% between 2015 and 2016 (albeit, to a peak of only 21 baby boys given the name). By 2017, Bernie has decreased in usage by almost 60%.

Yes, it's hard to see Arthur as a girls' name, but our database pulls in every name that appears on every name popularity list from anywhere ever. (Note: Lots of countries don't keep name popularity data, but if they do, we have it). Therefore some parents at some point named their daughters Arthur. Or the registrar wrote the name in the wrong gender column.

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

Espn made its debut on the American baby name charts in 2004 and has ranked for at least one sex ever since. It's a uniquely American take on the Scandinavian name Espen, influenced by the basic cable sports channel ESPN. So while you can interpret Espn's meaning as "god bear," a case could also be made for "Entertainment and Sports Programming Network."

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

A common animal name in Finland.

Rare Danish variant of Asbjorn or Esben.

The Arthur variation preferred in Portugal and across much of Eastern Europe. It’s a truly international name, and one that would be easy to wear in the US as well.

Masculine sounding surname that kids might confuse with barrette.

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.

An interesting northerly addition to the list of wilderness animal names.

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

Artie is usually short for Arthur, but with boyish nicknames like Billie and Frankie rising, it could make for a sweet retro nickname for a girl too – perhaps short for Artemis or Arlette.

Future CEO.

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.

Strong and unusual Nordic name that would make a cool addition to the N-ending boy name trend.

As dated as the old Pat Boone song.