Take a walk on the wild side, and choose one of these outdoorsy names that mean bear for your newest arrival. These names are great for cubs of different temperaments, which often signify tenacity, strength, cuteness, and warmth.
With charming examples from around the world, these bear names come from many unique cultures. Teach your child lessons about life through these unique options, and they’ll be sure to rule the forests in no time!
So keep reading to uncover the wildest names that mean bear for boys and girls, including all their dramatic origins, legends, and more.
Table of Contents
17 Grizzly Girl Names Meaning Bear
Cuddly yet full of bite, she’ll impress with any of these wild bear names for women.
- Andarta – a Gaudish goddess name meaning “great bear.”
- Arthurine – a lesser-heard female form of Arthur, meaning “bear.”
- Artio – a name borne by a Celtic bear goddess.
- Bernadette – this grizzly German girl’s name means “strong as a bear.”
- Nita – a pretty international name with various meanings, including “friendly” and “bear.”
- Panda – this cute bear-inspired name may be a fun nickname from Pandora.
- Sisire – a very rare African (Akan) name meaning “bear.”
- Ula – a pretty, 3-letter pick among names meaning “bear” for girls, a variant of Ursula.
- Ursa – inspired by the nighttime constellations, beautifully starry among girl names that mean “bear.”
- Ursala – another pretty girl name similar to Ursula, meaning “little bear.”
- Ursina – an alternative to Ursala, with an ultra-feminine ring to it.
- Urška – a Slovene form of the Latin Ursula.
- Ursula – a classic Latin girl’s name meaning “little bear.”
- Ursule – this is the French form of Ursula.
- Ursuline – a frilly form of Ursula, rare among girl names meaning “bear.”
- Urszula – the Polish form of Ursula, meaning “little bear.”
- Yrsa – a badass Viking pick among bear names for girls, meaning “wild, she-bear.”
70 Manly Boy Names That Mean Bear
Any grizzly guy would sound cool with these outdoorsy bear names for boys.
- Adalbern – meaning “noble bear,” this Germanic name is fit for a warrior.
- Airt – a stylish, 4-letter Irish name meaning “bear, champion.”
- Alfbern – this magical name combines elements meaning “elf” and “bear.”
- Arcturus – means “guardian of the bear,” after a bright star in the night sky.
- Arkos – a trendy Greek boy’s name meaning “bear.”
- Art – an upper-class nickname used for Arthur or other “art” names.
- Artair – a handsome Scottish form of Arthur, meaning “bear.”
- Artek – a sturdy Polish boy’s name that means “bear.”
- Arthmael – a regal Welsh name meaning “bear prince” for pack leaders.
- Arthur – a classic name from Celtic mythology and legend, meaning “bear.”
- Artturi – a Finnish form of Arthur, brilliant among boy names that mean “bear.”
- Ásbjǫrn – a heavenly pick among bear names for boys, meaning “divine bear,” of Old Norse origins.
- Avonaco – not a hipster food, but a Native American name meaning “lean bear.”
- Baavgai – an unusual Mongolian vocabulary name meaning “bear.”
- Baloo – the name of the friendly bear in The Jungle Book.
- Barney – means “strong as a bear,” commonly used for fictional bear characters.
- Barrett – this hefty name fits a child with “bear-like strength.”
- Bear – a cute celebrity baby name, a given among bear names for little cubs.
- Beowulf – a fierce literary name, meaning “bee-wolf,” as a metaphor for a “bear.”
- Ber – a 3-letter Hebrew name meaning “bear.”
- Bérard – a tough French boy’s name meaning “strong, hard, bear.”
- Berengar – with German roots, this sharp name means “bear spear.”
- Bernard – a “bear-like, brave, hard” pick among German boy names meaning bear.
- Bjarni – a trendy variant of Bjorn, also of Old Norse origins.
- Björn – this cool Swedish name means “bear.”
- Bjørnar – composed of elements meaning “bear” and “army,” full of tough guy spirit.
- Bruin – a handsome Dutch name meaning “bear” and “brown.”
- Cub – a cutesy choice for the newest baby bear in your pack.
- Dov – means “bear” in Hebrew.
- Enyeto – this Native American name is for a kid who “walks as a bear.”
- Fozzie – inspired by the hat and scarf-wearing Muppet.
- Freddy – meaning “peaceful ruler,” also inspired by the animatronic bear character in Five Nights at Freddy’s.
- Gerben – this Dutch-rooted name means “spear, bear.”
- Hallbjörn – is an Icelandic name meaning “rock bear.”
- Humbert – a very old name, with elements meaning “bear cub” and “bright.”
- Humphrey – with elements meaning “bear cub, warrior,” and “peace.”
- Jambavan – a different name, recognized as the king of bears in Hindu texts.
- Karhu – this cool, rustic Finnish name means “bear.”
- Kenai – a Native American name meaning “flat lands,” used in Disney’s Brother Bear.
- Lars – means “crowned with laurels,” used by the titular character in The Little Polar Bear.
- Mahoney – this smart surname, meaning “descendant of the bear,” works as a cool given name.
- Math – is a very old Celtic name meaning “bear.”
- Mathghamhain – from the same stem, this ancient Celtic name means “bear.”
- Mato – means “bear” and is of Native American (Sioux) origin.
- McArthur – means “son of the bear,” a strong patronymic surname that’d work as a given name.
- Mor’du – a Gaelic bear name from Pixar’s Brave meaning “giant, black,” perhaps great for a dog.
- Nanuq – this great Inuktitut name uniquely means “polar bear.”
- Orson – this sweet Latin name has the lovable meaning of “bear cub.”
- Osborne – is another last name meaning “god, warrior, bear” from Old Norse influences.
- Otso – another fun Finnish pick among boy names that mean “bear.”
- Ozzy – or Ozzie, both good nicknames from the “bear” name Osborne.
- Paddington – after the classic bear character from British children’s literature.
- Rupert – meaning “bright fame,” also borne by a British comic book bear.
- Sooty – like the bear glove puppet of the 1940s British television.
- Ted – a nickname from Theodore or Edward, making us think of snuggly bears.
- Thurburn – an accessible variant of Torbjörn, meaning “thunder bear.”
- Torben – this fierce Scandinavian name has the awesome meaning of “thunder bear.”
- Torbjörn – meaning “thunder bear,” this badass name also links to the Norse god Thor.
- Unwin – a unique Old English surname and forename, meaning “bear cub, friend.”
- Urs – one of the shortest male names that means “bear,” of German origin.
- Ursel – a male form of Ursula, meaning “bear.”
- Urso – a cool guy pick among bear names for boys.
- Uzumati – this Native American name means “grizzly bear.”
- Vebjørn – this Norse name has meanings including “home” and “bear.”
- Vernados – an almighty Greek name for a baby holding all the “courage of a bear.”
- Vetle – a cool Norse boy name, meaning “winter traveler” and “bear cub.”
- Woong – this strong Korean given name means “hero” or “bear.”
- Yogi – like the cartoon bear or a yoga-practicing guru.
- Yona – this strong international pick means “bear” as a Native American name.
- Yonaguska – a Cherokee chief name, alarmingly meaning “drowning bear.”
14 Ursine Unisex Names That Mean Bear
These gender-neutral bear names are great for any forest-dwelling kid.
- Aata – a fun, gender-neutral Maori name meaning “bear” or “stone.”
- Armel – meaning “bear prince,” this saintly name is of Welsh roots.
- Artis – this unisex Scottish name reminds us of baby “bears.”
- Bernie – short for Bernard or Bernadette, among gender-neutral nicknames meaning “bear.”
- Carmen – means “song” or “charm,” borne by the main character in the Hulu series The Bear.
- García – a common Spanish surname, with possible interpretations including “young,” “strong,” or “bear.”
- Garsea – a unique variant of Garcia, with the same bear-themed meaning.
- Koda – meaning “friend,” this cute name was used in Disney’s Brother Bear.
- Misha – a cute Russian “bear” name from the 1980 Moscow Olympic bear mascot.
- Smokey – like the U.S. Forest Service icon, a simultaneously cool and safety-conscious name for a kid.
- Tarlo – a sweet, unique Native American name meaning “bear cub.”
- Teddy – a sweet form of Ted, reminding us of cuddly plush bears.
- Wendell – meaning “traveler,” this is one of the iconic bears from Disney’s Country Bear Jamboree.
- Winnie – a “fair, gentle” name, reminding us of the literary Winnie the Pooh bear.
