Who can use the name Bear?

General Name Discussion
1

*note: this is a personal / research question and is in no way shape or form trying to criticize anyone or their children’s names. Please name your children something you love, out of love :heartpulse:.

Hello all! I have recently been falling in love with [name_u]Bear[/name_u] again, probably as a middle name. However, my partner and I have decided to give our children names that their ancestors would have ties to (or international names).

[name_m]Long[/name_m] story short (and not to influence your answers too much :sweat_smile:) I’m having trouble finding any exact answer of when and where [name_u]Bear[/name_u] has been used as a first name throughout history. if anyone could answer any insight, or has any other information on other animals names that has been historically used and who you think has the most “ties” to the names specifically that would be wonderful!!!

What are the origins of the name [name_u]Bear[/name_u]? Have humans always used these monikers, or have we be influenced in the modern day? What specific animals names have been used by specific indigenous tribes or groups of people? Was your great-great-great-grandfather named [name_u]Bear[/name_u]?

Id love to know!!

Thanks :pray:

-Bee :honeybee:

2

i don’t know much about the origins, but i know someone that goes by bear!! his full name is bearret and that’s his nickname. i don’t think i know anyone that uses just “bear” but i don’t think it’s beyond the realm of possibility— in fact i find it really cute! :))

good luck with your name search!

1 Like
3

It seems as though it’s only charted in the UK since 2015 and the US since 2018. I would be happy to check more statistics for you but I only have access to usage numbers and not who the name would be used by!

For the record, I’m in the Southeast US and have never heard of [name_u]Bear[/name_u] being used other than as a nickname, though I think it’s very cute!

[name_m]Björn[/name_m] and [name_m]Bjørn[/name_m], the Swedish & Icelandic and [name_m]Danish[/name_m] & Norwegian translations/versions of [name_u]Bear[/name_u] (according to Behind the Name) have longer histories of use in those places. Maybe [name_u]Bear[/name_u], as an [name_f]English[/name_f] equivalent, could be a connection to any Scandinavian ancestry?

1 Like
4

i just think of it as a modern name from the english language, it would make sense to me for anybody from an english-speaking country to use it, since it doesn’t really have its own cultural heritage other than that!

animal names aren’t much of a thing in my culture (although i do know a lady named paschalitsa aka ladybug in greek!) but i’ve met a few people with animal names: a björn (bear) from sweden & a vuk (wolf) from serbia. i think they’re all really fun!! i’m also very fond of half-animal-half-something-else names. for example, in real life i know a leonidas (from the greek “leon” (lion)) and a lycurgos (from “lycos” (wolf) + “ergon” (work))

2 Likes
5

I feel like it might be one that originated - at least where I am - as a nickname - whether for [name_m]Bernard[/name_m], [name_u]Boris[/name_u], [name_u]Barrett[/name_u], [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] etc or someone who just ‘suited’ the name

Here are some instances of ‘Bear’ being used in some way in history:

There was someone called ‘Albert the Bear’ in the 1100s, who was a lord/count in [name_u]Germany[/name_u]

In [name_f]Villette[/name_f] by [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] [name_f]Bronte[/name_f] (1857), the main character [name_f]Lucy[/name_f], plays a character called ‘Ours’ which translates to [name_u]Bear[/name_u]

There was a merchant called [name_u]Edward[/name_u] [name_u]Ellice[/name_u] who was known as ‘Bear’ (because he was in the fur trade)

Not sure if this helps in any way

2 Likes
6

It’s very helpful @Greyblue, the only historical figure I can think of is Standing Bear, the Poncha chief who got the us government in Omaha to declare that Native Americans are “persons in accordance with the law.” He was a civil rights leader as well and this was the first time in the US when our government admitted indigenous people are humans entitled to rights, although this didn’t change the way his people were treated. Sadly, he was tricked into signing away his land! I think it would be a great way to honor poncha heritage, but I am not poncha.

I am north Western European though, so your findings are very helpful!!

2 Likes
7

For Björn specifically: It means bear, like several people already said, and it has been used for a very long time in the Nordic countries. We know of a Björn from a runestone from the 11th century in Sanda, Södermanland (That’s near Stockholm, in case you wondered). If I try to translate the text on my own, I’d say it reads something like “Trodrun let raise this stone in memory of her father, Björn from Sanda.”

In addition to being used on its own, Björn was common as a suffix in names generally, like in Ambjörn, Esbjörn, Kolbjörn and Styrbjörn. There’s also a lot of variations on it like Biarne, Bjarni, Bjørno, and Bijáš.

I don’t know if the name Bear was inspired by Björn or not. Regardless, I don’t think it would be weird/approprative if an English-speaking person used Bear for their child.

Nordic ones (minus Finland because I don't know enough on that end)

There’s a lot of animal names in Nordic history. Some are still in use. Older names based on animals include (but are not limited to!):

Arn, Arne, Arnar, Örn (eagle, b)

  • combination variations such as Arnulf (eagle+wolf, b), Arnsten (eagle+stone, b), Arnfast (eagle+consistent, b) etc.
  • feminine variation Arna (eagle, g)

Falk, Falke, Fálki, Falko (falcon, b)
Faxe, Faxi (horse, b) (also used for horses)
Fugle (bird, b) (also used for surnames)
Galti (boar, b)
Gäsling (gosling, b)
Haukur (hawk, b)
Hrafn, Ramn (raven, b)
Kalfr (calf, b)
Kvígr (young ox, b)
Orm (snake, b)
Refur, Ræf, Ræv, (fox, b)
Skarfr, Skarv(cormorant, b)
Svanhild (swan+battle, g)
Trana, Trani (crane, u)

Ulf, Ulv (wolf, b)

  • combination variations such as Ulfhild (wolf+battle, g), Thorulf (Thor+wolf, b), Ingulv (Ing (a god)+ wolf, b)
  • feminine variations such as Ulva (wolf, g) and Ylva (wolf, g)

Most of these are really old. The only ones here that I’ve met are Arn, Arne, Ulf, Thorulf, and Ylva, but that is also influenced by me living in Sweden, and not, say Iceland.

Newer ones would be:
Humla (bumblebee, g)
Kattis (cat, g) (playful nickname for Katherine, similar to Kitty)
Lo (lynx, u)
Lärka and Lærke (lark, g)
Svala (swallow, g)
Ärla (wagtail bird, g)

3 Likes
8

I don’t anyone that’s used ‘Bear’ as a name in history. I don’t know much about origins either. Maybe you could go with [name_u]Barrett[/name_u] or something that means bear in the meaning.

Names that mean [name_u]Bear[/name_u]:
[name_u]Arthur[/name_u]
[name_u]Koda[/name_u]
[name_u]Mishka[/name_u]
[name_u]Auberon[/name_u]
[name_m]Berold[/name_m]
[name_m]Bruin[/name_m]
[name_m]Bjorn[/name_m]
[name_m]Christopher[/name_m]
[name_m]Bernard[/name_m]
[name_u]Eden[/name_u]
[name_m]Orson[/name_m]
Barrett/Barret
[name_m]Espen[/name_m]
Gerben
[name_m]Humbert[/name_m]
[name_m]Baden[/name_m]
[name_m]Baer[/name_m]

I used to have a cat (a stray) named [name_u]Bear[/name_u]. I named him that cuz he looked like a baby bear to me. Well, in the face, he did. You could definitely use [name_u]Bear[/name_u] as a name. I’ve known people to use weird names (not saying [name_u]Bear[/name_u] is weird) and I don’t think anyone would hate you for using [name_u]Bear[/name_u]. [name_m]Just[/name_m] look for the origins of people who have or had that name. I’m sure someone had to use it at some point or something that means bear or something related to bear.

1 Like
9

I found listings of people born in the 1700s and 1800s with the names [name_u]Bear[/name_u], [name_m]Baer[/name_m] and Beare. It is a possibility, but would definitely stand out today.

1 Like
11

@Kublis i was mostly looking for any information on [name_u]Bear[/name_u] as a modern name. All I could find when looking was that we used other words for bear as a name but nothing really solid examples or modern answers. Standing [name_u]Bear[/name_u] was the only person in the past couple hundred years I could find! I’m mostly seeing the answers to decide if I think it’s culturally relevant enough for me to use. I have a very diverse background so I have been looking if the names that have ties to (or use in) [name_u]Irish[/name_u], Northwestern European, Spanish, Jewish, and Nayarit tribes.

12

only actual bears /j

1 Like
13

I noticed you have Jewish heritage, so I wanted to mention the name [name_m]Ber[/name_m]. [name_m]Ber[/name_m] is a Yiddish Jewish name that means bear and is pronounced just like bear. In Hebrew, [name_m]Ber[/name_m] is [name_m]Dov[/name_m], so the Hebrew name [name_m]Dov[/name_m] also means bear.

1 Like
14

Ooooo thank you!