Bear

“From the animal, the bear” — English origin

Boy's name · #853 in the US (2025) · 2020s

Bear has appeared in US records since 1975 — best rank #760 (2022) · 3,356 babies named Bear all-time · 1 in 5,900 boys born in 2025.

Around the world: about 1 in 2,300 boys in England & Wales (2025) · about 1 in 2,800 boys in Scotland (2025) · about 1 in 5,500 boys in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 29 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Bears

Bear Grylls — English adventurer, writer and television presenter (born 1974)
Bear McCreary — American composer
Bear Bryant — American college football coach (1913–1983)
Bear Pascoe — American football player
Bear Hunter — Shoshoni chief

In stories & tradition

Bear Geki — Saint Seiya · Saint Seiya - Saintia Shō
Bear Wolf — Emmerdale
Bear Sylvester — fictional human

What Bears become

Among 24 notable people named Bear:

Athletes appear 2.42× more often than among typical names — e.g. Bear Bryant, American college football coach (1913–1983).

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.