Bear is the English animal name, a word that goes back to a Germanic root for "the brown one", used as a given name for its image of strength and warmth. Legendary football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant made it a nickname to reckon with, and it belongs to the current vogue for rugged nature names like Wolf, Fox and Wilder. Bear entered the US top 1000 in 2018, peaked at number 760 in 2022 and ranks number 853 among boys in 2025.