100 Teddy Bear Names, From Classic to Completely Ridiculous
Enzo
In this article
- How to use this list of 100 teddy bear names
- Classic teddy bear names
- Honey and food names
- Cozy names for the bedtime bear
- Big bear names for a giant teddy bear
- Bedtime names
- Famous-feeling names that are not trademarked
- Boy teddy bear names
- Girl teddy bear names
- Unisex teddy bear names
- Silly teddy bear names
- Picking from a list of 100 teddy bear names without reading them all aloud
- Matching the name to the bear
- When the bear's name changes every week
- Where to go from here
- Questions parents ask
Here is a list of 100 teddy bear names, sorted into ten groups so you can skip straight to the kind of bear you have: classic, cozy, food-flavored, silly, grand and old, big enough for a giant, and so on. Read three out loud in a goodnight voice and let your kid point. Each name comes with a short note on the bear it suits, because the right name depends on the bear as much as on the kid.
How to use this list of 100 teddy bear names
Start with the group that matches the bear. A huge brown one takes a big name or a grand old name; a small soft one takes a cozy name; a bear with a bow tie is asking for a title. Do not overthink it; the name that gets used is the one that is easiest to say when you are looking for it under the bed.
If the bear is a gift, the list works before the bear arrives. Write three names from the right group on the card, and the naming starts the second the paper comes off. A bear given at a baby shower is a special case, because the parents choose the name and will say it for years; the classic and bedtime groups are the safe picks there. And if your kid would rather invent a name, our three-question naming method gets it done in the time it takes to brush teeth.
Teddy bears sized for the pillow
Three bears small enough to sleep in the bed, the kind that take a classic or cozy name.
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Classic teddy bear names
A classic name is the one that still sounds right when the kid is twelve and the bear has one eye. Teddy is the most-used bear name in the country for a reason, and there is nothing wrong with picking it; the rest of this group are the names that feel like they came with the bear.
- Teddy: the original, still the most popular
- Edward: Teddy's formal first name
- Theodore: for a bear with a serious face
- Bruin: the old word for a brown bear
- Benjamin: friendly, shortens to Ben
- Oliver: a gentle name for a gentle bear
- Charlie: the best-friend name
- Henry: steady and a little old-fashioned
- Alfie: for a small, cheerful one
- Bear: the name most toddlers choose anyway
Honey and food names
Honey is the second most popular bear name parents mention to us, and the whole food group follows from it: warm, brown, sweet things. These suit a honey-colored or light brown bear best, and they are the names that get picked by kids who help in the kitchen.
- Honey: what a bear would name itself
- Cinnamon: for a reddish brown bear
- Toffee: golden, sticky-sweet, easy to say
- Caramel: for a light tan one
- Toast: warm, brown, slightly crunchy
- Pretzel: for a bear that sits with crossed legs
- Maple: syrup-brown fur, two syllables
- Nutmeg: for a speckled or dark brown bear
- Mocha: coffee-colored, a little grown-up
- Graham: a cracker and a real name
- Syrup: for the stickiest, most-hugged one
Cozy names for the bedtime bear
The cozy group is for the squashy bear that sleeps in the bed every night. These names describe what the bear is for, and they are nearly impossible to say sharply, which helps at lights-out. A good sleep teddy is soft enough to fold under an arm and small enough not to take the pillow, and it almost always ends up with a name from this group.
- Snuggles: the bedtime bear classic
- Blanket: for the bear that doubles as one
- Hugo: a real name that sounds like a hug
- Cozy: says exactly what it is
- Pillow: for the flat, squashy kind
- Nook: for the bear that fits in the crook of an arm
- Fuzzy: for the one with the longest fur
- Flannel: soft, warm, pajama-adjacent
- Cuddlekins: for the bear a toddler names
- Huggins: a surname for a bear that hugs back
Big bear names for a giant teddy bear
A giant teddy bear needs a name you can say with a straight face while it takes up half the room. The bears in our giant teddy bear collection run from about three feet to taller than most kindergartners, and how big a teddy bear can get is a question with a longer answer than you would think. The rule here is simple: the bigger the bear, the bigger the name, unless you want the joke of a huge bear named Tiny.
- Moose: for the bear taller than the kid
- Tank: solid, square, hard to move
- Boulder: for the roundest giant
- Grizz: short for grizzly, said with respect
- Kodiak: the biggest bear there is
- Titan: for a bear that fills the bed
- Jumbo: obvious, and kids love it
- Bear-Bear: the big bear a toddler names
- Chunky: for the one with the round belly
- Bjorn: it means bear, and sounds strong
Bedtime names
Bedtime names belong to the bear whose whole job is the last ten minutes of the day. They are soft to whisper and they make the routine easier: "say goodnight to Moonbeam" is a step a two-year-old will take. A bear with a built-in glow takes these names especially well, since the light goes on at the same moment the name gets said.
- Snoozy: for the bear with sleepy eyes
- Dreamer: for the kid who tells you her dreams
- Nighty: short for night-night, and it sticks
- Lullaby: for a bear that plays music
- Moonbeam: pale, soft, a little magical
- Starlight: for the bear that glows
- Drowsy: the bear's permanent condition
- Pajama: for a bear in a onesie
- Yawn: one syllable, and contagious
- Nightcap: for the bear with a hat or hood
Famous-feeling names that are not trademarked
Some bears want a name that sounds like it came out of a storybook: long, grand, slightly ridiculous. The famous bears you are thinking of belong to someone, so this group gives you the same feeling with names nobody owns. They suit a bear with a scarf, a waistcoat or a very dignified expression, and kids love shouting the long versions.
- Archibald: shortens to Archie, grows back for formal occasions
- Bartholomew: four syllables of dignity
- Reginald: for a bear with a bow tie
- Percival: a knight's name on a soft bear
- Winifred: grand, and shortens to Winnie
- Mortimer: for the bear with a slightly worried face
- Agatha: for a bear that knows things
- Humphrey: round, slow and lovable
- Cornelius: the most serious name on this list
- Beatrix: for a bear in a dress or apron
Boy teddy bear names
These are the names kids give a bear they have decided is a boy: short, outdoorsy, with a bit of rock and dirt in them. Most are mountains, trails or earth colors, which fits a brown bear exactly. They age well because they would also work on a dog or a hiking buddy.
- Rocky: the classic tough-bear name
- Yukon: cold, wild, a little far away
- Teton: for a bear with pointy ears
- Summit: for the one at the top of the pile
- Denali: the biggest mountain for a big bear
- Dusty: for a bear that has been loved a while
- Ash: short, gray-brown, quiet
- Coal: for a black or dark bear
- Chestnut: for a reddish brown one
- Umber: a deep brown with a soft sound
Girl teddy bear names
These are the names kids give a bear they have decided is a girl: soft, old-fashioned, the kind a great-grandmother had. They suit a bear with a bow, a heart on its chest or lighter fur. A Valentine teddy bear with a stitched heart ends up with one of these more often than not.
- Lily: light and simple
- Molly: friendly, easy for a toddler
- Clara: for a bear with a lace collar
- Mabel: old-fashioned in the best way
- Ivy: short, green, a little bit clever
- Nora: calm and steady
- Elsie: for a small, soft bear
- Hattie: for a bear with a hat
- Pearl: for a white or cream bear
- Greta: for the one with a serious face
Unisex teddy bear names
Unisex names are the ones to pick when the bear's gender changes by the day, which is most bears under the age of five. Trees, colors and textures work best: they describe the bear instead of deciding anything about it, and they sound right in any voice.
- Aspen: light, outdoorsy, a little elegant
- Sierra: for a bear with a mountain of fur
- Birch: for a pale or cream bear
- Sequoia: the biggest tree for a tall bear
- Willow: soft, bendy, for a floppy bear
- Sandy: for a tan one
- Goldie: for a honey-gold bear
- Snowy: for a white or polar bear
- Brownie: for a brown bear, obviously
- Honeycomb: golden, textured, sweet
Silly teddy bear names
A silly name is right for the bear that gets introduced to every visitor. These work best said with total seriousness, and most of them get shortened within a month, which is fine; Beary McBearface becomes Beary and everyone is happy. If the whole plush shelf needs this treatment, our funny stuffed animal names list has a hundred more.
- Fuzzbert: a fuzzy bear with a dignified ending
- Beary McBearface: the name kids vote for
- Sir Hugsalot: knighted for services to bedtime
- Bearnard: Bernard, but a bear
- Grumbles: for the bear with a stitched frown
- Wigglesworth: a surname for a wobbly bear
- Bearistotle: the philosopher of the toy shelf
- Fluffernutter: a sandwich and a very fluffy bear
- Tumbles: for the one that falls off the bed
- Snortle: a snore and a chortle together
Picking from a list of 100 teddy bear names without reading them all aloud
Choose the group first, then read three. A kid who hears all 100 will go quiet and pick nothing. If you are the gift-giver and the bear has not been handed over yet, write three names from the right group on the card; the naming then starts before the wrapping is off, which is the best part of giving a bear. If two kids are naming one bear, each picks a name and the bear gets both: a first name and a middle name, in the order they were born. It sounds like a joke, and it has settled more sibling arguments than anything else on this page.
To let a young child choose, offer two names and ask which. "Is he Hugo or Toffee?" gets an answer; "what should we call him?" gets the name of the neighbor's dog. Under three, say both names while holding the bear and watch for the reach. Over five, let them sleep on it and ask at breakfast; the first name they say, before they think, is usually the one.
Matching the name to the bear
Bears a bit over two feet and up carry a big name or a grand old one: Kodiak, Archibald, Boulder. A bear with a scarf or a bow tie is a Reginald or a Beatrix. The small, squashy bedtime bear takes something from the cozy or sleepy group, because that is the name you will be whispering. And a bear with a heart on its chest, the kind that gets given on a first birthday, tends to end up with a food name for reasons nobody can explain.
The names that age well are the classic, boy, girl and unisex groups: Henry, Rocky, Mabel and Aspen are as good at eleven as at three. Silly names and long grand names age fastest, and the fix is a nickname, not a new name. If you are still choosing the bear itself, our guide to giant teddy bears kids keep forever covers what makes one last.
When the bear's name changes every week
A bear that is Teddy on Monday and Kodiak on Thursday belongs to a kid under five who is enjoying the naming. Nothing is wrong. Keep a jar of paper strips with every name the bear has had, pick one official name for the family to use, and let the kid run the nicknames. Most names settle within three nights of being said at bedtime, because the name you say when you are tired is the one that sticks. If the bear is a gift and you want the name settled on day one, pick it with the kid before the bear arrives; our teddy bear gift ideas cover the card line that makes that work.
Where to go from here
If the bear is not a bear, or you need names for the rest of the shelf, we have a longer list sorted by animal in 100+ stuffed animal names for your family's new arrival, and the softest options live in our cute stuffed animal names. And if you are still choosing the bear itself, the teddy bear plush collection covers everything from a Pretzel to a Titan.
Questions parents ask about list of 100 teddy bear names
What is the most popular teddy bear name?
Teddy, by a wide margin, followed by Honey, Bear and Theodore. A popular name is not a problem; a bear does not need a name nobody else has, it needs one the kid says every night.
What should I name a giant teddy bear?
Either the biggest name you can find or the smallest one. Kodiak, Moose, Boulder and Titan suit a bear taller than the kid; Tiny and Little Guy get a laugh from every visitor. Pick based on whether your kid wants the bear to be impressive or funny.
What is a good name for a Valentine's teddy bear?
A soft, old-fashioned girl's name or a sweet food name: Mabel, Clara, Pearl, Honey or Toffee. Bears with a heart on the chest end up with food names more often than any other group, for reasons nobody can explain.
Should a teddy bear have a boy or girl name?
Only if your kid has decided, and that decision can change on Tuesday. The unisex group (Aspen, Willow, Goldie, Brownie) is the safe pick for a bear whose gender is still under discussion. Most bears under five have been both.
How do I name a teddy bear for a newborn?
Pick for the baby and choose something you will not mind saying hundreds of times: two syllables, soft sounds, easy for a toddler to say later. Classic and bedtime names work best. Many parents tie it to the day, like the month the baby was born or a grandparent's middle name.
Giant teddy bears that earn a big name
Three oversized bears, from a kid-height brown classic to a panda or polar option, for the Kodiak and Moose group.
Once the small bear has a name, the giant one is the next bear most families end up naming.
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Giant Teddy Bear Plush in Panda, Brown or Polar Bear$56.99
Readers get 10% off with code JOURNAL10 at checkout. Valid on every product, no minimum, no expiration date.
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