Orson

Orson comes through a Norman French nickname associated with a bear cub. Its animal meaning is older than its best-known modern bearer, filmmaker Orson Welles. The name also appears in the story of Valentine and Orson, in which Orson is raised by a bear, giving the meaning a particularly clear literary counterpart.

The French-looking form Ourson makes the bear connection more visible to French readers. Orson keeps a compact two-syllable shape in English and does not require an additional nickname. Families drawn to animal names may appreciate a meaning carried through an older personal-name tradition, rather than using the English word Bear directly as the official name.