The polar bear's scientific name is Ursus maritimus, which means "sea bear." The name was coined in 1774 by Commander C.J. Phipps, author of A Voyage towards the North Pole and an esteemed officer in the British navy.

Later, the scientific name Thalarctos began to gain acceptance for the bears. The word is a combination of the Greek thalasso, meaning sea, and arctos, meaning bear of the north.

In 1971, polar bear scientists agreed to return to the bear's original scientific name, Ursus maritimus.

To the Inuit, the polar bear is Nanuk, an animal worthy of great respect. In their poetry he is Pihoqahiak, the ever-wandering one.

The Russian term for polar bear is beliy medved, which means "white bear."

Both the Norwegians and the Danish call the polar bear the isbjborn, which means "ice bear."

Norse poets described the polar bear as "the white sea deer", "the seal's dread", "the rider of icebergs", "the whale's bane", and "the sailor of the floe." They praised him for having the strength of 12 men and the wit of 11.

In eastern Greenland, the polar bear is known as Tornassuk, "the master of helping spirits."

Lapps refuse to speak the polar bear's real name for fear of offending him. Instead they call him "God's dog" or "the old man in the fur cloak."

Nineteenth-century whalers referred to the polar bear as "the farmer" because of his slow, pigeon-toed gait.

The Ket, a Siberian tribe, revere all bears. They call them gyp or qoi, which means "grandfather" and "stepfather," respectively.