'Bear' has nothing to do with the animal but is believed to be a contraction of an Anglo-Saxon name 'Berewick' - 'Bere' meaning Barley and 'Wick' being a settlement - a settlement near a barley field.
The word 'Bear' does not pertain to the animal; it is thought to be a contraction of the Anglo-Saxon name 'Berewick', where 'Bere' means barley and 'Wick' refers to a village, positioned close to a barley field.