Where does “Bearspaw” come from?

Bearspaw (English) comes from English bear, from Middle English bere, from Old English bere, from Old English tūn, from Proto-West Germanic tūn, from Proto-Germanic tūną, from Gaulish dunum, from Proto-Celtic dūnom — smoke; mist, haze.

Ancestry of “Bearspaw”, step by step

Bearspaw traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English bear

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbearA large omnivorous mammal, related to the dog and...
2Middle Englishberebear; To pierce
3Old Englishberebarley; first-person singular present indicative...
4Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
5Proto-West Germanictūnfence
6Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
7Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
8Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

via English paw

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpawThe soft foot of a mammal or other animal,...
2Middle Englishpawepaw; claw, talon; rough, vicious hand
3Old Frenchpoue
4Frankishpōta
5Proto-Germanicputōnąto stick, stab, poke; to push
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbud-to shoot, sprout; to swell
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂-