Bjarne is a Scandinavian masculine given name, most commonly found in Norway and Denmark. It is derived from the Old Norse personal name Bjôrn, which means 'bear'. The name Bjarne has been used for centuries in Scandinavia, with its earliest known usage dating back to the Viking Age. In recent years, it has seen a resurgence in popularity, particularly in Norway where it ranked among the top 20 boy names from 2013 to 2017. The name is often shortened to Bjørn or Bjarn, and its variants include Bjorn, Bjartur, and Bjartney. Notable individuals with this name include Bjarne Riis, a Danish former professional cyclist who won the Tour de France in 1996, and Bjarne Stroustrup, a Danish computer scientist known for creating the C++ programming language.
The name Bjarne appears to have had periods of popularity with a peak in the mid-1910s, but it has since declined significantly.