Haan..
Pehle Odantapuri naam tha kyunki yahan Odantapuri vishwavidyalay tha (8th - 12th century).
...phir jab islam aaya use waqt log iss sheher ko Bihar(Vihar) Bolte the as bahut saare Buddhist Vihar the yahan..bakhtiyar khilji bhi aaya tha tab ke accounts me isko bihar hi kaha gaya hai..
.and...
more... jab yahan Sufi Saint Sheikh Makhdoom Sharfuddin Ahmed Yahya Maneri Ka Dargah Bana to yahan ke islamic rulers isko Bihar Sharif bolne lage... due to Sufi saints.
Phir sher shah suri ke waqt... regional capital..Patna shift ho gya bihar Sharif se...and Magadh area Ka naam bihar ho gya.
Lekin bihar naam hamesha popular rha.. britishers bhi Behar hi Bolte the...magadh area ke locals abhi bhi jyadatar Bihar hi Bolte hain Bihar Sharif ko.