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My own feeling is that its a kind of 'title' bestowed (sometimes after the fact) by others with the authority to do so, & is given in recognition that what the particular individual did was worthy of some respect.
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If a "title" bestowed by others, then it was bestowed after the event in almost every case. Even Frodo was not formally pronounced a Ringbearer until the Council of Elrond, by which time he had already been bearing the Ring for some time.
I do not agree that a Ringbearer necessarily need have done anything worthy of respect (in so far as the Ring is concerned) in order to merit the title. Neither Isildur's conduct nor that of Gollum, as regards the Ring, was exactly deseving of respect, and yet I would consider both Ringbearers.
For me, to be a Ringbearer, a person has to have borne the Ring in circumstances where they have had some basis for asserting a right over it, either by virtue of their having claimed ownership of it (Isildur, Gollum, Bilbo) or because it was entrusted to them for safekeeping or with a specific purpose in mind (Frodo).
On this basis, I would regard Sam as a Ringbearer. Frodo's right to bear the Ring derived from the fact that it was entrusted to him for the purpose of its destruction. When Frodo was apparently killed by Shelob, Sam was the only one of his companions (the Fellowship) present, and so it fell to him to complete the task with which Frodo had been charged. Accordingly, to my mind, he became a Ringbearer the moment he took the Ring from Frodo's prone body.
Assuming my reasoning holds, it applies whether or not Sam actually wears the Ring. Even if he had not put it on, he would still have had been bearing it for a purpose. After all, we would surely still consider Frodo to be a Ringbearer, even had he been able to resist wearing it throughout his entire journey to Mordor. And so, in my view, Sam is still a Ringbearer in the film.
Tom Bombadil cannot be considered a Ringbearer, since he only touches the Ring to examine it. Even though he puts it on, he never has any right to it. Neither is Gandalf a Ringbearer (of the One Ring, that is). I might be getting mixed up with the film (and I have no book to hand), but doesn't he lift it with a pair of tongs? But even if he does actually touch it, he does so only with the intention of passing it to Frodo.
Deagol is slightly more difficult. He does claim ownership of it, but has possession only momentarily - until strangled by Smeagol. Then again, on the basis of his momentary possession, I think that I would class him as a Ringbearer.
So, for me, the list of Ringbearers (excluding Sauron himself) is: Isildur, Deagol, Smeagol/Gollum, Bilbo, Frodo and Sam.