Browse Names - Behind the Name

Aquila m & f Biblical, Ancient Roman
From a Roman cognomen meaning "eagle" in Latin. In Acts in the New Testament Paul lives with Aquila and his wife Priscilla (or Prisca) for a time.

Arlie f & m English
Diminutive of Arline and other names beginning with Arl.

Asuka f & m Japanese
From Japanese 明日 (asu) meaning "tomorrow" and 香 (ka) meaning "fragrance", or from 飛 (asu) meaning "to fly" and 鳥 (ka) meaning "bird". Other kanji combinations can be possible as well.

Avia m & f Hebrew
Modern Hebrew form of Abijah.

Çağrı m & f Turkish
Means "invitation" or "falcon" in Turkish.

Columba m & f Late Roman
Late Latin name meaning "dove". The dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit in Christianity. This was the name of several early saints both masculine and feminine, most notably the 6th-century Irish monk Saint Columba (or Colum) who established a monastery on the island of Iona off the coast of Scotland. He is credited with the conversion of Scotland to Christianity.

Deryn f & m Welsh
Possibly from the Welsh word deryn, a variant of aderyn meaning "bird".

Diindiisi f & m Ojibwe
Means "blue jay" in Ojibwe.

Hong m & f Chinese
From Chinese 虹 (hóng) meaning "rainbow", 弘 (hóng) meaning "enlarge, expand, great" (which is usually only masculine) or 鸿 (hóng) meaning "wild swan, great, vast" (also usually only masculine). Other characters can also form this name.

Huang m & f Chinese
From Chinese 煌 (huáng) meaning "bright, shining, luminous" (which is usually only masculine) or 凰 (huáng) meaning "phoenix" (usually only feminine). Other Chinese characters are also possible.

Kenojuak f & m Inuit (Anglicized)
Variant of Qinnuajuaq.

Manaia f & m Maori
From the name of a stylized design common in Maori carvings. It represents a mythological creature with the head of a bird and the body of a human.

Merle m & f English, Estonian
From the English word merle or the French surname Merle, which both mean "blackbird" (from Latin merula). It was borne by the devious character Madame Merle (in fact her surname) in Henry James' novel The Portrait of a Lady (1880).... [more]

Phoenix m & f English (Modern)
From the name of a beautiful immortal bird that appears in Egyptian and Greek mythology. After living for several centuries in the Arabian Desert, it would be consumed by fire and rise from its own ashes, with this cycle repeating every 500 years. The name of the bird was derived from Greek φοῖνιξ (phoinix) meaning "dark red".

Pitseolak f & m Inuit (Anglicized)
Variant of Pittiulaaq.

Pitsiulaaq f & m Inuit
Variant of Pittiulaaq.

Pittiulaaq f & m Inuit
Means "black guillemot" in Inuktitut (a guillemot is a type of sea bird; species Cepphus grylle).

Qinnuajuaq f & m Inuit
Means "rough-legged hawk" in Inuktitut (species Buteo lagopus).

Raven f & m English
From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English hræfn. The raven is revered by several Native American groups of the west coast. It is also associated with the Norse god Odin.

Robin m & f English, French, Dutch, Swedish, Czech
Medieval English diminutive of Robert, now usually regarded as an independent name. Robin Hood was a legendary hero and archer of medieval England who stole from the rich to give to the poor. In modern times it has also been used as a feminine name, and it may sometimes be given in reference to the red-breasted bird.

Shikoba m & f Choctaw
Means "feather" in Choctaw.

Sparrow m & f English (Rare)
From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English spearwa.

Tsubasa m & f Japanese
From Japanese 翼 (tsubasa) meaning "wing", as well as other kanji or kanji combinations with the same pronunciation.

Tulugaq m & f Greenlandic, Inuit
Means "raven" in Greenlandic and Inuktitut.

Wambli m & f Sioux
From Lakota waŋblí meaning "eagle".

Yona m & f Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew form of Jonah. It is a unisex name in modern Hebrew.

Yonah m & f Hebrew
Alternate transcription of Hebrew יוֹנָה (see Yona).

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