Gender: Feminine
Origin: Faroese/Icelandic
Meaning: “wagtail.”
(AIR-lah)
The name could be of one or two origins, it could be derived from the Faroese and Icelandic word for the wagtail, maríuerla. It could also very well be an Old Norse feminine form of Jarl.
The name is also a masculine Finnish form of Erlend.
As of 2010, Erla was the 7th most popular female name in the Faroe Islands.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Danish
Meaning: “lark.”
(LARE-keh)
The name comes directly from the Danish word for lark and was introduced in the 1940s when Danish poet, Sigfred Pedersen, named his daughter Lærke.
As of 2010, Laerke was the 11th most popular female name in Denmark.
A Swedish form is Lärka.
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Bosnian
(TYE-rah)
The name is taken from the Arabic word, tayra, meaning, “bird.”
As of 2010, Tajra was the 42nd most popular female name in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Lithuanian
Meaning: “eagle.”
(AH-rahs)
The name comes directly from the Lithuanian meaning, “eagle.”
The name is borne by Survivor winner and actor, Aras Baskaukas (b.1981).
Though of a different etymological root, the name is also found in Greek mythology as the name of an autocthon. He is believed to have founded the town of Arantea, and was worshipped as a minor god.
Currently, Aras is the 329th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).
Gender: Masculine
Origin: Frisian
Meaning: “hawk.”
(HOW-keh)
The name could either be from the Frisian word for hawk or it could also be used as the Frisian form of Hugo.
It is currently the 368th most popular male name in Germany, (2011).
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Kurdish
Meaning: “nest; bird’s nest.”
(HEL-leen)
The name comes directly from the Kurdish word for bird’s nest.
It is currently the 307th most popular female name in Germany, (2011).
Gender: Masculine
Origin: German/Yiddish
Meaning: “falcon.”
The name comes directly from the German meaning “falcon.” It is currently the 440th most popular male name in Germany, (2011). Its variation of Falco was brought to the limelight via the eponymous Austrian-American musician (1957-1998).
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Spanish
Meaning: “dove; pigeon.”
(pah-LOH-mah)
The name comes directly from the Spanish word for a dove or pigeon.
As a given name its usage may go as far back as the Middle Ages, however there is a cult to the Virgin Mary which started in Madrid during the 18th-century, known as La Virgen de la Paloma (Our Lady of the Dove).
The dove is a symbol of peace and of the Holy Spirit among Christians since early Medieval times and this in fact may have sparked the name’s popularity.
Currently, Paloma is the 48th most popular female name in Chile, (2010). She also ranked in as the 140th most popular female name in France, (2009) and the 698th most popular in the United States, (2010).
Other forms of the name include:
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Spanish
Meaning: “lark.”
(ah-LONE-drah)
The name comes directly from the Spanish word for the lark. In Spanish, alondra is also used to describe someone who is an “early bird.”
The name is currently the 23rd most popular female name in Mexico, (2010), the 48th most popular in Chile, (2006) and the 250th most popular in the United States, (2010).
It is borne by famous Mexican singer, Alondra (b.1964) and Spanish singer, Alondra Bentley (b.1983)
Sources
Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: “wood; forest.”
(SIL-vee-ah)
The name is a feminine form of Silvius, which is derived from the Latin silva meaning, “wood; forest.”
In Roman legend it was borne by the mother of Romulus and Remus (the founders of Rome), Rhea Silvia. It has been suggested that at one time she have been worshipped as a minor forest diety.
It was also borne by a 6th-century Italian saint credited as being the mother of St. Gregory the Great.
Before the 16th-century, Silvia’s usage was relegated to continental Europe, it gained notoriety in England after being used by Shakespeare in his 1594 play, The Two Gentleman of Verona.
The spelling of Sylvia has been the standard in the English-speaking world since the 19th-century.
Currently, it is the 554th most popular female name in the United States, (2010). Her rankings in other countries are as follows:
# 61 (Spain, 2010)
# 282 (the Netherlands, 2010)
Other forms of the name include:
Sylviya Сыльвія (Belarusian)
Silviya Силвия (Bulgarian)
Sílvia (Catalan/Portuguese)
Silvija (Croatian/Lithuanian/Slovene)
Lesana (literally meaning “woods; forest” it is sometimes used as a Czech and Slovakian equivalent of Sylvia)
Silvie (Czech)
Silvia (Estonian/Italian/Romanian/Slovak/Spanish)
Sylvia (Finnish/English/German/Scandinavian)
Sylphide (French)
Sylvaine (French)
Sylviane (French)
Sylvie (French)
Szilvia (Hungarian)
Sylvía (Icelandic)
Silva (Italian/Slovene)
Silvestra (Italian)
Silvana (Italian/Hungarian/Slovene)
Silvania (Italian)
Silviana (Italian)
Silvina (Italian)
Silvietta (Italian)
Sylvi (Norwegian)
Sylwia (Polish)
Sil’vija Сильвия(Russian)
Silvena (Slovene)
Silvenka (Slovene)
Silverija (Slovene)
Silvica (Slovene)
Zülfiye (Turkish)
Síl”viya Сі́львія(Ukrainian)
Common diminutives include:
Silva/Silvinka (Czech)
Sylvette (French)
Silviuccia (Italian)
Lyya or Lyka (Russian)
Syl”va or Sylya (Russian)
Ylya (Russian)
Sylvia is also the name of a species of warbler.
In recent years the name has been borne by American poet, Sylvia Plath (1932-1963), Queen Silvia of Sweden (b.1943)
Masculine forms include:
Silvije (Croatian)
Silvijo (Croatian/Slovene)
Silvio (Croatian/Italian/Portuguese/Spanish)
Sylvain (French)
Silvius (Latin)
Sylwiusz (Polish)
Silviu (Romanian)
Source