Tag Archives: Bird Names

Llinos

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  • Origin: Welsh
  • Meaning: “linnet; finch.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Approx Phonetic Pronunciation: (she-nose)
  • (North Wales) IPA:ˈɬɪnɔs/
  • (South Wales) IPA: /ˈɬiːnɔs/, /ˈɬɪnɔs/

The name comes directly from the Welsh word for the linnet or finch bird.

The name came first into use in Wales in the 1880s. It is sometimes listed as a unisex names on other sites, but I have not come across any records of this being used on males in my own research. It was likely a name that came into use when Welsh revivalism became popular in the late 1800s, however, its use could have hypothetically been used in Medieval or pre-Christian Wales, I just cannot locate records indicating such.

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Doğan

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  • Origin: Turkish
  • Meaning: “falcon.”
  • Gender: masculine
  • Pron: (DOH-ahn)

The name comes directly from the Turkish word for “falcon” or “hawk,” but is also a synonym for “rising,” or “born” in the Turkish language.

It appeared in the Top 100 Most Popular Male Names in Turkey between 1987-2002 and peaked at #74 in 1998.

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Aderyn

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  • Origin: Welsh
  • Meaning: “bird.”
  • Gender: feminine
  • Pronunciation: ah-DEH-rin

The name comes directly from the Welsh word for bird. It was first recorded as a female given-name in 1900 when Welsh revivalism came to the fore.

It is most notably the name of a large hill in Wales known as Craig yr Aderyn (bird rock) in Snowdownia national park, where birds are known to nest. It is also the name of several Welsh literary works.

An offshoot is Deryn.

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Hansa

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  • Hamsa talking to Damayanti by Raja Ravi Varma

The name can have a few origins and meanings. It is primarily an Indian name that comes from the Sanskrit हंस (hamsa), which originally referred to an aquatic bird of passage. The hamsa is described as a mythical bird with knowledge in the Rig Veda and also as the main means of transport for the gods Brahma, Gayatri, Saraswati, and Vishvakarma in Hinduism. In the Ramayana, the hamsa was the bird that carried love letters between Damayanti and Nala. According to Indian legend, arayanna (heavenly hamsa swans) are said to live in the Himalayas where they eat pearls and are able to separate milk from water.

The hamsa bird is also associated with the concept of soham (that I am), as when it is said fast, hamsa starts to resemble soham. The latter is linked with the Brahman, and thus the bird is often associated with the cycle of samsara.

The hamsa bird has also been a popular motif in Indian art for centuries.

Over the centuries, it has interchangeably been translated as a swan, flamingo, goose or duck. It is ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root word *ǵʰh₂éns, which is also the progenitor of the English word goose, German gans (goose), and the Latin anser (goose).

In India, as a given-name, it is used among all languages groups. The name is primarily used on females but has occasionally been given to males.

The name is also German and Scandinavian female name, being a contracted form of Johanna. Other forms are Hansina and Hansine.

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Kaija

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Latvian
Meaning: “gull; seagull.”
Lat (KYE-yah).

The name comes directly from the Latvian word for sea-gull, coincidentally, it is also used in Finland as a form of Katherine. As of 2008, there were 97 registered Kaijas in Latvia. Its designated name-day in Latvia is November 12.

Sirkka

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45169252.QET7990IndigoBuntingVertPortGender: Female
Origin: Finnish
Meaning: “bunting; cricket, cotelydon.”
(SEERK-kah)

The name could either be derived from the Finnish word keltasirrku meaning “bunting”, (a type of bird) , or it could be from the Finnish word sirkka, meaning, “cricket.”  It could also be from the Finnish word, sirkkalehti meaning “cotyledon”, which is a type of plant.

Its designated name-day is October 16.

The name is borne by Sirkka Hämäläinen (b. 1939) a Finnish economist and former governor of the Bank of Finland.

Other forms of the name include Sirkku and there is the combined name of Sirkka-Liisa, which is borne by Sirkka-Liisa Anttila (b.1943) a Finnish politician.

Arvid

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Gender: Masculine
Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: “wood eagle; forest eagle or; wide or large eagle.”
(AHR-veed)

This trendy Swedish and Norwegian male name is derived from the Old Norse Arnviðr which is composed of the elements arn meaning eagle and viðr either meaning “wood” or “forest” or “wide; large.” The name currently ranks in Sweden and Norway’s top 100 male names. In Norway, he came in at a wopping # 5 for 2008, meanwhile in Sweden, he came in at # 27. The name seems to be rising, as in the previous year of Sweden’s top 100 list of 2007, Arvid was down a few spots at # 30. He has a cool and gothic vibe like the rising Atticus, so a name like this could very well catch on in the States. Hey, you never know. Its designated name day in Sweden is August 31, while in Norway its April 1st.

Colmán

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  • Gender: Masculine
  • Origin: Gaelic
  • Meaning: “dove”
  • (KOLE-men)

The name is a Gaelic form of the Latin name Columbanus meaning “dove.” The name was borne by an early Irish saint who founded several monasteries throughout Europe. The feast day is held on July 8. A possible nickname option is Cole. Variations include the Scottish Colm and Callum.

Dúfa

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Gender: Feminine
Origin: Old Norse/Icelandic
Meaning: “pitching one; pigeon; dove.”
(DOO-vah).

In old Norse the name means “pitching one.” It was the name of one of the nine daughters of the sea goddess Rán. In modern Icelandic, the name is interchangeable with the word for dove or pigeon. It is still a common female first name in Iceland.

Another offshoot of the original old Norse form is the Frisian Dufina (doo-FEE-nah) and the Dutch Dyveke.