Naming a bird has a wrinkle no other pet has: the talking species may learn
the name and repeat it, so you're not only choosing something you'll say, but
something you may hear said back at you several hundred times. Names that are
fun to hear at high pitch tend to survive that better than dignified ones.
Parrots, budgies and cockatiels respond well to bright, rhythmic, repeatable
sounds — the same qualities that make a name whistleable. Finches and
canaries won't learn a name at all, which frees you up entirely. Everything
below is tagged for birds; the name quiz has the rest.
A cross-section of the 4,744 names tagged for bird, picked to span
mythology, world languages, nature, food and screen. Every one of them, and
4,672 more, is filterable in the name quiz.
AbnerHebrewHebrew: "father of light"
AeroGreekGreek (aēr): "air, sky"
AetherGreekGreek: "upper air, bright sky"; the primordial upper atmosphere in Greek myth
AlanAICeltic: "handsome"; nod to Alan Turing
AliceGermanicGermanic (Adalheidis): "of noble kind"
AmunEgyptian"The hidden one"; chief Egyptian creator god of Thebes
AnglerHobbyOld English angel, "a fish-hook"; fisher
ArchieEnglishEnglish: short for Archibald, "truly brave/bold"
AshenFantasyOld English æscen, "of ashes"
AshlingFantasyIrish Gaelic aisling, "vision, dream"
AstraLatinLatin/Greek: "of the stars"
AtlasGreekPossibly "to bear/endure" (from tlēnai); Titan who holds up the sky (also a moon of Saturn)
AurelieFrenchGolden
BackchatEchoEnglish: "an echoing reply"
BaelHebrewSemitic: "lord, master"; also a Semitic deity name
BailiffEnglishOccupation
BarkLoudOld English beorcan, "to yelp"
BarryIrishIrish: "fair-haired" (from Bairre)
BastetEgyptianUncertain; possibly "she of the ointment jar"; Egyptian cat goddess of protection
BibiSentimentSwahili: "dear one"; joyful little name
BijouFrenchJewel
BishopOld EnglishOld English: from Greek episkopos, "overseer"
BjornNorse"Bear"; a common Old Norse and Scandinavian name
BlitheSentimentOld English blīthe, "cheerful, carefree"
BowieScottishScottish Gaelic (Buidhe): "fair-haired, yellow"
BradfordEnglishOld English: "broad ford"
BrahmaHinduUncertain; related to Brahman "ultimate reality"; Hindu creator god of the Trimurti
BullpenBaseballEnglish: "the relief pitcher's area"
BuzzerBasketballEnglish: "the game-ending horn"
CalmSentimentOld French: "warm and still"
ChadwickEnglishOld English: "Chad's dairy farm"
CheshireBreed-BasedBritish and grinning
ChoHarry Potter CharacterKorean/Chinese surname; also Japanese "butterfly"
ChuckleSentimentEnglish: "a soft laugh"
CirceGreekFrom Greek kirkos/kirkoo, "hawk" or "to secure with rings"; sorceress in the Odyssey
CleatsSoccerEnglish: "studded football boots"
CooperEnglishOld English: "barrel maker"
CornishAutumnOld English: "of the corn"
CurveBaseballLatin curvus, "bent"; a breaking pitch
DagnyDawnOld Norse: "new day"
DaphneGreek"Laurel"; nymph transformed into a laurel tree in Greek myth
DizzyPersonality-BasedSilly, confused, goofy, lightheaded
DoodleEnglishPortmanteau
DuskinNightEnglish coinage: "of the dusky night"
EarsBreed-BasedScottish and distinctive
EinsteinGermanGerman: "one stone"; the physicist's surname
FawnieSpringEnglish: "little spring fawn"
FlorenceEnglishLatin: "flourishing, in bloom"
FlutterInsectTo flap wings
FoldyBreed-BasedScottish and cute
FurnaceFantasyLatin fornax, "the great oven"
GastonFrenchGuest from Gascony
GlimmerEnglishOld English: "faint, wavering light"
HaroldEnglishOld English: "army ruler"
HeliumChemistryGreek helios, "sun"; lightest noble gas
Jerry1950spet form of Gerald, "spear-ruler"
JewelEnglishBirthday/Gotcha Day
KarmaSanskrit"Action/deed"; the Hindu-Buddhist concept of cause and consequence
KryptonChemistryGreek kryptos, "hidden"; noble gas
LoonyPersonality-BasedSilly, crazy, goofy, foolish
LuckyEnglishEnglish: "fortunate"
MapoChinese FoodSpicy tofu in sauce
Miley2000s Y2Kpet form of Smiley, "cheerful"
OrangeCitrus FruitBright orange round fruit
PassionExotic FruitPassion fruit vine berry
PecanNutSweet southern American nut
PerseusGreekPossibly from perthō "to sack/destroy"; hero who slew Medusa (also a constellation)
Sammy1920s Flapperpet form of Samuel, "God has heard"
SaturnRomanPossibly from satus "sowing"; Roman god of agriculture and time (also a planet)
SmokeyEnglishEnglish: "resembling smoke"
TokiJapanesePrecious time/joy
ZiggyEnglishGermanic: pet form of Sigmund, "victorious protector"