Pet Bird Names

Has good vibes via the stork's intimations of longevity.

A daring middle name possibility for classical concertgoers. Alternatives are Wolfgang and Amadeus.

Faulkner is an old occupational surname that was used for someone who kept and trained falcons when falconry was a popular sport in medieval Europe. Anyone using it in contemporary America would probably be honoring Southern novelist William Faulkner. While we love the author, Falconer would probably be a slightly easier name to carry on the playground.

Feather, though it was used for a character in a Walter Mosley novel, seems too light and fluttery for a real-life girl.

Love the name wren but need something not quite so trendy? Consider Jedda. Jedda is derived from the word 'djida' meaning "wren" in the language of the Noongar people of Western Australia. Jedda was also the name of the eponymous heroine of the film "Jedda", which was one of the first Australian films to be shot in color and was the first to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival (it was nominated for the Palme d'Or). The perfect name for nature enthusiasts and film buffs alike.

A South American dance style whose name derives from Latin tangere "touch". It's also a popular orange-flavored fizzy drink in the UK, as well as the word for the letter T in the NATO phonetic alphabet.

In medieval France, a troubadour was a knighted lyric poet who composed and sang songs about courtly love. As a baby name, Troubadour makes a romantic and stately choice for a child, although this bold choice may be better relegated as a middle name.

Solemn but soaring name with patriotic symbolism.

Cherokee name that honors the eagle, a sacred symbol in Native American culture.

We once dismissed Bird as "too flighty", but with the rise of avian names from Lark to Robin to, well, Birdie, we don't see why Bird can't be a fine choice, especially as a middle name.

Peaceful and melodic, but a bit pretentious.

That double a invests the old Arthur nickname with fresh life.

Suggests the salty, windswept air of the seashore.

Professional surfer Craig Elmer Chapman went by the avian nickname Owl. We could see it working as a given name, a la Hawk and Dove.

When British rocker Steven Patrick Morrissey decided to use his last name alone, it became a viable option for baby namers, a lot cooler than Morris or Maurice, with the nice three-syllable lilt of of such other Irish surnames as Finnegan and Flanagan. It can also be spelled Morrisey.

Sometimes heard as a first name in Scotland, particularly among the Campbell clan.

The original southern Good Ol' Boy.

One celebrity baby Pilot put this occupational choice into the pool -- together with the middle name Inspektor, something we wouldn't advise following.

A peaceful Dutch name that many English speakers will find tough to pronounce.