Tarka

The name of the (male) otter protagonist of Henry Williamson’s 1927 novel Tarka the Otter.

It is in rare use as a male and female name in England, especially among the Telegraph-reading classes. A notable bearer is English musician, writer and record producer Tarka Cordell, who died in 2008.

Fun fact: a tarka is also a type of short wooden flute, indigenous to the Andes.

Pronounced TAR-ka.