Bird Names - Comprehensive List

Orel

Hebrew

"light of God"

Unisex name in Israel, ideal for a Hanukkah baby.

Orev

Hebrew

"raven"

Idiosyncratic Hebrew choice.

Oriole

Latin

"golden"

A bird name from the same Latin root as Aurelio.

Ortega

Spanish name

"dweller at the sign of the grouse"

Dashing Latin surname name -- but also a well-known brand of Spanish packaged foods.

Owl

Bird name

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.

Ozuru

Japanese

"big stork"

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

Paco

Spanish, diminutive of Francisco; Native American

"eagle"

Another winning and relaxed but energetic o-ending Latin name, sometimes associated with designer Paco Rabanne.

Pastor

Latin

"spiritual leader"

Pastor might be a brother for Parson and Deacon.

Peregrine

Latin

"traveler, pilgrim"

Peregrine is considered to be an elegantly aristocratic name in England, but has never made it to the U.S., where it has been seen as extravagantly eccentric. In the new naming climate, though, it's…

Philemon

Greek

"kiss"

Rarely heard New Testament name -- he was a friend of Saint Paul -- that might conceivably stand up to modern usage.

Ptarmigan

Scots Gaelic

"name of a bird species"

Ptarmigan is the common English name for the genus Lagopus, in the grouse family of birds. The name is derived from the Scottish word for the bird, tàrmachan (meaning unknown), with the initial P-…