Thursday, April 22, 2010

Fine Feathered Friends

A bit of web surfing from link to link landed me on a site that confirmed that once again I was way ahead of fashion.

For the past ten years I have mentioned to one and all who would listen that I fancy bird names as baby names.

Perhaps it was because I went to school with a Lark, Larkie, Robin and a Piper, all of whom were very cool chicks.

Currently the name Piper is coming in at #55 out of 100 of the top girl names so far for 2010.
Phoebe is #70, Wren is #73.

Celebs have really being leading the charge on this trend though, as reported on HERE:

Did an incipient trend for bird names inspire Nicole Richie and Joel Madden to name their newborn son Sparrow, or was it the other way around? No matter. Bird names are the latest genre of nature names, now that the gardens of flower names have become overgrown.

Up and coming avian names: Lark, Wren, Hawk, Dove, Anything but the dated Robin. Then there’s also the genetic Birdie, daughter of Maura West.

As such newsy tidbits tend to do, I immediately began thinking of other sorts of bird names.
Before long I was dug in on the subject and produced my own list of "Bird Names For Babies" as follows.

(Names not suitable for first name would be fabulous middle names or nicknames, IMHO.)

Girls:

Ani
Barbet
Cassowary (definitely a good nickname for Cassandra. I love Cassowaries in real life!)
Chat
Chickadee
Corella
Cotinga ("Lovely Cotiga" is one of the Cotinga types.)
Dove
Ibis
Iora
Kea
Kite
Lark
Linnet
Lory (wouldn't those three "L" names be great for triplet girls?)
Manakin
Phoebe
Piper
Pipit
Oriole
Quail (or Quayle?)
Robin
Siskin
Sparrow
Starling
Tanager
Teal
Tui
Weaver
Wren
Finch
Yuhina

Boys names:

Bat (Bat Masterson: the cowboy. Good nickname name as his was. A mammal but whatever.)
Coot (Another great nickname!)
Drake
Godwit
Gull
Hawk
Hob ( name for a male swan, females are called a pen.)
Jacamar
Jay
Kestral
Kite
Martin
Nightjar
Noddy
Owlet
Plover
Rail
Scoter
Swift
Sylph
Towhee
Turoco

BTW, my mom had an uncle whose nickname was Chick. I seem to recall a few old time famous men going by that handle.

Well, there's my list, take it or leave it; there are no babies underway with anyone that I would hold the slightest hope of influencing anyway.
On the other hand...consider studying up on the list, then challenging someone to a pick-up game of Scrabble armed with these names.
Need proof that these names are real? See HERE.
You can even click on the name links to see pictures of the birds, if you need to reassure yourself that the bird is actually nice looking.

6 comments:

Vee said...

I find name trends fascinating. I worked quite hard at not having "trendy" names for either of my children. Worked with one and not with the other. Of the bird names, I like Wren and Lark...for girls of course. Anyone having a baby in your world?

Lovella ♥ said...

You are the best researcher ever. If I had the privilege of picking a name now. .I would certainly consult you.
The bird names are really trendy . .and I never knew.

A Lady said...

you should have named my brother Dodo.

Pondside said...

What a cute post! I've never met a Wren or a Piper, but my parents had a friend named Chick - haven't ever heard it used for anyone under 80 though!

Julie said...

Jill, I never had any doubt that you were ahead of the trends... You are certainly a bird unique unto yourself! smile...
Your list is great! I love names and I love birds....so why not one inspiring the other?
I might draw the line at having a grandchild named Grossbeak or Hummingbird or Magpie or Pelican.... smile...

Dawn said...

Too funny...especially since we are awaiting grandbaby #7 at any moment....and the name AND sex of the child are unknown...
All the better to speculate! We have a huge HOOT when we say names out loud with the last name.
We offer our suggestions...but I'll be good if it is not five syllables ending in IAH.
(Love the name Piper, BTW. My girls went to school with a girl named Piper.)
I like Wren, too.

I am laughing out loud at A Lady's comment!
:P
Dodo.