I’ve searched high and low for the perfect girls name with a bird meaning. My top choices are [name]Aya[/name] (which means hawk or to fly swiftly) or [name]Merel[/name] (pronounced like meryl, which means blackbird in Dutch). Which of these names is more appealing? Thanks!
I should also mention that I’ve considered wren, lark, [name]Yona[/name], dove, sparrow and robin and they were vetoed by DH.
To me, [name]Aya[/name] is more appealing.
What about [name]Raven[/name] or [name]Teal[/name]? Nameberry also listed [name]Alouette[/name] which means lark in french.
Oh neat 
my son’s first middle is [name]Adler[/name], which means “[name]Eagle[/name]” in [name]German[/name].
I prefer [name]Merel[/name], but I’m not sure why.
I don’t think you asked for suggestions, but for fun 
[name]Teal[/name]
Kestrel
[name]Oriole[/name]
[name]Avis[/name]
Egret
[name]Starling[/name]
[name]Pheobe[/name]
That’s all I can think of right now
I like [name]Aya[/name] a little better!
I also liked the suggestion of [name]Pheobe[/name]!
[name]Finch[/name] is really cute for a boy!
Unfortunately, [name]Phoebe[/name] rhymes exactly with our last name, so that one won’t work! Thanks for the suggestions!
I love [name]Aya[/name] and I think it has a prettier sound than [name]Merel[/name], though the potential nn [name]Merry[/name] is cute.
I know you didn’t ask for suggestions, I just can’t resist, have you considered Aderyn? it means bird welsh and I love the sound.
I love [name]Merle[/name] - it means ‘blackbird’ in French and has always struck me as completely lovely. Good luck!
Out of the two, I prefer [name]Aya[/name]. Also love the suggestion of [name]Merle[/name].
Does anyone know if [name]Merle[/name] is related to [name]Mireille[/name] in French? Or [name]Mirel[/name]?
I prefer [name]Merel[/name] to [name]Aya[/name]. I think it has more substance. [name]Merle[/name] is nice, but I think there may be some pronunciation issues if you live in the US.
Some more bird names
[name]Ani[/name]
[name]Myna[/name]
[name]Oriole[/name] (I knew an older lady named [name]Oriole[/name] once. She went by [name]Ori[/name]. She was a pistol.)
[name]Sparrow[/name]
[name]Paloma[/name] (my favorite- Spanish for dove)
I don’t think so - the French [name]Merle[/name] ([name]MURL[/name]) comes from the Latin ‘merula’ (“blackbird”), according to behindthename.com, whereas [name]Mirielle[/name] (mee-[name]RAY[/name]) comes from the Occitan verb ‘mirar’ (“to admire”). [name]Merle[/name] is also a diminutive of [name]Muriel[/name], which means “bright sea”, but I don’t think it bears any relation to [name]Mireille[/name]. Sorry!
[name]Aya[/name] is one of our top names (though as a nickname).
Avocet is one of my favorite bird names, and I went through a [name]Tesia[/name] phase recently.
This website is an assault on the eyes, but I like the list: Name Nerds! birds
Thanks everyone! It’s a toss up. I’m hearing that [name]Aya[/name] is pretty, [name]Merel[/name] is more substantial. Any final thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!
I like [name]Aya[/name] best, though both are nice. [name]Aya[/name] is also a girls name in Arabic that means a verse of the Quran, so that’s what I think of. That will be the association for Muslims and other Arabic speakers. My favorite bird name is [name]Paloma[/name]. It’s one of my all time favorite names.
Ibis
Osprey
[name]Sora[/name]
[name]Myna[/name]
Elaenia
Willet
I like [name]Merel[/name] over [name]Aya[/name] ([name]Aya[/name] just sounds incomplete…I like the meaning, though)
Other ideas:
[name]Jemima[/name] (means dove)
[name]Heron[/name]
[name]Peregrine[/name] (maybe too masculine?)
[name]Raven[/name]
[name]Halcyon[/name]
[name]Phoenix[/name] (mythical, but still a bird)
Swan
Kestrel
Murre
Cardinal
[name]Birdie[/name]
Osprey
[name]Arabella[/name] - some name sites & apps list the meaning as “beautiful eagle”.
I heard Aya for the first time the other day and I thought it was beautiful. Definitely Aya!
ETA: I wasn’t sure if we were doing suggestions, but apparently yes.
I LOVE LOVE Coloma. It’s the Catalan form of Paloma.