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French Girl Names That Mean Bird

French girl names that mean bird tend to hide their meaning in an old root word rather than announce it outright, which is part of their charm.

Names30
OriginFrench
MeaningBird
GenderGirl

Two birds do most of the work on this list: the raven and the song thrush. Corbyn, Korbyn, and Korbin all spell Corbin, French for raven or crow, just dressed in different modern letters. Mayvis and Mavie both reach back to mavis, the old French word for a song thrush.

Others carry their bird meaning as one layer among several. Arlette comes from a Germanic root tied to eagle power, filtered through Norman French, while Avielle blends a Hebrew element with a French ending to suggest a divine little bird. If you want a bird name that doesn't sound like a nature-walk pamphlet, French is where to look.

Why French girl names that mean bird sound so understated

French naming has a long habit of folding meaning into sound rather than spelling it out, which is why raven and thrush show up as Corbin and mavis instead of literal bird words. That's how Renley can carry a raven association through René, and why Arlet keeps Arlette's eagle root but trims it to something quicker and more compact.

Bird meanings sitting next to other French favorites

Several names here aren't pure bird names, they just happen to share space with one. Mavie can mean 'my life' or the song thrush, and Eveline and Avaline lean toward 'wished-for child' and 'hazelnut' rather than bird meanings at all. Delphine nods to dolphin and oracle, not bird, so it's worth reading each meaning closely before you commit.

Names List

Arlette#494 in the U.S.French feminine diminutive of a Germanic name composed of 'arn' (eagle) and possibly 'leod' (people, powePronounced ar-LET▶Arlet#642 in the U.S.Variant of Arlette, a French diminutive of Germanic Arla or Arlette, from the element arn meaning eagle cPronounced ar-LET▶Mavie#1062 in the U.S.My life; or song thrush; French ma vie (my life) or Irish/Old French mavis (the song thrush bird)Pronounced MAH-vee▶Renley#1170 in the U.S.Rene's meadow; or raven clearing; a modern compound of Ren (from French René: reborn, or Old English: ravPronounced REN-lee▶Avielle#3219 in the U.S.Combination of Hebrew Avi (my father, referring to God) and the French/Hebrew suffix -elle (feminine dimiPronounced ah-vee-EL▶Delphine#3651 in the U.S.From Latin Delphina, 'woman of Delphi' or 'dolphin' — linked to the larkspur flower (delphinium) and the Pronounced del-FEEN▶Korbyn#4599 in the U.S.K-/-yn spelling of Corbin — from Old French corbeau, 'raven' (Latin corvus) — 'raven, raven-haired'; herePronounced KOR-bin▶Myrle#5686 in the U.S.Myrle is a variant of Myrtle, the fragrant evergreen from Greek myrtos long tied to love and marriage, orPronounced MURL▶Merlie#5768 in the U.S.Merlie is a variant of Merle, from the French merle - the blackbird, a bird prized for its song. The '-iePronounced MUR-lee▶Eveline#5836 in the U.S.A form of Evelyn/Eveline — from the Germanic Avelina (Aveline), possibly 'wished-for child' or 'little biPronounced EV-ə-leen▶Murl#5903 in the U.S.Murl is a phonetic variant of Merle, a unisex name from the French merle and Latin merula, 'blackbird'. IPronounced MURL▶Avaline#6398 in the U.S.A spelling of Aveline/Evelyn — variously 'a hazelnut' (Norman), 'desired; wished-for', and 'a little birdPronounced AV-ə-line▶Mearl#6416 in the U.S.Mearl is a spelling variant of Merle, from the French merle, 'blackbird' (Latin merula). The added a reflPronounced MURL▶Mayvis#6536 in the U.S.A spelling of Mavis — from Old French mauvis, 'a song thrush' (a sweet-singing bird)Pronounced MAY-vis▶Myrl#6605 in the U.S.Myrl is a clipped, phonetic form of Myrtle — from Greek myrtos, the evergreen myrtle plant, an emblem of Pronounced MURL▶Mayva#7110 in the U.S.A spelling echoing Maeve ('she who intoxicates/rules', Irish) and Mavis ('a songbird; the song thrush', FPronounced MAY-vah▶Merla#7265 in the U.S.Merla is a feminine form of Merle, from the French merle, 'blackbird', which comes from the Latin merula.Pronounced MUR-luh▶Corbyn#7296 in the U.S.A spelling of Corbin — from a Norman-French surname, from Latin corvus, 'a raven; a crow' (a nickname forPronounced KOR-bin▶Murlene#7468 in the U.S.Murlene is most likely a variant of Marlene, itself a German blend of Maria and Magdalene, respelled arouPronounced mer-LEEN▶Korbin#9234 in the U.S.A spelling of Corbin — from the Old French corbin, 'a raven/crow' (from the Latin corvus); more often a bPronounced KOR-bin▶Talon#9461 in the U.S.From the word talon — 'a claw (of a bird of prey)', from the Old French talon, 'a heel'; a word/surname-nPronounced TAL-un▶Linette#10707 in the U.S.A spelling of Lynette/Linnet, read as 'little linnet' (a small songbird) or as a form of the Welsh ElunedPronounced lih-NET▶Marvis#10766 in the U.S.Marvis is best read as a variant of Mavis, the songbird name from Old French mauvis, the song thrush; thePronounced MAR-vis▶Robinette#11094 in the U.S.Robinette is a French-style diminutive of Robin, adding the affectionate -ette ending to mean roughly 'liPronounced rob-in-ET▶Arletta#12260 in the U.S.Arletta is a diminutive of Arlette, itself linked to Germanic roots for 'eagle' or to the -ette family ofPronounced ar-LET-uh▶Merline#13494 in the U.S.Merline is a feminine -line name built from Merle (French 'merle', 'blackbird') or read as a variant of MPronounced mur-LEEN▶Colibri#13804 in the U.S.The Spanish and French word for a hummingbird (colibri), a word thought to come from a Caribbean IndigenoPronounced KOH-lee-bree▶Evellyn#13965 in the U.S.A variant spelling of Evelyn, from the Norman Aveline; by that route it touches 'wished-for child' or 'liPronounced EV-uh-lin▶Eveleigh#15991 in the U.S.A modern -leigh spelling in the Evelyn/Eveline family, from the Norman Aveline; by that route it touches Pronounced EV-uh-lee▶Merle#17896 in the U.S.Merle comes from French merle, 'blackbird.' A vintage unisex name, worn by actress Merle Oberon. A slim, Pronounced MURL▶

More French Meaning Guides

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Frequently Asked

Which names on this list most directly mean a bird?

Mayvis and Mavie both mean song thrush most directly. Corbin-based names like Corbyn mean raven or crow, another clear bird meaning.

Is Corbyn traditionally a girl's name?

No. Corbyn, Korbyn, and Korbin are more commonly given to boys, but all three appear here as girl names meaning raven.

Are all these names purely about birds?

No, several carry a bird meaning alongside another one. Avielle can mean 'God is my father' or 'divine little bird,' and Mavie can mean 'my life' as well as song thrush.