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Quetzalli

♀ Girl

Pronounced ket-SAH-lee /kɛtˈsɑ.li/High

Meaning: Precious feather, quetzal plume; the classical Nahuatl spelling quetzalli, the treasure-word of the Aztec worldHigh

In 30 seconds: The scholar's spelling of the treasure-feather: Quetzalli keeps both l's of the classical Nahuatl — the quetzal plume that out-valued gold and named the feathered-serpent god's own splendor.

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Origin HighNahuatl, Mexican

MeaningPrecious feather, quetzal plume; the classical Nahuatl spelling quetzalli, the treasure-word of the Aztec world

U.S. rank (2025)#3240 ↗ Rising

2025 U.S. births49 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year2010

Total births (all-time)≈ 860

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Quetzalli is the classical Nahuatl form — double l, as the sixteenth-century codices write it — of the quetzal's emerald tail feather, the Aztec world's superlative for the precious; Nahuatl parents' poetry called children exactly this. The modern given name rides Mexico's Indigenous-heritage revival.

Choosing the full spelling signals fidelity to the codices over convenience. It remains rare in the U.S., borne by daughters of families who know precisely what the word once bought.

Did you know? In Nahuatl poetry, children were called 'my precious feather, my necklace of jade' — quetzalli was the language's deepest endearment, which makes it a literal term for a beloved child.

Overall data confidence 88%

Nahuatl dictionary (Wired Humanities / IDIEZ) — quetzalli — classical form

Variations

QuetzaliQuetzalyQuetzal

Nicknames

QuetziZalli

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Quetzalli…

Metztli— the Nahuatl moon name from the same revival

Citlali— the star-sister of the classical naming wave

Xochitl— the flower companion from the codices' world

Quetzali— the streamlined single-l spelling of the same feather

Explore names like Quetzalli

By themeheritage classical mexican nahuatl

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Quetzalli mean?

Quetzalli is classical Nahuatl for 'precious feather' — the quetzal plume that was the Aztec world's word for treasure, and its tenderest term for a child.

How do you pronounce Quetzalli?

It's said ket-SAH-lee /kɛtˈsɑ.li/ — three syllables, stress on the second.

Is Quetzalli a boy or girl name?

Quetzalli is a girl's name.

How popular is Quetzalli?

Quetzalli is a rare name in the U.S., the classical spelling of a proud heritage choice.