Quetzal
- Gender
- Mostly boys
- Say it
- ket-SAHL
Quetzal is a name, meaning “quetzal bird, precious feather”. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Quetzal mean?
Nahuatl, from quetzalli 'precious feather'
“quetzal bird, precious feather”
The resplendent quetzal is Guatemala's national bird and gives its name to the country's currency.
Is Quetzal a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Quetzal has been given to girls and boys, mostly boys.
How popular is Quetzal in the US?
No boys in the US were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 2023, with 8 boys. It first appears in the records in 2001.
Half of all the boys named Quetzal in the US since 1880 were born between 2006 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
Quetzal in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6 | #10,930 |
| 2023 | 8 | #8,916 |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 5 | #12,138 |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 5 | #12,241 |
| 2016 | 5 | #12,180 |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 5 | #12,224 |
| 2009 | 7 | #9,859 |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 6 | #10,915 |
| 2006 | 5 | #12,048 |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 5 | #11,348 |
| 2003 | 6 | #9,574 |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 6 | #9,236 |
Names related to Quetzal
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Quetzal: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/quetzal, updated 20 October 2026.