Junco: Name Meaning, Origin & Popularity

At a Glance: Name: Junco – Meaning: Literally 'rush' (the marsh plant) in Spanish/Latin; applied as the name for a genus of small sparrows rather than an original bird-word – Origin: Spanish (from Latin juncus) – Gender: Unisex – Pronunciation: HOON-koh


Junco is a Spanish (from Latin juncus) unisex name meaning “Literally 'rush' (the marsh plant) in Spanish/Latin; applied as the name for a genus of small sparrows rather than an original bird-word”. It appears in 2 of our baby name lists.

Meaning & Origin of Junco

Meaning: Literally 'rush' (the marsh plant) in Spanish/Latin; applied as the name for a genus of small sparrows rather than an original bird-word.

Origin: Spanish (from Latin juncus).

A common claim: Often presented simply as meaning 'a small sparrow' Actually: That's the bird now named Junco, but the word itself literally means 'rush' (a marsh plant); the bird sense came later, from the genus name.

Source: Wiktionary.

How to Pronounce Junco

Phonetic: HOON-koh

Popularity of Junco

Junco doesn’t appear in U.S. Social Security birth records, which include every name given to at least five babies in a year — so it’s rare in the U.S.

Lists That Include Junco

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