Meaning & Origin
A quetzal feather.
Quetzalli is a girl's baby name of Nahuatl origin, from the Aztec word quetzalli meaning 'precious feather' or 'quetzal feather' — the brilliantly colored tail feathers of the resplendent quetzal bird, prized above gold in Aztec culture.
The quetzal was a sacred bird in Mesoamerican civilization — its feathers adorned the headdresses of kings and gods. To name a daughter Quetzalli is to give her the beauty and preciousness of the most valued feather in the ancient world.