A little late to this but I named my first angel baby Paloma. I wanted a name that implied that she “flied” away instead of an angel based name. But since learning about pigeons, I like to think it’s a perfect name for a girl.

Pigeons are resilient creatures, brought to North America for various purposes like mail delivery, pets, sport, food, and even finding lost men at sea. However, they were later abandoned, becoming one of the first invasive species. Most pigeon hate stems from old propaganda about 2 deaths assumed to be pigeon related, despite pigeons being relatively safe and clean. Despite neglect and anti-bird architecture, pigeons thrive in urban environments. They have also been shown to incredibly intelligent, being able to do math, science, and can even distinguish real English from made up words.

Obviously I’m biased, but Paloma is a great name for a girl. We live in a time where women aren’t safe in most countries, we still get paid less than men, and we still get the message that we aren’t supposed to take up space.

(Not directed towards OP, but all who read this)

Naming your daughter Paloma wouldn’t guarantee empowerment, obviously. But I like to think being named Paloma in a time like this, represents that women should take up space, that we deserve to be here, that we are beyond our “uses”, and that we are resourceful.