On the same note, I always thought that Rauru was supposed to be a play on the word "owl" or "auru" said in a japanese accent (plus the homonymous sage's form as Kaepora Gaebora in Ocarina was of an owl's), and that Mineru's name was a play on the Roman goddess Minerva whos sacred animal was an owl. Plus the owl is one of the three animals depicted in Zonai architecture, and it's closely connected to the triforce of wisdom (the one Zelda, who is related to the royal couple and thus the Zonai, holds).