"thrush," especially "song-thrush, mavis," also "blackbird," Middle English throstel, from Old English þrostle "thrush," from Proto-Germanic *thrust- (source also of Old Saxon throsla, Old High German droscala, German Drossel "thrush"), altered from (perhaps a diminutive of) *thurstaz (see thrush (n.1)). Attested by late 13c. as a surname. The male was a throstel-cok (c. 1300).