Indian onomastics

[SRINIVASAKRISHNAN L]

I am interested in personal names which take after flora and fauna. For
example, in modern Karnataka especially in the Dharwar-Belgaum belt, it
is not rare to find personal names such as IruLLi (onion), meNasinakAyi
(chillies), gubbi (sparrow) etc. It is possible that such names are used
to ward off the 'Evil eye'.

Is this a phenomenon in Karnataka alone or is there evidence for such
names in other parts of India too? I am told that such names are not
uncommon in rural Maharashtra. Can anybody confirm?

Has anybody come across such names in our literature viz., Sanskrit,
Classical Tamil, Marathi, Kannada?

I would appreciate any help in this matter.

Lakshmi Srinivas.