Did frigatebirds take their name from sailing frigates?

Was the frigatebird named after the ship rather than the ship after the bird?

Probably. The answer treats the bird's name as derived from the ship while leaving the point uncertain.

The likely direction of the name runs from ship to bird. The answer remains tentative and does not claim a settled etymology. It cautions against confidently reversing the relationship and naming the vessel type after the bird. The short discussion preserves both the proposed derivation and the limit of the evidence.