given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...
. The name is associated with the Gaelic traditions of Ireland and Scotland (through the poetry of
James Macpherson
James Macpherson (Gaelic: ''Seumas MacMhuirich'' or ''Seumas Mac a' Phearsain''; 27 October 1736 – 17 February 1796) was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector and politician, known as the "translator" of the Ossian cycle of epic poem ...
), but has also become popular in England.. It can be considered either a Latinised form of the Gaelic word ''fionn'', meaning "white", "fair", or an Anglicisation of the Irish name ''Fíona'' (derived from an element meaning "vine"). The
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...
feminine name ''Fionnghal'' (and variants) is sometimes equated with ''Fiona''. In ninth-century Welsh and Breton language 'Fion' (today: 'ffion') referred to the foxglove species and is also a female given name as in
Ffion Hague
Ffion Llywelyn Hague, Lady Hague of Richmond ('' née'' Jenkins; 21 February 1968) is a Welsh broadcaster, author, former civil servant, and wife of Conservative politician William Hague. Born Ffion Jenkins in Cardiff, she is a native Welsh sp ...
.
''Fiona'' was the 49th most popular name for baby girls born in 2008 in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. ''Fiona'' was tied for third place in the ranking of most popular names for baby girls born in
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...
in 2008. The name was the 347th most popular name for girls born in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in 2008, where it has ranked among the top 1,000 most popular names for girls since 1990 and among the top 500 since 1999. The name ''Fiona'' has been particularly popular for girls of Asian or Pacific Islander descent in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, where Fiona ranked as the ninth most popular name for girls from those groups in 2007.
Fiona Alpass
Fiona Margaret Alpass is a New Zealand academic at Massey University.
Academic career
After a 1994 PhD titled '' 'The effects of organisational change in the military: a comparison of work related perceptions and experiences in military and ...
, New Zealand academic
* Fiona Apple, American singer
*
Fiona Balfour
Fiona Balfour is an Australian business executive in the field of information technology. She has been named Chief Information Officer of the Year in Australia four times: 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. In 2006 she was awarded the Pearcey Award for ...
, Australian business executive in the field of information technology
*
Fiona Bloom
Fiona Bloom is a music industry publicist who runs the New York City agency The Bloom Effect.
Early life
Bloom grew up in St John's Wood, London. She took piano lessons as a child and trained to be a concert pianist. She moved to the U.S. after ...
, publicist
*
Fiona Bruce
Fiona Elizabeth Bruce (born 25 April 1964) is a British journalist, newsreader, and television presenter. She joined the BBC as a researcher for '' Panorama'' in 1989, and has since become the first female newsreader on the ''BBC News at Ten' ...
, BBC presenter
*
Fiona Campbell-Walter
Fiona Frances Elaine Campbell-Walter, formerly Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva, (born 25 June 1932) is a New Zealand-born British model. She had a successful career in the 1950s and was photographed by Henry Clarke and Cec ...
, British model
* Fiona Crombie, Australian costume and production designer
*
Fiona Dourif
Fiona Christianne Dourif (born October 30, 1981) is an American actress and producer. She is known for her role as Bart Curlish in BBC America's ''Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency'' and as the young Diane Jones in Dustin Lance Black's ''W ...
, American actress
*
Fiona Fairhurst
Fiona Fairhurst, born in 1971, is accredited with the design of the Speedo Fastskin swimsuit. Fairhurst herself was a competitive swimmer until the age of 16 and this provided her with some background within the swimming industry. Fairhurst studi ...
, inventor of the Speedo Fastskin swimsuit
*
Fiona Ferro
Fiona Ferro (born 12 March 1997) is a French professional tennis player born in Belgium.
Ferro has won two singles titles on the WTA Tour and four singles titles on the ITF Circuit. She has career-high WTA rankings of No. 39 in singles, attaine ...
, French tennis player
*
Melanie Fiona
Melanie Fiona Hallim (born July 4, 1983) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.
Other
*Fiona (hippopotamus), first Nile hippo imaged on ultrasound pre-natally
See also
*List of Irish-language given names
References
{{given name
Feminine given names
English feminine given names
Irish feminine given names
Scottish feminine given names
