Fiona is a feminine

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 f ...

of Gaelic origins. It means white or fair, while the Irish name ''Fíona'' means 'of wine', being the genitive of 'wine'. It was coined by Scottish writer James Macpherson. Initially, the name was confined to Scotland but later it gained popularity in other countries, such as

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...

, Switzerland, Australia, Germany and Canada.

Etymology

Fiona originates from the Gaelic word ,. meaning white or fair, being a Romantic Era Latinised form; or an

Anglicisation Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

of the Irish name ''Fíona'' (Scotland ''Fìona'') meaning 'of wine', being the genitive of (Scotland ) 'wine', from which is also derived the terms (Irish) , (Irish, Scottish) ( 'tree'), and (Scottish) ( 'tree, bush') 'grape-vine'. An alternative suggested by Hanks (2006) is that ''Fíona'' means ''vine''; this meaning appears in no Irish or Gaelic dictionary, except in the compounds and In ninth-century Welsh and Breton language ''Fion'' (today: ''ffion'') referred to the

foxglove ''Digitalis'' ( or ) is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennial plants, shrubs, and biennials, commonly called foxgloves. ''Digitalis'' is native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwestern Africa. The flowers are tubular in sha ...

species and is also a female given name as in Ffion Hague. It was used by the Scottish writer William Sharp under the pseudonym Fiona Macleod. Sharp may have drawn inspiration from the Gaelic variation of the name Catherine, namely Caitrìona. Fiona carries connotations of gentility and refinement, often suggesting aristocratic lineage for its bearer. Fiona is commonly shortened to Fi, with other variations including Fina, Fee, and Tiona. Variations of the name Fiona include

Gwenn Gwenn is a surname and unisex (though more often feminine) given name of Breton origin, a variant of the name Gwen, which means 'white, holy'. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Edmund Gwenn (1877–1959), English actor Given name * ...

in Breton, Gwen, and Wynne in Welsh. Masculine forms include Fion, Fionn, Finnán, Finnén, Finn,

Gwyn Gwyn or Gwynn may refer to: People * Gwyn (name), includes a list of people with the given name or surname Gwyn, including variants such as Gwynn and Gwynne Fictional or mythological characters * Gwyn ap Nudd, in Welsh mythology * Gwynn (Sluggy F ...

and Wyn. The

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

feminine name Fionnghal is also sometimes equated with Fiona.

Popularity

Initially, the name remained largely confined to Scotland until the latter part of the 20th century when it gained popularity in Britain, Australia, and Canada. Additionally, the Ossianic poems of James Macpherson helped to familiarize the name in the English-speaking world. It experienced a surge in popularity during the latter half of the 1960s. It was the 439th most popular female name in Scotland in 2023. Fiona was the 71st most popular name for baby girls born in 2023 in Germany. The name was the most common female name in the ranking of most popular names for baby girls born in

in 2022.In 2023, in Switzerland, Fiona was the 66th most popular name. In Australia it is the 138th most popular baby name since the 1930s. In New Zealand it was particularly popular during the 1960s until around 1980. In Canada, it was the 287th most popular baby girl name. In the US most girls named Fiona were born in the 21h century and the number of Fionas born per year was greater than 1,000 from 2009 until 2021. In the US, it has ranked among the top 1,000 most popular names for girls since 1990 and among the top 500 since 1999.

People with the given name

Fiona Adams Fiona Rose Pattinson Adams (née Clarke; 26 September 1935 – 26 June 2020) was a British photographer. She is most well known for her photograph of the Beatles jumping in the air which featured on the '' Twist and Shout'' EP cover. In the 1960s ...

(1935–2020), British photographer *

Fiona Allen Fiona Allen (born 13 March 1965) is an English comedian and actress, most known for her work on Channel 4's '' Smack the Pony'' between 1999 and 2003. Career Allen has appeared in many sketch shows, including ''We Know Where You Live'' (Channel ...

(born 1965), English comedian and actress *

Fiona Alpass Fiona Margaret Alpass is a New Zealand academic at Massey University. Academic career Alpass completed a master's degree at Massey University in 1992, looking at how anger management and social contact can modulate the effects of alcohol and ...

, New Zealand academic *

Fiona Apple Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She released five albums from 1996 to 2020, all of which reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 chart. As of 2021, she has sold over ...

(born 1977), American singer *

Fiona Baan Fiona Valerie Fulton Baan (December 21, 1938 – June 19, 1994) was a Scottish-born American equestrian sports administrator. She was the dressage and driving trainer, manager, and director of the United States Equestrian Team (USET) from 1976 t ...

(1938–1994), Scottish-born American sports administrator *

Fiona Balfour Fiona Elizabeth Balfour (born 14 August 1958) 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 w ...

(born 1958), Australian business executive *

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 ...

, music industry publicist * Fiona Bruce (born 1964), BBC presenter * Fiona Button, English actress * Fiona Campbell (alpine skier) (1929–2005), British alpine skier * Fiona Campbell (cricketer) (born 1981), Scottish cricketer * Fiona Campbell (mezzo-soprano), Australian opera singer * Fiona Campbell-Walter (born 1932), British model * Fiona Kumari Campbell (born 1963), Australian disability studies researcher and theorist * Fiona Clark (born 1954), New Zealand photographer * Fiona Connor (born 1981), New Zealand artist * Fiona Coyne (1965–2010), South African actress, author, playwright and presenter * Fiona Crawley (born 2002), American tennis player * Fiona Crombie (born ), Australian costume and production designer * Fiona Davis (born 1966), Canadian author * Fiona Dawson (born 1977), LGBT activist, writer, producer, and film director * Fiona Dourif (born 1981), American actress * Fiona Doyle (born 1991), Irish swimmer * Fiona M. Doyle (born ), American scientist * Fiona Dunbar (born 1961), English children's author and illustrator * Fiona Edgar, New Zealand professor of management * Fiona Fairhurst (born 1971), British inventor, designer of the Speedo Fastskin swimsuit * Fiona Ferro (born 1997), French tennis player *Fiona Flanagan (born 1961), American singer known mononymously as Fiona (singer) * Fiona Fox (born 1964), British writer and chief executive * Fiona Fullerton (born 1956), English actress * Fiona Fung (born 1983), Hong Kong singer * Fiona Fussi (born 1996), Singaporean fashion model and actress * Fiona Gaunt (born 1947), English actress * Fiona Gélin (born 1962), French actress * Fiona Geminder, Australian businessperson * Fiona Givens, American writer, teacher, and speaker * Fiona Glasscott (born 1982), Irish actress * Fiona Godlee (born 1961), British-American journalist, first female editor of ''The British Medical Journal'' * Fiona Graham (1961–2023), Australian anthropologist and geisha * Fiona Gubelmann (born 1980), American actress * Fiona Hammond (born 1983), Australian water polo player * Fiona Highet, Scottish entomologist * Fiona Hill (born 1965), British-American foreign affairs specialist and author * Fiona McLeod Hill (born 1973), British political adviser * Fiona McLeod (born 1964), Australian barrister and Labor politician * Fiona Kennedy (born 1955), Scottish singer and actress * Fiona Leggate (born 1980), British auto racing driver * Fiona Lowry (born 1974), Australian painter * Fiona MacDonald (born 1974), Scottish curler * Fiona J. Mackenzie, Scottish Gaelic singer *Fiona Macleod, pseudonym for English writer William Sharp * Fiona Macpherson (born 1971), Scottish Philosopher * Fiona Mactaggart (born 1953), British politician * Fiona May (born 1969), English-Italian athlete and actress * Fiona McFarlane (born 1978), Australian author * Fiona Millar (born 1958), British journalist and campaigner * Fiona O'Donnell (born 1960), Scottish politician * Fiona O'Driscoll, Irish camogie player * Fiona O'Keeffe (born 1998), American long-distance runner * Fiona O'Loughlin (comedian) (born 1963), Australian stand-up comedian * Fiona O'Loughlin (politician) (born 1965), Irish politician * Fiona O'Malley (born 1968), Irish politician *

Fiona O'Shaughnessy Fiona O'Shaughnessy is an Irish film, stage, and television actress. She has appeared in ''Warlock III: The End of Innocence'' (1999), ''Goldfish Memory'' (2003), ''Alexander (2004 film), Alexander'' (2004), ''Until Death'' & ''Nightwatching'' ( ...

(born 1979), Irish actor * Fiona O'Sullivan (born 1986), Irish footballer * Fiona Onasanya (born 1983), British politician * Fiona Peterson, Australian academic * Fiona Phillips (born 1961), British journalist and broadcaster *

Fiona Pitt-Kethley Fiona Pitt-Kethley (born 21 November 1954) is a British poet, novelist, travel writer and journalist, who is the author of more than 20 books of both poetry and prose. She lived for many years in Hastings, East Sussex, and moved to Spain in 2002 ...

(born 1954), British poet, novelist and journalist * Fiona Richmond (born 1945), English glamour model * Fiona Ritchie (born 1960), American broadcaster * Fiona Robertson (born 1969), Scottish judoka and wrestler * Fiona Robinson (born 1969), Australian basketball and handball player * Fiona Scott Morton (born 1967), American economist * Fiona Shaw (born 1958), Irish actress *

Fiona Sit Fiona Sit (; born 11 August 1981) is a Hong Kong singer and actress. Early life In an interview with Hong Kong newspaper '' Apple Daily'' in 2006, Fiona Sit revealed that she has always been interested in singing in front of an audience since ...

(born 1981), Hong Kong singer * Fiona Stanley, Australian epidemiologist and public health researcher * Fiona Staples, Canadian comic book artist * Fiona Urquhart (born 1987), Scottish cricketer * Fiona Watt (author), British children's author * Fiona Watt (born 1956), British scientist * Fiona Wood (born 1958), Australian plastic surgeon and burns specialist * Fiona Xie (born 1982), Singaporean television actress * Fiona Yuen (born 1976), German-born Hong Kong model and actress * Fiona Zedde (born 1976), Jamaican-born American fiction writer

Fictional characters

Princess Fiona Princess Fiona is a fictional character in DreamWorks Animation, DreamWorks' ''Shrek (franchise), Shrek'' franchise. One of the film series' List of Shrek (franchise) characters#Main, main characters, Fiona first appears in ''Shrek'' (2001) as a ...

, the female lead in the Shrek franchise * Fiona, a character in '' Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation'' * Fionna Campbell, the gender-swapped version of Finn in the ''Adventure Time'' franchise *

, sorceress in '' The Chronicles of Amber'' novels

Other

Fiona (hippopotamus) Fiona (born January 24, 2017) is a hippopotamus who lives at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The first Nile hippo imaged on Medical ultrasound, ultrasound pre-natally, and the first born at the zoo in ...

, first Nile hippo imaged on ultrasound pre-natally * List of storms named Fiona

References

External links

*{{Commons category-inline, Fiona (given name) Feminine given names English feminine given names Irish feminine given names Scottish feminine given names