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 ...

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

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 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. He is known for the Ossian cycle of epic poems, which he ...

. 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 Ffion Llywelyn Hague, Baroness 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 Wels ...

. 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 Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

, 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 * ...

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...

, 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

Ossian Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora (poem), Temora'' (1763), and later c ...

ic poems of

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 Fiona Elizabeth Bruce (born 25 April 1964) is a British journalist, newsreader and television presenter. She joined the BBC as a researcher for their current affairs programme ''Panorama'' in 1989, and became the first female newsreader on ' ...

(born 1964), BBC presenter *

Fiona Button Fiona Button is an English actress. She is best known for playing Rose Defoe in '' The Split''. Early life and education Button was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, and grew up in Newbury, Berkshire. She made her professional stage debut at th ...

, 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 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 ...

(born 1932), British model *

Fiona Kumari Campbell Fiona Kumari Campbell (born 1963) is a disability studies researcher and theorist, focusing on disability in relation to law, technology, advocacy, and desire. She is currently Professor of Disability and Ableism Studies in the School of Educat ...

(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 Fiona Christianne Dourif (born October 30, 1981) is an American actress and producer. She is best known for her starring role as Nica Pierce in the '' Child's Play'' franchise, including the horror film '' Curse of Chucky'' (2013), its sequel ...

(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 Fiona Ferro (born 12 March 1997) is a French-Belgian professional tennis player. She has career-high WTA rankings of world No. 39 in singles, attained on 8 March 2021, and No. 257 in doubles, reached on 17 May 2021. Ferro has won two singles tit ...

(born 1997), French tennis player *Fiona Flanagan (born 1961), American singer known mononymously as

Fiona (singer) Fiona Eileen Flanagan (born September 13, 1961), known professionally as Fiona, is an American rock singer and actress, best known as the love interest in the 1987 Bob Dylan vehicle '' Hearts of Fire''. Career Fiona was born on September 13, ...

* Fiona Fox (born 1964), British writer and chief executive *

Fiona Fullerton Fiona Elizabeth Fullerton (born 10 October 1956) is a British actress and singer, known for her role as Alice in the 1972 film ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and as Bond girl KGB spy Pola Ivanova in the 1985's James Bond film ''A View to a ...

(born 1956), English actress *

Fiona Fung Fiona Fung ( zh, t=馮曦妤, born December 14, 1983), also known as Fung Hei-yu, is a Cantopop singer-lyricist based in Hong Kong. Biography At the age of 16, Fung was introduced by friends to Hong Kong composer Chan Kwong-wing. She then s ...

(born 1983), Hong Kong singer *

Fiona Fussi Fiona Fussi (born 25 January 1996) is a Singaporean fashion model and actress based in Singapore. She is best known as a celebrity model, and for being the winner of Elite Model Look Singapore 2011. Early life Fiona Fussi was born in Singapor ...

(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 Fiona Caroline Graham (16 September 1961–26 January 2023) was an Australian anthropologist working as a geisha in Japan. She made her debut as a geisha (trainee) in 2007 in the Asakusa district of Tokyo under the name as a part of her anthrop ...

(1961–2023), Australian anthropologist and geisha *

Fiona Gubelmann Fiona Gubelmann (born March 30, 1980) is an American actress. She starred as Jenna in the 2011–2014 FX comedy series '' Wilfred'', and as starred as Dr. Morgan Reznick in the ABC medical drama '' The Good Doctor''. Gubelmann has appeared in a ...

(born 1980), American actress *

Fiona Hammond Fiona ("Fi") Hammond (born 10 May 1983 in Sydney) is an Australian water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which t ...

(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 Fiona MacDonald MBE (born 9 December 1974 as Fiona Brown) is a Scottish curler and Olympic champion, born in Paisley. She received a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.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 Fiona McFarlane (born 1978) is an Australian author, best known for her novel '' The Night Guest'' (2013) and her collections of short stories ''The High Places'' (2016) and '' Highway 13'' (2024). She is a recipient of the Voss Literary Prize, ...

(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) Fiona O'Loughlin (born 8 September 1965) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has been a senator for the Administrative Panel since June 2020. She previously served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Kildare South constituency from 2016 to 2020 ...

(born 1965), Irish politician *

Fiona O'Malley Fiona O'Malley (born 19 January 1968) is an Irish former politician who served as a Senator from 2007 to 2011, after being nominated by the Taoiseach. She served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency from 2002 to 2007. Pol ...

(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 Fiona Julia O'Sullivan (born 17 September 1986) is a former footballer who played as a forward (association football), striker for clubs in the United States, Sweden, France, Germany and for English FA WSL team Notts County Ladies F.C., Notts C ...

(born 1986), Irish footballer *

Fiona Onasanya Fiona Oluyinka Onasanya (; born 23 August 1983) is a former British politician and solicitor. She was elected as a Labour Party MP in the 2017 United Kingdom general election for the constituency of Peterborough and was removed from that office ...

(born 1983), British politician * Fiona Peterson, Australian academic *

Fiona Phillips Fiona Phillips (born 1 January 1961) is a British journalist, broadcaster and television presenter. She is best known for presenting the ITV Breakfast programme '' GMTV Today''. Early life Phillips was born in Canterbury Hospital in Canterbu ...

(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 Fiona Shaw (born Fiona Mary Wilson; 10 July 1958) is an Irish film and theatre actress. She did extensive work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, as well as in film and television. In 2020, she was listed at No. 29 o ...

(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 Fiona Juliet Stanley is an Australian epidemiologist noted for her public health work, her research into child and maternal health as well as birth disorders such as cerebral palsy. Stanley is the patron of the Telethon Kids Institute and a d ...

, Australian epidemiologist and public health researcher *

Fiona Staples Fiona Staples is a Canadian comic book artist known for her work on books such as ''North 40'', ''DV8, DV8: Gods and Monsters'', ''T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'', ''Archie (comic book), Archie'', and ''Saga (comic book), Saga''. She has been described as ...

, Canadian comic book artist *

Fiona Urquhart Fiona Elaine Urquhart (born 20 August 1987) is a Scottish former international cricketer who debuted for the Scotland women's national cricket team, Scottish national side in 2000. An all-rounder, she has appeared in all eight of the Women's One ...

(born 1987), Scottish cricketer *

Fiona Watt (author) Fiona Watt is a British children's author who has written more than 100 books. She is best known for her ''That's Not My... (book series), That's Not My...'' series. From 2000 to 2009, she sold 2,431,376 copies in the UK, with a value of £14.1 mi ...

, British children's author *

Fiona Watt Fiona Watt, (born 28 March 1956) is a British scientist who is internationally known for her contributions to the field of stem cell biology. In the 1980s, when the field was in its infancy, she highlighted key characteristics of stem cells a ...

(born 1956), British scientist *

Fiona Wood Fiona Melanie Wood (born 2 February 1958) is an Australian plastic surgeon and burns specialist working in Perth, Western Australia. She is the director of the Royal Perth Hospital burns unit and the Western Australia Burns Service, and dev ...

(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 Fiona is a feminine given name 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 ...

, 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 ''The Chronicles of Amber'' is a series of fantasy novels by American writer Roger Zelazny. The main series consists of two story arcs, each five novels in length. Additionally, there are a number of Amber short stories and other works. Whil ...

'' 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