Cliona: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Cliona is an Irish girl's name meaning “shapely.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Irish spelling
- Clíodhna
- Meaning
- Shapely
- Gender
- Girl
- Also spelled
- Cleona
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 273 for girls (2025)
How do you pronounce Cliona?
Cliona is pronounced KLEE-ona. It has two syllables, with the stress on the first. Other spellings: Cleona.
What does Cliona mean?
From clodhna meaning “shapely.” Cliodhna had three magical birds that could sing the sick to sleep and cure them. In the tale of “Cliodhna’s Wave” she falls in love with a mortal, “Keevan of the Curling Locks,” and leaves Tir-Na-Nog (“Land of Eternal Youth”) (read the legend) with him but when he goes off to hunt, leaving her on the beach, she is swept to sea by a great wave, leaving her lover desolate.
How popular is Cliona in Ireland?
In 2025, 15 baby girls in Ireland were named Clíodhna, which made it No. 273 that year. Another 8 were registered as Cliodhna, Cliona or Clíona. That's down from No. 244 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1998, when 43 baby girls were named Cliona, No. 83 that year. The most babies got the name in 1996: 96. The records go back to 1964, when 10 baby girls were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 23 | No. 273 (Clíodhna) |
| 2024 | 28 | No. 213 (Clíodhna) |
| 2023 | 32 | No. 200 (Clíodhna) |
| 2022 | 25 | No. 237 (Clíodhna) |
| 2021 | 22 | No. 363 (Clíodhna) |
| 2020 | 7 | No. 700 (Clíodhna) |
| 2019 | 24 | No. 284 (Clíodhna) |
| 2018 | 34 | No. 267 (Clíodhna) |
| 2017 | 23 | No. 301 (Cliodhna) |
| 2016 | 25 | No. 335 (Cliona) |
| 2015 | 33 | No. 244 (Cliodhna) |
| 2014 | 29 | No. 304 (Cliodhna) |
| 2013 | 26 | No. 340 (Cliodhna) |
| 2012 | 35 | No. 264 (Cliodhna) |
| 2011 | 59 | No. 189 (Cliodhna) |
| 2010 | 64 | No. 179 (Cliona) |
| 2009 | 67 | No. 177 (Cliodhna) |
| 2008 | 51 | No. 176 (Cliodhna) |
| 2007 | 53 | No. 186 (Cliodhna) |
| 2006 | 49 | No. 174 (Cliodhna) |
| 2005 | 58 | No. 138 (Cliona) |
| 2004 | 49 | No. 170 (Cliodhna) |
| 2003 | 45 | No. 174 (Cliodhna) |
| 2002 | 64 | No. 123 (Cliona) |
| 2001 | 61 | No. 129 (Cliodhna) |
| 2000 | 47 | No. 143 (Cliona) |
| 1999 | 50 | No. 130 (Cliona) |
| 1998 | 70 | No. 83 (Cliona) |
| 1997 | 92 | No. 94 (Cliona) |
| 1996 | 96 | No. 92 (Cliona) |
| 1995 | 68 | No. 133 (Cliona) |
| 1994 | 79 | No. 114 (Cliona) |
| 1993 | 78 | No. 117 (Cliona) |
| 1992 | 67 | No. 135 (Cliona) |
| 1991 | 96 | No. 97 (Cliona) |
| 1990 | 60 | No. 118 (Cliona) |
| 1989 | 52 | No. 146 (Cliona) |
| 1988 | 39 | No. 177 (Cliona) |
| 1987 | 42 | No. 200 (Cliona) |
| 1986 | 29 | No. 198 (Cliona) |
| 1985 | 32 | No. 215 (Cliona) |
| 1984 | 46 | No. 168 (Cliona) |
| 1983 | 32 | No. 203 (Cliona) |
| 1982 | 61 | No. 151 (Cliona) |
| 1981 | 47 | No. 188 (Cliona) |
| 1980 | 54 | No. 150 (Cliona) |
| 1979 | 53 | No. 170 (Cliona) |
| 1978 | 59 | No. 140 (Cliona) |
| 1977 | 48 | No. 167 (Cliona) |
| 1976 | 53 | No. 153 (Cliona) |
| 1975 | 61 | No. 146 (Cliona) |
| 1974 | 43 | No. 175 (Cliona) |
| 1973 | 44 | No. 165 (Cliona) |
| 1972 | 43 | No. 169 (Cliona) |
| 1971 | 50 | No. 133 (Cliona) |
| 1970 | 45 | No. 141 (Cliona) |
| 1969 | 22 | No. 206 (Cliona) |
| 1968 | 27 | No. 170 (Cliona) |
| 1967 | 13 | No. 214 (Cliona) |
| 1966 | 8 | No. 256 (Cliona) |
| 1965 | 22 | No. 192 (Cliona) |
| 1964 | 10 | No. 226 (Cliona) |
Cliona in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Cliona, letter by letter.
- CColl, hazel
- LLuis, rowan
- IIodhadh, yew
- OOnn, gorse
- NNion, ash
- AAilm, pine
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Cliona
Questions about Cliona
- How do you pronounce Cliona?
- Cliona is pronounced KLEE-ona. Two syllables, stress on the first.
- What does Cliona mean?
- Cliona means “shapely.”
- Is Cliona a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Cliona is a girl's name.
- How do you spell Cliona in Irish?
- In Irish it's spelled Clíodhna. That's the spelling most parents in Ireland now register, according to the Central Statistics Office.
- How popular is Cliona in Ireland?
- In 2025, Clíodhna was No. 273 for girls in Ireland, with 15 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1998, at No. 83.