Fiona: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Fiona is a Scottish name, made from the Gaelic fionn, “fair, white.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Gender
- Girl
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 325 for girls (2025)
How do you pronounce Fiona?
Fiona is pronounced fee-ONA. It has two syllables, with the stress on the second.
What does Fiona mean?
Fiona is a Scottish creation rather than an old Irish name. The Scottish poet James Macpherson used it in his Ossian poems of the 1760s, basing it on the Gaelic fionn, “white, fair,” the word behind the name Fionn, and it is often described as a feminine form of Fionn. The Scottish writer William Sharp spread it further when, from 1893, he wrote under the pen name Fiona Macleod.
The name spread well beyond Scotland in the 20th century, and it is now well established in Ireland. It is unrelated to the Irish word fíona, with a fada, which means “of wine” (from fíon, “wine”).
Sources: Behind the Name, Wikipedia, Ó Dónaill's Irish dictionary (teanglann.ie).
How popular is Fiona in Ireland?
In 2025, 12 baby girls in Ireland were named Fiona, which made it No. 325 that year. That's up from No. 362 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 1972, when 657 baby girls were named Fiona, No. 4 that year. The records go back to 1964, when 249 baby girls were given the name.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | No. 325 |
| 2024 | 6 | No. 556 |
| 2023 | 14 | No. 279 |
| 2022 | 4 | No. 747 |
| 2021 | 5 | No. 661 |
| 2020 | 6 | No. 544 |
| 2019 | 9 | No. 421 |
| 2018 | 16 | No. 280 |
| 2017 | 20 | No. 241 |
| 2016 | 16 | No. 288 |
| 2015 | 13 | No. 362 |
| 2014 | 27 | No. 197 |
| 2013 | 15 | No. 315 |
| 2012 | 31 | No. 184 |
| 2011 | 25 | No. 215 |
| 2010 | 28 | No. 205 |
| 2009 | 27 | No. 211 |
| 2008 | 40 | No. 155 |
| 2007 | 53 | No. 110 |
| 2006 | 50 | No. 113 |
| 2005 | 58 | No. 101 |
| 2004 | 66 | No. 83 |
| 2003 | 62 | No. 80 |
| 2002 | 82 | No. 63 |
| 2001 | 72 | No. 74 |
| 2000 | 71 | No. 69 |
| 1999 | 83 | No. 56 |
| 1998 | 78 | No. 51 |
| 1997 | 121 | No. 50 |
| 1996 | 122 | No. 47 |
| 1995 | 153 | No. 36 |
| 1994 | 170 | No. 34 |
| 1993 | 224 | No. 24 |
| 1992 | 229 | No. 23 |
| 1991 | 255 | No. 20 |
| 1990 | 247 | No. 20 |
| 1989 | 303 | No. 18 |
| 1988 | 289 | No. 20 |
| 1987 | 334 | No. 19 |
| 1986 | 309 | No. 22 |
| 1985 | 341 | No. 19 |
| 1984 | 370 | No. 17 |
| 1983 | 406 | No. 18 |
| 1982 | 447 | No. 17 |
| 1981 | 442 | No. 18 |
| 1980 | 499 | No. 13 |
| 1979 | 469 | No. 12 |
| 1978 | 507 | No. 7 |
| 1977 | 460 | No. 9 |
| 1976 | 452 | No. 10 |
| 1975 | 451 | No. 12 |
| 1974 | 464 | No. 11 |
| 1973 | 563 | No. 6 |
| 1972 | 657 | No. 4 |
| 1971 | 616 | No. 4 |
| 1970 | 519 | No. 8 |
| 1969 | 454 | No. 10 |
| 1968 | 357 | No. 17 |
| 1967 | 371 | No. 14 |
| 1966 | 287 | No. 24 |
| 1965 | 290 | No. 27 |
| 1964 | 249 | No. 32 |
Fiona 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 Fiona, letter by letter.
- FFearn, alder
- IIodhadh, yew
- OOnn, gorse
- NNion, ash
- AAilm, pine
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Fiona
Questions about Fiona
- How do you pronounce Fiona?
- Fiona is pronounced fee-ONA. Two syllables, stress on the second. There's a short video above where you can hear it said.
- Is Fiona a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Fiona is a girl's name.
- How popular is Fiona in Ireland?
- In 2025, Fiona was No. 325 for girls in Ireland, with 12 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 1972, at No. 4.