Fionn: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Fionn is an Irish boy's name meaning “white, fair.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated November 2026
- Meaning
- White, fair
- Gender
- Boy
- Also spelled
- Finn
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 6 for boys (2025)
How do you pronounce Fionn?
Fionn is pronounced FIN. It has one syllable. Other spellings: Finn.
What does Fionn mean?
Fionn is an ancient Irish name meaning “white” or “fair.” It comes from the Old Irish finn, which meant white, bright or fair, especially of hair and complexion, and in modern Irish fionn still means white or fair. Finn, the Old Irish form, is also used as a spelling of the name.
The name belongs above all to Fionn mac Cumhaill, the hero of the Fenian tales and leader of the Fianna, bands of roving hunter-warriors. He was born Deimne. In one tale, while cooking the Salmon of Knowledge for the poet Finnegas, he burned his thumb, put it in his mouth and gained the salmon’s wisdom, and the poet then named him Fionn.
Sources: Behind the Name, Ó Dónaill's Irish dictionary (teanglann.ie), Wikipedia, Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923).
Fionn in Irish legend
Grainne was the daughter of Cormac MacAirt, the high king of Ireland. No woman could compare to her beauty.
Read The Pursuit of Diarmuid and GráinneFinegas was a poet. He was one of the wisest men in Ireland.
Read The Legend of the Salmon of KnowledgeHow popular is Fionn in Ireland?
In 2025, 321 baby boys in Ireland were named Fionn, which made it No. 6 that year. Another 15 were registered as Fíonn. That's up from No. 19 ten years earlier. The most babies got the name in 2020: 353. It first appears in the records in 1971, with 5 baby boys.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 336 | No. 6 (Fionn) |
| 2024 | 313 | No. 7 (Fionn) |
| 2023 | 329 | No. 6 (Fionn) |
| 2022 | 307 | No. 11 (Fionn) |
| 2021 | 304 | No. 14 (Fionn) |
| 2020 | 353 | No. 8 (Fionn) |
| 2019 | 311 | No. 16 (Fionn) |
| 2018 | 318 | No. 14 (Fionn) |
| 2017 | 314 | No. 14 (Fionn) |
| 2016 | 308 | No. 21 (Fionn) |
| 2015 | 325 | No. 19 (Fionn) |
| 2014 | 270 | No. 26 (Fionn) |
| 2013 | 304 | No. 25 (Fionn) |
| 2012 | 292 | No. 27 (Fionn) |
| 2011 | 255 | No. 30 (Fionn) |
| 2010 | 265 | No. 35 (Fionn) |
| 2009 | 249 | No. 34 (Fionn) |
| 2008 | 239 | No. 35 (Fionn) |
| 2007 | 246 | No. 32 (Fionn) |
| 2006 | 195 | No. 39 (Fionn) |
| 2005 | 184 | No. 38 (Fionn) |
| 2004 | 172 | No. 41 (Fionn) |
| 2003 | 102 | No. 66 (Fionn) |
| 2002 | 99 | No. 66 (Fionn) |
| 2001 | 94 | No. 68 (Fionn) |
| 2000 | 90 | No. 64 (Fionn) |
| 1999 | 47 | No. 97 (Fionn) |
| 1998 | 47 | No. 91 (Fionn) |
| 1997 | 50 | No. 99 (Fionn) |
| 1996 | 54 | No. 104 (Fionn) |
| 1995 | 40 | No. 119 (Fionn) |
| 1994 | 27 | No. 139 (Fionn) |
| 1993 | 29 | No. 132 (Fionn) |
| 1992 | 18 | No. 167 (Fionn) |
| 1991 | 21 | No. 154 (Fionn) |
| 1990 | 29 | No. 139 (Fionn) |
| 1989 | 13 | No. 177 (Fionn) |
| 1988 | 16 | No. 166 (Fionn) |
| 1987 | 15 | No. 172 (Fionn) |
| 1986 | 10 | No. 203 (Fionn) |
| 1985 | 10 | No. 194 (Fionn) |
| 1984 | 10 | No. 197 (Fionn) |
| 1983 | 8 | No. 214 (Fionn) |
| 1982 | 4 | No. 286 (Fionn) |
| 1981 | 7 | No. 239 (Fionn) |
| 1980 | 5 | No. 264 (Fionn) |
| 1978 | 7 | No. 231 (Fionn) |
| 1976 | 5 | No. 258 (Fionn) |
| 1975 | 4 | No. 290 (Fionn) |
| 1972 | 3 | No. 307 (Fionn) |
| 1971 | 5 | No. 257 (Fionn) |
Fionn 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 Fionn, letter by letter.
- FFearn, alder
- IIodhadh, yew
- OOnn, gorse
- NNion, ash
- NNion, ash
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Fionn
Questions about Fionn
- How do you pronounce Fionn?
- Fionn is pronounced FIN, in one syllable.
- What does Fionn mean?
- Fionn is an Irish boy's name meaning “white, fair.” In Irish legend, Fionn mac Cumhaill led the warrior band the Fianna and gained his wisdom from the Salmon of Knowledge.
- Is Fionn a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Fionn is a boy's name.
- How popular is Fionn in Ireland?
- In 2025, Fionn was No. 6 for boys in Ireland, with 321 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. That's the highest it has ever ranked.
Sources: popularity from the Central Statistics Office, table VSA50 (CC BY 4.0). Meaning and origin from Behind the Name, Ó Dónaill's Irish dictionary (teanglann.ie), Wikipedia and Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923). How we research names: our sources. Spotted a mistake? support@babynamesofireland.com