Fionnoula: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Fionnoula is an Irish girl's name meaning “fair-shouldered.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Meaning
- Fair-shouldered
- Gender
- Girl
- English forms
- Finola
How do you pronounce Fionnoula?
Fionnoula is pronounced finn-ULA. It has two syllables, with the stress on the second.
What does Fionnoula mean?
The name comes from fionn + ghuala “fair shouldered.” The chieftain King Lir and his wife Aobh had a daughter Fionnoula and three sons Aedh, Conn and Fiachra. When Aodh died Lir’s new wife Aoife was so jealous of her husband’s love for his children that she cast a spell on them and turned them into swans and condemned them to spend 300 years on Lake Daravarragh, 300 years on the Sea of Moyle and 300 years on Innis Glora. However, if they heard a Christian bell in Ireland they would become people again. One morning they were awakened by the sound of a Mass bell. St. Patrick had arrived. The children were brought to him and he baptised them and they have lived on in Irish mythology as the “Children of Lir” (read the legend).
How popular is Fionnoula in Ireland?
Fionnoula is rare in Ireland. Since 1964, fewer than three baby girls a year have been registered with the name, so it doesn't appear in the Central Statistics Office's baby name tables.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies’ Names 2025 and its girls' names table.
Fionnoula 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 Fionnoula, letter by letter.
- FFearn, alder
- IIodhadh, yew
- OOnn, gorse
- NNion, ash
- NNion, ash
- OOnn, gorse
- UÚr, heather
- LLuis, rowan
- AAilm, pine
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Fionnoula
Questions about Fionnoula
- How do you pronounce Fionnoula?
- Fionnoula is pronounced finn-ULA. Two syllables, stress on the second.
- What does Fionnoula mean?
- Fionnoula means “fair-shouldered.”
- Is Fionnoula a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Fionnoula is a girl's name.
- What is Fionnoula in English?
- The English form of Fionnoula is Finola.
- Is Fionnoula a rare name?
- Yes. Fewer than three girls a year are registered as Fionnoula in Ireland, too few to appear in the Central Statistics Office's tables.