Fiona

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For other uses, see Fiona (disambiguation).
Fiona
Pronunciation/fiˈoʊnə/ fee-OH-nə
GenderFeminine
Language(s)English
Origin
Language(s)Gaelic
Derivationfionn
MeaningWhite and fair
Region of originIreland and Scotland
Other names
Related namesFionnghal, Fíona, Gwen, Gwenn and Wynne

Fiona is a feminine given name of Gaelic origins. It means white or fair, the Irish name Fíona means vine. It was coined by Scottish writer William Sharp. Sharp may have drawn inspiration from Celtic variations of the name Catherine. Initially, the name was confined to Scotland but later it gained popularity in other countries, such as Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Australia, Germany and Canada.

Etymology[edit]

Fiona originates from the Gaelic word fionn, meaning white or fair, being a Latinised form; or an Anglicisation of the Irish name Fíona meaning vine.[1][2] In ninth-century Welsh and Breton language Fion (today: ffion) referred to the foxglove species and is also a female given name as in Ffion Hague.[3]

It was coined by the Scottish writer William Sharp under the pseudonym Fiona Macleod. Sharp may have drawn inspiration from Celtic variations of the name Catherine.[4] Fiona carries connotations of gentility and refinement, often suggesting aristocratic lineage for its bearer.[5] The name is commonly shortened to Fi, with other variations including Fina, Fee, and Tiona.[6]

Variations of the name Fiona include Gwenn in Breton, Gwen and Wynne in Welsh. Masculine forms include Fion, Fionn, Finnán, Finnén, Finn, Gwyn and Wyn.[7] The Scottish Gaelic feminine name Fionnghal is also sometimes equated with Fiona.[8]

Popularity[edit]

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.[9] Additionally, the Ossianic poems of James Macpherson helped to familiarize the name in the English-speaking world. It experienced a surge in popularity during the latter half of the 1960s.

Fiona was the 71th most popular name for baby girls born in 2023 in Germany.[10] It was the 439th most popular female name in Scotland in 2023.[11] The name was the most common female name in the ranking of most popular names for baby girls born in Liechtenstein in 2022.[12] In 2022, in Switzerland, Fiona was the 57th most popular name.[13] In Australia it is the 138th most popular baby names since the 1930s.[14] In New Zealand it was particulary popular during the 1960s until around 1980.[15] In Canada, it was the 287th most popular baby girl name, ranking in 287th.[16] In the US the 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.[17] It has ranked among the top 1,000 most popular names for girls since 1990 and among the top 500 since 1999.[18] The name Fiona has been particularly popular for girls of Asian or Pacific Islander descent in New York City, where Fiona ranked as the ninth most popular name for girls from those groups in 2007.[19]

Notable people with the given name[edit]

Fictional characters[edit]

Other[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, pp. 99–100, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1.
  2. ^ Hanks, Hardcastle & Hodges 2006, pp. 348–349.
  3. ^ The University of Wales' Dictionary website; accessed 21 April 2020.
  4. ^ Creswell, Julia (1995). Dictionary of first names. Internet Archive. [England] : Bookmart Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85605-340-2.
  5. ^ Room, Adrian (2002). Dictionary of first names. Internet Archive. London : Cassell ; New York : Distributed in the United States by Sterling Pub. Co. ISBN 978-0-304-36226-4.
  6. ^ Pickering, David (2004). The Penguin dictionary of first names. Internet Archive. London : Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-101398-5.
  7. ^ Campbell, Mike. "Names Related to the name Fiona". Behind the Name. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  8. ^ Mark, Colin (2003). The Gaelic-English Dictionary. Routledge. ISBN 0-203-27706-6.
  9. ^ Fergusson, Rosalind (1991). Choose your baby's name : a dictionary of first names. Internet Archive. London : Bloomsbury Books. ISBN 978-1-85471-080-2.
  10. ^ "Die beliebtesten Vornamen des Jahres 2023 – Top 500" (in German). Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  11. ^ Kelly, Lesley-Anne; Morrice, Emma; Sabljak, Ema (2024-03-28). "Tarzan, Banksy, Frenchie, and Pasty: The full list of Scottish baby names used in 2023 revealed". The Courier. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  12. ^ "LLV". Archived from the original on 2013-11-05. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  13. ^ "Das ist der beliebteste Babyname in deinem Kanton". watson.ch (in German). Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  14. ^ Nicholas, Josh. "Close call: most popular Australian baby names of the past century revealed". the Guardian. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  15. ^ "Revealed: Top Kiwi baby names of 2023". NZ Herald. 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  16. ^ Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2023-05-09). "Baby Names Observatory". www150.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  17. ^ "Popular Baby Names". www.ssa.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  18. ^ OACT. "Popular Baby Names". www.ssa.gov. Archived from the original on 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
  19. ^ "After More than a Decade, a Shift in the #1 New York City Baby Names". Archived from the original on 2010-02-09. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
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