Fiona
Meaning of Fiona
Fiona is a Scottish-Gaelic jewel, polished from the word “fionn,” which means “fair” or “white,” much like the first jasmine bloom that peeks out after an Indian summer shower. First fashioned into a given name by 18th-century Scottish writers and later carried worldwide by figures ranging from poet Fiona MacLeod to the feisty, ogre-turned-princess of Shrek fame, the name balances literary charm with pop-culture sparkle. In the United States, Fiona has skipped lightly up the popularity charts since the early 2000s, now dancing comfortably within the mid-300s—a steady rhythm rather than a Bollywood showstopper, but enough to keep her in the limelight. Pronounced fee-OH-nuh, she rolls off the tongue like a flute note in a Varanasi evening aarti, simple yet melodious. Parents drawn to names that evoke brightness, strength, and a hint of storybook magic often find Fiona a perfect match: traditional enough for a family puja list, modern enough to stand beside classmates named Aanya or Kian. Altogether, Fiona offers an elegant blend of Gaelic mist and global sunshine—an inviting choice for a little girl destined to paint her own rainbow across cultures.
Pronunciation
American English
- Pronunced as fee-OH-nuh (/fiˈoʊnə/)
British English
- Pronunced as fee-OH-nuh (/fiːˈəʊnə/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Fiona
| Fiona Ma is an American politician and accountant who has served as California state treasurer since 2019 and previously served on the California Board of Equalization, in the State Assembly, and on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. |
| Fiona Apple is an American singer songwriter whose five albums have all reached the Billboard 200 top 20, selling over 15 million records, winning three Grammys, and placing three albums on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums list. |
| Fiona Hill is a British American academic, foreign affairs advisor, and author serving as Chancellor of Durham University since 2023. |
| Fiona Brinkman is a Simon Fraser University professor and leading microbial bioinformatician focused on sustainable, holistic strategies for infectious disease control and microbiome conservation. |
| Fiona Shaw is an acclaimed Irish stage and screen actress, known for work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre, awarded an Honorary CBE in 2001 and named among Ireland's greatest film actors by The Irish Times in 2020. |
| Fiona Shackleton is an English solicitor and Conservative politician who has represented British royals and celebrities such as Sir Paul McCartney and Prince Andrew, earning the nickname the Steel Magnolia. |
| Dame Fiona Margaret Powrie leads the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology and the Experimental Medicine Division at the University of Oxford, and previously served as the inaugural Sidney Truelove Professor of Gastroenterology. |
| Fiona Plunkett was an Irish republican who helped organize the 1916 Easter Rising and was a leading member of Cumann na mBan. |
| South African born New Zealand writer and former doctor Fiona Stewart Sussman left general practice in 2003 and has since published award winning novels and short stories, including winning the 2018 Sunday Star Times Short Story Award. |
| Fiona Dourif is an American actress and producer best known as Nica Pierce in the Child's Play franchise, often alongside her father Brad Dourif, the series' main villain. |
| Fiona Fullerton is a British actress and singer best known for playing Alice in a 1972 film adaptation of the classic tale and as Bond girl Pola Ivanova in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill. |
| Fiona Mozley is an English novelist and medievalist whose debut novel Elmet was shortlisted for the 2017 Booker Prize. |
| Fiona May is a retired long jumper who competed for the United Kingdom and later Italy, won two world titles and two Olympic silver medals, and set a 7.11 m personal best at the 1998 European Championships. |
| Fiona Stafford - Fiona J. Stafford is a Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Somerville College. |
| Fiona Coote became Australias youngest heart transplant recipient at 14 in 1984 after surgery by Dr Victor Chang and was only the second in the country to survive long term. |
