Fiona is a feminine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a ...

. The name is associated with the Gaelic traditions of Ireland and Scotland (through the poetry of

James Macpherson James Macpherson (Gaelic: ''Seumas MacMhuirich'' or ''Seumas Mac a' Phearsain''; 27 October 1736 – 17 February 1796) was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector and politician, known as the "translator" of the Ossian cycle of epic poem ...

), but has also become popular in England.. It can be considered either a Latinised form of the

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

word ''fionn'', meaning "white", "fair", or an Anglicisation of the Irish name ''Fíona'' (derived from an element meaning "vine"). The

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well ...

feminine name ''Fionnghal'' (and variants) is sometimes equated with ''Fiona''. 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 Ffion Llywelyn Hague, Lady Hague of Richmond ('' née'' Jenkins; 21 February 1968) is a Welsh broadcaster, author, former civil servant, and wife of Conservative politician William Hague. Born Ffion Jenkins in Cardiff, she is a native Welsh sp ...

. ''Fiona'' was the 49th most popular name for baby girls born in 2008 in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. ''Fiona'' was tied for third place in the ranking of most popular names for baby girls born in

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...

in 2008. The name was the 347th most popular name for girls born in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in 2008, where it has ranked among the top 1,000 most popular names for girls since 1990 and among the top 500 since 1999. The name ''Fiona'' has been particularly popular for girls of Asian or Pacific Islander descent in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, where Fiona ranked as the ninth most popular name for girls from those groups in 2007.

Notable people with this name

* Fiona, singer, born Fiona Flanagan *

Fiona Alpass Fiona Margaret Alpass is a New Zealand academic at Massey University. Academic career After a 1994 PhD titled '' 'The effects of organisational change in the military: a comparison of work related perceptions and experiences in military and ...

, New Zealand academic * Fiona Apple, American singer *

Fiona Balfour Fiona Balfour is an Australian business executive in the field of information technology. She has been named Chief Information Officer of the Year in Australia four times: 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. In 2006 she was awarded the Pearcey Award for ...

, Australian business executive in the field of information technology *

Fiona Bloom Fiona Bloom is a music industry publicist who runs the New York City agency The Bloom Effect. Early life Bloom grew up in St John's Wood, London. She took piano lessons as a child and trained to be a concert pianist. She moved to the U.S. after ...

, publicist *

Fiona Bruce Fiona Elizabeth Bruce (born 25 April 1964) is a British journalist, newsreader, and television presenter. She joined the BBC as a researcher for '' Panorama'' in 1989, and has since become the first female newsreader on the ''BBC News at Ten' ...

, BBC presenter *

Fiona Campbell-Walter Fiona Frances Elaine Campbell-Walter, formerly Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza de Kászon et Impérfalva, (born 25 June 1932) is a New Zealand-born British model. She had a successful career in the 1950s and was photographed by Henry Clarke and Cec ...

, British model * Fiona Crombie, Australian costume and production designer *

Fiona Dourif Fiona Christianne Dourif (born October 30, 1981) is an American actress and producer. She is known for her role as Bart Curlish in BBC America's ''Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency'' and as the young Diane Jones in Dustin Lance Black's ''W ...

, American actress *

Fiona Fairhurst Fiona Fairhurst, born in 1971, is accredited with the design of the Speedo Fastskin swimsuit. Fairhurst herself was a competitive swimmer until the age of 16 and this provided her with some background within the swimming industry. Fairhurst studi ...

, inventor of the Speedo Fastskin swimsuit *

Fiona Ferro Fiona Ferro (born 12 March 1997) is a French professional tennis player born in Belgium. Ferro has won two singles titles on the WTA Tour and four singles titles on the ITF Circuit. She has career-high WTA rankings of No. 39 in singles, attaine ...

, French tennis player *

Melanie Fiona Melanie Fiona Hallim (born July 4, 1983) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.Fiona Fullerton Fiona Elizabeth Fullerton (born 10 October 1956) is a British actress and singer, known for her role as Alice in the 1972 film ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and as Bond girl KGB spy Pola Ivanova in the 1985 James Bond film ''A View to a ...

, English actress *

Fiona Fung Fiona Fung (Traditional Chinese 馮曦妤; Simplified Chinese 冯曦妤; born December 14, 1983), also known as Fung Hei-yu, is a Cantopop singer-lyricist based in Hong Kong. Biography At the age of 16, Fung was introduced by friends to Hon ...

, Hong Kong singer *

Fiona Gubelmann Fiona Victoria Gubelmann is an American actress. She has appeared in a number of single-episode roles in television, including ''CSI: NY'', ''My Name Is Earl'' and '' Knight Rider'', as well as a handful of films including '' Employee of the Mont ...

, American actress *

Fiona Hammond Fiona ("Fi") Hammond (born 10 May 1983 in Sydney) is an Australian water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which ...

, Australian water polo player *

Fiona Highet Fiona Highet is an Entomologist based in Scotland. She is an expert in bees and is Entomology Manager at SASA (formerly Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture). Education and career Highet was awarded a BSc in Zoology at the Universit ...

, Scottish entomologist * Fiona Hill, British-American foreign affairs specialist * Fiona McLeod Hill, British political adviser *

Fiona McLeod Fiona Grace McLeod (born 3 December 1957) is a Scottish politician who served as acting Minister for Children and Young People from 2014 to 2015. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she was Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) f ...

, Australian prominent barrister and Labor politician *

Fiona Kennedy Fiona Kennedy Clark, OBE, DL is a Scottish singer, actress, and broadcaster, and the daughter of Scottish and Gaelic singers Calum Kennedy and Anne Gillies. As a child, she appeared with her parents as they performed as a family, and this dev ...

, Scottish singer *

Fiona Krautil Fiona Lea Krautil (born 20 February 1956) is an Australian specialist in inclusion, diversity and equal opportunity in the workplace. Biography From 1999 to 2004 Krautil was director of the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency ...

, Australian specialist in inclusion, diversity and equal opportunity in the workplace *

Fiona MacDonald Fiona MacDonald MBE (born 9 December 1974) is a Scottish curler and Olympic champion, born in Paisley. She received a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.Fiona J. Mackenzie, Scottish Gaelic singer * Fiona Mactaggart, British politician *

Fiona May Fiona May Iapichino (born 12 December 1969 in Slough, England) is a retired track and field athlete who competed for the United Kingdom and later Italy in the long jump. She won the World Championships twice and two Olympic silver medals. Her perso ...

, English-Italian athlete and actress *

Fiona McFarlane Fiona McFarlane (born 1978) is an Australian author, best known for her book ''The Night Guest'' and her collection of short stories ''The High Places''. She is a recipient of the Voss Literary Prize, the UTS Glenda Adams Award for New Writing a ...

, Australian author *

Fiona Millar Fiona Millar (born 2 January 1958) is a British journalist and campaigner on education and parenting issues. She is a former adviser to Cherie Blair. She contributes to ''The Guardian'' and the Local Schools Network website. Early life Millar a ...

, British author and journalist *

Fiona O'Donnell Fiona O'Donnell (née Kenny; born 27 January 1960) is a Scottish Labour Party politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for East Lothian from 2010 to 2015. She served as the Shadow Minister for the Natural Environment and Fisher ...

, Scottish politician *

Fiona O'Driscoll Fiona O'Driscoll is a camogie player, winner of the National Camogie Player of the Year award in 2002 and a Lynchpin award, predecessor of the All Star awards, in 2003 and six All Ireland medals in 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2003. Care ...

, Irish camogie player * Fiona O'Loughlin, Australian stand-up comedian * Fiona O'Loughlin, Irish politician *

Fiona O'Malley Fiona O'Malley (born 19 January 1968) is a former Irish politician who served as a Senator from 2007 to 2011, after being nominated by the Taoiseach. She served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dún Laoghaire constituency from 2002 to 2007. Po ...

, Irish politician *

Fiona O'Shaughnessy Fiona O'Shaughnessy is an Irish film, stage, and television actress. Early life O'Shaughnessy was born in Galway. Her family moved to Reading, Berkshire, when she was 9. She returned to Galway a decade later where she pursued a career in the ...

, Irish actor *

Fiona O'Sullivan Fiona Julia O'Sullivan (born 17 September 1986) is a former footballer who played as a striker for clubs in the United States, Sweden, France, Germany and for English FA WSL team Notts County. Born and raised in the United States to an Irish f ...

, Irish footballer *

Fiona Onasanya Fiona Oluyinka Onasanya (; born 23 August 1983) is a former British Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) who was removed from that role as a result of a criminal conviction. She was elected in the 2017 United Kingdom general election for the ...

, British politician *

Fiona Phillips Fiona Phillips (born 1 January 1961) is an English journalist, broadcaster and television presenter. She is best known for her presenting roles with the ITV Breakfast programme '' GMTV Today''. Early life Phillips was born in Canterbury Hospi ...

, British journalist and broadcaster * Fiona Pitt-Kethley, British poet, novelist and journalist *

Fiona Richmond Fiona Richmond (born 2 March 1945) is an English former glamour model and actress. She became a British sex symbol in the 1970s for her appearances in numerous risqué plays, comedy revues, magazines and films. She has been described as one of ...

, English glamour model *

Fiona Ritchie Fiona Karen Ritchie MBE (born 1960) is a Scottish radio broadcaster best known as the producer and host of '' The Thistle & Shamrock'', an hour-long Celtic music program that airs weekly throughout the United States on National Public Radio (N ...

, American broadcaster * Fiona Robinson, Australian basketball and handball player *

Fiona M. Scott Morton Fiona M. Scott Morton (born 20 February 1967) is an American economist who serves as the Theodore Nierenberg Professor at Yale School of Management. Her research in industrial organization has covered industries including magazines, shipping, ...

, American Professor of Economics * Fiona Shaw, Irish actress *

Fiona Sit Fiona Sit (; born 11 August 1981) is a Hong Kong singer and actress. Early life In an interview with Hong Kong Newspaper Apply Daily in 2006, Fiona Sit revealed that she has always been interested in singing in front of an audience since a ver ...

, Hong Kong Cantonese singer *

Fiona Staples Fiona Staples is a Canadian comic book artist known for her work on books such as ''North 40'', '' DV8: Gods and Monsters'', ''T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents'', '' Archie'', and '' Saga''. She has been described as one of the best artists working in the in ...

, comic book artist * Fiona Watt, British children's author *

Fiona Xie Fiona Xie (谢婉谕, Xie Wanyu; born 24 January 1982) is a Singaporean actress, variety show host, and was named as one of the Seven Princesses of Mediacorp in 2006. She was prominently a full-time Mediacorp artiste from 2001 to 2009. Xie became ...

, Singaporean television actress

Fictional characters

Princess Fiona Fiona is a fictional character in DreamWorks' ''Shrek'' franchise, first appearing in the animated film ''Shrek'' (2001). One of the film series' main characters, Fiona is introduced as a beautiful princess placed under a curse that transforms ...

, the female lead and a major character in the ''

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jen ...

'' franchise * Fiona, stepmother of Sam Montgomery in the 2004 film ''

A Cinderella Story ''A Cinderella Story'' is a 2004 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Mark Rosman, written by Leigh Dunlap and starring Hilary Duff, Chad Michael Murray, Jennifer Coolidge, and Regina King. A modernization of the classic Cinderella ...

'' * Fiona in Lemony Snicket's ''

A Series of Unfortunate Events ''A Series of Unfortunate Events'' is a series of thirteen children's novels written by American author Daniel Handler under the pen name Lemony Snicket. The books follow the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire. After th ...

'' * Fiona, a character in ''

Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 ''Dead or Alive Xtreme 3'' is a sports video game in the '' Dead or Alive'' series developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo as the second sequel to the beach volleyball spin-off title ''Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball''. It was o ...

'' * Fiona, a character in ''

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 ''Xenoblade Chronicles 3'' is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by Monolith Soft and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. Released on July 29, it is the fourth installment of the open-world '' Xenoblade Chronicles'' franchise ...

'' * Fiona in the film '' EuroTrip'' * Fiona, main character in the film ''

Josie and the Pussycats Josie and the Pussycats (sometimes simply known as The Pussycats) are a fictional girl group A girl group is a music act featuring several female singers who generally harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense i ...

'' * Fiona, a character in '' Kid vs. Kat'' * Fiona, one of the regular characters in ''

Round the Horne ''Round the Horne'' is a BBC Radio comedy programme starring Kenneth Horne, first transmitted in four series of weekly episodes from 1965 until 1968. The show was created by Barry Took and Marty Feldman, who wrote the first three series. The ...

'' * Fiona, main character in the television series ''

So Weird ''So Weird'' is a television series that aired on the Disney Channel as a mid-season replacement from January 18, 1999, to September 28, 2001. The series was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia. In the first two seasons, the series centered on ...

'' * Fiona, leader of the rebel mages in '' Dragon Age: Inquisition'' * Fiona, a main player-character from the ''

Tales from the Borderlands ''Tales from the Borderlands'' is an episodic interactive comedy graphic adventure sci-fi video game based on the '' Borderlands'' series. It was developed by Telltale Games under license from Gearbox Software, the developer of the ''Borderland ...

'' video game * Fiona, the closest friend of Jonas in Lois Lowry's 1993 novel ''

The Giver ''The Giver'' is a 1993 American young adult dystopian novel written by Lois Lowry, set in a society which at first appears to be utopian but is revealed to be dystopian as the story progresses. In the novel, the society has taken away pa ...

'' * Fiona, a playable character in the Free-to-play game '' Vindictus'' * Fiona of Fort Weyr, Telgar Weyrwoman in ''

Dragon's Time ''Dragon's Time'' is a science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey and her son Todd McCaffrey in the ''Dragonriders of Pern'' series that she initiated in 1967. Published by Del Rey Books and released June 2011, ''Dragon's ...

'' by Anne and Todd McCaffrey * Fionna, the gender-swapped version of Finn in ''

Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...

'' *Fiona Bayar, an antagonist in '' The Seven Realms'' series * Fiona/Black Fairy in the TV series ''

Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in t ...

'' *Fiona Belli, protagonist in the game '' Haunting Ground'' *Fiona Callahan, a character in the CW show Charmed *Fiona Carter in the BBC show '' Spooks'' * Fiona Cat, Huckle Cat's mother from ''

The Busy World of Richard Scarry ''The Busy World of Richard Scarry'' is an animated children's television series, produced by CINAR Animation and France Animation in association with Paramount Television, which aired from 1994 to 1997, first on Showtime, later on Nickelodeo ...

'' *Fiona "Fee" Cleary, matriarch of the Cleary family in the novel and mini-series ''The Thorn Birds'' * Fiona Conneely, main character in ''

The Secret of Roan Inish ''The Secret of Roan Inish'' is a 1994 independent fantasy-adventure film written and directed by John Sayles. It is based on the 1957 novel ''Secret of the Ron Mor Skerry'', by Rosalie K. Fry. It is centered on the Irish and Orcadian folklores ...

'' *Fiona Coyne, a character in the Canadian television series '' Degrassi: The Next Generation'' * Fiona Fennec, a character in the comic ''

Kevin and Kell ''Kevin and Kell'' is a furry comedy webcomic strip by syndicated cartoonist Bill Holbrook. The strip began on September 3, 1995, and is one of the oldest continuously running webcomics. The comic's website states it is "The World's Longest R ...

'' * Fiona Flagstaff, a

Spinosaurus ''Spinosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of spinosaurid dinosaur that lived in what now is North Africa during the Cenomanian to upper Turonian stages of the Late Cretaceous period, about 99 to 93.5 million years ago. The genus was known first f ...

character in '' DinoSquad'' *Fiona Fox, a character in the '' Sonic the Hedgehog'' comics by Archie Comics *Fiona Gallagher, a character in the television drama '' Shameless'' * Fiona Gilman, a character in the video game '' Identity V'' *

Fiona Glenanne Fiona Glenanne is a fictional character in the television series '' Burn Notice'', portrayed by Gabrielle Anwar. According to Fiona's biography from USA Network: Fiona works with Michael Westen, Sam Axe and since season 4, Jesse Porter, doing o ...

, a main character in the television show '' Burn Notice'' *Fiona Goode, a character in '' American Horror Story: Coven'' * Fiona Hackworth in the book ''

The Diamond Age ''The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Neal Stephenson. It is to some extent a Bildungsroman or coming-of-age story, focused on a young girl named Nell, set in a future world in ...

'' * Fiona Kerr, a "notorious wet" in the novel ''

The Passion Flower Hotel ''The Passion Flower Hotel'' is a novel by Rosalind Erskine (real name Roger Erskine Longrigg). It was published by Jonathan Cape in 1962. The story concerns a young girl going to an English girls' boarding school. In the dormitory, the girls di ...

'' * Fiona Linette, a character in the anime series '' Zoids: Chaotic Century'' * Fiona Maxwell, one of the main characters in the 1993 novel ''

Tomorrow, When the War Began ''Tomorrow, When the War Began'' is the first book in the ''Tomorrow'' series by John Marsden. It was published in 1993, and is a young adult invasion novel, detailing a high-intensity invasion and occupation of Australia by a foreign power. Th ...

'' * Fiona Mayfield, a character in the video game series '' Arcana Heart'' * Fiona McLaren, the main female character in the Broadway musical ''

Brigadoon ''Brigadoon'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. The song " Almost Like Being in Love", from the musical, has become a standard. It features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, ...

'' * Lady Fiona McTarry, the alias of Agent Mimi in the James Bond spoof '' Casino Royale'' * Fiona Pitch, aunt of Baz Grimm-Pitch in Rainbow Rowell's 2015 novel ''

Carry On Carry On may refer to: * ''Carry On'' (franchise), a British comedy media franchise *Carry-on luggage or hand luggage, luggage that is carried into the passenger compartment * ''Carry On'' (film), a 1927 British silent film * ''Carry On'' (novel), ...

'' *

Fiona Volpe Fiona Volpe is a character in the James Bond film '' Thunderball'', played by actress Luciana Paluzzi. Paluzzi originally auditioned for the role of Domino Vitali in the film, but was given the role of Volpe. The character does not appear in the ...

, an assassin in the film '' Thunderball'' * Fiona Wallice, a character in the television and web series ''

Web Therapy ''Web Therapy'' is an improvised online series starring Lisa Kudrow as Fiona Wallice, a therapist who has conceived of a new form of therapy, the titular "web therapy". The series debuted on LStudio.com on September 22, 2008. Synopsis Fiona Wal ...

'' *

, sorceress in ''

The Chronicles of Amber ''The Chronicles of Amber'' is a series of fantasy novels by American writer Roger Zelazny. The main series consists of two story arcs, each five novels in length. Additionally, there are a number of Amber short stories and other works. Four a ...

'' novels *Fiona Fraunfeld, a main character in Ransom Riggs' 2001 book ''

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children ''Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'' is a contemporary fantasy debut novel by American author Ransom Riggs. The story is told through a combination of narrative and a mix of vernacular and found photography from the personal archives ...

Other

Fiona (hippopotamus) Fiona is a hippopotamus born at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, on January 24, 2017. The first Nile hippo imaged on ultrasound pre-natally and the first born at the zoo in 75 years, she was born premat ...

, first Nile hippo imaged on ultrasound pre-natally

References

{{given name Feminine given names English feminine given names Irish feminine given names Scottish feminine given names

Notable people with this name

Fictional characters

Other

See also

References