Fiona
| Pronunciation | /fiˈoʊnə/ fee-OH-nə) |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Gaelic (Latinised) |
| Meaning | white, fair |
| Region of origin | England, Scotland |
| Other names | |
| Related names | Fiona, Fionnghal, Fíona |
Fiona is a feminine given name. The name Fiona was invented, and first used, by the Scottish poet James Macpherson (1736–96), author of the Ossian poems, which he claimed were translations from ancient Gaelic sources (sources, when challenged, he never produced). The name was subsequently used as a pseudonym by William Sharp (1855–1905), who authored several romantic works under the name "Fiona Macleod". The name has since become popular in England and Scotland.[1]
The name is considered to be a Latinised form of the Gaelic word fionn, meaning "white", "fair". The name Fiona is also sometimes used as an Anglicisation of the Irish language name Fíona.[1] There is also a modern tendency to equate the authentic Scottish Gaelic feminine name Fionnghal with Fiona[2] (note that it is possible that Fiona may have been based on Fionnghal).[1]
The name Fiona is rising in popularity particularly in German-speaking countries. Fiona was the 49th most popular name for baby girls born in 2008 in Germany.[3] Fiona was tied for third place in the ranking of most popular names for baby girls born in the tiny principality of Liechtenstein in 2008.[4] The name was the 347th most popular name for girls born in the United States 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.[5] 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.[6]
Real people with this name
- Fiona Apple, a singer
- Fiona (Kim Hill), New Zealand broadcaster
- Fiona, a singer, born Fiona Flanagan
- Fiona Bruce, BBC Newreader and Television presenter
- Fiona Fairhurst, the inventor of the Speedo Fastskin swimsuit
- Fiona Hammond, an Australian water polo player
- Fiona MacGillivray, Canadian singer with The Cottars
- Fiona Mackenzie, Scottish Gaelic Singer
- Fiona May, a former British athlete who competed internationally for Italy
- Fiona Millar, author and journalist
- Fiona Phillips, a British journalist and broadcaster
- Fiona Robinson, an Australian basketball and handball player
- Fiona Ritchie, host of The Thistle and Shamrock on NPR
- Fiona Shaw, an Irish actress
- Fiona Sit, a Hong Kong Cantonese singer
- Fiona Xie, Singaporean television actress
- Julia Fiona Roberts, an American actress (staring e.g. in Pretty Woman) born with middle name "Fiona".
Fictional characters
- Princess Fiona, character in the Amber novels
- Fiona Belli, protagonist in the game Haunting Ground
- Fiona Carter in the BBC show Spooks
- 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
- Fiona Flagstaff, character/spinosaurus in Dino Squad
- Fiona Fox in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic books by Archie Comics
- Fiona Gallagher in the television drama, Shameless
- Fiona Glenanne in the television show Burn Notice
- Fiona Hackworth in the book The Diamond Age
- Fiona Elisi Linette in the anime series Zoids
- Fiona in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
- Fiona McLaren, the main female character in the Broadway musical Brigadoon
- Fiona, stepmother of Sam Montgomery in the 2004 film A Cinderella Story
- Fiona Volpe, an assassin in the film Thunderball
- Fiona in the movie Eurotrip
- Princess Fiona in the film Shrek and its sequels
- Fiona, main character in So Weird
- Fiona in Lois Lowry's The Giver
- Fiona, main character in the film Josie and the Pussycats
- Fiona Coyne, a character on the Canadian television series Degrassi: The Next Generation
See also
- Fiona pinnata, marine mollusc, only member of the genus Fiona and family Fionidae
Notes
- ^ a b c A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0192800507.
- ^ Mark, Colin (2003). The Gaelic-English Dictionary. Routledge. ISBN 0-203-27706-6.
{{cite book}}:|format=requires|url=(help) - ^ http://www.beliebte-vornamen.de/2008
- ^ http://www.llv.li/llv-as-publikationen-vornamen_neugeborenen.htm
- ^ http://www.ssa.gov/cgi-bin/babyname.cgi
- ^ http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/pr2008/pr069-08.shtml
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