Fiona
Encyclopedia
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.
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. There is also a modern tendency to equate the authentic Scottish Gaelic feminine name Fionnghal with Fiona (note that it is possible that Fiona may have been based on Fionnghal).
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
. 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. 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. 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.
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
. The name Fiona was invented, and first used, by the Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
poet James Macpherson
James Macpherson
James Macpherson was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector and politician, known as the "translator" of the Ossian cycle of poems.-Early life:...
(1736–96), author of the Ossian
Ossian
Ossian is the narrator and supposed author of a cycle of poems which the Scottish poet James Macpherson claimed to have translated from ancient sources in the Scots Gaelic. He is based on Oisín, son of Finn or Fionn mac Cumhaill, anglicised to Finn McCool, a character from Irish mythology...
poems, which he claimed were translations from ancient Gaelic sources (sources, when challenged, he never produced). The name was subsequently used as a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
by William Sharp
William Sharp (writer)
William Sharp was a Scottish writer, of poetry and literary biography in particular, who from 1893 wrote also as Fiona MacLeod, a pseudonym kept almost secret during his lifetime...
(1855–1905), who authored several romantic works under the name "Fiona Macleod". The name has since become popular in England and Scotland.
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
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
of the Irish language name Fíona. There is also a modern tendency to equate the authentic Scottish Gaelic feminine name Fionnghal with Fiona (note that it is possible that Fiona may have been based on Fionnghal).
The name Fiona is rising in popularity particularly in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
-speaking countries. Fiona was the 49th most popular name for baby girls born in 2008 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Fiona was tied for third place in the ranking of most popular names for baby girls born in the tiny principality of Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
in 2008. The name was the 347th most popular name for girls born in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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 City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where Fiona ranked as the ninth most popular name for girls from those groups in 2007.
Real people with this name
- FionaFiona (singer)Fiona is an American rock music singer and actress best known as the love interest in the 1987 Bob Dylan vehicle, Hearts of Fire.-Life and career:...
, singer, born Fiona Flanagan - Fiona AppleFiona AppleFiona Apple McAfee Maggart is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success...
, singer - Fiona BruceFiona BruceFiona Elizabeth Bruce is a British journalist, newsreader and television presenter. Since joining the BBC in 1989, she has gone on to present many flagship programmes for the corporation including the BBC News at Six, BBC News at Ten, Crimewatch, Call My Bluff and, most recently, Antiques Roadshow...
, BBC presenter - Fiona FairhurstFiona FairhurstFiona Fairhurst is the inventor of the Speedo Fastskin swimsuit. She designs clothing for sport. She was nominated for the European Inventor of the Year award in 2009, in the Industry category....
, inventor of the Speedo Fastskin swimsuit - Fiona GubelmannFiona GubelmannFiona Victoria Gubelmann is an American actress. A native of California, 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 Month and Downstream...
, American actress - Fiona HammondFiona HammondFiona Hammond is an Australian water polo player, who joined the Women's National Team in 2006. She was a member of the side that won the gold medal at the 2006 FINA Women's Water Polo World Cup.-References:*...
, Australian water polo player - Fiona MacGillivrayFiona MacGillivrayFiona MacGillivray is the lead singer of the Celtic group The Cottars. She has toured with the band extensively through North America, Europe and Japan...
, Canadian singer - Fiona MackenzieFiona MackenzieFiona J Mackenzie is a Gaelic singer from Dingwall in Scotland, and has toured and performed throughout Europe and North America. In 2005 she won the An Comunn Gàidhealach Gold Medal at the Royal National Mod in Stornoway.-Career:...
, Scottish Gaelic Singer - Fiona MactaggartFiona MactaggartFiona Margaret Mactaggart is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Slough since 1997.-Early life:...
, British politician - Fiona MayFiona MayFiona May was an athlete who competed for the Great Britain and later Italy in the long jump. She won the World Championships twice and two Olympic silver medals...
, English athlete - Fiona MillarFiona MillarFiona Millar is a British journalist and campaigner on education and parenting issues. She was a former adviser to Cherie Blair. She writes a blog, The Truth About Our Schools, on education issues.-Early life:...
, British author and journalist - Fiona O'DonnellFiona O'DonnellFiona O'Donnell, née Kenny is a Scottish Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for East Lothian since 2010....
, Scottish politician - Fiona O'DriscollFiona O'DriscollFiona 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.-Career:...
, Irish camogie player - Fiona O'LoughlinFiona O'LoughlinFiona O'Loughlin is an Australian comedian, known primarily for her stand-up comedy; for her television performances, on ABC TV's Spicks and Specks, and Channel Ten's Rove Live and GNW; and a series of advertisements for Heinz soups...
, Australian stand-up comedian - Fiona O'MalleyFiona O'MalleyFiona O'Malley is a former Irish politician. She was a Progressive Democrats Teachta Dála for the Dún Laoghaire constituency from 2002 until 2007, and was a member of Seanad Éireann from 2007 to 2011.-Career:...
, Irish politician - Fiona O'ShaughnessyFiona O'ShaughnessyFiona O'Shaughnessy is an Irish actor.Born in Galway,Ireland, to Irish parents, her family moved to Reading, UK when she was eleven.She returned to Galway a few years later to pursue a career primarily within the theatre...
, Irish actor - Fiona O'SullivanFiona O'SullivanFiona O'Sullivan is an Irish American soccer striker. She represents the Republic of Ireland women's national football team and the Swedish club Kvarnsvedens IK...
, Irish footballer - Fiona PhillipsFiona PhillipsFiona Phillips is an English journalist, broadcaster and television presenter.-Early life:Phillips was born in Kent and Canterbury Hospital in 1961. Her grandparents ran the Duke's Head pub in Church Street St. Paul's. Phillips attended Kingsmead Primary School...
, British journalist and broadcaster - Fiona RitchieFiona RitchieFiona Ritchie 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...
, American broadcaster - Fiona RobinsonFiona RobinsonFiona Mary Robinson-Hannan is a retired female basketball player from Australia, who played for the Perth Breakers....
, Australian basketball and handball player - Fiona ShawFiona ShawFiona Shaw, CBE is an Irish actress and theatre director. Although to international audiences she is probably most familiar for her minor role as Petunia Dursley in the Harry Potter films, she is an accomplished classical actress...
, Irish actress - Fiona SitFiona SitFiona Sit Hoi-Kei is a female singer and actress from Hong Kong.-Biography:Fiona Sit attended Island School and studied Creative Media in City University of Hong Kong until 2004...
, Hong Kong Cantonese singer - Fiona XieFiona Xie-Career:Xie was spotted by a talent scout at the age of fifteen while was studying in St. Hilda's Secondary School. She modeled for numerous print and television commercials in Singapore and Hong Kong before joining MediaCorp Studios as a full-time artiste in 2001....
, Singaporean television actress - Julia RobertsJulia RobertsJulia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
, American actress born "Julia Fiona Roberts" - Kim HillKim Hill (broadcaster)Kim Hill is a New Zealand broadcaster. Currently she delivers the Saturday morning programme on Radio New Zealand National, a public radio station.- Background :...
, New Zealand broadcaster also known as Fiona
Fictional characters
- Fiona Belli, protagonist in the game Haunting GroundHaunting GroundHaunting Ground, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom for the PlayStation 2 console in 2005. The game shares many similarities with Clock Tower 3.-Gameplay:...
- Fiona CarterFiona CarterFiona Carter, also revealed as being named Amelia, was the character portrayed by Olga Sosnovska in the BBC television series Spooks. Originally an officer of the United Kingdom Secret Intelligence Service , Fiona was seconded to the Security Service following the departure of Zoe Reynolds...
in the BBC show SpooksSpooksSpooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a... - Fiona "Fee" Cleary, matriarch of the Cleary family in the novelThe Thorn BirdsThe Thorn Birds is a 1977 best-selling novel by Colleen McCullough, an Australian author.In 1983 it was adapted as a television mini-series that, during its television run 27–30 March, became the United States' second highest rated mini-series of all time behind Roots; both series were produced by...
and mini-series The Thorn BirdsThe Thorn Birds (TV miniseries)The Thorn Birds is a television mini-series broadcast on ABC between 27 and 30 March 1983. It starred Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Richard Kiley, Bryan Brown, Mare Winningham, Philip Anglim and Jean Simmons... - Fiona Conneely, main character in The Secret of Roan InishThe Secret of Roan InishThe Secret of Roan Inish is an American independent film written and directed by John Sayles, and released in 1994. It's based on the novel The Secret of Ron Mor Skerry, by Rosalie K. Fry....
- Fiona Coyne in the Canadian television series Degrassi: The Next GenerationDegrassi: The Next GenerationDegrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
- Fiona Flagstaff, character/spinosaurus in Dino Squad
- Fiona FoxFiona FoxFiona Fox can refer to:* The UK press officer* The Sonic the Hedgehog character...
in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic books by Archie ComicsArchie ComicsArchie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by... - Fiona Gallagher in the television drama Shameless
- Fiona GlenanneFiona GlenanneFiona Glenanne is a fictional character in the television series Burn Notice, portrayed by Gabrielle Anwar. According to Fiona's biography from USA Network:...
in the television show Burn NoticeBurn Notice (TV series)Burn Notice is an American television series created by Matt Nix. The show stars Jeffrey Donovan, Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, Sharon Gless, and, beginning in the fourth season, Coby Bell. The series premiered on June 28, 2007, on USA Network. On April 15, 2010, the show was renewed for its... - Fiona Hackworth in the book The Diamond AgeThe Diamond AgeThe Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer is a postcyberpunk novel by Neal Stephenson. It is to some extent a science fiction bildungsroman, focused on a young girl named Nell, and set in a future world in which nanotechnology affects all aspects of life. The novel deals with themes of...
- Fiona Elisi Linette in the anime series ZoidsZoids: Chaotic CenturyZoids: Chaotic Century, simply titled in Japan, is the first of Five anime series based on the Zoids range of mecha model kits produced by TOMY. The series was animated by XEBEC, and aired from 1999-09-04 to 2000-12-23 on TBS...
- Fiona McLaren, the main female character in the Broadway musical Brigadoon
- Fiona VolpeFiona VolpeFiona Volpe, played by Luciana Paluzzi, is a fictional character in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball. The character is a creation of the film-makers, an addition to Ian Fleming's original plot...
, an assassin in the film ThunderballThunderball (film)Thunderball is the fourth spy film in the James Bond series starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham... - Princess FionaPrincess FionaPrincess Fiona is the princess and the tritagonist in the films Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After. Actress Cameron Diaz provides her voice to the character, and Fiona's singing is provided by Renee Sands of Kids Incorporated and Wild Orchid.-Shrek:In Shrek, Lord Farquaad sends...
in the film ShrekShrekShrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...
and its sequels - Princess Fiona, sorceress in the Chronicles of Amber novels
- Fiona in Lemony SnicketLemony SnicketLemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
's A Series of Unfortunate EventsA Series of Unfortunate EventsA Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of children's novels by Lemony Snicket which follows the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire after their parents' death in an arsonous house fire... - Fiona, stepmother of Sam Montgomery in the 2004 film A Cinderella StoryA Cinderella StoryA Cinderella Story is a 2004 American romantic comedy film. The film stars Hilary Duff, Jennifer Coolidge, Chad Michael Murray and Regina King and was directed by Mark Rosman. The film's plot revolves around two Internet pen pals who meet at a school dance and fall in love but two different worlds...
- Fiona in the movie EurotripEuroTripEuroTrip is a 2004 teen comedy film directed by Jeff Schaffer and written by Alec Berg, David Mandel and Schaffer. The main plot follows Scotty "Scott" Thomas from Hudson, Ohio who travels across Europe to search for his German pen pal Mieke , whom he initially mistakes for a man named Mike...
- Fiona, main character in television series So WeirdSo WeirdSo Weird is a television series shot in Vancouver, British Columbia that aired on the Disney Channel as a midseason replacement from January 18, 1999 to September 28, 2001. In season one and season two, the series centered around teenage girl Fiona Phillips who toured with her rock star mom ,...
- Fiona in Lois LowryLois LowryLois Lowry is an American author of children's literature. She began her career as a photographer and a freelance journalist during the early 1970s...
's novel The GiverThe GiverThe Giver is a 1993 soft science fiction novel by Lois Lowry. It is set in a society which is at first presented as a utopian society and gradually appears more and more dystopian. The novel follows a boy named Jonas through the twelfth year of his life... - Fiona, main character in the film Josie and the PussycatsJosie and the Pussycats (film)Josie and the Pussycats is a 2001 comedy film released by Universal Studios and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Directed and co-written by Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan, the film is loosely based upon the Archie comic of the same name...
- Fiona in Kid vs. KatKid vs. KatKid vs. Kat is a Canadian animated television series developed and produced at Studio B Productions. The show is created and co-directed by Rob Boutilier. The feature revolves around a 10-year-old boy's constant battle with his sister's Sphinx cat which, in reality, is a cybernetic alien. The...
- Fiona, a playable character in the Free-to-play game Vindictus
- Fiona Cat, Huckle Cat's mother from The Busy World of Richard ScarryThe Busy World of Richard ScarryThe Busy World of Richard Scarry is a Canadian/French 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 Nickelodeon, and ran for 65 episodes...
See also
- List of Irish-language given names
- Tropical Storm FionaTropical Storm Fiona (2010)Tropical Storm Fiona was the eighth tropical depression and sixth tropical storm in the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. A weak and disorganized storm, it originated from a tropical wave that moved into the Atlantic Ocean late on August 25. After struggling to develop, it became a tropical storm on...
- a 2010 Atlantic storm - Fiona pinnataFiona pinnataFiona pinnata, common name Fiona, is a species of small pelagic sea slug, specifically a nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the superfamily Fionoidea...
, marine mollusc, only member of the genus Fiona and family Fionidae