Etymology

Fiona

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Today it means: A female given name from Scottish Gaelic, in regular use since the 20th century, first in Scotland, then in England. Full definition →

Irish fionn
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The story

  1. Irish · derived fromfionn“fair, white”
  2. English todayFiona

From Irish fionn (“fair, white”). In use before 1713. Popularized by James Macpherson (see 1765 quotation), and perhaps by the 19th-century Scottish writer William Sharp, who chose “Fiona Macleod” as his pen name. * (Sara Duterte): After the fictional character Princess Fiona from the Shrek series, who transforms from princess to ogre.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.