Fionnuala
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- fin-NOO-la
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #2,675 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #13,203 for girls
Fionnuala is a girls' name of Irish origin, meaning “fair shoulder”. In 2025 it ranked 2,675th for girls in the UK (10 babies) and 13,203rd for girls in the US (6 babies).
What does Fionnuala mean?
Irish: fionn 'white, fair' + guala 'shoulder'
“fair shoulder”
In Irish legend Fionnuala is the daughter of Lir, turned into a swan with her three brothers.
Is Fionnuala a girl's or a boy's name?
Fionnuala is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 10 girls in the UK and 6 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Fionnuala in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #2,675among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 10about 1 in 28,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 17% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 10 girls in the UK were named Fionnuala, making it the 2,675th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,630th. Its busiest year was 1998, with 37 girls.
2025 had more girls named Fionnuala than any year since 2017.
Half of all the girls named Fionnuala in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2011. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 2,603rd in England and Wales.
Fionnuala in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 10 | #2,675 |
| 2024 | 3 | #5,966 |
| 2023 | 8 | #3,098 |
| 2022 | 4 | #4,870 |
| 2021 | 2 | #7,411 |
| 2020 | 6 | #3,630 |
| 2019 | 5 | #4,214 |
| 2018 | 7 | #3,344 |
| 2017 | 14 | #2,099 |
| 2016 | 5 | #4,290 |
| 2015 | 9 | #2,855 |
| 2014 | 9 | #2,809 |
| 2013 | 6 | #3,719 |
| 2012 | 10 | #2,666 |
| 2011 | 9 | #2,794 |
| 2010 | 10 | #2,540 |
| 2009 | 12 | #2,153 |
| 2008 | 8 | #2,895 |
| 2007 | 14 | #1,874 |
| 2006 | 9 | #2,451 |
| 2005 | 13 | #1,807 |
| 2004 | 14 | #1,634 |
| 2003 | 16 | #1,420 |
| 2002 | 19 | #1,186 |
| 2001 | 25 | #955 |
| 2000 | 25 | #954 |
| 1999 | 28 | #861 |
| 1998 | 37 | #728 |
| 1997 | 33 | #788 |
| 1996 | 24 | #924 |
How popular is Fionnuala in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #13,203among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 6about 1 in 270,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Too rare to calltoo few babies to tell
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 6 girls in the US were named Fionnuala, making it the 13,203rd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 13,448th. Its busiest year was 2010, with 12 girls. It first appears in the records in 1985.
Half of all the girls named Fionnuala in the US since 1880 were born between 2006 and 2019, the years shaded on the chart below.
Fionnuala in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | #13,203 |
| 2024 | 5 | #15,288 |
| 2023 | 7 | #12,192 |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 10 | #9,557 |
| 2020 | 6 | #13,448 |
| 2019 | 9 | #10,467 |
| 2018 | 8 | #11,422 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 10 | #10,109 |
| 2015 | 7 | #13,001 |
| 2014 | 9 | #10,949 |
| 2013 | 6 | #14,577 |
| 2012 | 6 | #14,956 |
| 2011 | 7 | #13,339 |
| 2010 | 12 | #9,227 |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 6 | #15,399 |
| 2007 | 7 | #13,918 |
| 2006 | 7 | #13,601 |
| 2005 | 5 | #16,455 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 11 | #9,043 |
| 2002 | 5 | #15,426 |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 5 | #14,403 |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 5 | #13,380 |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 5 | #10,672 |
Nicknames for Fionnuala
Names like Fionnuala
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Keira Caoimhe Cassidy Fiadh Cliodhna Orla Brianna Teagan Kiara Caragh Riona Raegan
More Irish names
Oscar Rowan Rory Maeve Finn Aiden Ryan Nolan Quinn Cody Erin Ronan Connor Declan Casey Kennedy
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Fionnuala: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/fionnuala, updated 20 October 2026.