Fiona carries 33,296 cumulative American girls on SSA record, sits at rank 406, and reached its peak in 2017. The chart traces a steady late-twentieth-century climb followed by a 2010s plateau, with usage now drifting gently downward from a high that coincided with Fiona Apple's third creative peak and a wave of Scottish-revival naming.
The Scottish Gaelic source
Fiona derives from the Scottish Gaelic root fionn, meaning "fair" or "white," the same element behind Fionn mac Cumhaill, the legendary Irish hero. The modern feminine form was popularized by Scottish poet James Macpherson in his 1762 Ossian cycle and then cemented by William Sharp, who wrote under the female pen name Fiona Macleod throughout the 1890s.
American parents picked the name up slowly through the twentieth century, and Fiona Apple's 1996 debut Tidal turned it into a recognizable choice for indie-leaning families. DreamWorks' Shrek (2001) added a cross-generational pop-culture anchor that reaches every preschool-aged child today.
The Celtic-revival sibling cluster
Fiona sits comfortably with Maeve, Saoirse, Niamh, and Nora in the Celtic-revival set that American parents have favored since the early 2000s. Browse the broader Scottish Gaelic girl names family for adjacent options.
The counter-reading
The Shrek association is the practical question. Princess Fiona is beloved, but the green-ogre image is universally recognized, and some parents will read that as a charming pop-culture wink while others will find it locks the name into a single visual frame. The FEE-oh-na rhythm itself is soft, three syllables, and travels well across English-speaking countries. Nicknames Fi and Fee work casually, though most Fionas use the full name through adulthood.