Fionnuala
In Irish mythology, Finnguala was the daughter of Lir of the Tuatha Dé Danann. In the legend of the Children of Lir, she was changed into a swan and cursed by her stepmother, Aoife, to wander the lakes and rivers of Ireland, with her brothers Fiachra, Conn and Aodh, for 900 years until saved by the marriage of Lairgren, son of Colman, son of Cobthach, and Deoch, daughter of Finghin, whose union…
- Irish
- Irish Mythology
Meaning & Origin of Fionnuala
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
In Irish mythology, Finnguala was the daughter of Lir of the Tuatha Dé Danann. In the legend of the Children of Lir, she was changed into a swan and cursed by her stepmother, Aoife, to wander the lakes and rivers of Ireland, with her brothers Fiachra, Conn and Aodh, for 900 years until saved by the marriage of Lairgren, son of Colman, son of Cobthach, and Deoch, daughter of Finghin, whose union…
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Irish
- Irish Mythology
The Story of Fionnuala
Fionnuala first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1985, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2010: 12 births, good for #9,230 nationwide. About 47% of every Fionnuala on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. Fionnuala last appeared in the published SSA data in 2024, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 158 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Fionnuala
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Fionnuala. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Notable people named Fionnuala
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- Fionnuala Boyd
- Fionnuala Carr
- Fionnuala Ellwood
- Fionnuala Kenny
- Fionnuala McCormack
- Fionnuala Ní Aoláin
- Fionnuala Ní Fhlatharta
- Fionnuala Ní Flaithbheartaigh
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Fionnuala
Phonetically similar names — useful when Fionnuala is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Fionnuala
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About the name Fionnuala
Fionnuala is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1985 and has accumulated 158 births in the dataset. Fionnuala's peak popularity came in 2010 when it ranked #9,230. Use the chart and map above to compare Fionnuala's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
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Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.