Fianna
A feminine name of Irish origin, meaning "fair" or "white".
Name Census estimates that about 260 living Americans carry the first name Fianna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Fianna today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fianna births was 2015 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fianna. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
260
~ 1 in 1,318,286 Americans
Peak year
2015
24 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,754
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Fianna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fianna from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 140 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fianna by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Fianna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fiannas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Fianna
The name Fianna is derived from the Irish Gaelic language and has its origins in ancient Irish mythology. It is believed to have originated from the Fianna, a legendary band of warriors and hunters led by the mythical hero Finn McCool.
The term Fianna is thought to come from the Old Irish word "fían," which means "a group of roving warriors" or "a band of hunters." The Fianna were known for their bravery, loyalty, and skill in battle, and they played a significant role in many Irish folk tales and legends.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Fianna can be found in the Fenian Cycle, a collection of stories and poems that recount the adventures of Finn McCool and his Fianna warriors. These tales were passed down through oral tradition for centuries before being written down in the 12th century.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Fianna. One of the earliest recorded instances is Fianna mac Báetáin, an Irish abbot who lived in the 7th century and founded the monastery of Ros Cumaile in County Laois.
Another significant figure was Fianna Fáil, the Irish republican political party founded in 1926. The party's name was chosen to evoke the spirit of the ancient Fianna warriors, representing the ideals of Irish nationalism and self-determination.
In more recent times, Fianna was the name of an Irish singer-songwriter, born Fianna Brazier in 1970, who gained popularity in the 1990s for her blend of traditional Irish music and contemporary folk.
Other notable individuals with the name Fianna include Fianna Ní Chinnéide (born 1957), an Irish politician and member of the Seanad Éireann; and Fianna McCall (born 1980), an American actress known for her roles in television series such as The Bold and the Beautiful.
While the name Fianna may not be as commonly used today as it once was, it remains an important part of Irish cultural heritage, evoking the spirit of courage, loyalty, and a deep connection to the country's rich mythological past.
People
Fianna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fianna as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fianna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fianna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 260 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fianna going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,318,286 US residents.
Is Fianna a common name?
We classify Fianna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 262 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fianna most popular?
The single biggest year for Fianna was 2015, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fianna is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Fianna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fianna in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.