Finola
A feminine name of Irish origin meaning "fair" or "white".
Name Census estimates that about 175 living Americans carry the first name Finola. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Finola today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Finola births was 2007 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Finola. 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
175
~ 1 in 1,958,596 Americans
Peak year
2007
20 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,676
Tracked since 1966
Popularity
Finola: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Finola from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 74 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
Finola 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 Finola during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Finola
The name Finola has its roots in the Irish Gaelic language. It is derived from the Old Irish word "fionnuala," which means "fair-shouldered" or "white-shouldered." The name traces its origins back to the early medieval period in Ireland, around the 5th to 9th centuries.
Finola was a popular name among Celtic and Gaelic communities in Ireland during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have been used by some minor noble families and may have had some association with the ancient Irish pagan goddesses or figures of folklore. However, there are no definitive historical records or texts from that period that mention the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Finola dates back to the 12th century. It appears in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, referring to a woman named Finola Ní Dhomhnaill, who was the wife of a prominent Irish chieftain.
Throughout the centuries, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Finola. In the 16th century, Finola Ní Dhubhthaigh (c. 1530-1590) was an Irish noblewoman and patron of the arts, known for her support of poets and scholars.
Another significant figure was Finola Ni Chonchubair (c. 1650-1720), an Irish-language poet and writer from County Mayo, who composed several works of literature and poetry in the Gaelic tradition.
In the 19th century, Finola O'Connor (1823-1905) was an Irish philanthropist and social reformer, who dedicated her life to improving the lives of the poor and advocating for women's rights.
More recently, Finola Hughes (born 1959) is a British-American actress known for her roles in various soap operas, such as "General Hospital" and "All My Children."
Finola Dwyer (1928-2021) was an Irish composer and musician, renowned for her contributions to traditional Irish music and her efforts in preserving and promoting the country's cultural heritage.
While the name Finola has its roots in Irish Gaelic culture, it has gained popularity and recognition beyond Ireland, particularly in English-speaking countries. However, its historical origins and meaning remain deeply rooted in the rich cultural traditions of the Emerald Isle.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Finola
People
Finola + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Finola 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
Finola: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Finola?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 175 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Finola 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 1,958,596 US residents.
Is Finola a common name?
We classify Finola as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 178 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Finola most popular?
The single biggest year for Finola was 2007, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Finola is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Finola a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Finola 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.