Iona: name meaning, origin & popularity
- Meaning
- “from Iona island”
- Origin
- Scottish Gaelic
- Say it
- eye-OH-nah · 3 syllables
- Used for
- Girls
Iona is taken from the name of the Hebridean island, an important early Christian center in Scotland. The island name's deeper origin is uncertain.
How popular is Iona?
Babies named Iona in 202466
2024 rank#2,769 girls
Peak year1904
Total US babies since 188012,196
Iona is rising: use over the last five years is 1.5× what it was a decade earlier.
Names like Iona
Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.
- Paisleychurch · Scottish Gaelic
- ElsieGod is my oath · Scottish Gaelic
- Mackenzieson of Coinneach · Scottish Gaelic
- Bonniepretty; cheerful · Scottish Gaelic
- Camryncrooked nose · Scottish Gaelic
- Fionafair, white · Scottish Gaelic
- Skyefrom the Isle of Skye · Scottish Gaelic
- Blaireplain, field · Scottish Gaelic
Iona questions
What does the name Iona mean?
Iona means "from Iona island". It comes from Scottish Gaelic. Iona is taken from the name of the Hebridean island, an important early Christian center in Scotland. The island name's deeper origin is uncertain.
Is Iona a boy or girl name?
Iona is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).
How popular is Iona?
66 US babies were named Iona in 2024. Its peak year was 1904.
How do you pronounce Iona?
Iona is usually pronounced eye-OH-nah.
Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.