Fiona

Derived from the Gaelic word fionn, meaning pale or fair. Scottish writer William Sharp invented it as a literary given name in the late nineteenth century for his pseudonym, Fiona Macleod. It lingered as an import in American birth registrations for decades before taking off in the late 1990s.

The name reads as bookish, slightly theatrical, and unmistakably modern in American living rooms. Most listeners under thirty picture either an indie singer-songwriter or an animated princess who chose the swamp. With an average bearer around seventeen years old, it currently occupies high school debate teams and freshman dorm rosters. It sounds ancient until compared against the registration dates.