Úna
Say it: OO-na/ˈuːnˠə/
GirlIrishMythology3 letters2 syllables
#239
in Ireland (2025)
#199 with spellings combined
22
babies in 2025
#74
best rank (1966)
2,617
babies since 1964
Up 16
10-year rank change
Úna through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 22 | #199 |
| 2024 | 18 | #235 |
| 2023 | 35 | #136 |
| 2022 | 10 | #384 |
| 2021 | 14 | #301 |
| 2020 | 14 | #292 |
| 2019 | 24 | #203 |
| 2018 | 14 | #316 |
| 2017 | 21 | #233 |
| 2016 | 23 | #208 |
| 2015 | 24 | #215 |
| 2014 | 25 | #213 |
| 2013 | 18 | #274 |
| 2012 | 13 | #372 |
| 2011 | 21 | #250 |
| 2010 | 15 | #333 |
| 2009 | 19 | #263 |
| 2008 | 16 | #311 |
| 2007 | 18 | #259 |
| 2006 | 18 | #238 |
| 2005 | 13 | #277 |
| 2004 | 12 | #287 |
| 2003 | 16 | #225 |
| 2002 | 17 | #218 |
| 2001 | 9 | #315 |
| 2000 | 16 | #213 |
| 1999 | 16 | #211 |
| 1998 | 18 | #185 |
| 1997 | 21 | #213 |
| 1996 | 28 | #170 |
| 1995 | 25 | #173 |
| 1994 | 32 | #148 |
| 1993 | 19 | #204 |
| 1992 | 35 | #150 |
| 1991 | 23 | #187 |
| 1990 | 33 | #151 |
| 1989 | 39 | #132 |
| 1988 | 44 | #127 |
| 1987 | 52 | #116 |
| 1986 | 54 | #115 |
| 1985 | 47 | #130 |
| 1984 | 50 | #131 |
| 1983 | 57 | #122 |
| 1982 | 75 | #106 |
| 1981 | 74 | #105 |
| 1980 | 77 | #104 |
| 1979 | 74 | #105 |
| 1978 | 83 | #98 |
| 1977 | 67 | #119 |
| 1976 | 76 | #109 |
| 1975 | 84 | #98 |
| 1974 | 85 | #104 |
| 1973 | 95 | #87 |
| 1972 | 84 | #98 |
| 1971 | 91 | #94 |
| 1970 | 95 | #88 |
| 1969 | 88 | #84 |
| 1968 | 87 | #79 |
| 1967 | 84 | #82 |
| 1966 | 97 | #74 |
| 1965 | 73 | #89 |
| 1964 | 70 | #87 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0. Spellings with and without fadas are combined; the CSO only recorded fadas from 2018.
★ What does Úna mean?
Uncertain, possibly "lamb"
Irish Úna, possibly from uan (lamb).
Say it right
OOna
The fada makes the first sound a long "oo". The English forms Oona and Oonagh are said the same way.
The story of Úna
Úna is an old Irish name. Its origin is uncertain: it may come from uan, lamb, but that is only a suggestion. The English spellings Una, Oona and Oonagh all come from it. The same spelling Una also has a separate history in English, where Edmund Spenser used it, from the Latin unus, one, for a character in The Faerie Queene.
In Irish, Scottish and Manx folklore Úna, or Oonagh, is a fairy queen, the wife of Finvarra, or in some tellings of Fionn mac Cumhaill. A well-known bearer of the English form was Oona O’Neill, daughter of the playwright Eugene O’Neill and wife of Charlie Chaplin.
Úna was at its most popular in the 1960s. Its best year was 1966, when 97 girls were given it and it reached number 74. The CSO printed no fadas before 2018, so the older figures are for Una. In 2025, 18 girls were registered as Úna and 4 as Una. Together that made it number 199, while Úna on its own was number 239.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Úna (Irish proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Una (given name)
- Wikipedia: Oona
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, Baby Names in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Úna | 18 | 118 |
| Una | 4 | 2,499 |
In Northern Ireland
#259 in 2025 with 6 babies. Best rank #142 (2023); 173 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.