girl's name
Oona
OO-nuh (English)
- Origin Irish
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 2,623
Scotland
#490
2024 births
Oona is a girl's name of Irish origin, an English spelling of Úna. Its meaning is debated: many sources connect it with uan, the Irish word for "lamb," while others point to Latin una, "one." It's also used in Finland.
- Oona is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 2015, when 131 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 53,476 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1942.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Oona Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1940s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 17 |
| 1950s | 5 |
| 1960s | 51 |
| 1970s | 114 |
| 1980s | 40 |
| 1990s | 94 |
| 2000s | 275 |
| 2010s | 718 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 462 |
What Oona Means
Oona is most often read as lamb, through Irish uan, a soft image of gentleness. The other reading, one or unity, follows from a likeness to Latin, and neither has been firmly proven.
Where Oona Comes From
Úna is an old Irish name, found in legend as the daughter of a king of Lochlann, the Irish word for Scandinavia. Irish uan, lamb, is the leading explanation, and Ancestry and Mama Natural follow it, while The Bump favors Latin unus, one. The Latin link may have grown through the English form Una, which Edmund Spenser used for a heroine of The Faerie Queene. Oona arose as a phonetic English spelling of the Irish sound, and Oonagh is a related form. Finland has its own Oona, listed by Behind the Name as a separate Finnish use.
Oona in Use
Well-known bearers include Oona O'Neill, the daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill and wife of Charlie Chaplin, and her granddaughter, the actress Oona Chaplin. The spelling Oonagh is the usual alternative in Ireland.
How Popular Is Oona?
In 2025, Oona was given to 62 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Oona Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Oona
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Oona Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Oona over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Oona
- English OO-nuh
Oona in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Oona
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Oona — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Oona
What does the name Oona mean?
It's most often read as lamb, from Irish uan, though a Latin link to "one" is also proposed.
How do you pronounce Oona?
OO-nuh.
Is Oona an Irish name?
Yes. It's an English spelling of Irish Úna, and it's also used in Finland.
How popular is the name Oona?
In 2025, Oona was given to 62 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Oona a girl's or a boy's name?
Oona is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Oona?
Oona has 2 syllables.
When was Oona most popular?
Oona peaked in 2015, when 131 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Oona a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Oona currently ranks #490 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.