Today’s choice is simple and exotic at once – but both her meaning and the most logical spelling are open to debate.

Thanks to Nicole (aka Dirty Hippy) for suggesting our Name of the Day: Oona.

With choices like Mia and Ava topping the charts, plenty of parents are searching for the next simple, two-syllable choice for girls. We’ve suggested that Isla might be a contender; there’s also Anya, Noa and Luna.

But what about Oona?

She has an authentically Irish feel, but it’s rare on both sides of the Atlantic. While she appears sparingly in the US census records, she’s never ranked in the Top 1000. And while she’s slightly more familiar in Europe, she’s far from common.

Variant spellings include Oonagh, which feels even more aggressively Irish, and the Latinate Una. Una regularly ranked in the US Top 1000 from 1880 through 1944, and while she never went higher than the 300s, appears to be the most popular.

But are Una, Oona and Oonagh the same name? There are at least three possible meanings:

  • The name could derive from the Latin for one. This connects to the spelling Una, but seems like a stretch for the other two variants;
  • Some sites indicate that the name means hunger or famine, but we’re hard-pressed to find the etymology behind that claim;
  • The Irish uan, for lamb, could also be the name’s source.

There’s also a saint who might’ve inspired the moniker. In the 600s, a noblewoman called Hunna devoted her life to serving the poor in France. She’s also known as St. Una. That places the earliest use of the name far earlier than most records suggest.

Una also appears in Edmund Spenser’s 16th century epic The Faerie Queen. She represents truth, especially the true religion. Spenser wrote just as Queen Elizabeth I had reaffirmed the Church of England; in the poem, a character called Duessa represents evil, especially the Roman Catholic Church. It’s quite clear that Spenser chose Una to mean one, first or possibly unity – but with a saint bearing the name a thousand years earlier, it’s difficult to say he was the first to use it.

Oona was also the name playwright Eugene O’Neill chose for his daughter in 1919. She grew up to marry Charlie Chaplin – four decades her senior.

Other Oonas and Unas have an otherworldly quality. A fairy named Oona features in the 1985 fantasy movie Legend; a genus of butterflies is known as Una. Princess Oona is a member of Donald Duck’s extended family, though you’ll only find her in European Disney publications, especially in Scandinavia.

If Oona is going to rise, it’s not her meaning or historic uses but her simple and intriguing sound that will have to propel her to greater use. And that could happen – besides the popularity of the name’s style, there’s also the trend for vowels. With Owen and Olivia, Theo and Juno sounding quite current, Oona fits in perfectly.

As for the spelling question? We’re torn. While Oonagh seems too complicated, at least in the US, both Oona and Una seem like appealing options for a modern child. Perhaps it’s simply a question of what draws you to the name – if you’re hoping for an Irish heritage choice, the “oo” spelling has a lot of oomph. The “u” seems a bit more restrained – but likely to be confused with Uma.

Either way, we think this one has a lot of spirit and style.

About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

Read More About Me

You May Also Like:

What do you think?

40 Comments

  1. My mother, half Sioux maternally and Black Foot with one African-American in the DNA, was named Ona, named after someone her mother admired, an Ona Allbritton. My father, two generations from Ireland, was a flamin’ Fenian and he raised me “that Irish aren’t white,” and told me as many of the old stories as he could remember being told–but he especially and often told me about the heroes of the Easter Rising and The Foggy Dew was played by an Irish piper at his burial, but that is the story for another day.

    So I got the Oona, as the 2nd Ona and more Irish spelling. My mother did not like Una and the very idea of Oonagh was a bit much for MS in 1953. And I was called by my Anglicised 2nd name “Lisa” (Eilis, Elisabeth) until my first Irish dance lesson when (another long story), my name changed in an instant when I fell into a sobbing heap after my first reel. So I am, by birth, Oonagh Eilis Brid Parnell ni Riain. When I married and we were hyphenating names, I went the whole route and changed my “official” name to
    oonagh Eilis Brid Parnell Cionaodha ni-Maoilriain Bean-U

    Reply

  2. My mother, half Sioux maternally and Black Foot with one African-American in the DNA, was named Ona, named after someone her mother admired, an Ona Allbritton. My father, two generations from Ireland, was a flamin’ Fenian and he raised me “that Irish aren’t white,” and told me as many of the old stories as he could remember being told–but he especially and often told me about the heroes of the Easter Rising and The Foggy Dew was played by an Irish piper at his burial, but that is the story for another day.

    So I got the Oona, as the 2nd Ona and more Irish spelling. My mother did not like Una and the very idea of Oonagh was a bit much for MS in 1953. And I was called by my Anglicised 2nd name “Lisa” (Eilis, Elisabeth) until my first Irish dance lesson when (another long story), my name changed in an instant when I fell into a sobbing heap after my first reel. So I am, by birth, Oonagh Eilis Brid Parnell ni Riain. When I married and we were hyphenating names, I went the whole route and changed my “official” name to
    oonagh Eilis Brid Parnell Cionaodha ni-Maoilriain Bean-U

    Reply

  3. My mother, half Sioux maternally and Black Foot with one African-American in the DNA, was named Ona, named after someone her mother admired, an Ona Allbritton. My father, two generations from Ireland, was a flamin’ Fenian and he raised me “that Irish aren’t white,” and told me as many of the old stories as he could remember being told–but he especially and often told me about the heroes of the Easter Rising and The Foggy Dew was played by an Irish piper at his burial, but that is the story for another day.

    So I got the Oona, as the 2nd Ona and more Irish spelling. My mother did not like Una and the very idea of Oonagh was a bit much for MS in 1953. And I was called by my Anglicised 2nd name “Lisa” (Eilis, Elisabeth) until my first Irish dance lesson when (another long story), my name changed in an instant when I fell into a sobbing heap after my first reel. So I am, by birth, Oonagh Eilis Brid Parnell ni Riain. When I married and we were hyphenating names, I went the whole route and changed my “official” name to
    oonagh Eilis Brid Parnell Cionaodha ni-Maoilriain Bean-U

    Reply

  4. I don’t find the sound of the name that appealing but is interesting. I knew a girl once with this name (she’s probably in her late 40s now). She was Irish American and she spelled it Una.

    Reply

  5. To me, either one (Oona or Una) looks like a name a cave woman might have. It sounds positively ancient. I just don’t like the sound of it at all. I went to camp with a little girl named Una (I guess she’s about 25 by now, actually). No one teased her because her name was weird, but we all acknowledged its weirdness nevertheless.

    Reply

  6. I love Oona but not Una. I think it was the double “o” that grabbed my attention and i really love that spelling. It is so spunky whilst Una seems reserved.
    Great name and i love saying it and writing it out – Oona 🙂

    Reply

  7. There’s a little girl who comes into my store named Oona… I believe she’s named after Ms. O’Neill. I think Oona is quite charming, Una, however, I don’t like at all. I know it’s pronounced the same, but I wouldn’t consider them to be the same name at all. Oona is quirky, cool, bohemian, chic, etc… while Una is a Mexican grandma, just not appealing at all.

    Reply

  8. I fell in love with Una after reading The Faerie Queene my freshman year of college. It’s a tough one to match with last names, though. It needs a last name with very soft sounds, I think. Unfortunately, my last name doesn’t work! If it did, I might be considering it instead of Clara.

    Reply

  9. Oona’s long been a favorite. Dad was a Charlie Chaplin fan and Oona O’Neill was a familiar name around the house. She was a gorgeous woman (google images for her, what a stunner)! Funny though, I thoroughly dislike Una (reminds me of my kid brother’s favorite card game when we were growing up: Uno) and Oonagh looks like it might appeal to the trendies. (and I dislike Uma as well, I always expect a sister named Radha). But Oona’s darling. Sound wise, she’s refreshing and packs a punch. Looks wise, she’s a bit of an odd duck but again, completely refreshing to see. I tried for a while to use her in the middle somewhere but sadly, everything I like just clashes with her. I think she’s a bit too open sounding and Irish to mesh with my generally English oddballs (occasionally French).

    I would adore meeting a little Oona (and wouldn’t frown at a tiny Una) but sadly, I don’t think she’s for me. Elisabeth, Oona would make a fantastic sister for Bea! 😀

    Reply

    1. I am Irish and the correct Irish spelling is actually Una. Oonagh is an anglicised spelling of the name. This is a common misconception especially outside Ireland.

      Reply