Iona: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Iona is named after the Scottish island of Iona, where St. Columba founded his monastery. Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Gender
- Girl
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 544 for girls (2025)
How do you pronounce Iona?
Iona is pronounced i-O-na. It has three syllables, with the stress on the second.
What does Iona mean?
Iona is the name of a small island off the Isle of Mull, on the west coast of Scotland, where the Irish saint Colm Cille (Columba) founded his monastery around 563 AD. Traditionally born at Gartan in County Donegal, Colm Cille left Ireland as a “pilgrim for Christ.” The Book of Kells was made by monks closely tied to Iona and may have been begun there before being finished at Kells in County Meath.
The island’s early Gaelic name may have meant “yew place.” The spelling Iona comes from a medieval copying error, in which Ioua was misread with an n in place of the u. In Scottish Gaelic the island is Ì Chaluim Chille, “Iona of Columba.” As a girl’s name, Iona is used mostly in Scotland and Britain.
Sources: Behind the Name, Wikipedia, Dictionary of Irish Biography.
How popular is Iona in Ireland?
In 2025, 6 baby girls in Ireland were named Iona, which made it No. 544 that year. That's up from No. 581 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 2003, when 10 baby girls were named Iona, No. 314 that year. The most babies got the name in 2008: 11. It first appears in the records in 1988, with 3 baby girls.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | No. 544 |
| 2023 | 3 | No. 856 |
| 2022 | 4 | No. 747 |
| 2020 | 5 | No. 628 |
| 2017 | 7 | No. 524 |
| 2016 | 5 | No. 661 |
| 2015 | 6 | No. 581 |
| 2014 | 6 | No. 584 |
| 2013 | 6 | No. 587 |
| 2012 | 7 | No. 560 |
| 2011 | 6 | No. 612 |
| 2010 | 4 | No. 758 |
| 2009 | 6 | No. 582 |
| 2008 | 11 | No. 403 |
| 2007 | 7 | No. 505 |
| 2006 | 6 | No. 502 |
| 2004 | 4 | No. 576 |
| 2003 | 10 | No. 314 |
| 2002 | 3 | No. 620 |
| 2001 | 6 | No. 400 |
| 2000 | 4 | No. 465 |
| 1998 | 4 | No. 425 |
| 1997 | 6 | No. 394 |
| 1990 | 4 | No. 446 |
| 1988 | 3 | No. 492 |
Iona in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Iona, letter by letter.
- IIodhadh, yew
- OOnn, gorse
- NNion, ash
- AAilm, pine
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Iona
Questions about Iona
- How do you pronounce Iona?
- Iona is pronounced i-O-na. Three syllables, stress on the second.
- Is Iona a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Iona is a girl's name.
- How popular is Iona in Ireland?
- In 2025, Iona was No. 544 for girls in Ireland, with 6 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 2003, at No. 314.