Boy's name
Fionn
“FYUN (also FIN)”
IPA: /fʲũːn̪ˠ/
'fair, bright, white'
The story behind the name
Fionn mac Cumhaill, leader of the Fianna, gained all knowledge by burning his thumb on the Salmon of Wisdom and sucking it — and thereafter had only to put thumb to mouth to know anything. Folklore made him a giant who built the Giant's Causeway to reach Scotland. The spelling Finn now travels far beyond Ireland, helped by Nordic parents for whom it is also a native name.
Surnames built on this name
Meanings follow Ó Corráin & Maguire's Irish Names and Woulfe; pronunciations give the commonest Irish-English form. Know this name better — a dialect pronunciation, a family tradition? Tell us. · All Irish names A–Z