Girl's name

Fionnabhair

“FIN-oor”

'white phantom' or 'fair spirit'

FindabairFinnabair

The story behind the name

Daughter of Medb and Ailill, offered again and again as a prize to warriors who would fight Cú Chulainn, until she died of shame at what her mother had done with her. The name is the same word as the Welsh Gwenhwyfar, which is to say it is the same name as Guinevere.

Quick answers

How do you pronounce Fionnabhair?

Fionnabhair is pronounced “FIN-oor”. Irish has three main dialect groups (Ulster, Connacht and Munster) and many names are said differently in each. The respellings here give the pronunciation most commonly heard in Irish English; where a well-known variant exists, both are shown.

What does the name Fionnabhair mean?

Fionnabhair means 'white phantom' or 'fair spirit'.

Is Fionnabhair a boy's or a girl's name?

Fionnabhair is traditionally a girl's name in Ireland.

How else is Fionnabhair spelled?

Other spellings and equivalents include Findabair, Finnabair. Irish names were written down by English-speaking clerks for centuries, which is why so many spellings survive for one name.

Related names

Fionnuala Fionn Fionnbharr

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