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There are really two separate origins for Fiona and therefore two separate pronunciations. The Irish name Fiona (spelled Fíona in modern Irish Gaelic), was actually originally spelled Fíne and is from the Latin word vinea, "vine", according to O Corrain & Maguire's Irish Names. It is pronounced "Feena".

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However, the Scottish name Fiona is an invention of the 18th century author James Macpherson. It was later made famous throughout Scotland when a man named William Sharp (1855-1905)wrote popular novels under the pen name Fiona Macleod. Most experts believe that Macpherson intended his name Fiona to be a feminization of the word fionn, meaning "fair, white". That Fiona seems to have always been pronounced in three syllables, as "fee-OH-nuh".