My daughter's name is Kiona
I don't see it in the database but it is a Native American name that means "from the brown hills" or simply "brown hills." For months we could only find references to Native American and not a specific tribe. Then we found some evidence it may be Yakima, from the southeastern part of Washington state. Anyone else heard of this name or have more info for us?Incidentally, we adopted her domestically and she is half Native American. Kate
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Kiona is a place name in Washington state, and it may be from the Yakima for "brown hills", though George R. Stewart in American Place-Names says that's "possible", not definite. It may not matter to you, but I really doubt if there were any girls or women in the ancient Yakima culture named "brown hills." The idea of turning place names into given names is a modern one, and it wouldn't be part of most Native American cultures. Of course, people in European-American culture didn't name children things like Brittany and Savannah until the last couple of centuries, either.
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