Oona

Irish, “lamb”

While the short, zippy Una is my personal favorite spelling of this name, the distinctive-looking Oona is Nameberry-Editor-in-Chief Sophie Kihm’s pick of the two!

With an unusual, double-vowel beginning and an appealing four-letter-ends-in-a format, Oona gets extra points for its sweet animal meaning and its more international feel, being both a Finnish and Anglicized form of the Irish Úna.

Popular in Belgium and Finland where it ranked at #104 and #41 in a recent year, it has a sparkly, mystical sound — part woodsy and fairy-like, part smooth and stylish. Reminiscent of other Nameberry favorites like Luna, Runa, Anna, Orla, and Juno, it borrows a touch of showbiz glam from actress Oona Chaplin —and her namesake, Oona O’Neill Chaplin, wife to the famous Charlie.