The baby name Fenella is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced feh-NEL-ə (IPA: /fəˈnɛlə/).
Fenella is Irish (Gaelic), Scottish in Origin.
The baby name Fenella is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced feh-NEL-ə (IPA: /fəˈnɛlə/).
Fenella is Irish (Gaelic), Scottish in Origin.
Fenella is the Anglicized form of Irish Fionnuala (also Fionnghuala), built from fionn 'white, fair' and guala 'shoulder', yielding the meaning 'fair-shouldered' or 'white-shouldered'. The name figures in Gaelic legend via Fionnuala, daughter of Lir in the Children of Lir cycle. It also overlaps with the medieval Scottish name Finella, borne by a Pictish noblewoman linked to the death of King Kenneth II, which may have influenced the English spelling.
Usage in the British Isles revived in the 18th-19th centuries and was cemented by Sir Walter Scott's Peveril of the Peak (1823), whose Manx heroine Fenella brought the name wider notice, particularly in Scotland, Ireland, and the Isle of Man. Variants and related forms include Fionnuala, Fionnghuala, Finola, Finuala, Finella, and the diminutive Nuala; occasional nicknames are Nell and Nella. Today Fenella remains uncommon but recognisable in the UK and Commonwealth.
| Fenella Fielding Fenella Fielding was an English actress best known for her glamorous, husky-voiced screen presence and for being called "England's first lady of the double entendre." She rose to fame in the 1950s and 1960s, with notable appearances in Carry On Screaming! and Doctor in Clover. |
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Girls | 0 | #237 | 1 | 7,146 |
| SG | 0 | #282 | 1 | 11,010 | |
| DK | Girls | 0 | #329 | 1 | 7,429 |
| France | Girls | 1988 | #355 | 3 | 1,865 |
| MU | Girls | 0 | #362 | 1 | 8,539 |
| PH | Girls | 0 | #427 | 3 | 13,098 |
| CL | 0 | #434 | 1 | 6,867 | |
| PT | Girls | 0 | #471 | 1 | 7,952 |
| CR | Girls | 0 | #573 | 1 | 11,342 |
| AE | Girls | 0 | #596 | 2 | 20,968 |
| SG | Girls | 0 | #627 | 6 | 18,916 |
| HK | Girls | 0 | #647 | 4 | 16,104 |
| IN | Girls | 0 | #653 | 2 | 13,121 |
| CL | Girls | 0 | #915 | 1 | 14,098 |
| OM | Boys | 0 | #918 | 1 | 17,948 |
| MY | Girls | 0 | #981 | 14 | 24,821 |
| SA | Girls | 0 | #1,013 | 2 | 25,931 |
| CO | Girls | 0 | #1,152 | 1 | 16,140 |
| ZA | Girls | 0 | #1,229 | 8 | 25,928 |
Fenella is popular in 17 countries — most recent births per country:
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