Riona as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Riona

What is the meaning of the name Riona ?

The baby name Riona is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced /ˈriːənə/ (REE-uh-nuh).

Riona is Irish in Origin.

Riona is the Anglicized form of Irish Ríona (pronounced REE-na), a feminine name linked to Old Irish rígain “queen” and to the Gaelic name Ríonach meaning “queenly.” It is often treated as a shortened form of Ríonach; thus, Riona conveys “queen,” “queenly,” or “regal.”

In Irish usage, Ríona gained wider currency in the 20th century both as a revival of the older Ríonach found in medieval Gaelic records and as the standard Irish equivalent of Latin Regina, a Marian name. Spellings and variants include Ríona, Riona (without the fada), Ríonach/Rionach, and the rarer Rhiona; related cognates by meaning or origin include Regina and Spanish Reina. The name is most common in Ireland and the diaspora, with occasional cross-cultural use in Japan as a phonetic modern given name.