UK girl's name
Oona
Of Irish origin, meaning "lamb" or "one".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Oona is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Oona popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1302, with 25 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2021, with 38 births.
This profile covers 343 England and Wales registrations across 28 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 66% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 382 living people in the UK are called Oona. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Oona ranked #1302 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 25 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2021, when 38 girls were registered as Oona.
- • Oona ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #476 in 2024.
- • About 382 living people in the UK are estimated to have Oona as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1302
2024
Births in 2024
25
Latest year
Peak year
2021
38 births
Estimated living
382
2026
Meaning
What does Oona mean?
The name Oona is believed to have its origins in the Irish language, where it is derived from the Gaelic word "uan," meaning "lamb." The name was popular in Ireland and other Celtic regions during the Middle Ages and has been used as a given name for both males and females.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Oona can be found in the Ulster Annals, a collection of medieval Irish chronicles dating back to the 15th century. The Annals mention an individual named Oona O'Neill, who lived in the late 15th century and was a member of the powerful O'Neill dynasty in Ulster.
In the 16th century, the name Oona gained prominence through its association with St. Oona (also spelled Ona or Una), an Irish nun and abbess who lived in the 6th century. St. Oona founded a convent in County Antrim and is venerated in the Catholic Church for her piety and dedication to religious life.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Oona was Oona O'Neill, the daughter of the famous American playwright Eugene O'Neill. Born in 1925, Oona O'Neill gained notoriety for her marriage to British actor Charlie Chaplin, who was 36 years her senior. Their union caused a significant public scandal due to the age gap but lasted until Chaplin's death in 1977.
Another prominent individual with the name Oona was Oona King, a British politician and former Member of Parliament for the Labour Party. Born in 1967, King served as the MP for Bethnal Green and Bow from 1997 to 2005 and was known for her advocacy on issues related to racial equality and social justice.
In the world of literature, Oona Frawley was an Irish-American writer and journalist who lived from 1913 to 1990. She was known for her short stories and novels, which often explored themes of Irish-American identity and the immigrant experience.
While the name Oona has Irish roots, it has also been adopted in other cultures and regions around the world. For instance, Oona Chaplin, a Spanish actress born in 1986, is the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin and Oona O'Neill. Her name serves as a testament to the enduring influence of this unique and historically significant moniker.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Oona over time
The chart below shows babies named Oona registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Oona, the clearest high point is 2021. The latest England and Wales figure is 25 births in 2024, compared with 38 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Oona by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Oona was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1361 | 123 | 5 |
| 2010s | #2104 | 145 | 10 |
| 2000s | #3027 | 55 | 9 |
| 1990s | #2891 | 20 | 4 |
Geography
Where Oona is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Oona. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Oona ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #476 in 2024.
Across the UK
Oona in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#476 in 2024
8 years of NRS records, 41 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Oona
-
Oona Doherty
choreographer; dancer; artist
Irish dancer and artist
1986-
-
Oona King
politician; writer
British politician (born 1967)
1967-
-
Oona Campbell
painter
British painter
1967-
-
Oona O'Neill
actor
American-British actress (1925–1991)
1925-1991
Related
Names similar to Oona
- Olivia 123,111
- Orla 10,799
- Olive 6,815
- Ophelia 4,939
- Ottilie 4,407
- Oliwia 2,608
- Ocean 1,811
- Orlaith 1,357
- Olivia-Rose 1,250
- Octavia 1,243
- Olivia-Grace 618
- Orlagh 608
FAQ
Oona: questions and answers
How popular is the name Oona in the UK right now?
In 2024, Oona was ranked #1302 for girls in England and Wales, with 25 births registered.
When was Oona most popular?
The peak year on record was 2021, with 38 babies registered as Oona in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Oona?
Of Irish origin, meaning "lamb" or "one".
How many people are called Oona in the UK?
A total of 343 babies have been registered as Oona across the 28 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 41 more in Scotland.
Where is Oona most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Oona ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #476 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.