Ffion

Ffion is a Welsh name; it's the Welsh (Celtic) word for “foxglove” (the flower). It also happens to be a Top 15 favorite girls name in Wales today. The scientific name for the foxglove is “Digitalis”, from the Latin “digitus” meaning finger, in reference to the flowers small tubular shape which can easily slip over one’s finger (like a little finger thimble). Native to Western Europe (among other locales) and hearty enough to withstand a range of habitats, the foxglove is whimsically bell shaped, vividly beautiful in color, climb to a height between two and six feet, and generally take a cycle of two years to reach full bloom. While ultimately poisonous, the foxglove does provide some medicinal benefits in the treatment of heart conditions (mainly irregular heart rhythms and congestive heart failure). It is said that foxglove was originally called “folk’s glove” in reference to the wee little folks (fairies) who dwelled in them. As a means of keeping young children away from the toxic, potentially harmful plant, they were told that picking the flowers greatly offended the fairies. Other folklore suggests that the fairies gave the flowers to the foxes; the sly fox could slip on the magical gloves and quietly raid chicken coops undetected. In Ireland, the flowers were referred to as “Fairy Thimbles” and in Wales as “Goblin’s Gloves”. Apparently Welsh babies were named Ffion if they exhibited exceptionally rosy cheeks (like the pink foxglove). Aside from Ffion’s clear connection to the foxglove flower, some people also consider the name a Welsh version of Fiona (although the two names are unrelated from an etymological perspective). See the name Fiona for more information.