The word ainoa he based the name on means “only one” and she was the only sister of Joukahainen. The name Aino was created in Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot. Some very well known Finnish names come directly from some of our best known writers. Next, let’s look at those names that are inspired by nature and folklore! Finnish girl’s names inspired by folklore, mythology and royals In 2021, the most popular girl’s name in both England and Finland was Olivia! There are also Finnish versions of royal names, like Meeri, Kaarle and Yrjö for Mary, Charles and George.Įnglish names or names that work globally are also becoming more and more popular in Finland. You might find names of gods you might be familiar with from Kalevala but also Finnish versions of biblical names, like Eeva and Aatami for Eve and Adam. For example: blueberry branch is mustikanvarpu.Īnother common theme is Finnish mythology and folklore. The branches of different berries are also called varpu. My name Varpu is nature inspired and means a small branch. In addition to nature, two popular boy’s names, Onni and Toivo, mean happiness and hope. Out of the 20 most popular names given in 2021 for both girls and boys, eight names had a meaning and six of them referred to nature. Nature is one of the most common inspirations. If meaning is so important, what kind of meanings do names most commonly have in Finland? Out of the most popular names given to girls in 2021, for example, Aino, Kerttu, and Elsi are traditional names.įor boys, the traditional Eino and Elias, both made it to the top 5, probably inspired by well known Finns Eino Leino (poet) and Elias Lönnrot (philologist, Kalevala). Sometimes these older names also suddenly become trendy to use as first names. It’s quite popular that your middle name belonged to your great grandparents or other ancestors. Many of our names literally mean something.įirst names used in the family have had a long tradition of being passed down to newborn babies. When the baby stops crying, you have found the real name.īased on studies, for Finns today, one of the most important criteria for choosing a name is the meaning behind it. Another way would be to soothe a crying baby with different names.
For example, if you lift the cradle and it feels light, you might have found the right name for this child. That is sooo Finnish!īack then people used various methods that would help them determine what the right name would be. When I was reading about the ancient Finnish traditions, I found out there was a belief back in the day that revealing your child’s name before the name giving day would mean your child will talk too much. It can be a secret only the parents know until the official name giving day. In Finland, a child gets a name after they are born. There are 380 men in Finland who currently have this name, compared to just under 50 000 men called Jukka. The Finnish language does not use patronyms formed out of the father’s name, common for example in Russia, but especially men are sometimes given such middle names as Jukanpoika which means Jukka’s son. Like elsewhere in the world, Finns also have nicknames that are commonly used for certain names ( Pirjo might be known as Pike, Karoliina as Karo, and Johanna as Jossu) and we are quite relaxed about people choosing what they want to be called. Once in a while you might find out the name you are used to calling your Finnish friend is actually their middle name. For example, in 2021, the most popular first name for a girl was Olivia and the most popular name (both first and middle names) Maria, which was not one of the first 50 most popular girl’s first names. When you look at the list of most popular names given each year, the names given as middle names are often different from those given as first names. In addition, they can have up to three middle names.
In Finland, a person must have at least one first name and one surname. But wait, aren’t some Finnish names gender-neutral?īefore we dive into the names themselves, it might be good to know a little bit about what type of names Finns usually give and have.Finnish girl’s names inspired by nature.Finnish boy’s names inspired by folklore, mythology and royals.Finnish girl’s names inspired by folklore, mythology and royals.
0 kommentar(er)
