My mom's name was Lempi! She said she really liked how the people in Finland pronounced her name when she went there to visit. It is pronounced with a softer 'p' sound in Finland than here in America. She died in 2020 at the age of 97.
Thank you for sharing this video! I really love all of your videos. The name that stood out the most for me was “Otava”. The reason being is that every evening before bedtime my husband and I stand outside of our summer cottage in Canada (now our home as well) to look at the night sky and I always point out the Big Dipper. And for us a dipper is also what we call the ladle in the sauna. I thought this was a special name and maybe one of our children will use it for our grandchildren one day. I might suggest it 🌟
I love to see how the culture influences the names! Nature is so central in Finland and therefore that is reflected in names, it's fascinating. Most names in my mother tongue (Italian) I'd say derive from religious figures, which again makes sense. However, my absolute favorite Finnish name is Ilmari ✨ it sounds so regal. I wonder if Ilmatar is used as a girl's name even today?
Hei Alice! Yes, I agree. And Ilmari is such a great name. About Ilmatar: there are a bit less than 300 Ilmatar girls in Finland. The name for her is 26th of August
Ilmari(nen) and Ilmatar all also religious figures. ^^ They are both gods in Finnish mythology. In the Kalevala, Ilmatar is the one who creates the world (albeit accidentally by shifting her leg which makes the eggs in the nest a bird made on her knee fall down and shatter) and Ilmarinen creates the Sampo, a mythical machine of endless wealth.
I have a character in one of our books called Ilmarinen. His mother's ancestors were Finnish. She calls him Ilmari, which I think sounds very sweet. I love that name.❤ (he hates it 😂 and tends to go by Mari.)
I am half Hungarian and we also have a version of The Kalevala. I have read it many times so some of the names you mentioned were very familiar. Thanks for sharing this. I learned something new.
There are many Finnish Americans in the far north of Michigan. I loved reading the phone book up in Calumet when I visited a friend there, because I love the sound and the spelling of the FInnish family names.
I was so glad to see this video about names in Finland. I watched it several times to enjoy the various names and associations to nature or folklore. Being a lover of Sibelius’ music, I am familiar with his musical setting of the Kalevala, so I especially liked that portion of the video. But my favorite name is Pyry, just because it has such an interesting connection to snowfall and it is a little challenging (but fun) to pronounce! I love your videos!!
I really loved to see this! Like actual Finnish names, I had been curious about this! When I tried to look up Finnish names previously I just got a lot of the angelical based names names. Love that they are based on nature, but I have to admin that the ones from the Kalevala sound amazing too!
My favorite name on the list is "Myrsky", when I started learning Finnish, that word just sounded cool. Now I know it's used as a name also, only makes me like it more. 😏👍 Thanks for sharing.
My wife was born in Finland and emigrated t the US with her family when she was 6 years old - her name is Hannele - she explains that she was named after a Finnish ballerina that her parents liked.
Miro is a boy’s name meaning highly skilled defenseman. Jere is a boy’s name meaning legendary defensive forward. Teemu is a boy’s name meaning a person who scores more goals than you can count.
My wife's name was Eija. We had a long happy life and the sound of her name always sounds to me like music joined with a gentle sigh perhaps. She was from Kainuu province where we spent many happy days Oulujärven ranalla.
@@Silveirias Hei. My family in Suomi have researched her name and best evidence is that it was "a shout of praise" in old Finnish. And that is why her parents who were devout Christians chose that as her name.
Arne (spelled with single A, but pronounced the same) is also a common Norwegian name. Interestingly, Kari is a male name in Finland, but a female name in Norway.
I don’t have any children- but I did name one of my kitties Lumi. 💛 I know it means snow, she’s not white or anything but she’s very fluffy like could be a snow cat. Haha.
Mine isn't on this list (my first name, anyway) since Katariina doesn't come from nature, but my last name does. Koskinen means place of the rapids, I believe.
Learning this has been so cool to me! Thank you! I have been looking up the meanings of my ancestors names ❤ their names match up with their personalities. My grandpas name is Urho but we have a lot of Mikka’s
Great video! I have always been interested in names and their meanings. The Finnish name for winter is beautiful. If I had had a daughter I would have liked to name her Winter. I am in America and it is not commonly used but I love it.
My full name is Tuija Marja Annelli Parviainen. I was born in Finland but I live in Wahington State in the US. I would love to know the meaning of my names. I believe Marja means berry.
Tuija means a type of cedar tree (Thuja Occidentalis); Marja is, as you know, a berry; Anneli is a nickname for Anna or Anne, comes from hebrew Hannah meaning mercy. Parviainen is the karelian version of a russian first name Parfenij.
My son's name is Kuutti and my daughter is Nuppu. I also have another daughter and her name is Tiuku. 😊 As you know, it means a kind of bell, small one.
Hei Varpu Mikä here. Lately I've been wanting to Retrospectively Change my daughter's name to Aveliina. Why am I thinking this Thought? And my Sisters 'Spoken' name is Kesa (Keryn)
researching history i found many families carried on the first name eg Solomninpioka or maybe Lempintytar. Meaning Solomon's boy or Lempi's daughter. But that was back in the 1800s
He he.. When I first encountered Kirikou, I wondered what kind of Finnish name that was. Turns out it is a character in African stories because he was born in Tanzania!
I can tell you a little more about the tradition of not revealing your child's name until baptism. It's roots are pre-Christian, though, and originally you weren't supposed to reveal the name until the child had its first tooth appear. This was a sign that the child's luonto had arrived. What is luonto? Luonto in modern Finnish mean nature. In the context of a person, luonto or luonne means the nature or character of the person. In Finnish folklore, it was believed that you have three souls: luonto, henki, and itse. You are born with henki and acquire and grow itse and luonto. A baby is very vulnerable to malicious spirits and magic before they have their itse and luonto, so if someone knew their name before they had their itse and luonto, the baby could be easily harmed with magic. Names have power. Henki means spirit or life. This is your life force. You can live without luonto and itse, but not without henki. Once your spirit leaves your body, you die. Even in modern Finnish we say "henki lähti" (the spirit left) to imply someone died. Itse means self. You acquire it shortly after birth from your ancestors. Itse can leave your body (as etiäinen it can appear somewhere shortly before you arrive) and having lost your itse could be used to explain things like depression. Luonto takes a bit longer to acquire and comes from your ancestors or spirits such as a soul animals (kinda like totem animals). A weak luonto could make one prone to things like gambling and drinking, but both itse and luonto are something you can strengthen yourself by hard work. Luonto can also leave your body briefly but losing it completely would lead to diseases and mental problems just as loss of itse would. So, to protect your baby, you would not reveal their name to anyone outside the family until you were sure the baby had acquired its luonto. This morphed into protecting your baby until baptism. Of course, you might also want to understand the baby's itse and luonto a little before naming them so you would give them a suitable name. So, even today, many Finns will use a nickname instead of the baby's actual name until baptism or a name giving ceremony out of a tradition without knowing the origin of the custom.
Please, Varpu (by the way, Varpu is a very beautiful name), could you tell me the reason why there are double vowels in these two names that you mention: AAMU and AARNE?
@@juancolladocanas4989 There are pronunciation implications yes, "amu" sounds different to "aamu", additionally in Finnish the length of certain parts of a word can change its meaning For comparison, in English you can pronounce the word "fire" in many ways, "fire, fiiire, fffire, firrrre, fireeeee", and so on, it still means the same thing and people will generally understand what specific word you're saying even if it can sound a bit strange In Finnish the word for fire "tuli" however WILL change meaning if you lengthen certain parts. "Tuuli" means wind, "tulli" means tariff, "tullii" is a spoken Finnish partitive of tariff, "tulii" is a spoken Finnish plural of fire... and each of these is pronounced slightly differently than "tuli" in accordance with the respective extra letter(s)
I like the idea that you wait with the baby´s name. Sadly in Slovakia it is not possible, you have to give the name immediately after the baby is born, hence- have the name prepared for a girl and for a boy although you are 100% positive you are going to have a girl, you still need to have a baby boy name ready, "just in case" :/
This is so interesting! This also made me think if we had to write some emergency name for some hospital papers or not... But I really can't remember :D If we did, this name was never put to anywhere else except that piece of paper.
One more thing: There is a hockey player in Montreal, Canada who is from Finland. His name is Joel Armia. Neither the first name nor the last name sounds Finnish. I wonder where the name is from?
My great grandmother was born in Helsinki. Her name was Signe. Is there a meaning for her name? Also how do I request her birth certificate as I live in America.
Hei Jackie! Signe is ancient scandinavian name coming from Swedish words Sig (win) and ny (new). I doubt there were any birth certificates at her time, but it might be possible to see the church books where they have written down her name and birthday in Finland.
I liked hilla for girls and otso for boys. they just sounded nice to me. I also have a question for you. can people in Finland name their children after what they like ? for examlpe: I really like stars. in my language (Persian) it`s setare and is a name for girls. I know in Finnish it`s tahti. can a girl`s name be tahti?
There are some rules, but in general, if you have a genetic connection to a culture, there is a good chance the name will be accepted. 😊 The rules states about how many first/second names, no boys' names for girls' or vice versa, no offensive names, no surnames. "Tähti" is accepted for females.
I would love to know if Alvi is actually a Finnish boy name. I'm looking for Finnish boy names for my baby who will be born in 3 months. My great grandmother is Finnish and I would like to honor her heritage. I saw Alvi on a list but I wanted to be sure it was actually Finnish. Thank you!
@@HerFinland Thank you so much!! Do you know the meaning of the name? I've read a few different things. I love your channel by the way. I hope to visit Finland some day to see my Great grandmother's homeland. I believe she was from Turku. 😊❤️
I was asked by my in-laws what I thought would be a good name for our baby girl. I thought back on a name I read in a Japanese novel that was a combination one might say of my first name Olaf and my wife’s first name Tamae ( jeweled branch), and utter the name Otama, which got the whole room laughing. My wife had to explain to me that was a name given to pet cats. Are there some names in Finnish that are common for your pets but not for your human babies?
There is no name Malti in Finland, you must mean Maltti, it has unofficial nameday on 24th of February (boys name) and it is not officially aproved name yet.
It is swedish name, Finland is bilingual country so it has namedays for swedish names too. The 21st of March is the finnish nameday for Pentti (boys name).
My father's name was Osmo, but it appears that his name is not from folklore nor inspired by nature. Curiously, his parents were named Emil and Alma, neither of these names are Finnish though both had Finnish surnames (Mäki and Hämäläinen).
Osmo (and osma) can mean wolverine in some Finnish dialects, at least traditionally. Apparently in Kalevala it just meant a young man, which I just learnt.
I will say, some names are very unique: Saku, Satu, Kaapo, Kari, Kalevi, Kylikki, Pirkko, Ilkka, Jukka, Jaarkko,...sounds like a remote, exotic tribe from Siberia or Afrika!!! Without disrespect, I still believe Finns have distant links with peoples of Siberia/Asia. (Nothing wrong with being Asian. Finns are among the top students along with Koreans, Japanese, Singaporeans, Chinese in the Programme for International Student Assessment. PISA.). The names bear no resemblance to common European names like : Hans, Otto, Kristian, Maria, Katerina, Peter, Alexander, etc...
My sons name is Saku, it comes from biblical background Zakarias, Sakari. Be careful when writing double letters, some names are not correct, *Kyllikki (girl), *Jarkko (boy).
Finns are Uralic people, so you're not too far off. There are still many grouos of Uralic people in Russia such as the Mari, Udmurt, and Nenets people. Many Finns and Native Americans actually can share common ancestry from Siberia. So sometimes Finns taking a DNA test may get a 0. something Native American DNA. It doesn't mean they actually have Native American ancestry, but that they and Native Americans share common ancestors from way back in history before people migrated from Siberia.
Out of the names you listed, only some are "actually" Finnish. Others are Finnish versions of names from other languages. But Satu (story, fairytale), Kalevi, Kyllikki (little plentiful/full), and Ilkka (from ilakka, joyful) are Finnish names. Saku (Zacharias), Kaapo (Gabriel), Kari (Makarios), Pirkko (Birgitta), Jarkko (Jeremia). Jukka is debatable. It may come from Johan, but it could also come from a Finnic word meaning Taxus baccata tree. Kari by coincidence has a meaning in Finnish: a rock or a shallow place etc. below the water you can hit your boat with.
I know some Finnish names from my favourite Finnish bands like Jukka,Saami, Tuomas, Tarja,Noora,Esa,Santeri,Pekka,Niclas,Pasi,Nitte,Juuso and Kai. Great 👍 some names that already knew now i know the meanings. Thanks!!!!
Sami, not Saami. Saami in Finnish refers to the Sámi languages. These names apart from Pekka (even this can be understood to come from Petrus) are actually all originally not Finnish origin. :D Well, Nitte I have never heard of.
Nauha means a string or a ribbon in Finnish, but it's not a name I've ever heard. Reminds me of Paula which in Finnish also means a ribbon and is a name. As a name Paula is usually understood to come from Latin. There's a famous folk song in which they sing "on neidolla punapaula" (the maiden/young lady has a red ribbon). Paula can also refer to a snare, so in Finnish we also say "olla pauloissaan" (literally "be ensnared by") when you're head over heels in love with someone for example and can't recognise the red flags.
@@Silveirias Paula means ribbon in Finnish? That's very interesting, in Spanish the origin is Latin, meaning "little one", and Pablo is the male version of it. Recently mums are using the Italian version of the word, Paola.
@@cing9545 It does indeed, depending on the context. But like I said, as a name it's of Latin origin like Pablo and Paolo. :) The Finnish male version of the name is Pauli.
I can tell you a correct pronunciation rule that nobody knows because I invented it. I have taught English for 32 years half of that as a university lecturer. Right now I am communicating with Cambridge University Press in England about publishing a pronunciation book I wrote in 2016. I will not tell you the phonological theory ,only the rules that come from that. Let me know if you want to know the unique rule. You cannot find it online because no one knows it. I will help you for free. Do not worry about it. I am just finishing maybe Mt 12th book on English. Some books are on grammar, some are on pronunciation . I am just finishing a book on confusing vocabulary defining wirds tgat seem to have the same meaning like stairs/ steps, fluid/ liquid, stone/ rock, dream/ fantas, amazed/ astonished. There are bout 300 pairs of such words and currently the files is 14,500 words. I am not finished. My definitions are more precise than you can find online including Cambridge, Oxford and Merriam-Webster. These rules I can give you are unique and 90 to 100% accurate for the whole English language. You don’t need to know why they work. It’s late and I am going to bed. Turned off the floor heating and temperature will go down to -9C tonight. Good night.
sorry but I´m pretty sure that nearly all those names sounds kind a either freaky or granny-like for many finns´ears. I qualify myself only Hilla and Pihla.
I cannot Find My Finnish Last Name in any Searches > Mannikko. / some pass down rumors Our Last name was Harkkonen & changed to Mannikko when Immigrating to the USA. Grandfather > Mattias Urho Mannikko. Can Someone Help Me on the name meaning . derived from What. ? from Roveniemi
My mom's name was Lempi! She said she really liked how the people in Finland pronounced her name when she went there to visit. It is pronounced with a softer 'p' sound in Finland than here in America. She died in 2020 at the age of 97.
Love these names
Thank you for commenting! 🧡🇫🇮
My mumma was also Lempi ❤️
My wife had an aunt named Lempi
My tati was lempi
The child responding to a name while crying & therefore being awarded that name is a story I've heard in Wales.
Love from Nepal to all Finns !
Thank you Cosmos!
Thank you for sharing this video! I really love all of your videos. The name that stood out the most for me was “Otava”. The reason being is that every evening before bedtime my husband and I stand outside of our summer cottage in Canada (now our home as well) to look at the night sky and I always point out the Big Dipper. And for us a dipper is also what we call the ladle in the sauna. I thought this was a special name and maybe one of our children will use it for our grandchildren one day. I might suggest it 🌟
I love to see how the culture influences the names! Nature is so central in Finland and therefore that is reflected in names, it's fascinating.
Most names in my mother tongue (Italian) I'd say derive from religious figures, which again makes sense.
However, my absolute favorite Finnish name is Ilmari ✨ it sounds so regal. I wonder if Ilmatar is used as a girl's name even today?
Hei Alice! Yes, I agree. And Ilmari is such a great name. About Ilmatar: there are a bit less than 300 Ilmatar girls in Finland. The name for her is 26th of August
Ilmari(nen) and Ilmatar all also religious figures. ^^ They are both gods in Finnish mythology. In the Kalevala, Ilmatar is the one who creates the world (albeit accidentally by shifting her leg which makes the eggs in the nest a bird made on her knee fall down and shatter) and Ilmarinen creates the Sampo, a mythical machine of endless wealth.
I have a character in one of our books called Ilmarinen. His mother's ancestors were Finnish. She calls him Ilmari, which I think sounds very sweet. I love that name.❤ (he hates it 😂 and tends to go by Mari.)
I am half Hungarian and we also have a version of The Kalevala. I have read it many times so some of the names you mentioned were very familiar. Thanks for sharing this. I learned something new.
Real magical names inspired by nature, and myth. And it´is so finnish way. Fantastic :)
Thank you so much!🧡🙏
There are many Finnish Americans in the far north of Michigan. I loved reading the phone book up in Calumet when I visited a friend there, because I love the sound and the spelling of the FInnish family names.
Thank you for sharing this Karen!
I was so glad to see this video about names in Finland. I watched it several times to enjoy the various names and associations to nature or folklore. Being a lover of Sibelius’ music, I am familiar with his musical setting of the Kalevala, so I especially liked that portion of the video. But my favorite name is Pyry, just because it has such an interesting connection to snowfall and it is a little challenging (but fun) to pronounce! I love your videos!!
I had named my puppy Kesa. She was 6 months old when she came to my home during summer.
Thanks from toronto canada for the finnish names and origin.. my mother..vera..dad onni..brothers kalervo... kalevi my sister vuokko
And i got roy
I really loved to see this! Like actual Finnish names, I had been curious about this! When I tried to look up Finnish names previously I just got a lot of the angelical based names names. Love that they are based on nature, but I have to admin that the ones from the Kalevala sound amazing too!
Thank you for commenting! 🧡🇫🇮
I love the names you taught us 😊
I'm from Spain and my name is Nieves (snow in English) ❄️
Thank you for your comment!
Here in Finland we have the name Lumi, which is a girls name, also meaning snow in English.
My name is Satu Anna Marjeta. My brother's name is Pekka Kalevi. My mother's name is Anna-Leena Kaarina.
I have three sons: Arvo, Trygve, and Tuukka. It’s so fun to learn more unique names to save for the next baby!
Beautiful names, love it 😍
I just learned & now love the name Otava🎉 Hilla also sounds cute as a girls name! Awesome video 🙌
Otava is one my favorites too!
I really love Finnish names and surnames!! 🤍💙
Thank you so much for sharing!
My favorite name on the list is "Myrsky", when I started learning Finnish, that word just sounded cool. Now I know it's used as a name also, only makes me like it more. 😏👍 Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your comment! 🇫🇮
You should try the Finnish vodka liquer named Myrsky a unique taste of the forest. One of my favourites.
Myrsky is IMO more a unisex name. I've seen it used by both girls and boys.
@@Sepelrastas Interesting, for some reason I thought it was more feminine, good to know. 🤔👍 Thanks for sharing.
I have a Finnish friend named Aino. Like the girl who became a salmon in the Kalevala.
Thank you for your comment John!
It comes from the word ainoa, meaning only one. She is called Aino for being the only daughter of the family.
My wife was born in Finland and emigrated t the US with her family when she was 6 years old - her name is Hannele - she explains that she was named after a Finnish ballerina that her parents liked.
Thank you for commenting! 🤩🧡🇫🇮
As A Finn i Can say these names sound so unique!
Thank you!
@@HerFinland no problem😜
Awesome!! Thank u
Kittos. I'm working on researching a new name in preparation for a legal name change and your video has given helpful things to know.
Thank you for your comment!! 🤩🧡🇫🇮 Ole hyvä!
Your name has similar meaning in Latvian: vārpa (main branch of a plant, where flowers are attached).
Thank you for your comment! 🧡 it has the same meaning in Finnish!
Kiitos Varpu. Always beautiful.
🧡🇫🇮 You are welcome!
Miro is a boy’s name meaning highly skilled defenseman.
Jere is a boy’s name meaning legendary defensive forward.
Teemu is a boy’s name meaning a person who scores more goals than you can count.
Thank you for your comment!
NHL 🤘🏼
Pyry! I love Finnish metal. One of the guys in Battle Beast has this name and could not figure out how to say it.
My wife's name was Eija. We had a long happy life and the sound of her name always sounds to me like music joined with a gentle sigh perhaps. She was from Kainuu province where we spent many happy days Oulujärven ranalla.
Thank you for commenting John!
Eija is likely a Finnish version of Freya. ^^
@@Silveirias Hei. My family in Suomi have researched her name and best evidence is that it was "a shout of praise" in old Finnish. And that is why her parents who were devout Christians chose that as her name.
@@johnmoate6676 Yes, that is another theory. "Eijaa", kinda like "hey oh!".
@@Silveirias that too is pointing to what we understand. Kiitos
This video was so interesting, thank you!
You are welcome!
Arne (spelled with single A, but pronounced the same) is also a common Norwegian name. Interestingly, Kari is a male name in Finland, but a female name in Norway.
Thank you for commenting!
Thanks you for this video! My Mummu was Senja and my mothers name was Kiirsti
IM so happy i find my name thanks to you for this videous😊🥹😇😍
Aww!! You are welcome!
Lempi that what I need. Great Video.
I loved this video, these names sound really beautiful.
Thanks so much! So happy you like it 🙌
I had an honorary Aunt Lempi and she was indeed sweet and gentle and loving.
My great aunt was Lempi too. Very sweet and gentle old lady.
Varpu! Thanks for posting another cool video to keep my mind occupied later today 🙂 Hope all is well
Hei Justin! So happy to hear this. All is good here and hope you guys are good too!!
Fantastic ! Ilta is similar to my wife's name.. haha..
Amazing! Thank you for commenting!
So happy to find your channel! 🥰 Really enjoying all your videos! Tervetuloa from Washington state!
Yay, happy to have you here! Kiitos for your comment & moi Washingtoniin 👋💙
I don’t have any children- but I did name one of my kitties Lumi. 💛 I know it means snow, she’s not white or anything but she’s very fluffy like could be a snow cat. Haha.
Kiitos pallone ❤❤❤❤
Mine isn't on this list (my first name, anyway) since Katariina doesn't come from nature, but my last name does. Koskinen means place of the rapids, I believe.
So lovely! Thanks for sharing 😍
One of my great aunts was named Lempi. I always wondered where that name originated knowing she was a first generation American in a Finnish family
It's a beautiful and old name. My grandmother also shared this name, and she was a woman worthy of her name. 😊❤
Nice video 👍
Thank you for commenting! 🧡
Thank you for sharing this info 🥰from Gilbert Arizona,USA
Thank you for commenting! 🧡🇫🇮
Learning this has been so cool to me! Thank you! I have been looking up the meanings of my ancestors names ❤ their names match up with their personalities. My grandpas name is Urho but we have a lot of Mikka’s
Mustikan Varpu
Awww, you are so sweet. Thank you so much❣️🇫🇮
Great video! I have always been interested in names and their meanings. The Finnish name for winter is beautiful. If I had had a daughter I would have liked to name her Winter. I am in America and it is not commonly used but I love it.
Thank you for commenting! 🧡🇫🇮
My full name is Tuija Marja Annelli Parviainen. I was born in Finland but I live in Wahington State in the US. I would love to know the meaning of my names. I believe Marja means berry.
Thank you so much for sharing this! It means a lot to me! 🧡🙏
Tuija means a type of cedar tree (Thuja Occidentalis); Marja is, as you know, a berry; Anneli is a nickname for Anna or Anne, comes from hebrew Hannah meaning mercy.
Parviainen is the karelian version of a russian first name Parfenij.
My daughters middle name is Meri-Tuuli, Meri means ocean and Tuuli means wind ❤️
Thank you for your comment! 🧡🇫🇮
My son's name is Kuutti and my daughter is Nuppu. I also have another daughter and her name is Tiuku. 😊 As you know, it means a kind of bell, small one.
Thank you for commenting! 🧡🇫🇮
My favourite names were "talvi ja Otso", kiitos Varpu 😊
Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing!
Hei Varpu Mikä here. Lately I've been wanting to Retrospectively Change my daughter's name to Aveliina. Why am I thinking this Thought? And my Sisters 'Spoken' name is Kesa (Keryn)
Love Varpu!
researching history i found many families carried on the first name eg Solomninpioka or maybe Lempintytar. Meaning Solomon's boy or Lempi's daughter. But that was back in the 1800s
Thank you!
My grandmothers name was "Aino"
My favourite name Otso.But I met a lot of ladies with name Sirpa and man with name Matti
He he.. When I first encountered Kirikou, I wondered what kind of Finnish name that was. Turns out it is a character in African stories because he was born in Tanzania!
Thank you for commenting! 🤩🧡🇫🇮
Otso on paras nimi! 💪 🐻 🥇
Niinpä!
Hello😁 What can you tell me about the boy's name Janne??? Thank you.
I can tell you a little more about the tradition of not revealing your child's name until baptism. It's roots are pre-Christian, though, and originally you weren't supposed to reveal the name until the child had its first tooth appear. This was a sign that the child's luonto had arrived.
What is luonto? Luonto in modern Finnish mean nature. In the context of a person, luonto or luonne means the nature or character of the person.
In Finnish folklore, it was believed that you have three souls: luonto, henki, and itse. You are born with henki and acquire and grow itse and luonto. A baby is very vulnerable to malicious spirits and magic before they have their itse and luonto, so if someone knew their name before they had their itse and luonto, the baby could be easily harmed with magic. Names have power.
Henki means spirit or life. This is your life force. You can live without luonto and itse, but not without henki. Once your spirit leaves your body, you die. Even in modern Finnish we say "henki lähti" (the spirit left) to imply someone died.
Itse means self. You acquire it shortly after birth from your ancestors. Itse can leave your body (as etiäinen it can appear somewhere shortly before you arrive) and having lost your itse could be used to explain things like depression.
Luonto takes a bit longer to acquire and comes from your ancestors or spirits such as a soul animals (kinda like totem animals). A weak luonto could make one prone to things like gambling and drinking, but both itse and luonto are something you can strengthen yourself by hard work. Luonto can also leave your body briefly but losing it completely would lead to diseases and mental problems just as loss of itse would.
So, to protect your baby, you would not reveal their name to anyone outside the family until you were sure the baby had acquired its luonto. This morphed into protecting your baby until baptism. Of course, you might also want to understand the baby's itse and luonto a little before naming them so you would give them a suitable name.
So, even today, many Finns will use a nickname instead of the baby's actual name until baptism or a name giving ceremony out of a tradition without knowing the origin of the custom.
Thank you for sharing this!
My grandmother's first name wasn't from nature but Jarvi (lake) certainly is!
Thank you for commenting! 🧡🇫🇮
Please, Varpu (by the way, Varpu is a very beautiful name), could you tell me the reason why there are double vowels in these two names that you mention: AAMU and AARNE?
Because they have double vowels, otherwise they would not mean the words they mean.
@@HerFinland But, is it a way to show that they are personal names... or those two vowels have pronounciation implications?
@@juancolladocanas4989
There are pronunciation implications yes, "amu" sounds different to "aamu", additionally in Finnish the length of certain parts of a word can change its meaning
For comparison, in English you can pronounce the word "fire" in many ways, "fire, fiiire, fffire, firrrre, fireeeee", and so on, it still means the same thing and people will generally understand what specific word you're saying even if it can sound a bit strange
In Finnish the word for fire "tuli" however WILL change meaning if you lengthen certain parts. "Tuuli" means wind, "tulli" means tariff, "tullii" is a spoken Finnish partitive of tariff, "tulii" is a spoken Finnish plural of fire... and each of these is pronounced slightly differently than "tuli" in accordance with the respective extra letter(s)
@@AnoAssassin Thank you very much.
Otava= the name of the river in Czech Republic. 😉🤩
Thank you so much for your comment!🧡🙏
Otava is a village in eastern-Finand.
I like the idea that you wait with the baby´s name. Sadly in Slovakia it is not possible, you have to give the name immediately after the baby is born, hence- have the name prepared for a girl and for a boy although you are 100% positive you are going to have a girl, you still need to have a baby boy name ready, "just in case" :/
This is so interesting! This also made me think if we had to write some emergency name for some hospital papers or not... But I really can't remember :D If we did, this name was never put to anywhere else except that piece of paper.
One more thing: There is a hockey player in Montreal, Canada who is from Finland. His name is Joel Armia. Neither the first name nor the last name sounds Finnish. I wonder where the name is from?
Hey! The background of the name Joel is biblical. Thank you so much for your comments! :)
My great grandmother was born in Helsinki. Her name was Signe. Is there a meaning for her name? Also how do I request her birth certificate as I live in America.
Hei Jackie! Signe is ancient scandinavian name coming from Swedish words Sig (win) and ny (new). I doubt there were any birth certificates at her time, but it might be possible to see the church books where they have written down her name and birthday in Finland.
You are so strong I feel Kindness So powerful !🐾🐾🐾🎨🎨
Happiness
Kiitos 😊
I liked hilla for girls and otso for boys. they just sounded nice to me. I also have a question for you. can people in Finland name their children after what they like ? for examlpe: I really like stars. in my language (Persian) it`s setare and is a name for girls. I know in Finnish it`s tahti. can a girl`s name be tahti?
There are some rules, but in general, if you have a genetic connection to a culture, there is a good chance the name will be accepted. 😊 The rules states about how many first/second names, no boys' names for girls' or vice versa, no offensive names, no surnames. "Tähti" is accepted for females.
I would love to know if Alvi is actually a Finnish boy name. I'm looking for Finnish boy names for my baby who will be born in 3 months. My great grandmother is Finnish and I would like to honor her heritage. I saw Alvi on a list but I wanted to be sure it was actually Finnish. Thank you!
Awww huge congrats! Yes, Alvi is a Finnish boy name! Alvi's name day is first of March alongside with Alpi and Alpo.
@@HerFinland Thank you so much!! Do you know the meaning of the name? I've read a few different things. I love your channel by the way. I hope to visit Finland some day to see my Great grandmother's homeland. I believe she was from Turku. 😊❤️
@@lala6177 I don't know if this helps anymore but it means light/bright! It originates from roman name Albinus but Alvi is very much a Finnish name
In colloquial Finnish alvi refers to ALV (arvonlisävero), i.e. VAT. 😅
Alvi in Icelandic means "God's Creation". I named my skunk Alvi, because even if you stink, God still loves you. My Finnish mother's name was Elvi.
I was asked by my in-laws what I thought would be a good name for our baby girl. I thought back on a name I read in a Japanese novel that was a combination one might say of my first name Olaf and my wife’s first name Tamae ( jeweled branch), and utter the name Otama, which got the whole room laughing. My wife had to explain to me that was a name given to pet cats. Are there some names in Finnish that are common for your pets but not for your human babies?
Thank you for commenting!
you make feel finland a great place !
but i don't know if i need Visa
Thanks! You can check migri.fi for more information!
I love the finnish name "Malti".
Wow, that's a new one for me!
@@HerFinland mazhar abbasi
There is no name Malti in Finland, you must mean Maltti, it has unofficial nameday on 24th of February (boys name) and it is not officially aproved name yet.
Maltti means patience. Sounds like boy's name to me. :)
I I personally like the name Bengta but I’m not to sure if the name is Finnish. It has a name day (21st March).
I think Bengta is a gorgeous name.
Sounds more like swedish 😊
It is swedish name, Finland is bilingual country so it has namedays for swedish names too. The 21st of March is the finnish nameday for Pentti (boys name).
Thank you for commenting! 🧡🇫🇮
I like Timo.
🧡
My father's name was Osmo, but it appears that his name is not from folklore nor inspired by nature. Curiously, his parents were named Emil and Alma, neither of these names are Finnish though both had Finnish surnames (Mäki and Hämäläinen).
Thank you for commenting! 🧡
Osmo (and osma) can mean wolverine in some Finnish dialects, at least traditionally. Apparently in Kalevala it just meant a young man, which I just learnt.
@@ihanba Kiitos!
I will say, some names are very unique: Saku, Satu, Kaapo, Kari, Kalevi, Kylikki, Pirkko, Ilkka, Jukka, Jaarkko,...sounds like a remote, exotic tribe from Siberia or Afrika!!! Without disrespect, I still believe Finns have distant links with peoples of Siberia/Asia. (Nothing wrong with being Asian. Finns are among the top students along with Koreans, Japanese, Singaporeans, Chinese in the Programme for International Student Assessment. PISA.). The names bear no resemblance to common European names like : Hans, Otto, Kristian, Maria, Katerina, Peter, Alexander, etc...
you are closing in on truth :) on good path
My sons name is Saku, it comes from biblical background Zakarias, Sakari. Be careful when writing double letters, some names are not correct, *Kyllikki (girl), *Jarkko (boy).
@@mantailuaa Thank you.
Finns are Uralic people, so you're not too far off. There are still many grouos of Uralic people in Russia such as the Mari, Udmurt, and Nenets people.
Many Finns and Native Americans actually can share common ancestry from Siberia. So sometimes Finns taking a DNA test may get a 0. something Native American DNA. It doesn't mean they actually have Native American ancestry, but that they and Native Americans share common ancestors from way back in history before people migrated from Siberia.
Out of the names you listed, only some are "actually" Finnish. Others are Finnish versions of names from other languages. But Satu (story, fairytale), Kalevi, Kyllikki (little plentiful/full), and Ilkka (from ilakka, joyful) are Finnish names.
Saku (Zacharias), Kaapo (Gabriel), Kari (Makarios), Pirkko (Birgitta), Jarkko (Jeremia).
Jukka is debatable. It may come from Johan, but it could also come from a Finnic word meaning Taxus baccata tree.
Kari by coincidence has a meaning in Finnish: a rock or a shallow place etc. below the water you can hit your boat with.
What about the girlsname 'Aune'?
Not sure what is the question about?
Aune is a Finnish version of Agnes.
It is a beautiful finnish name.
I'm a Canadian fin and I hate crowd's 🙃 don't matter where
Thank you for sharing!
Mika, Timo, Kimo and Paavo
Thank you for commenting!
Normi, Nori and Melet also are beautiful names
Varpu + Flowers = Best match
Thanks so much 😊
And i got roy
Your surname is nature-like though. 😊 It has "tikka", which means "woodpecker" (and similar birds in spoken language).
Please how difficult is it for foreign trained doctors to work in finland?
Depends where you are from. The standard of education here is high. You need to learn the language in order to have your licence accepted.
like you very much
Thank you 😊
Eveliina 😘🇷🇸
I know some Finnish names from my favourite Finnish bands like Jukka,Saami, Tuomas, Tarja,Noora,Esa,Santeri,Pekka,Niclas,Pasi,Nitte,Juuso and Kai.
Great 👍 some names that already knew now i know the meanings.
Thanks!!!!
Thank you for commenting! 🧡🇫🇮
Sami, not Saami. Saami in Finnish refers to the Sámi languages. These names apart from Pekka (even this can be understood to come from Petrus) are actually all originally not Finnish origin. :D Well, Nitte I have never heard of.
Nitte Valo, the first singer of Battle beast!!!!
Satu, Anna-Leena, Kaarina , Kalevi, Salme, Tomi, Vilho, Mikko, Hannele, Kari, Reijo, Tapani and Liisa, etc. ,
Ruska❤
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Ruska means autumn leaves !
I thought karhu was bear in Finnish?
My translated name is Nauha. No idea if it exists.
Thank you! It is a cute name!! 😍
@@HerFinland Is it? 🥰 Thank you 😍
Nauha means a string or a ribbon in Finnish, but it's not a name I've ever heard. Reminds me of Paula which in Finnish also means a ribbon and is a name. As a name Paula is usually understood to come from Latin. There's a famous folk song in which they sing "on neidolla punapaula" (the maiden/young lady has a red ribbon). Paula can also refer to a snare, so in Finnish we also say "olla pauloissaan" (literally "be ensnared by") when you're head over heels in love with someone for example and can't recognise the red flags.
@@Silveirias Paula means ribbon in Finnish? That's very interesting, in Spanish the origin is Latin, meaning "little one", and Pablo is the male version of it. Recently mums are using the Italian version of the word, Paola.
@@cing9545 It does indeed, depending on the context. But like I said, as a name it's of Latin origin like Pablo and Paolo. :) The Finnish male version of the name is Pauli.
Tuuli people probably fart a lot 🤭
My name is Satu, but I am honest . Satu means a story or a fairytale ! Anyway, it is an old finnish name.
mutta kiinalaisena lesbona tunnen usein olevaani kärsinyt i adore Suomi so much I feel Very right
Great!
I can tell you a correct pronunciation rule that nobody knows because I invented it. I have taught English for 32 years half of that as a university lecturer. Right now I am communicating with Cambridge University Press in England about publishing a pronunciation book I wrote in 2016. I will not tell you the phonological theory ,only the rules that come from that. Let me know if you want to know the unique rule. You cannot find it online because no one knows it. I will help you for free. Do not worry about it. I am just finishing maybe Mt 12th book on English. Some books are on grammar, some are on pronunciation . I am just finishing a book on confusing vocabulary defining wirds tgat seem to have the same meaning like stairs/ steps, fluid/ liquid, stone/ rock, dream/ fantas, amazed/ astonished. There are bout 300 pairs of such words and currently the files is 14,500 words. I am not finished. My definitions are more precise than you can find online including Cambridge, Oxford and Merriam-Webster. These rules I can give you are unique and 90 to 100% accurate for the whole English language. You don’t need to know why they work. It’s late and I am going to bed. Turned off the floor heating and temperature will go down to -9C tonight. Good night.
Thank you so much for your comment!🧡🙏
sorry but I´m pretty sure that nearly all those names sounds kind a either freaky or granny-like for many finns´ears. I qualify myself only Hilla and Pihla.
i prefer Tuuli in chinese it's 风 fēng
Nice, thanks for sharing 🙌
You didn't include "Virpi" which sounds very feminine to me!! Perhaps a variation of Varpu?
Virpi is not considered unique in Finland. It is very common name.
You are right: Virpi means almost the same as Varpu!
@@mirvawuolle9824 Thanks!
Virpi means "sapling". ^^ Another name from the same origin is Virve.
Virva sounds similar but means will o' the wisp.
@@Silveirias Thank you!
Ruska sounds a bit like Russian
Thank you for commenting!
Ruska has the same origin as ruskea (brown). Similarities to the word Russian are coincidental.
Varpu = twig.
Yes! Thank you for commenting! 🤩🧡🇫🇮
Köllikkä is a good name for a cat.
Those are not normal finnish names.
I am ashamed, becauce those are not normal finnish names.
I cannot Find My Finnish Last Name in any Searches > Mannikko. / some pass down rumors Our Last name was Harkkonen & changed to Mannikko when Immigrating to the USA. Grandfather > Mattias Urho Mannikko. Can Someone Help Me on the name meaning . derived from What. ? from Roveniemi
Thank you for commenting! Probably Männikkö?
Männikkö.
Some names were at least easier to say. I think actually I know Finland is not on my bucket list Ha! Ha!
Thank you for commenting Ruth!