StorkWorld

Finnish Last Names

Common Finnish surnames with their meanings, origins and type — patronymic, occupational, toponymic or descriptive.

descriptive
Aaltonen
 
Of the wave · Finnish
 toponymic
Hamalainen
 
Person from Häme · Finnish
 patronymic
Heikkinen
 
Son of Heikki (Henry) · Finnish
 toponymic
Jarvinen
 
Of the lake · Finnish
 descriptive
Korhonen
 
From korho, plus -nen · Finnish
 toponymic
Koskinen
 
Of the rapids · Finnish
 descriptive
Laine
 
Wave · Finnish
 toponymic
Lehtonen
 
Of the grove · Finnish
 toponymic
Makela
 
Hill place · Finnish
 toponymic
Makinen
 
Of the hill · Finnish
 toponymic
Nieminen
 
Of the headland · Finnish
 toponymic
Saarinen
 
Of the island · Finnish
 toponymic
Salminen
 
Of the strait · Finnish
 toponymic
Virtanen
 
Of the stream · Finnish

The -nen ending

The unmistakable mark of a Finnish surname is -nen, a diminutive ending meaning roughly “little” or “of.” It usually attaches to a nature word: Virtanen (virta, “stream”), Järvinen (järvi, “lake”), Mäkinen (mäki, “hill”), Koskinen (koski, “rapids”). Finland’s landscape of lakes and forests fills its family names.

Two great traditions

Historically, western Finland favoured these house or nature names, while the east used -nen family names passed down the male line. Many Finns only fixed their surnames in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and there was a wave of “Finnicising” Swedish names into Finnish ones.

Frequently asked questions

What does -nen mean in Finnish surnames?

Itu2019s a diminutive ending, roughly u201clittleu201d or u201cof,u201d usually attached to a nature word u2014 Virtanen means u201cof the stream.u201d

What is the most common Finnish surname?

Korhonen is the most common, followed by Virtanen and Mu00e4kinen.

Why are so many Finnish surnames about nature?

Finnish family names draw heavily on the landscape u2014 streams, lakes, hills, rapids and groves u2014 reflecting a country of water and forest.

All last names A–Z