Understanding surnames and given names can help you find and identify your ancestors in genealogical records.

In Finnish genealogical research, researching people with a common surname is not always productive because people often changed their surnames when they moved or for other reasons.

In the beginning of the 1900s as Finnish nationalism grew, many Swedish and other foreign sounding names were changed to Finnish names. For example Forsman became Koskimies and Widbom became Pajula. These could be direct translations, partial translations, or completely different names.

A law requiring permanent surnames for all Finnish citizens was passed in 1920.

Surnames

Before record keeping began, most people had only one name, such as Johan. As the population increased, it became necessary to distinguish between individuals with the same name. The problem was usually solved by adding descriptive information. Johan became Johan the smith, Johan the son of Matts, or Johan from a given farm. At first, such “surnames” applied only to one person and not to the whole family. After a few generations, these names sometimes became hereditary and were used from father to son. Before the twentieth century, women in Finland generally did not assume the husband’s surname at marriage.

Eastern and western Finland have different naming traditions. Both naming customs date back to the earliest written sources. There was frequent overlap of these practices in both areas.

Finnish birth records did not generally list a surname for newborn infants, but instead, listed a first name. In creating a surname standard for the International Genealogical Index, the Family History Library assigns the surnames strictly by whether a parish is classified as a patronymic parish (western) or a set surname parish (eastern). Without knowing which way a parish was classified, it is best to try all known possible variations, such as patronymic, farm names, and fixed surnames, when searching the International Genealogical Index.

All Finns had patronymic names. If they also had a farm name or a family surname, the patronymic name may or may not have been written out. The same person may have used a patronymic name in one record and a farm or family surname in another record.

Following is a brief description of various types of Finnish surnames according to geographic (east-west) distributions:

• Western Finland (Ahvenanmaa, Häme, Kymi, Turku-Pori, Uusimaa, and Vaasa Counties with the exception of certain parishes). Surnames changed from generation to generation according to the Scandinavian patronymic naming customs used in Sweden.
• Eastern Finland (Kuopio, Lappi, Mikkeli, Oulu, and Viipuri Counties with the exception of certain parishes). Surnames did not change from generation to generation.