25 Unique Finnish Names Inspired by Nature and Folklore 

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.

The child responding to a name while crying & therefore being awarded that name is a story I've heard in Wales.

I had named my puppy Kesa. She was 6 months old when she came to my home during summer.

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.

Love from Nepal to all Finns !

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?

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.

Thanks from toronto canada for the finnish names and origin.. my mother..vera..dad onni..brothers kalervo... kalevi my sister vuokko

Real magical names inspired by nature, and myth. And it´is so finnish way. Fantastic :)

Pyry! I love Finnish metal. One of the guys in Battle Beast has this name and could not figure out how to say it.

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 have a Finnish friend named Aino. Like the girl who became a salmon in the Kalevala.

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!

I loved this video, these names sound really beautiful.

This video was so interesting, thank you!

Kiitos Varpu. Always beautiful.

I love the names you taught us 😊 I'm from Spain and my name is Nieves (snow in English) ❄️

I have three sons: Arvo, Trygve, and Tuukka. It’s so fun to learn more unique names to save for the next baby!

Kiitos pallone ❤❤❤❤

So happy to find your channel! 🥰 Really enjoying all your videos! Tervetuloa from Washington state!

I just learned & now love the name Otava🎉 Hilla also sounds cute as a girls name! Awesome video 🙌

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.

Varpu! Thanks for posting another cool video to keep my mind occupied later today 🙂 Hope all is well

I really love Finnish names and surnames!! 🤍💙

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.

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

Thank you for sharing this info 🥰from Gilbert Arizona,USA

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.

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.

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.

Your name has similar meaning in Latvian: vārpa (main branch of a plant, where flowers are attached).

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.

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

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.

Lempi that what I need. Great Video.

I had an honorary Aunt Lempi and she was indeed sweet and gentle and loving.

Love Varpu!

Nice video 👍

As A Finn i Can say these names sound so unique!

My favourite names were "talvi ja Otso", kiitos Varpu 😊

IM so happy i find my name thanks to you for this videous😊🥹😇😍

Fantastic ! Ilta is similar to my wife's name.. 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.

My favourite name Otso.But I met a lot of ladies with name Sirpa and man with name Matti

You are so strong I feel Kindness So powerful !🐾🐾🐾🎨🎨 Happiness

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.

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.

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

you make feel finland a great place ! but i don't know if i need Visa

My daughters middle name is Meri-Tuuli, Meri means ocean and Tuuli means wind ❤️

My grandmother's first name wasn't from nature but Jarvi (lake) certainly is!

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.

Otso on paras nimi! 💪 🐻 🥇

like you very much

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?

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?

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 like Timo.

Otava= the name of the river in Czech Republic. 😉🤩

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" :/

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.

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?

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?

Hello😁 What can you tell me about the boy's name Janne??? Thank you.

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.

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!

Mika, Timo, Kimo and Paavo

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).

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!!!!

I love the finnish name "Malti".

Eveliina 😘🇷🇸

mutta kiinalaisena lesbona tunnen usein olevaani kärsinyt i adore Suomi so much I feel Very right

What about the girlsname 'Aune'?

Please how difficult is it for foreign trained doctors to work in finland?

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...

Varpu + Flowers = Best match

And i got roy

I'm a Canadian fin and I hate crowd's 🙃 don't matter where

Ruska❤

I thought karhu was bear in Finnish?

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.

My translated name is Nauha. No idea if it exists.

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.

i prefer Tuuli in chinese it's 风 fēng

You didn't include "Virpi" which sounds very feminine to me!! Perhaps a variation of Varpu?

Ruska sounds a bit like Russian

Tuuli people probably fart a lot 🤭

Varpu = twig.

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

Some names were at least easier to say. I think actually I know Finland is not on my bucket list Ha! Ha!