#finnish -nen surnames originate in eastern finland

[sootyships]

random fact: if you see a surname that ends in -nen, there's a distinct possibility that the person has finnish and/or karelian ancestry or at least is/has been married to someone who does. further elevated likelihood if this person is from the great lakes region of north america.

inspired by the VA Carrie Keranen making my "that's a finnish fucking surname" senses tingle. one of the corporals of my recruit squad in military training literally had the same surname, just with ä, which unsurprisingly has been replaced with a there :')

[ilmaveivi]

The Etymology of Finnish NHL Players a.k.a What Do Their Names Mean?

ATLANTIC DIVISION 2023-2024

BUFFALO SABRES

HENRI JOKIHARJU

HENRI /ˈhen.ri/

Derived from the Old High German name Haimirich, meaning “ruler of the home”.

JOKIHARJU /ˈjo.ki.hɑr.ju/

A topographic Finnish surname, meaning “river esker”.

UKKO-PEKKA LUUKKONEN

UKKO /ˈuk.ko/

The name of the Finnish and Karelian deity of weather, harvest and thunder. In modern Finnish, ukko means ”old man” and its diminutive form ukkonen means ”thunder”.

PEKKA /ˈpek.kɑ/

Derived from the Greek name Petros, meaning ”stone”.

LUUKKONEN /ˈluːk.ko.nen/

Based on a Savonian and Karelian given name derived from the Greek name Loukas, meaning ”from Lucania”.

DETROIT RED WINGS

OLLI MÄÄTTÄ

OLLI /ˈol.li/

Derived from the Old Norse name Áleifr, meaning “ancestor’s descendant”.

MÄÄTTÄ /ˈmæːt.tæ/

Possibly derived from the Late Latin name Clemens, meaning ”merciful”. Another possible origin is the ancient Finnish given name Lemmitty, meaning ”beloved”.

VILLE HUSSO

VILLE /ˈʋil.le/

Derived from the Old High German name Willihelm, meaning “will helmet”.

HUSSO /ˈhus.so/

Possibly derived from the Swedish word husse, meaning ”master”. Another possible origin is lake Huso in Northern Savonia, its meaning unknown.

FLORIDA PANTHERS

ALEKSANDER BARKOV

ALEKSANDER /ˈɑ.lek.sɑn.der/

Derived from the Greek name Alexandros, meaning ”defending men”.

BARKOV /ˈbɑr.koʋ/

A Russian surname possibly derived from the Russian word barka, meaning ”sloop”.

ANTON LUNDELL

ANTON /ˈɑn.ton/

Derived from the Roman family name Antonius, its meaning unknown.

LUNDELL /ˈlun.delː/

A Swedish surname derived from the Swedish word lund, meaning ”grove”.

EETU LUOSTARINEN

EETU /ˈeː.tu/

Derived from the Anglo-Saxon name Ēadweard, meaning ”wealth guard”.

LUOSTARINEN /ˈluo̯s.tɑ.ri.nen/

Derived from the Finnish word luostari, meaning ”cloister”.

NIKO MIKKOLA

NIKO /ˈni.ko/

Derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, meaning ”victory of the people”.

MIKKOLA /ˈmik.ko.lɑ/

Based on a Finnish given name derived from the Hebrew name Mikha’el, meaning ”who is like God?”.

MONTRÉAL CANADIENS

JOEL ARMIA

JOEL /ˈjo.el/

Derived from the Hebrew name Yo’el, meaning “Yahweh is God”.

ARMIA /ˈɑr.mi.ɑ/

Possibly derived from the Germanic name Herman, meaning ”army man”.

JESSE YLÖNEN

JESSE /ˈjes.se/

Derived from the Hebrew name Yishai, possibly meaning ”gift”.

YLÖNEN /ˈy.lø.nen/

A Savonian surname possibly derived from the Finnish word ylevä, meaning "noble". Another possible origin is the Finnish word yletön meaning ”excessive” or ” enormous”.

OTTAWA SENATORS

ROBY JÄRVENTIE

ROBY /ˈro.bi/

Derived from the German name Hrodebert, meaning ”bright fame”.

JÄRVENTIE /ˈjær.ʋen.tie̯/

A topographic Finnish surname meaning ”lake’s road.”

NIKOLAS MATINPALO

NIKOLAS /ˈni.ko.lɑs/

Derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, meaning ”victory of the people”.

MATINPALO /ˈmɑ.tin.pɑ.lo/

A topographic Finnish surname meaning ”Matti’s swidden”. The name Matti is derived from the Hebrew name ‘Mattityahu, meaning “gift of Yahweh”.

JOONAS KORPISALO

JOONAS /ˈjoː.nɑs/

Derived from the Hebrew name Yonah, meaning “dove”.

KORPISALO /ˈkor.pi.sɑ.lo/

A topographic Finnish surname, meaning ”deep forest”.

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

WALTTERI MERELÄ

WALTTERI /ˈʋɑlt.te.ri/

Derived from the Germanic name Waltheri, meaning ”power of the army”.

MERELÄ /ˈme.re.læ/

Derived from the Finnish word meri, meaning ”sea”.

NOTES:

During the 12th century, the tradition of Finnish given names was lost due to the Christianization of Finland under Sweden's rule. By the 16th century only Christian names were accepted, which is why Finnish forms of Christian names are still widely popular in Finland despite the society being fairly secular. The tradition of native Finnish given names wasn’t revived until the 19th century. 

Most Finnish surnames end in suffixes -nen or -la/-lä. The collective suffix -nen, which is more common in Eastern Finnish surnames, indicates belonging to a certain family or clan. The suffix -la/-lä, which is more common in Western Finnish surnames, creates oikonyms from the names of places, farms or small villages.

Karelian can be used to refer to a geographical place, language, dialect or people. It is important to note that Karelian is its own language separate from Finnish. However, the Finnish language also has a Karelian dialect that is spoken in the Finnish Karelia. Finnish surnames originating from Karelia have likely been influenced by both Karelian and Finnish.

The IPA forms follow Finnish phonology even with foreign (Swedish, Russian etc.) names in approximation to how an average Finn pronounces them.

The source for most of the given names is Behind The Name. The topographic surnames are direct translations. The explanations for the rest of the surnames are either from Wiktionary or based on speculation by Finnish genealogy enthusiasts, hence the overuse of the word "possibly".

Feedback is welcome. If you have additions or notice any mistakes, please let me know!

[ilmaveivi]

The Etymology of Finnish NHL Players a.k.a What Do Their Names Mean?

PACIFIC DIVISION 2023-2024

ANAHEIM DUCKS

URHO VAAKANAINEN

URHO /ˈurho/

A Finnish name derived from a Proto-Finnic word meaning ”man”. A poetic Finnish word meaning ”hero”.

VAAKANAINEN /ˈʋɑːkɑnɑi̯nen/

A Karelian surname based on several Orthodox given names derived from the Greek name Bakchos, meaning ”to shout”. A Finnish homonym for ”scales woman”.

SAN JOSE SHARKS

MIKAEL GRANLUND

MIKAEL /ˈmi.kɑ.el/

Derived from the Hebrew name Mikha’el, meaning ”who is like God?”.

GRANLUND /ˈɡrɑːn.lund/

A topographic Swedish surname meaning ”spruce grove”.

KAAPO KÄHKÖNEN

KAAPO /ˈkɑː.po/

Derived from the Hebrew name Gavri’el, meaning "God is my strong man”.

KÄHKÖNEN /ˈkæh.kø.nen/

A Savonian and Karelian surname possibly derived from the Finnish word käheä, meaning ��hoarse”.

SEATTLE KRAKEN

EELI TOLVANEN

EELI /ˈeː.li/

Derived from the Hebrew name Eli, meaning ”ascension”.

TOLVANEN /ˈtol.ʋɑ.nen/

A Savonian and Karelian surname possibly based on a given name derived from the Old German name Adalwolf, meaning "noble wolf”.

NOTES:

During the 12th century, the tradition of Finnish given names was lost due to the Christianization of Finland under the Swedish rule. By the 16th century only Christian names were accepted, which is why Finnish forms of Christian names are still widely popular in Finland despite the society being fairly secular. The tradition of native Finnish given names wasn’t revived until the 19th century. 

Most Finnish surnames end in suffixes -nen or -la/-lä. The collective suffix -nen, which is more common in Eastern Finnish surnames, indicates belonging to a certain family or clan. The suffix -la/-lä, which is more common in Western Finnish surnames, creates oikonyms from the names of places, farms or small villages.

Karelia and Karelian can be used to refer to a geographical place, language, dialect or people. It is important to note that Karelian is its own language separate from Finnish. However, the Finnish language also has a Karelian dialect that is spoken in the Finnish Karelia. Finnish surnames originating from Karelia have likely been influenced by both Karelian and Finnish.

The IPA forms follow Finnish phonology even with foreign (Swedish, Russian etc.) names in approximation to how an average Finn pronounces them.

The source for most of the given names is Behind The Name. The topographic surnames are direct translations. The explanations for the rest of the surnames are either from Finnish Wiktionary or based on speculation by Finnish genealogy enthusiasts, hence the overuse of the word "possibly".

Feedback is welcome. If you have additions or notice any mistakes, please let me know!

[ilmaveivi]

The Etymology of Finnish NHL Players a.k.a What Do Their Names Mean?

METROPOLITAN DIVISION 2023-2024

CAROLINA HURRICANES

SEBASTIAN AHO

SEBASTIAN /ˈse.bɑs.ti.ɑn/

Derived from the Latin name Sebastianus, meaning ”from Sebaste”.

AHO /ˈɑ.ho/

A topographic Finnish surname, meaning ”uncultivated glade”.

JESPERI KOTKANIEMI

JESPERI /ˈjes.pe.ri/

Possibly derived from the Persian word ganzabara, meaning ”bringer of treasure”. Another possible origin is the gemstone jasper derived from a Semitic word meaning ”speckled stone”.

KOTKANIEMI /ˈkot.kɑ.nie̯.mi/

A topographic Finnish surname meaning ”eagle cape”.

TEUVO TERÄVÄINEN

TEUVO /ˈteu̯.ʋo/

Derived from the Greek name Theodoros, meaning ”gift of God”.

TERÄVÄINEN /ˈte.ræ.ʋæi̯.nen/

Derived from the Finnish word terävä, meaning ”sharp”.

ANTTI RAANTA

ANTTI /ˈɑnt.ti/

Derived from the Greek name Andreas, meaning ”masculine”.

RAANTA /ˈrɑːn.tɑ/

Possibly derived from the Finnish word ranta, meaning ”shore”.

COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

PATRIK LAINE

PATRIK /ˈpɑt.rik/

Derived from the Latin name Patricius, meaning ”nobleman”.

LAINE /ˈlɑi̯.ne/

A Finnish word meaning ”wave”.

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

ERIK HAULA

ERIK /ˈeː.rik/

Derived from the Old Norse name Eiríkr, meaning “ever ruler”.

HAULA /ˈhɑu̯.lɑ/

Likely derived from the old Finnish word haulakala, meaning ”herring”.

SANTERI HATAKKA

SANTERI /ˈsɑn.te.ri/

Derived from the Greek name Alexandros, meaning ”defending men”.

HATAKKA /ˈhɑ.tɑk.kɑ/

A Karelian surname derived from a dialectical word roughly meaning ”swift movement”. An Ingrian word meaning ”quick, small cloud”.

NEW YORK RANGERS

KAAPO KAKKO

KAAPO /ˈkɑː.po/

Derived from the Hebrew name Gavri’el, meaning "God is my strong man”.

KAKKO /ˈkɑk.ko/

A Karelian surname possibly derived from a given name meaning ”bird”. A dialectal name for bread baked from barley and wheat in Western Finland.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

RASMUS RISTOLAINEN

RASMUS /ˈrɑs.mus/

Derived from the Greek word erasmios, meaning ”beloved”.

RISTOLAINEN /ˈris.to.lɑi̯.nen/

Based on a Finnish given name derived from the Late Greek name Christophoros, meaning ”bearing Christ”.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

JOONA KOPPANEN

JOONA  /ˈjoː.nɑ/

Derived from the Hebrew name Yonah, meaning “dove”.

KOPPANEN /ˈkop.pɑ.nen/

Possibly based on a Karelian given name derived from the Greek name Prokopios, meaning ”progress”. Another possible origin is the Finnish word koppa, meaning ”basket”.

VALTTERI PUUSTINEN

VALTTERI /ˈʋɑlt.te.ri/

Derived from the Germanic name Waltheri, meaning ”power of the army”.

PUUSTINEN /ˈpuːs.ti.nen/

Possibly derived from a Proto-Slavic word meaning ”desolate”.

NOTES:

During the 12th century, the tradition of Finnish given names was lost due to the Christianization of Finland under the Swedish rule. By the 16th century only Christian names were accepted, which is why Finnish forms of Christian names are still widely popular in Finland despite the society being fairly secular. The tradition of native Finnish given names wasn’t revived until the 19th century. 

Most Finnish surnames end in suffixes -nen or -la/-lä. The collective suffix -nen, which is more common in Eastern Finnish surnames, indicates belonging to a certain family or clan. The suffix -la/-lä, which is more common in Western Finnish surnames, creates oikonyms from the names of places, farms or small villages.

Karelia and Karelian can be used to refer to a geographical place, language, dialect or people. It is important to note that Karelian is its own language separate from Finnish. However, the Finnish language also has a Karelian dialect that is spoken in Finnish Karelia. Finnish surnames originating from Karelia have likely been influenced by both Karelian and Finnish.

The IPA forms follow Finnish phonology even with foreign (Swedish, Russian etc.) names in approximation to how an average Finn pronounces them.

The source for most of the given names is Behind The Name. The topographic surnames are direct translations. The explanations for the rest of the surnames are either from Finnish Wiktionary or based on speculation by Finnish genealogy enthusiasts, hence the overuse of the word "possibly".

Feedback is welcome. If you have additions or notice any mistakes, please let me know!