#oh and puusti is also any kind of rolled pastry like for example cinnamon roll is korvapuusti in finnish

[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!