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== Surnames == | == Surnames == | ||
[[File:Finland East-West Naming Practice.jpg|350px|thumb|Boundary showing different surname practices in Finland.]] | [[File:Finland East-West Naming Practice.jpg|350px|thumb|Boundary showing different surname practices in Finland.]] | ||
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 the smith became Johan Smed; Johan the son of Matts became Johan Mattsson, or Johan from Huuskotar farm became Johan Huuskoin. 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. | 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 the smith became Johan Smed; Johan the son of Matts became Johan Mattsson, or Johan from Huuskotar farm became Johan Huuskoin. 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. In colloquial speech Finns did not address each other using patronymics. The natural Finnish way of referring to someone's parentage is to use the genitive form, ''Matin Olli'' ("Matthew's Olaf") instead of the solemn ''Olli Matinpoika'' ("Olaf Matthew's son")<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_name#Patronymics</ref> | ||
Finnish birth records did not generally identify the surname for newborn infants, only the given name. In creating a surname standard for the International Genealogical Index, the surnames were assigned strictly by whether a parish is classified as a patronymic parish (western) or a fixed 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 Historical Records collections and the International Genealogical Index. | Finnish birth records did not generally identify the surname for newborn infants, only the given name. In creating a surname standard for the International Genealogical Index, the surnames were assigned strictly by whether a parish is classified as a patronymic parish (western) or a fixed 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 Historical Records collections and the International Genealogical Index. | ||
Following is a brief description of various types of Finnish surnames according to geographic (east-west) distributions: | 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. 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 patronymic naming custom used in Sweden. | *''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 patronymic naming custom 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. | *''Eastern Finland'' (Kuopio, Lappi, Mikkeli, Oulu, and Viipuri Counties with the exception of certain parishes). Surnames did not change from generation to generation. | ||