The Virtanen type

Finnish surname In Finland, a person must have a surname and at least one given name with up to four given names permitted. Surnames are inherited either patrilineally or matrilineally, while given names are usually chosen by a person's parents. Finnish names com ...

s are the surnames that became popular in the 19th century in western Finland and that are formed by combining of a word related to nature (but not an animal) with the suffix '' -nen''. The name of the type was introduced by Finnish expert in naming after the surname '' Virtanen'', the most common surname of this type.Minna Saarelma-Maunumaa
VIRTANEN-TYYPPI. SUOMALAISEN SUKUNIMISTÖN UUDISTAJANA
''Virittäjä'', no. 3, 2005, pp. 418-422 Until 2009 ''Virtanen'' was the most common surname in Finland, later superseded by ''

Korhonen Korhonen is a surname originating in Finland, where it is the most common surname. The most common surname in Finland was Virtanen before 2009, when the number of people with the surname Korhonen exceeded the number of people with the surname V ...

'', which is of unknown origin). The suffix ''-nen'', commonly used as a

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

, was already in use in Eastern Finland ( Savonia,

Karelia Karelia (; Karelian language, Karelian and ; , historically Коре́ла, ''Korela'' []; ) is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Russia (including the Soviet Union, Soviet era), Finland, and Sweden. It is currentl ...

) since the Middle Ages to create surnames in church records from the name of the parent (i.e., used as

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic. Patronymics are used, b ...

, e.g., ''

Pentikäinen Pentikäinen is a Finnish surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Eeva Anneli ("Anu") Pentikäinen known professionally as Anu Pentik (born 1942), Finnish designer and ceramicist *Atte Pentikäinen Atte Pentikäinen (born 12 Decembe ...

''). Most people in Western Finland lacked surnames, and in the era of Finnish national awakening Finns started adopting "Virtanen-type" surnames, which followed the pattern of the existing surnames in Eastern Finland, but without any personal association, and the suffix ''-nen'' acquired a new meaning of an abstract surname-generating suffix. There are also some rare old surnames with suffix ''-nen'' of unknown origin, such as ''

''. Later, the suffix ''-nen'' was often dropped altogether, and pairs of surnames, such as ''

Lahtinen Lahtinen is a Finnish-language surname of the so-called Virtanen type: lahti ("bay") + -nen (a surname suffix). Notable people with the surname include: * Alli Lahtinen (1926–1976), Finnish politician * Aki Lahtinen (born 1958), Finnish footb ...

'' and ''

Lahti Lahti (; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Päijät-Häme. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Lahti is approximately , while the Lahti sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately . It is the mo ...

'', coexist. The surnames like ''Lahti'' are called the Laine type surnames, after the surname ''

Laine Laine is Finnish and Estonian for "wave", and a surname in various languages. Laine is a Laine type Finnish surname. In Estonian, it is also a female given name. Given name On 1 January 2022, in Estonia, 1,709 women had the first name Laine ...

'', the most common one of this type.Mikkonen, Pirjo & Paikkala, Sirkka, ''Sukunimet'', p. 27. Helsinki: Otava, 2000.

References

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