When we think of Scandinavian names, what usually comes to mind are the familiar and accessible ones that have been imported from Norway, Denmark and Sweden, like Eric and Ingrid and Lars and Dagmar.  But Finnish names, while still Scandinavian, are a world unto themselves, loaded with double vowels (and sometimes consonants) and tricky accents and pronunciations.  Yet  though this nomenclature includes clunkers like Hongatar and Kiputytto, there are many others that have a unique and quirky charm all their own.  I remember that when we were researching the foreign variations of names for The Baby Name Bible, I always kind of looked forward to seeing what the Finnish take would be on a classic–like Viljo for William, Maiju for Mary.

One reason for the sparse representation of Finnish names here is the small number of Finnish-Americans in the US.  There are currently about 700,000 people of that ethnicity, which is only 0.2% of the population.  Nor have many celebrities publicized Finnish names–there has never been a Finnish movie star equivalent of Ingrid Bergman, for example–the only Finnish names people might recognize are Esa-Pekka Salonen, the contemporary classical conductor, or perhaps father-and-son architects Eliel and Eero Saarinen.

Another element that sets these names apart comes from the fact that the Finnish language is very different from that of the other Scandinavian countries, with their Norse roots; Finnish has more in common with Hungarian, Estonian, Turkish and the languages spoken in the Asian part of Russia.  But–for you vowel lovers– double vowels are its most distinctive feature.  Pronunciation can be a little tricky, but here are some simple rules: A is pronounced as in arm, E as in egg, I as in it, O as in on, U as in pull,  J=Y, and W=V.

So, while the current most popular names in Finland are quite international in flavor–Maria, Olivia, Sofia, Amanda, Matilda, and Julia are all in the Top 10–here are some more traiditional choices that would be usable but still highly distinctive here:

GIRLS

AAMU

AIJA

AILA

AILI

ALIISA

ANNELI

ARJA

EEVA (EH-vuh)

HELEENA

KAIJA

KIELO

KIIRA

LIISI

LILJA (LEEL-yah)

MAIJA (MIGH-yah)

MIRJA (MEER-yah)

NEA

PIIA/ RIIA/TIIA

SAARA

VEERA

BOYS

AARNE

AARO

ARTO

ARVI

EERO

EETU

HANNU

JAAKO

JALO

JARI

JOONAS

JUHO

JUSSI

KARI

KAARLO

LEEVI

MIKKO

NILO/NIILO

PAAVO

RAIMO

We teamed up with people.com’s Celebrity Baby Blog to bring you this look behind Natalie and Taylor Hanson’s choice of the name Viggo Moriah for their fourth child.

Musical brother Taylor Hanson is the latest celebrity to choose a baby name that’s reminiscent of another celebrity, when he and wife Natalie named their newborn son and fourth child Viggo Moriah.

While actor Viggo Mortensen wasn’t the direct inspiration for the baby’s name, says Natalie. “He’s a great actor and a handsome modern reference for the name.”.

Natalie and Taylor were combing through records on ancestry.com in search of a distinctive yet historic name when they hit upon Viggo, a Scandinavian name that means “war.” “It’s a strong name with a great sound and matches our Danish last name and we just loved it,” says Natalie.

The baby’s middle name Moriah was Taylor’s choice, inspired by the Book of Genesis story of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, which took place on Mount Moriah.

The couple didn’t anticipate the celebrity reference of that Biblical place name. “People have been asking us, ‘Oh, like Mariah Carey?,’ and we didn’t even think of that,” says Natalie Hanson. “We were thinking of other Biblical names like Josiah and Jeremiah that to us sounded so masculine.”

Baby Viggo Moriah’s three older siblings, Jordan Ezra, 6; Penelope Anne, 3; and River Samuel, 2, so far pronounce his name “Biggo,” laughs Natalie. “It’s so cute, we always make them say it.”

“I’m such a name fan,” says Natalie, who was poring over name books long before she started her brood with the middle Hanson brother. With the world watching, how does she feel about the pressure to choose the perfect name? “The pressure is worse from my Mom and the in-laws,” she laughs. “But once they see the baby, he’s so precious, they say he looks like a Viggo.”

Taylor Hanson uses his middle name as his first, an informal tradition in the family, with grandpa Clarke Walker known as Walker and Taylor and Natalie’s oldest son using his middle name Ezra. Taylor will sometimes switch things up the other way and identify himself as Jordan – his actual first name – Hanson. Having a built-in alias can make life easier for a celebrity who likes to keep a low profile, says Natalie, as do the Oklahoma-centered Hansons.

Baby Viggo joins other celebrity babies and children who share their names with stars, including Ava (as in Gardner), daughters of Reese Witherspoon and Hugh Jackman,: Harlow (Jean), daughter of Nicole Ritchie, Audrey (Hepburn), daughter of Greg Kinnear; and Gable, (Clark) son of Kevin Nealon. Soleil Moon Frye’s daughter’s first name is Jagger, while Madonna is Geri Halliwell’s daughter Bluebell’s middle name.

As for Viggo Mortensen, the Lord of the Rings star is actually a junior—he inherited his name from his Danish father. It’s a Norse name meaning ‘warlike’ but its real-life image is one of energy and—well—vigor. This Viggo too has brothers with more ordinary names—Charles and Walter. Maybe that’s why they turned out to be geologists.

If you look at the Top 1000 (actually 2000) baby names on the latest Social Security list, you’ll find a rich mix of names with English and Irish and Latin and African roots, but only the sparsest sprinkling of names from the Scandinavian cultures.  Aside from Eric and Erica–the only Norse names that have ever really caught on in this country–you have to look pretty far down the list to find a handful of others–Kai, Axel, Annika, Gunnar, Ingrid, Soren–some of them representing just a few hundred babies.

Which means that there’s a whole constellation of names waiting to be discovered.  Granted, not all of them would appeal to the American ear, some of them displaying their ungainly Germanic roots (Wigburg, anyone?), others offering pronunciation challenges (similar to that posed by Matt Lauer’s son’s Dutch name Thijs, pronounced Tice), or containing too many accents, or being just generally awkward, like Ansgar or Ragnild.  That said, there are still many gems to be uncovered.

Though there are some names or variations found only in either Norway or Sweden or Denmark (Finland is a whole other story), the majority–many of them, such as Gunnar, coming from ancient Norse legend–can be found throughout Scandinavia.  Strict traditional patterns of nomenclature–the first son being named for his paternal grandfather, etc–and laws restricting name choices have kept the supply pretty limited, but of late these have relaxed somewhat, and non-traditional names have been working their way in.

When it comes to the most popular names, there is some overlap among the three countries.  In 2006-07, the top names in Sweden were William, Lukas and Elias, and Wilma, Maja and Ella; in Norway they were Jonas, Mathias and Magnus, and Thea, Emma and Julie; while in Denmark the top three were Lucas, Mikkel and Magnus, and Sofie, Laura, and Freja. Here are some other choices to consider; those starred are current favorites.

GIRLS

ASTRID

BARBRO

CLADY (klah-DEE)

DAGNY

*EBBA

JENSINE/JENSINA

*LINNEA

MAREN/MARET/MARIT

PETRA

*SIGNY/SIGNE

SVEA

ULLA (OO-la)

BOYS

BJORN

*FILIP

IVAR

JENS

KLEMENS

LARS

LEIF

ODIN

STEEN/STIAN

SVEN

TOR/THOR

VIGGO