Finnish Baby Names for Girls

Finnish Baby Names for Girls

To the American ear, Finnish baby names sound much quirkier than the Scandinavian baby names of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. While there is a lot of crossover between Finnish and Scandinavian names, many Finnish names are closely related to Baltic names, particularly those from Estonia.

The most popular Finnish names for girls in Finland include Eevi, Venla, Aino, Aada, and Helmi. You may be familiar with Finnish girl names such as Lotta, Hanna, Anneli, Ulla, Minna, and Lumi, which is a rising name in the US and popular on Nameberry. Rarer Finnish names for girls that deserve your attention include Auri, Suvi, Ailana, Elvi, Ilta, and Kesia. Here are some of the most accessible baby names to the English speaker, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.

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Finnish Baby Names for Boys

Girl Names

  1. Lumi
    • Origin:

      Finnish
    • Meaning:

      "snow"
    • Description:

      Lumi may be a rare girls' name in the USA and England, but it comes in the Top 50 in Finland, where it means snow. Given the popularity of Winter, Holly, Ivy and many other wintery-christmassy names, we think that short and spunky Lumi definitely has potential for greater usage outside its home country as one of the more unusual names for Christmas babies.
  2. Sade
    • Origin:

      Finnish, Nigerian and Yoruba, diminutive of Folashade
    • Meaning:

      "rain; honor bestows a crown"
    • Description:

      The one-named singer clarified the confusing pronunciation on this one (in her case, it's shah-DAY), but a number of parents have looked for more phonetic spellings. The Finnish version means "rain."
  3. Minna
    • Origin:

      Diminutive of Wilhelmina, German
    • Meaning:

      "resolute protection; love"
    • Description:

      One of those pan-European nickname names much more familiar in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe than in the US, though related name Mina is making a comeback here. Light and bright, it could be an alternative to Mila, Minnie, or Millie.
  4. Anja
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian; Finnish; Slovene; Croatian; Serbian, from Russian
    • Meaning:

      "grace"
    • Description:

      Anja is one of the most international of several versions of Ann/Anna now being imported, also including Anya and Annika.
  5. Anneli
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian variation of Annalie or Hannah
    • Meaning:

      "grace"
    • Description:

      Anneli is one of the hundreds of Anne variations with an intriguing spelling. This name has been popular throughout Scandinavia over time and would certainly translate easily to English-speaking countries.
  6. Ulla
    • Origin:

      Scandinavian
    • Meaning:

      "will, determination"
    • Description:

      Ulla, the beautiful Swedish secretary in The Producers (played by Uma Thurman in the movie) who purrs, "Ven you got it, flaunt it," has changed the image of this name forever. Ulla may stand on its own or be an abbreviation of Ursula or Ulrika; Ula may be seen as another spelling.
  7. Hanna
    • Origin:

      Spelling variation of Hannah
    • Description:

      This simplified version is not nearly as popular as the original (it also destroys a perfectly good palindrome), and has been on the decline in recent years.
  8. Via
    • Origin:

      Nickname name
    • Description:

      Could be a short form of Sylvia, Olivia, or any other similar name. Or a vivid Italian word name.
  9. Sanna
    • Origin:

      Swedish, Finnish, Inuktitut
    • Meaning:

      "lily"
    • Description:

      If you're ready to move beyond Anna and Hannah, consider this traditional Scandinavian short form of Susanna, historically very popular in its native lands.
  10. Saija
    • Origin:

      Finnish diminutive of Sarah
    • Meaning:

      "princess"
    • Description:

      This pretty Finnish name is a diminutive of a diminutive, going from Sarah to Sari to Saija.
  11. Lumia
    • Origin:

      Finnish, Italian
    • Meaning:

      "snow; citron"
    • Description:

      Although Lumi (Finnish for "snow") is far more popular, the elaboration Lumia is used in Finland as well. It's also a technical word in English for patterns of light used as an art form, and in Italian it refers to the citron fruit and tree – a pear-shaped citrus fruit also known as a sweet lemon. Nokia chose the name for a brand of smartphone, now discontinued.
  12. Suvi
    • Origin:

      Finnish
    • Meaning:

      "summer"
    • Description:

      To the non-Scandinavian ear, a cute and unusual nickname name, used by Finnish supermodel Suvi Koponen. It has a zippy, yet sunny feel to it, and could make an interesting alternative to Susie.
  13. Ailana
    • Origin:

      Kazakh
    • Meaning:

      "moonlight"
    • Description:

      A pretty Kazakh name derived from Turkish ayla, meaning "moonlight". The Hawaiian name 'Ailana (with the 'okina mark) means "loving".
  14. Kielo
    • Origin:

      Finnish
    • Meaning:

      "lily of the valley"
    • Description:

      A Finnish word name for the lily of the valley flower.
  15. Iro
    • Origin:

      Greek, Japanese, Finnish
    • Meaning:

      "hero; color; peace"
    • Description:

      A modern Greek form of the mythological name Hero, or a Japanese name meaning "color." Iro is also a name in Finnish mythology, derived from Irina and Irene. Iro was the mother of the three main gods of Finnish legend.
  16. Auri
    • Origin:

      Finnish
    • Description:

      An airy variant of the Finnish name Aura, which derives either from the Greek "aura" (breath; breeze) or from Old Norse "aurr" (earth; clay). It is also sometimes encountered as a short form of Aurora or Aurelia.
  17. Aino
    • Origin:

      Finnish
    • Meaning:

      "the only one"
    • Description:

      What a lovely name for the much-longed for daughter - no wonder Aino is in the Top 5 in Finland, whence the name originates. Like other popular Finnish names, Aino is short and avoids the ubiquitous "a" ending we usually see in feminine names, which gives it a fresh feel and sound.
  18. Sari
    • Origin:

      Arabic
    • Meaning:

      "noble"
    • Description:

      Sari is a cute spin on Sarah, though some may hear it as "sorry," and it is also an item of clothing worn in India. These days many people will also confuse Sari with Suri, the lovely and unsual name of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' much-publicized young daughter.
  19. Hilla
    • Origin:

      Finnish
    • Meaning:

      "cloudberry"
    • Description:

      Hilla is a rising girl name in Finland, where it is seen as both an independent name and a short form of names beginning with Hil-.
  20. Senja
    • Origin:

      Finnish variation of Xenia, Greek
    • Meaning:

      "hospitable, welcoming"
    • Description:

      Senja is the Finnish form of Xenia as well as the Indonesian word for "dusk."