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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, though not all are popular in Finland itself.

Finnish Girl Names
  1. LumiHeart
    • 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. AnjaHeart
    • Origin:

      Russian variation of Anna
    • Meaning:

      "grace"
    • Description:

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

      Nickname name
    • Description:

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

      Finnish
    • Meaning:

      "summer"
    • Description:

      To the non-Scandinavian ear, a cute and unusual nickname name, used by Finnish supermodel Suvi Koponen.
  5. SadeHeart
    • 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."
  6. SannaHeart
    • 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.
  7. MinnaHeart
    • Origin:

      German, diminutive of Wilhelmina
    • Description:

      One of those pan-European nickname names most popular these days in places like Finland.
  8. AilanaHeart
    • 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".
  9. MaireHeart
    • Origin:

      Finnish, Irish variation of Mary
    • Meaning:

      "sweet; drop of the sea, bitter"
    • Description:

      Both Maire and Mare have begun making inroads with parents seeking novel yet authentic ways of honoring an ancestral Mary. The Finnish variation derives from the word mairea, meaning "sweet."
  10. TuuliHeart
    • Origin:

      Finnish
    • Meaning:

      "wind"
    • Description:

      A sweet and intuitive Finnish word name. The double U's up the quirkiness.
  11. AnneliHeart
    • 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.
  12. HannaHeart
    • 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.
  13. UllaHeart
    • 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.
  14. AiliHeart
    • Origin:

      Finnish and Sami variation of Helga, diminutive of Aileen, Anglicization of Eilidh
    • Meaning:

      "holy, blessed; bright and shining light"
    • Description:

      An attractive Scandinavian take on Helga, or a potential Helen nickname.
  15. LiljaHeart
    • Origin:

      Icelandic, Faroese, and Finnish variation of Lily; "lily"
    • Meaning:

      "lily"
    • Description:

      Cute and quirky Lily alternative.
  16. VenlaHeart
    • Origin:

      Finnish
    • Meaning:

      "to travel, to proceed"
    • Description:

      Finnish feminization of Wendell.
  17. HennaHeart
    • Origin:

      Color name, Finnish feminization of Henry, English from German
    • Meaning:

      "estate ruler"
    • Description:

      Reddish dye that sounds as if it could be a real name — of the outdated, Old World, Yetta-Hedda variety.
  18. SariHeart
    • 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. LumiaHeart
    • 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.
  20. HanniHeart
    • Origin:

      Finnish diminutive of Hanna and Johanna
    • Meaning:

      "grace; God is gracious"
    • Description:

      A cute and easily accessible Finnish nickname, although not one that is likely to become popular in America now that Hannah and co are on the decline.