Photo: Visit Finland Finnish surnames often refer to a place where a family lived. Virtanen could literally mean “small stream,” but the surname was devised to mean a family living near a stream.
The most common Finnish-language surnames include Korhonen, Virtanen, Nieminen, Mäkinen, Hämäläinen, Koskinen, Heikkinen and Järvinen. Yes, this land loves its –nen suffix, a sure way to recognise a Finnish surname.
