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The Story of a Place Name

Place names – a piece of our cultural environment

The birth of place names - talking about places

A name after a place

A name from a name

From one language to another

Storing the name of a field

Archived names

Checking the names on the Basic Map

Saami names on the maps

Names on the Basic Map

Names in multiple languages

Planned names – Kruununhaka in Helsinki

Names in town plans – ”Keimola Hill”

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Talo Taivassalossa

A name after a place

Traditional place names are based on words that were used at the time when the name was given. Even if a word in such a name has disappeared later, the name continues to exist and fulfill its function.

Places that are important for moving about, e.g., waterways, were the first places to receive names. For example, the name Päijänne (a lake), the origins of which have faded away, is one of the oldest place names in Finland.

The name Taivassalo in Jämsä used to be Taivalsalo. The original name came from the narrow isthmus in the middle of the island, taival, “a passage”. People could drag their boats over the passage from one bay to the other. The other part of the name, salo, refers to an island.

© National Land Survey of Finland, 49/MML/10.

There are several explanations for the origins of the name Päijänne, but none of them are credible in the light of present-day studies. Since there are a large number of Saami-language names in the Päijänne region, it is very likely that the name Päijänne used to be a word of one of the Saami languages at some stage of its history.

Updated 04 October 2011

There are several explanations for the origins of the name Päijänne, but none of them are credible in the light of present-day studies. Since there are a large number of Saami-language names in the Päijänne region, it is very likely that the name Päijänne used to be a word of one of the Saami languages at some stage of its history.

The map of the parish of Jämsä (1751-1752), Riksarkivet, Lantmät. lev. 1850 nr 92.

The above map shows two small craft routes that go past Taivassalo in Päijänne.

Place names can be based on, e.g.:

a) the quality of the place (syvä lahti (deep bay) → Syvälahti ”Deep Bay, fi syvä ’deep’, lahti ’bay’),

b) the ownership or governance of the place (Vitikkalanlahti ”Bay of Vitikkala”)

c) or an event (Herrojenpöytä ”Gentlemen’s Table”). It is said that the name Herrojenpöytä (fi herra ’gentleman’, pöytä ’table’) was given after a group of gentlemen enjoyed a meal in the location.