Savolainen

Herkunft & Geschichte

Means 'person from Savo' (Finnish: Savo; Swedish: Savolax), the large central-eastern province of Finland famous for its dense lake district, distinctive dialect, and stereotypically humorous and indirect communication style celebrated in Finnish culture. The Savonians (savolaiset) were among the most expansive Finnish-speaking groups, colonizing vast areas of eastern and northern Finland from the 15th century onward, which is why Savonian surnames — Korhonen, Virtanen, Kinnunen — are so common nationwide. Savolainen as a surname thus identifies a family's origin in Savo and is itself concentrated in the North Savo and South Savo regions around Kuopio, Mikkeli, and Savonlinna.