Finnish names and History

[Rockstar]

I once asked about a Finish surname of Pajala but nobody knew of anyone by that name in Finland. Well I found out a bit more about an ancestor of mine. He was born in AlaJaarvi Finland Aug 1876. The story goes Jacob Pajala was originally born with the name 'Hokoniemi'. When his father moved to a small village in Finland called Pajala, the people there all took the name of Pajala, so Jacob and Lisa changed from Hokoniemi to Pajala as well.

Now I know a famine occured sometime in the mid 1800's in Finland. But this fella wasn't born until several years after that. Is there any other reason why in Finland during the 1870 early 1880 a family would have left for a village above the arctic circle and the whole family change thier surname like that? Any one know if there is meaning behind the surname Hokoniemi?


Bueller? anyone anyone?

[Hottentot]

Any one know if there is meaning behind the surname Hokoniemi?

Are you sure the name is spelled right? Hokoniemi doesn't sound Finnish and according to our population register's database (http://verkkopalvelu.vrk.fi/Nimipalvelu/default.asp?L=3) there isn't anyone with such surname, neither dead nor alive. The name you might be looking for is Hakaniemi from the words "Haka" (usually "a hook", but in the case of surname most likely in it's older meaning "a pasture") and "Niemi" ("a cape").

[Rockstar]

I guess it's spelled incorrectly. I tried running searches and they all came back "did you mean Hakaniemi". His wifes maiden name was Viistiaho and I can't fid that neither. May have been Americanized when they immigtrated.

Any idea why a whole family would travel to another village and take the name of the village as their new surname? How common was that?:doh: Must have been the Vodka.

[Hottentot]

Any idea why a whole family would travel to another village

Depends a lot on their social status and even then it's most likely just guessing. Why do people migrate?

and take the name of the village as their new surname? How common was that?:doh:

I've heard of some cases. Can't say how common it was, but it's not an unique case.

Must have been the Vodka.

How much vodka do you think average Finn had time and money to drink back then?