Finnish Word List

äpärä=illegitimate (also see - oä(kta) - Swedish form)
barn=lapsi=child
Bdn=Bonde=talollinen=farmer, farm owner
Bonden=maanviljelijä=farmer
Bondesonen=farmer's son
Cominst.=comminister=komministeri (vastaa kappalaista) = assistant to the minister (clergyman)
G:la=gamla=vanha=old
Inh.=inhyses=itsellinen=dependant cottager
Itsell.=itsellinen=dependant cottager
Itt.=itsellinen=dependant crofter
Lap(si)=children
Mågen (Måg)=vävy=son-in-law
Myöhemmin =later (surname was later changed)
Nybygges=Uudistila=new farm or house
oä(kta)=avioton=out of wedlock or literally, without marriage (Swedish form)
Sexman=kuudennusmies=caretaker of the church
Talon=genitive of talo=house, of the house
Torp=torpare=torppari=crofter
Note: "Crofter" is the English form of the Americanism "tenant farmer"
A croft is a small enclosed pasture or field. The people working these farms were called crofters or tenant farmers. They lived in the house and worked the land but didn't actually own the place or property, in most cases.
Waimo=Vaimo=wife

Here are a few additions, including both Finnish and Swedish definitions - church records were recorded in Swedish so one has to know what the terminology meant:
(English, Finnish, then Swedish):

born = syntynt, född
brother = veli, bror
child = lapsi, barn
christened = ristitty, döpt
church = kirkko, kyrka
city = kaupunki, stad
county = lääni, län
daughter = tytär, dotter
died = kuollut, död
emigrant = siirtolainen, emigrant
family = perhe/suku, familj/släkt
farm = (think you have the Finnish word, Swedish is bondgård)
father = isä, far
house = talo, hus
laborer = työmies, arbetare
married= vihitty, gift
mother = äiti, mor
parents = vanhemmat, föräldrar
parish = seurakunta, socken/församling
son = poika, son
unmarried = avioton, ogift
village = kylä, by
wife = vaimo, fru/hustru

These are just a few general definitions - there are many more and other definitions than these are also used.

Here are more....
Good day / hello / how do you do = hyvää päivää, usually just "päivää"
Hi / hello = hei
"Hej" is hello in Swedish.
hyvä = good
Second cousin = pikkuserkku (literally "little cousin")

Need more help? Visit the Finnish-English Dictionary

Have more common words or phrases to add? Please e-mail us!