Resumen de Name Giving of Russian-Finnish Families
This study analyses the naming of children of Russian-Finnish families living in Finland. Russians are the largest group of immigrants in Finland (15.4% in 2012). The main aim is to research what are the motives of name selection in Russian-Finnish families. The research method used is situated in the field of qualitative research (interviews). The most popular naming motives are 1. practical points of names (spelling and pronunciation suitable for both languages), 2. naming after family and relatives, and 3. the name’s appeal. A forename influences a person’s identity, so it is interesting to examine the construction of ethnical identity through names: how the selected names represent the identity of the person. Since some immigrants change their forename or surname to the one that comes from the hosting society, I examine also official changes of names (according to decision of Committee on Names) as a form of assimilation/integration into Finnish society. Do Russians-Finnish families want their children to assimilate/integrate into Finnish society by choosing a Finnish name or do they want to show the child’s Russianness by choosing a Russian name?
