The Etymology of Finland
The English name 'Finland' is an outsider's word, built from Germanic elements.βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ 'Finn' as a name for the people appears in Tacitus's 'Germania' (98 CE) as 'Fenni,' and in Old English as 'Finnas.' Old Norse used 'Finnland' for the territory. The original meaning of 'Finn' is disputed: candidates include a Germanic root meaning 'finder' or 'wanderer,' or a loan from a substrate language. The Finns themselves never adopted this exonym. They call their country 'Suomi,' a name attested in medieval Finnish, whose origin is also debated β possible sources include 'suo' (marsh, swamp) or a much older root tied to fishing or land. The split between exonym and endonym is common in northern Europe; here it preserves two distinct linguistic histories side by side.