Hämäläinen

Hämäläinen is a Finnish surname meaning "a person from Häme (Tavastia)." It is a toponymic surname formed from the region name Häme and the suffix -lainen, which denotes origin or affiliation.

Etymology and origin: Häme is the historical province located in southern Finland, known in English as Tavastia. The suffix -lainen is a common Finnish demonymal ending, producing a surname that identifies ancestral or familial ties to Häme.

Distribution and usage: Hämäläinen is relatively common in Finland, reflecting the historical significance of Häme in Finnish settlement patterns. Among Finnish emigrants and their descendants, the name appears in diaspora communities, where diacritics may be dropped in non-Finnish contexts, producing Hamalainen.

See also: Häme, Tavastia; Hämeenlinna.