Nimekirja

Nimekirja is a Finnish noun meaning a list of names or a name registry. It is formed from the elements nimi (name) and kirja (book or record) and refers to a roster or directory that orders or records individuals by name. In everyday language, nimekirja can describe both simple name lists and more formal registers, depending on context.

Uses and contexts

Nimekirja is commonly used in schools, organizations, and events to track participants, members, or attendees. Examples include a school’s nimekirja of students enrolled in a class, a club’s nimekirja of its members, or an event’s nimekirja of registered participants. In digital contexts, a nimekirja may be stored as a spreadsheet, a database table, or another data collection where each entry corresponds to a person and includes their name and possibly additional information.

Relation to related terms

Luettelo is a broader term for any list or catalog and does not specifically imply names. Rekisteri describes a formal registry kept for administrative or legal reasons, often with stricter regulations and data protection considerations. Nimekirja is thus more specifically about names, while rekisteri emphasizes formal administration.

Etymology and usage notes

Nimekirja is a common Finnish compound noun and is typically not capitalized unless starting a sentence. It appears in both everyday and formal Finnish and is used across various domains to denote name-based listings or rosters.