Perusnimitys

Perusnimitys is a term used to describe the canonical or official name assigned to an entity for formal reference. It represents the primary designation from which other forms—such as historical names, dialectal variants, translations, or diminutives—may be derived or recorded as alternatives.

In practice, perusnimitys is central in toponymy, cartography, and public administration. For geographic features, settlements, or administrative units, naming authorities designate the perusnimitys and use it as the standard label on maps, in registries, and in legal documents. Other spellings or historical names are documented as variants or notes, but they do not replace the perusnimitys in official contexts.

In data and information management, the perusnimitys often serves as the primary field or key for an entity. This supports consistent searching, indexing, and cross-referencing across languages and information systems, while variants remain accessible for historical research or bilingual contexts.

In Finland, geographic names are standardized under national naming regulations. Official names are maintained in gazetteers by the responsible authorities and are used in public maps and administrative records. Historical, minority-language, or alternative forms may be recorded as supplementary information, but the perusnimitys remains the official reference.

See also: toponymy, nomenclature, gazetteer, geographic names, standardization.