List Of Finnish Swedes
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Swedish-speaking Finns The Swedish-speaking population of Finland (whose members are called by many names; fi, suomenruotsalainen) can be used as an attribute., group=Note—see below; sv, finlandssvenskar; fi, suomenruotsalaiset) is a linguistic minority in Fin ...
. To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are a Swedish-speaking Finn or must have references showing they are a Swedish-speaking Finn and are notable.


Actors, directors & filmmakers

*
Ida Aalberg Ida Aalberg (4 December 1857 – 17 January 1915) was the most notable and internationally known Finnish actress of her time. Biography Aalberg was born in , Janakkala. She was a member of the Theatre of Finland from 1874 to 1883 and later a re ...
– actor (1857–1915) *
Irina Björklund Irina Felicia Björklund (born 7 February 1973) is a Finnish actress and singer. Early life and education Björklund was born in Danderyd, Stockholm County, Sweden before moving to Finland with her family. Björklund also lived in France during h ...
– actor and singer (1973– ) *
Jörn Donner Jörn Johan Donner (5 February 1933 – 30 January 2020) was a Finnish writer, film director, actor, producer, politician and founder of Finnish Film Archive. Biography Born into the Donner family of German descent, Jörn Donner was the son of ...
– writer, film director, actor, producer, politician, and founder of Finnish Film Archive (1933–2020) *
Stina Ekblad Stina Åsa Maria Ekblad (born 26 February 1954 in Solf, Ostrobothnia, Finland) is a Swedish-speaking Finnish actress. Living in Stockholm, she has appeared mostly in Swedish productions. She received a Guldbagge Award for Best Actress in 1987 ...
– actor (1954– ) *
Klaus Härö Klaus Härö (born 31 March 1971 in Porvoo, Finland) is a Finnish film director. In 2004, he won Finland's State Prize for Art. Härö grew up in a Swedish-speaking Finnish family. He studied directing and attended screen writing seminars at the ...
– filmmaker (1971– ) *
Nicke Lignell Niclas Christoffer “Nicke” Lignell (born 24 June 1966 in Bromarv, Southern Finland) is a Finnish actor, who has appeared in many TV shows and movies. In addition to his acting career, he writes a regular column for the Finnish newspaper '' ...
– actor, voice actor, and television host (1966– ) *
Åke Lindman Åke Leonard Lindman (born Åke Leonard Järvinen; 11 January 1928 – 3 March 2009) was a Finnish director and actor. In his youth Lindman was a football player, playing defence for the Finnish national team during the Olympics in Helsinki ...
– director and actor (1928–2009) *
Lasse Pöysti Lasse Erik Pöysti (24 January 1927 – 5 April 2019) was a Finnish actor, director, theatre manager and writer. He was born in Sortavala. Biography Pöysti began his career as a child actor, becoming known to the Finnish public as Olli Suomin ...
– actor, director, theatre manager, and writer (1927–2019) *
Birgitta Ulfsson Birgitta Margaretha Ulfsson (1 July 1928 – 8 October 2017) was a Finnish actress and theater director. She was a versatile actor and a recognized pioneer of avant-garde theater in Finland.
– actor and theatre director (1928–2017) *
Casper Wrede Baron Casper Gustaf Kenneth Wrede af Elimä, known as Caspar Wrede (8 February 1929 in Viipuri, Finland – 25 September 1998 in Helsinki, Finland), was a Finnish theatre director, theatre and film director. He was long active in the English theat ...
– theatre and film director (1929–1998)


Architects

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Kristian Gullichsen Kristian Valter Alexander Gullichsen (29 September 1932, in Helsinki – 17 March 2021, in Helsinki) was a Finnish architect. The son of Harry and Maire Gullichsen, he was born into a family of industrialists, designers and artists. His siblings w ...
(1932–2021) *
Anton Werner Lignell Anton Werner Lignell (November 7, 1867 – February 9, 1954) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish architect known for designing buildings in Butte, Montana; Duluth, Minnesota; and two courthouses in Minnesota. His style tended towards Beaux-Arts a ...
(1867–1954) *
Viljo Revell Viljo Gabriel Revell (25 January 1910 – 8 November 1964) was a Finnish architect of the functionalist school. In Finland he is best known for the design of the Lasipalatsi ("Glass Palace") and Palace Hotel, both in Helsinki. Internationally, ...
(1910–1964) *
Lars Sonck Lars Eliel Sonck (10 August 1870 – 14 March 1956) was a Finnish architect. He graduated from Helsinki Polytechnic Institute in 1894 and immediately won a major design competition for a church in Turku, St Michael's Church, ahead of many esta ...
(1870–1956)


Artists and designers

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Erik Bruun Erik Bruun (born 7 April 1926) is a Finnish graphic designer. Biography Bruun was born in Viipuri on 7 April 1926. He spent his childhood in village of Säiniö on the Karelian isthmus. In the war years his family was forced to move to Helsinki, ...
– graphic designer (1926– ) *
Fanny Churberg Fanny Churberg (12 December 1845, in Vaasa – 10 May 1892, in Helsinki) was a Finland, Finnish landscape painter. Biography Her father, Matias Churberg, was a doctor from a family of farmers and her mother Maria was the daughter of the vicar in L ...
– painter (1845–1892) *
Albert Edelfelt Albert Gustaf Aristides Edelfelt (21 July 1854 – 18 August 1905) was a Finnish-Swedish painter noted for his naturalistic style and Realist approach to art. He lived in the Grand Duchy of Finland and made Finnish culture visible abroad, befor ...
– painter (1854–1905) *
Magnus Enckell Knut Magnus Enckell (9 November 1870 in Hamina – 27 November 1925 in Stockholm) was a Finnish symbolist painter. At first he painted with a subdued palette, but from 1902 onwards used increasingly bright colors. He was a leading member of the ...
– painter (1870–1925) *
Kaj Franck Kaj Gabriel Franck (9 November 1911 Vyborg, Grand Duchy of Finland – 26 September 1989 Santorini, Greece) was one of the leading figures of Finnish design and an influential figure in design and applied arts between 1940 and 1980. Franck's paren ...
– industrial designer, artistic director, and instructor of applied arts (1911–1989) *
Akseli Gallen-Kallela Akseli Gallen-Kallela (26 April 1865 – 7 March 1931) was a Finnish painter who is best known for his illustrations of the ''Kalevala'', the Finnish national epic. His work is considered a very important aspect of the Finnish national ident ...
– painter (1865–1931) *
Jorma Gallen-Kallela Jorma Gallen-Kallela (né Gallén) (22 November 1898, in Ruovesi – 1 December 1939) was a Finnish artist. He followed in the footsteps of his father, the famed artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela. Biography He studied arts in Buenos Aires in 1915– ...
– painter (1898–1939) *
Eero Järnefelt Erik "Eero" Nikolai Järnefelt (8 November 1863 – 15 November 1937) was a Finnish painter and art professor. He is best known for his portraits and landscapes of the area around Koli National Park. He was a medal winner at the Paris ''Expositi ...
– painter (1863–1937) *
Rudolf Koivu Rudolf Koivu (1890–1946) was a Finnish illustrator and painter, best known for illustrating books of fairytales for children, which are enduringly and timelessly popular. He was born in St. Petersburg. He illustrated stories by Zacharias Top ...
– illustrator (1890–1946) *
Stefan Lindfors Erik Stefan Lindfors, known as Stefan Lindfors (born 3 May 1962, Mariehamn) is a Finnish industrial designer, interior designer, film-maker and sculptor. He attended high school at the Åbo Cathedral School in Turku in 1982, and then went on to s ...
– industrial designer, interior designer, film-maker, and sculptor (1962– ) *
Helene Schjerfbeck Helena Sofia (Helene) Schjerfbeck (; July 10, 1862 – January 23, 1946) was a Finnish painter. A modernist painter, she is known for her realist works and self-portraits, and also for her landscapes and still lifes. Throughout her long life, he ...
– painter (1862–1946) *
Hugo Simberg Hugo Gerhard Simberg (24 June 1873 – 12 July 1917) was a Finnish symbolist painter and graphic artist. Life and career Simberg was born on 24 June 1873, at Hamina (in the original Swedish: ''Fredrikshamn''), Finland, the son of Colonel Nicol ...
– painter (1873–1917) *
Kaj Stenvall Kaj Kristian Stenvall (born 25 December 1951 in Tampere) is a Finnish artist who became internationally famous when he began his career in 1989 for painting what his site describes as "a very familiar looking duck." Many have likened this duck to ...
– painter (1951– ) *
Beda Stjernschantz Beda Maria Stjernschantz (10 December 1867 — 28 May 1910) was one of the first Finnish people, Finnish Symbolism (arts), symbolist painters, whose main creative period was during the 1890s' ''fin de siècle'' epoch. Beda Stjernschantz was bo ...
– painter (1867–1910)


Businesspeople

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Antti Ahlström Antti Ahlström (7 November 1827 – 10 May 1896) founded the Ahlstrom Corporation. He was one of Finland's influential and wealthy 19th-century businessman. In addition, Ahlström was an industrialist, ship owner, patron, commercial counsel ...
– industrialist, founder of Ahlstrom (1827–1896) *
Kaj Arnö Kaj Sigurd Ademar Arnö (born 29 June 1963 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finland Swedish IT-entrepreneur and columnist. He is since 2016 (also) a German citizen and has lived in Germany since 2006. He is the former Vice President of the MySQL Communi ...
– CEO of the
MariaDB Foundation MariaDB is a community-developed, commercially supported fork of the MySQL relational database management system (RDBMS), intended to remain free and open-source software under the GNU General Public License. Development is led by some of the ori ...
(1963– ) *
Karl Fazer Karl Otto Fazer (; 16 August 1866 – 9 October 1932) was a Finnish businessman and sport shooter. Biography He was born in Helsinki and died in Jokioinen. He had four children and was the grandfather of Peter Fazer. His father, Eduard Peter Faz ...
– founder of confectionery manufacturer
Fazer Fazer () is one of the largest corporations in the Finnish food industry. The company was founded by Karl Fazer in 1891, as a "French-Russian confectionery" in central Helsinki. Today, it employs over ten thousand people across Finland, Sweden, R ...
and Olympic sport-shooter (1866–1932) *
Rabbe Grönblom Rabbe Anders Grönblom (May 3, 1950 in Helsinki, Finland – June 29, 2015) was a Finnish-Swedish businessman who started a successful pizza business in Vaasa, Finland. His first company—a pizzeria—was called ''O sole mio'' and it was ...
– founder of
Kotipizza Kotipizza Oyj is the largest pizza restaurant chain in the Nordic countries. ' is Finnish and translates as "home". Kotipizza is part of Kotipizza Group, and it operates a chain of pizza franchises in Finland. In 2021, there were 290 Kotipizza re ...
,
RG Line RG Line Oy Ab was a Finnish shipping company founded in 2001 that operated a ferry line between Vaasa, Finland and Umeå, Sweden until the end of 2012. Nowadays the Vaasa-Umeå line is operated by Wasa Line. The company was founded in 2001 by ...
, Omenahotelli (1950–2015) * Hjallis Harkimo – chairman of the board of
Jokerit Helsingin Jokerit (English: Jokers or Jesters) are a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team won six league championships as a member of the Finnish SM-liiga (1973, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, and 2002). Jokerit plays its ...
(1953– ) *
Fredrik Idestam Knut Fredrik Idestam (28 October 1838, Tyrväntö, Grand Duchy of Finland – 8 April 1916, Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland) was a Finnish mining engineer and businessman, best known as a founder of Nokia. In May 1865, Idestam obtained a permit ...
– industrialist, founder of
Nokia Nokia Corporation (natively Nokia Oyj, referred to as Nokia) is a Finnish multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications industry, telecommunications, technology company, information technology, and consumer electronics corporatio ...
(1838–1916) *
Mikael Lilius Percy Henrik Mikael Lilius (b. December 3, 1949 Helsinki) is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of the energy company Fortum. He served as the chairman of the packaging firm Huhtamäki. Lilius is the chairman of Metso Outotec Metso ...
– ex-CEO of
Fortum Fortum Oyj is a Finnish state-owned energy company located in Espoo, Finland. In addition to Finland, it focuses on Germany and other countries in Central Europe, Great Britain, Russia and the Nordic region. Fortum operates power plants, inc ...
(1948– ) *
Mårten Mickos Mårten Gustaf Mickos (born November 6, 1962 in Espoo, Finland) is a technology executive based in San Francisco. He is the current Chief executive officer, CEO of HackerOne, a security vulnerability coordination and bug bounty program, bug bount ...
– ex-CEO of
MySQL AB MySQL AB was a Swedish software company founded in 1995. It was acquired by Sun Microsystems in 2008, Sun was in turn acquired by Oracle Corporation in 2010. MySQL AB is the creator of MySQL, a relational database management system, as well as r ...
, currently CEO at HackerOne (1962– ) * – founder of the
Stockmann Stockmann plc is a Finnish retailer established in 1862. Stockmann's eight company-owned department stores are in Finland (six), Estonia (one), and Latvia (one). There also was an additional nine Stockmann-branded department stores in Russia o ...
department store (1825–1906) *
Björn Wahlroos Björn Arne Christer Wahlroos (born 10 October 1952 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Swedish-speaking Finn, best known as a banker, investor and the chairman of the Board in Sampo Group and UPM-Kymmene. Before switching to banking Wahlroos worked as a ...
– Chairman of the Board in Sampo plc, Nordea and UPM-Kymmene Oyj (1952– )


Musicians


Opera

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Monica Groop Gerd Monica Groop née Riska (born 14 April 1958 in Helsinki) is a Finnish operatic mezzo-soprano. After graduating from the Sibelius Academy, she joined the Finnish National Opera in 1986 where she remains a member. She has sung leading roles as ...
– mezzo-soprano (1958– )


Classical

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Paavo Berglund Paavo Allan Engelbert Berglund (14 April 192925 January 2012) was a Finnish conductor and violinist. Career Born in Helsinki, Berglund studied the violin as a child, and played an instrument made by his grandfather. By age 15, he had decided on ...
– conductor and violinist (1929–2012) *
Erik Bergman Erik Valdemar Bergman (24 November 1911, in Nykarleby – 24 April 2006, in Helsinki) was a composer of classical music from Finland. Bergman's style ranged widely, from Romanticism in his early works (many of which he later prohibited from bein ...
– composer (1911–2006) *
Bernhard Crusell Bernhard Henrik Crusell (15 October 1775 – 28 July 1838) was a Swedish-Finnish clarinetist, composer and translator, "the most significant and internationally best-known Finnish-born classical composer and indeed, — the outstanding Finn ...
– clarinetist, composer, and translator (1775–1838) *
Mikko Franck Mikko Franck is a Finnish conductor and violinist. Biography Franck was born in Helsinki. He began learning the violin at the age of 5 and started violin studies at the Sibelius Academy in 1992. The Academy let Franck conduct an orchestra in 19 ...
– conductor and violinist (1978– ) *
Ralf Gothoni Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...
– pianist and conductor (1946– ) *
Magnus Lindberg Magnus Gustaf Adolf Lindberg (born 27 June 1958) is a Finnish composer and pianist. He was the New York Philharmonic's composer-in-residence from 2009 to 2012 and has been the London Philharmonic Orchestra's composer-in-residence since the begin ...
– composer and pianist (1958– ) *
Linda Lampenius Linda Magdalena Cullberg Lampenius (born 26 February 1970), better known by her maiden name Linda Lampenius and international stage name Linda Brava, is a Finnish classical concert violinist. Named as one of the most versatile and accomplished ...
(stage name Linda Brava) – concert violinist; also known for work as a model, actress, member of the Helsinki City Council, and Sports 2000 rally driver (1970– ) *
Ossi Runne Ossi Runne (23 April 1927 – 5 November 2020) was a Finnish trumpeter, bandleader, orchestra leader, composer, and record producer.
– trumpeter, orchestra leader, composer, and record producer (1927–2020) *
Leif Segerstam Leif Selim Segerstam ( , ; born 2 March 1944) is a Finnish conductor, composer, violinist, violist and pianist, especially known for writing 350 symphonies as of August 2022, along with other works in his extensive oeuvre. Segerstam has condu ...
– conductor, composer, violinist, violist, and pianist (1944– ) *
Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius ( ; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest com ...
– composer (1865–1957) *
John Storgårds John Gunnar Rafael Storgårds (born 20 October 1963 in Helsinki) is a Finnish violinist and conductor. Biography Storgårds studied violin with Esther Raitio and Jouko Ignatius at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and continued his violin studies ...
– violinist and conductor (1963– ) * Martin Wegelius – composer and musicologist (1846–1906)


Various genres

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Ami Aspelund Ami Aspelund (born Anne-Marie Aspelund on 7 September 1953 in Vaasa) is a Finnish singer. She is the younger sister of singer Monica Aspelund. Career Ami Aspelund released her first single in 1973 called "Apinamies", which is a Finnish version ...
– singer (1953– ) *
Monica Aspelund Monica Aspelund (born 16 July 1946 in Vaasa) is a Finnish singer. She is the older sister of Ami Aspelund. Life and career Born into a family of Swedish speaking Finns, Aspelund danced and sang in talent shows from an early age, making her re ...
– singer (1946– ) *
Henrik Otto Donner Henrik Otto Donner (16 November 1939 – 26 June 2013) was a Finnish composer, musician and all-round music personality. His musical styles varied from pop and rock music to jazz, electronic music and contemporary classical music. Donner's person ...
– composer, musician, trumpeter, record producer, and music personality (1939–2013) *
Axel Ehnström Axel Ehnström is a Finnish songwriter and musician (born on 23 October 1990 in Kirkkonummi, Finland). He is known for writing songs for artists such as Phoebe Ryan, Lost Frequencies and Alle Farben. He participated as Paradise Oskar in the Eurov ...
(stage name Paradise Oskar) – singer-songwriter (1990– ) *
Janina Fry Janina Päivänsäde Fry (née Frostell) (born 12 November 1973 in Helsinki) is Finnish pop singer and model. She hosted the show ''Bella'' on Finnish television channel Nelonen. Her breakthrough was winning the "Maiden of Finland" beauty pageant ...
– pop singer, model, and television host (1973– ) *
Ben Granfelt Ben Granfelt (born 16 June 1963) is a guitarist from Helsinki, Finland and best known from his work in Leningrad Cowboys, Wishbone Ash, Gringos Locos, Guitar Slingers and his solo band Ben Granfelt Band. Granfelt's most active and recent band na ...
– guitarist; best known for work with the
Ben Granfelt Band Ben Granfelt Band is a Finnish progressive blues-rock band formed in 1993. Led by singer-guitarist Ben Granfelt, Ben Granfelt Band (BGB) has released ten albums worldwide and toured clubs and festivals in Finland, United Kingdom, Germany, United ...
,
Leningrad Cowboys The Leningrad Cowboys are a Finnish rock band who perform rock and roll covers of other songs. They have exaggerated pompadour hairstyles and wear long, pointy shoes. They often work with the Russian military band the Alexandrov Ensemble. Be ...
, and
Wishbone Ash Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who achieved success in the early and mid-1970s. Their popular albums included ''Wishbone Ash'' (1970), ''Pilgrimage'' (1971), '' Argus'' (1972), ''Wishbone Four'' (1973), ''There's the Rub'' (1974), and '' ...
(1963– ) * Kim Herold – singer-songwriter (1979– ) * Jan "Katla" Jämsen – co-founder, songwriter, and former singer of folk metal band
Finntroll Finntroll is a Finnish metal band from Helsinki that combines elements of black metal and folk metal. Finntroll's lyrics are mostly in Swedish, the only exception being the song "Madon Laulu" on ''Visor om slutet''. Finntroll's original singer, ...
(– ) *
Pernilla Karlsson Pernilla is a Swedish female given name derived from Petronella, and may refer to: * Pernilla Andersson (born 1969), Swedish singer and songwriter * Pernilla August (born 1969), Swedish actress * Anna Pernilla Backman (born 1969), Swedish compos ...
– singer (1990– ) * Mathias "Vreth" Lillmåns – metal vocalist and bassist; best known for work with
Finntroll Finntroll is a Finnish metal band from Helsinki that combines elements of black metal and folk metal. Finntroll's lyrics are mostly in Swedish, the only exception being the song "Madon Laulu" on ''Visor om slutet''. Finntroll's original singer, ...
(1982– ) * André Linman – songwriter, rock singer and guitarist; best known for work with
Sturm Und Drang ''Sturm und Drang'' (, ; usually translated as "storm and stress") was a proto- Romantic movement in German literature and music that occurred between the late 1760s and early 1780s. Within the movement, individual subjectivity and, in particul ...
(1992– ) *
Georg Malmstén Georg Malmstén (27 June 1902 – 25 May 1981) was a Finnish singer, musician, composer, orchestra conductor and actor. He was one of the most prolific entertainers in Finland of his time, producing over 800 records in numerous genres. In late ...
– singer, musician, composer, and conductor (1902–1981) *
Patrik Mennander Patrik Mennander (born 8 January 1976) is a Finland, Finnish singer who has been in the bands Ruoska, Battlelore and Natsipaska. Short biography Mennander was born in Finland in 1976. He was in the Finnish army (the year he entered is unknown ...
– metal and rock singer; best known for work with
Ruoska Ruoska (in Finnish "whip") is a Finnish metal band from the Juva municipality. Biography The beginnings, ''Kuori'' and ''Riisu'' (2002−2003) Ruoska was formed in 2002 with some of the same members from the comedy rock band Natsipaska. Th ...
,
Battlelore Battlelore are a Finnish heavy metal band from Lappeenranta, founded in 1999 by guitarist Jyri Vahvanen and bassist Miika Kokkola. The name derives from the union of the words 'battle' and 'folklore'. Many of Battlelore's lyrics concern J. R ...
, and
Natsipaska Ruoska (in Finnish "whip") is a Finnish metal band from the Juva municipality. Biography The beginnings, ''Kuori'' and ''Riisu'' (2002−2003) Ruoska was formed in 2002 with some of the same members from the comedy rock band Natsipaska. Th ...
(1976– ) *
Kristian Meurman Kristian Meurman (born 6 November 1979 in Espoo), is a Finnish singer. He was a finalist in the third series of the Finnish '' Idols'' in 2007. His first album ''Ensiaskeleet'' (translation: The first steps) was released in 2007. He also partici ...
– singer (1979– ) *
Nasty Suicide Nasty Suicide (born Jan-Markus Stenfors on 27 February 1963) is a Finnish musician. He is most famous for being one of the founding members of Hanoi Rocks, the group's rhythm guitarist between 1979 and 1985. Hanoi Rocks was a Finnish rock band ...
(born Jan-Markus Stenfors) – guitarist, bass guitarist, and singer; best known for work with glam rock band
Hanoi Rocks Hanoi Rocks was a Finnish rock band formed in 1979. They were the first Finnish band to chart in the UK and they were also popular in Japan. The band broke up in June 1985 after drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley died in a drunk driving acciden ...
(1963– ) *Mathias "Warlord" Nygård – co-founder and lead vocalist of metal band
Turisas Turisas is a Finnish metal band from Hämeenlinna. They were founded in 1997 by Mathias Nygård and Jussi Wickström, and named after an ancient Finnish god of war. Turisas are a folk metal band, incorporating elements of power metal and symp ...
(1982– ) *
Krista Siegfrids Kristin "Krista" Siegfrids (born 4 December 1985) is a Finnish pop singer. She represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with her entry " Marry Me". Siegfrids' debut album, named '' Ding Dong!'', was released in May 2013. As a te ...
– pop singer (1985– ) *
Gösta Sundqvist Gösta Erik Sundqvist (May 17, 1957, Espoo – August 16, 2003) was a Finnish musician and radio personality. He was the lead singer for Leevi and the Leavings since the forming of the band. The name "Leevi" is often taken to mean Sundqvist persona ...
– lead singer, composer, and lyricist of
Leevi and the Leavings Leevi and the Leavings was a Finnish rock band that operated from 1978 to 2003. The band consisted of Gösta Sundqvist, Risto Paananen, Juha Karastie and Niklas Nylund. Sundqvist was the leader of the band, he composed and wrote all the band's ...
and a radio-personality (1957–2003) *
Jenny Wilhelms Jenny Wilhelms (born 1974) is a Finnish musician. She studied classical and folk music in many Nordic countries. She has been the lead singer of the innovative Folk music, folk band Gjallarhorn (band), Gjallarhorn from 1994. Later, according t ...
– composer and musician focused on Nordic vocal and fiddling traditions; lead singer of folk and world music band
Gjallarhorn In Norse mythology, Gjallarhorn (Old Norse: ; "hollering horn"Orchard (1997:57). or "the loud sounding horn"Simek (2007:110).) is a horn associated with the god Heimdallr and the wise being Mímir. The sound of Heimdallr's horn will herald th ...
(1974– )


Politicians

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Claes Andersson Claes-Johan Rudolf Andersson (30 May 1937 – 24 July 2019) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish psychiatrist, author, poet, jazz musician, politician and member of the Finnish Parliament, representing the Left Alliance and the Finnish People's Democra ...
– member of
parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, 1987 to 1999 and 2007 to 2008, and
Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizati ...
, 1995 to 1999 (1937–2019) *
Li Andersson Li Sigrid Andersson (born 13 May 1987) is a Finnish politician who has been serving as Minister of Education since 2019. The leader of the Left Alliance, she has been a Member of Parliament since 2015. She is also the city councilor of Turku a ...
– member of parliament since 2015; leader of the Left Alliance since 2016; and Minister of Education since 2019 (1987– ) *
Jan-Erik Enestam Jan-Erik Enestam (born 12 March 1947 in Västanfjärd) is a Finland-Swedish politician from the Swedish People's Party. He has a degree from the Åbo Akademi university in Turku. Enestam was the Municipal Director of Västanfjärd between 1978 and ...
– member of parliament, 1991 to 2007;
Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
, 1995 to 1999;
Minister of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
, 1995 and 1999 to 2003;
Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of an ...
, 2003 to 2006 (1947– ) *
Axel Olof Freudenthal Axel Olof Freudenthal (12 December 1836 – 2 June 1911), was a Swedish-speaking Finnish philologist and politician. He was born in Siuntio, and studied at the University of Helsinki where the nationalistic movement struggle between the Fenn ...
– philologist and academic, considered by the
Swedish People's Party The Swedish People's Party of Finland ( sv, Svenska folkpartiet i Finland (SFP); fi, Suomen ruotsalainen kansanpuolue (RKP)) is a list of political parties in Finland, political party in Finland aiming to represent the interests of the minority ...
to be their spiritual father (1836–1911) *
Karl-August Fagerholm Karl-August Fagerholm (31 December 1901, in Siuntio – 22 May 1984, in Helsinki) was Speaker of Parliament and three times Prime Minister of Finland (1948–50, 1956–57, and 1958–59). Fagerholm became one of the leading politicia ...
– three-time
Prime Minister of Finland The prime minister of Finland ( fi, Suomen pääministeri; ) is the leader of the Finnish Government. The prime minister and their cabinet exercise executive authority in the state. The prime minister is formally ranked third in the protocol ...
during the late-1940s and 1950s (1901–1984) *
Carl Haglund Carl Christoffer ”Calle” Haglund (born 29 March 1979 in Espoo) is the CEO of Veritas, a Finnish Pension insurance company, and a former Finnish politician, former chairman of the Swedish People's Party and the former Minister of Defence. He w ...
member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
, 2009 to 2012; Minister of Defence, 2012 to 2015; leader of the Swedish People's Party, 2012 to 2016; and member of parliament, 2015 to 2016 (1979– ) *
Anna-Maja Henriksson Anna-Maja Kristina Henriksson (née Forss; born 7 January 1964) is a Swedish-speaking Finnish politician. She has served as Finland's Minister of Justice, in Jyrki Katainen's cabinet and Alexander Stubb's cabinet from 2011 to 2015, Antti Rinne ...
– member of parliament since 2007;
Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...
, 2011–2015 and since 2019; and leader of the Swedish People's Party since 2016 (1964– ) *
Tony Halme Tony Christian Halme (January 6, 1963 – January 8, 2010) was a Finnish politician, athlete, author, actor, and singer. He was a member of the Finnish Parliament from 2003 to 2007, representing the True Finns party as an independent politician ...
– member of parliament, 2003 to 2007; MMA fighter, boxer, sports entertainer and professional wrestler (1963–2010) *
Bjarne Kallis Johan Bjarne Kallis (born 21 March 1945 in Kokkola) is the former chairman of the Christian Democratic Party (KD), previously known as the Finnish Christian Coalition (SKL), and a member of the Parliament of Finland. Kallis works as the principal ...
– member of parliament, 1991 to 2011, and chairman of the
Christian Democratic Party __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...
, 1995 to 2004 (1945– ) * Henrik Lax – member of parliament, 1987 to 2004, and member of the European Parliament, 2004 to 2009 (1946– ) * Axel Lille – member of the
Diet of Finland The Diet of Finland (Finnish ''Suomen maapäivät'', later ''valtiopäivät''; Swedish ''Finlands Lantdagar''), was the legislative assembly of the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1809 to 1906 and the recipient of the powers of the Swedish Riksda ...
, 1885 to 1900; principal founder of the Swedish People's Party in 1906; member of parliament, 1916 to 1917; journalist and editor (1848–1921) *
Gustaf Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. He served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, as Regent of Finland (1918–1919), as comma ...
Regent of Finland, 1918 to 1919; commander-in-chief, 1939 to 1945; and
President of Finland The president of the Republic of Finland ( fi, Suomen tasavallan presidentti; sv, Republiken Finlands president) is the head of state of Finland. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the Finnish Government and the p ...
, 1944 to 1946 (1867–1951) *
Elisabeth Rehn Märta Elisabeth Rehn (; born 6 April 1935) is a Finnish former politician and diplomat. She served as the Minister of Defence of Finland during 1990 to 1995 and as an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations during 1998 to 1999. She was al ...
– member of parliament, 1979 to 1995; leader of the Swedish People's Party, 1987 to 1990; Minister of Defense, 1990 to 1995; member of the European Parliament, 1995 to 1996; and diplomat to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
(1935– ) *
Johan Vilhelm Snellman Johan Vilhelm Snellman (; 12 May 1806 – 4 July 1881) was an influential Fennoman philosopher and Finnish statesman, ennobled in 1866. He was one of the most important 'awakeners' or promoters of Finnish nationalism, alongside Elias Lönnrot a ...
– member of the
Senate of Finland The Senate of Finland ( fi, Suomen senaatti, sv, Senaten för Finland) combined the functions of cabinet and supreme court in the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1816 to 1917 and in the independent Finland from 1917 to 1918. The body that would beco ...
,
Fennoman The Fennoman movement or Fennomania was a Finnish nationalist movement in the 19th-century Grand Duchy of Finland, built on the work of the ''fennophile'' interests of the 18th and early-19th centuries. History After the Crimean War, Fennoman ...
philosopher, author, and journalist (1806–1881) *
Alexander Stubb Cai-Göran Alexander Stubb (born 1 April 1968) is a Finnish politician who served as Prime Minister of Finland from 2014 to 2015. He rose to politics as a researcher specialized in the affairs of the European Union and was elected to the European ...
– member of European Parliament, 2004 to 2008; member of parliament, 2011 to 2017;
Minister for Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between coun ...
, 2008 to 2011; Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, 2011 to 2014; leader of the
National Coalition Party sv, Samlingspartiet , leader1_title = Chairman , leader1_name = Petteri Orpo , leader2_title = Deputy chairs , leader2_name = Antti Häkkänen Elina ValtonenAnna-Kaisa Ikonen , merger = Finnish Party, Young Finnis ...
, 2014 to 2016;
Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
, 2015 to 2016; and 43rd Prime Minister of Finland, 2014 to 2015 (1968– ) *
Ulf Sundqvist Ulf Ludvig Sundqvist (22 February 1945 – 22 April 2023) was a Finnish politician who served as chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Finland, a minister in four cabinets in the 1970s and a banker in the 1980s. Political career Sundqvis ...
– member of parliament, 1970 to 1983; Minister of Education, 1972 to 1975;
Minister of Trade and Industry A Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry or variations is a ministry that is concerned with a nation's trade, industry and commerce. Notable examples are: List *Algeria: Ministry of Industry and ...
, 1979 to 1981; head of the National Workers' Savings Bank, 1982 to 1991; and leader of the
Social Democratic Party of Finland The Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP, fi, Suomen sosialidemokraattinen puolue ; sv, Finlands socialdemokratiska parti), shortened to the Social Democrats ( fi, link=no, Sosiaalidemokraatit; sv, link=no, Socialdemokrater) and commonly kno ...
, 1991 to 1993 (1945– ) *
Pehr Evind Svinhufvud Pehr Evind Svinhufvud af Qvalstad (; 15 December 1861 – 29 February 1944) was the third president of Finland from 1931 to 1937. Serving as a lawyer, judge, and politician in the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland, he played a major role in the ...
– member of the Diet of Finland, 1894 and 1899 to 1906; member of parliament, 1907 to 1908, 1908 to 1914, 1917, and 1930 to 1931; chairman of the Senate of Finland, 1917 to 1918; Regent of Finland in 1918; Prime Minister of Finland, 1930 to 1931; and the 3rd President of Finland, 1931–1937 (1861–1944) *
Carl Olof Tallgren Carl Olof Tallgren (born 28 January 1927) is a Finnish politician who served as the minister of finance between 1970 and 1971. He is one of the former heads of the Swedish People's Party of Finland. Early life and education Tallgren was born in ...
– member of parliament, 1961 to 1975; Minister of Finance, 1970 to 1971; and chairman of the Swedish People's Party, 1974 to 1977 (1927– ) *
Stefan Wallin Stefan Erik Wallin (born 1 June 1967 in Vaasa) is a Swedish-speaking Finnish politician. He was Finland's Minister of Culture and Sport in Matti Vanhanen's cabinet 2007–2011, Minister of Defence in Jyrki Katainen's cabinet 2011–2012 and a ...
– member of parliament, 2007 to 2019; Minister of the Environment in 2007; Minister of Culture and Sport, 2007 to 2011; and Minister of Defence, 2011 to 2012 (1967– ) * Theodor Wegelius – member of the Senate of Finland (1850–1932)


Scientists and technologists

* Lars Valerian Ahlfors – mathematician and
Fields Medal The Fields Medal is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians under 40 years of age at the International Congress of the International Mathematical Union (IMU), a meeting that takes place every four years. The name of the award ho ...
ist in 1936; known for work in the fields of
Riemann surfaces In mathematics, particularly in complex analysis, a Riemann surface is a connected one-dimensional complex manifold. These surfaces were first studied by and are named after Bernhard Riemann. Riemann surfaces can be thought of as deformed versio ...
and
complex analysis Complex analysis, traditionally known as the theory of functions of a complex variable, is the branch of mathematical analysis that investigates Function (mathematics), functions of complex numbers. It is helpful in many branches of mathemati ...
(1907–1996) *
Erik Allardt ''Erik'' Anders Allardt (9 August 1925 – 25 August 2020) was a Finnish sociologist. Allardt served as professor of sociology at the University of Helsinki between 1955 and 1991, and as chancellor of Åbo Akademi University between 1992 and 1 ...
– sociologist, professor, and chancellor of the
Åbo Akademi University Åbo Akademi University ( sv, Åbo Akademi , ) is the only exclusively Swedish language multi-faculty university in Finland (or anywhere outside Sweden). It is located mainly in Turku (Åbo is the Swedish name of the city) but has also activiti ...
(1925–2020) * Fredrik Elfving – botanist, plant physiologist, and university administrator (1854–1942) * Gustav Elfving – mathematician and statistician; known for pioneering work in the
optimal design In the design of experiments, optimal designs (or optimum designs) are a class of experimental designs that are optimal with respect to some statistical criterion. The creation of this field of statistics has been credited to Danish statist ...
of experiments (1908–1984) *
Kari Enqvist Kari-Pekka Enqvist (born February 16, 1954 in Lahti, Finland) is a professor of cosmology in the Department of Physical Sciences at the University of Helsinki. Enqvist was awarded his PhD in theoretical physics in 1983. Enqvist is the chairman o ...
– physicist and professor of cosmology (1954– ) *
Axel Olof Freudenthal Axel Olof Freudenthal (12 December 1836 – 2 June 1911), was a Swedish-speaking Finnish philologist and politician. He was born in Siuntio, and studied at the University of Helsinki where the nationalistic movement struggle between the Fenn ...
– philologist and academic, considered by the Swedish People's Party to be their spiritual father (1836–1911) *
Johan Gadolin Johan Gadolin (5 June 176015 August 1852) was a Finnish chemist, physicist and mineralogist. Gadolin discovered a " new earth" containing the first rare-earth compound yttrium, which was later determined to be a chemical element. He is also con ...
– chemist, physicist, and mineralogist; best known for his description of the first
rare-earth element The rare-earth elements (REE), also called the rare-earth metals or (in context) rare-earth oxides or sometimes the lanthanides (yttrium and scandium are usually included as rare earths), are a set of 17 nearly-indistinguishable lustrous silve ...
,
yttrium Yttrium is a chemical element with the symbol Y and atomic number 39. It is a silvery-metallic transition metal chemically similar to the lanthanides and has often been classified as a "rare-earth element". Yttrium is almost always found in com ...
(1760–1852) *
Ragnar Granit Ragnar Arthur Granit (30 October 1900 – 12 March 1991) was a Finnish-Swedish scientist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1967 along with Haldan Keffer Hartline and George Wald "for their discoveries concerning the ...
– physiologist and professor of neurophysiology; joint
Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ( sv, Nobelpriset i fysiologi eller medicin) is awarded annually by the Swedish Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska Institute to scientists in the various fields of physiology or medicine. It is one of the ...
in 1967 (1900–1991) *
Hilma Granqvist Hilma Natalia Granqvist (17 July 1890 Sipoo – 25 February 1972 Helsinki) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish anthropologist who conducted long field studies of Palestinians. She was a student of Edvard Westermarck. Studies In the 1920s Granqvist ...
– anthropologist; best known for long field studies of Palestinians (1890–1972) *
Pehr Kalm Pehr Kalm (6 March 1716 – 16 November 1779), also known as Peter Kalm, was a Swedish explorer, botanist, naturalist, and agricultural economist. He was one of the most important apostles of Carl Linnaeus. In 1747, he was commissioned by the R ...
– botanist, naturalist, explorer, and agricultural economist (1716–1779) *
Rafael Karsten Sigfrid Rafael Karsten (16 August 1879 — 21 February 1956) was a Finnish social anthropologist and philosopher of religion, known especially for his work among the indigenous people of Southern America. Career Rafael Karsten was born in Kvevla ...
– social anthropologist and philosopher of religion; best known for work among indigenous peoples of South America (1879–1956) *
Anders Johan Lexell Anders Johan Lexell (24 December 1740 – ) was a Finnish-Swedish astronomer, mathematician, and physicist who spent most of his life in Imperial Russia, where he was known as Andrei Ivanovich Leksel (Андрей Иванович Лексе ...
– astronomer, mathematician, and physicist; best known for work in the fields of
celestial mechanics Celestial mechanics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the motions of objects in outer space. Historically, celestial mechanics applies principles of physics (classical mechanics) to astronomical objects, such as stars and planets, to ...
and
polygonometry Ordinary trigonometry studies triangles in the Euclidean plane . There are a number of ways of defining the ordinary Euclidean geometric trigonometric functions on real numbers, for example right-angled triangle definitions, unit circle defin ...
, particularly
spherical trigonometry Spherical trigonometry is the branch of spherical geometry that deals with the metrical relationships between the sides and angles of spherical triangles, traditionally expressed using trigonometric functions. On the sphere, geodesics are gr ...
(1740–1784) *
Ernst Lindelöf Ernst is both a surname and a given name, the German, Dutch, and Scandinavian form of Ernest. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Adolf Ernst (1832–1899) German botanist known by the author abbreviation "Ernst" * Anton Ernst (1975- ...
– mathematician; best known for work in the fields of function theory and
topology In mathematics, topology (from the Greek language, Greek words , and ) is concerned with the properties of a mathematical object, geometric object that are preserved under Continuous function, continuous Deformation theory, deformations, such ...
(1870–1946) *
Lorenz Lindelöf Lorenz is an originally German name derived from the Roman surname Laurentius (disambiguation), Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum". Given name People with the given name Lorenz include: * Prince Lorenz of Belgium (born 1955), member of th ...
– mathematician, astronomer, and researcher of
variational calculus The calculus of variations (or Variational Calculus) is a field of mathematical analysis that uses variations, which are small changes in functions and functionals, to find maxima and minima of functionals: mappings from a set of functions t ...
; Minister of State Education, 1874–1902 (1827–1908) *
Hjalmar Mellin Robert Hjalmar Mellin (19 June 1854 – 5 April 1933) was a Finnish mathematician and function theorist. Biography Mellin studied at the University of Helsinki and later in Berlin under Karl Weierstrass. He is chiefly remembered as the develope ...
– mathematician; best known for work in the field of function theory and as developer of the
integral transform In mathematics, an integral transform maps a function from its original function space into another function space via integration, where some of the properties of the original function might be more easily characterized and manipulated than in ...
known as the ''
Mellin transform In mathematics, the Mellin transform is an integral transform that may be regarded as the multiplicative version of the two-sided Laplace transform. This integral transform is closely connected to the theory of Dirichlet series, and is often used i ...
'' (1854–1933) *
Pekka Myrberg Pekka Juhana Myrberg (30 December 1892, Viipuri – 8 November 1976, Helsinki) was a Finnish mathematician known for developing the concept of period-doubling bifurcation in a paper published in the 1950s. The concept was further developed by Mitc ...
– mathematician and university administrator; best known for work in the field of function theory, particularly
iteration Iteration is the repetition of a process in order to generate a (possibly unbounded) sequence of outcomes. Each repetition of the process is a single iteration, and the outcome of each iteration is then the starting point of the next iteration. ...
and
period-doubling bifurcation In dynamical systems theory, a period-doubling bifurcation occurs when a slight change in a system's parameters causes a new periodic trajectory to emerge from an existing periodic trajectory—the new one having double the period of the original. W ...
(1892–1976) * – mathematician known for his work in the field of
minimal surface In mathematics, a minimal surface is a surface that locally minimizes its area. This is equivalent to having zero mean curvature (see definitions below). The term "minimal surface" is used because these surfaces originally arose as surfaces that ...
; member of the Senate of Finland (1851–1917) *
Nils Gustaf Nordenskiöld Nils Gustaf Nordenskiöld (October 12, 1792 – February 2, 1866) was a Finnish mineralogist and traveller. He was the father of mineralogist and polar explorer Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld. Life Nordenskiöld was born on October 12, 1792, in M ...
– mineralogist and traveler; best known as discoverer of
alexandrite The mineral or gemstone chrysoberyl is an aluminate of beryllium with the formula Be Al2 O4. The name chrysoberyl is derived from the Greek words χρυσός ''chrysos'' and βήρυλλος ''beryllos'', meaning "a gold-white spar". Despite ...
and several other minerals (1792–1866) *
Linus Torvalds Linus Benedict Torvalds ( , ; born 28 December 1969) is a Finnish software engineer who is the creator and, historically, the lead developer of the Linux kernel, used by Linux distributions and other operating systems such as Android. He also c ...
– creator of
Linux kernel The Linux kernel is a free and open-source, monolithic, modular, multitasking, Unix-like operating system kernel. It was originally authored in 1991 by Linus Torvalds for his i386-based PC, and it was soon adopted as the kernel for the GNU ope ...
(1969– ) *
Michael Widenius Ulf Michael Widenius (often called Monty; born 3 March 1962, in Helsinki, Finland) is the main author of the original version of the open source MySQL database, a founding member of the MySQL AB company and CTO of the MariaDB Corporation AB. Add ...
– main developer of
MySQL MySQL () is an open-source relational database management system (RDBMS). Its name is a combination of "My", the name of co-founder Michael Widenius's daughter My, and "SQL", the acronym for Structured Query Language. A relational database o ...
(1962– ) *
Erik Adolf von Willebrand Erik Adolf von Willebrand (1 February 1870 – 12 September 1949) was a Finnish physician who made major contributions to hematology. Von Willebrand disease and von Willebrand factor are named after him. He also researched metabolism, obesity an ...
– physician; best known for his work in the field of
hematology Hematology ( always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the produc ...
(1870–1949) *
Edvard Westermarck Edvard Alexander Westermarck (Helsinki, 20 November 1862 – Tenala, 3 September 1939) was a Finnish philosopher and sociologist. Among other subjects, he studied exogamy and the incest taboo. Biography Westermarck was born in 1862 in a ...
– sociologist and philosopher; known as "the first
sociobiologist Sociobiology is a field of biology that aims to examine and explain social behavior in terms of evolution. It draws from disciplines including psychology, ethology, anthropology, evolution, zoology, archaeology, and population genetics. Within t ...
," he is best remembered for his work in the field of marriage (1862–1939) *
Georg Henrik von Wright Georg Henrik von Wright (; 14 June 1916 – 16 June 2003) was a Finnish philosopher. Biography G. H. von Wright was born in Helsinki on 14 June 1916 to Tor von Wright and his wife Ragni Elisabeth Alfthan. On the retirement of Ludwig Wittgenste ...
– logician and philosopher; best known for work in the fields of
analytic philosophy Analytic philosophy is a branch and tradition of philosophy using analysis, popular in the Western world and particularly the Anglosphere, which began around the turn of the 20th century in the contemporary era in the United Kingdom, United Sta ...
and
philosophical logic Understood in a narrow sense, philosophical logic is the area of logic that studies the application of logical methods to philosophical problems, often in the form of extended logical systems like modal logic. Some theorists conceive philosophical ...
and, later, morality and
philosophical pessimism Philosophical pessimism is a family of philosophical views that assign a negative value to life or existence. Philosophical pessimists commonly argue that the world contains an Empiricism, empirical prevalence of pains over pleasures, that existe ...
(1916–2003)


Soldiers

*
Adolf Ehrnrooth Adolf Erik Ehrnrooth (9 February 1905 – 26 February 2004) was a Finnish general who served during the Winter and Continuation wars. He also competed in two equestrian events at the 1948 Summer Olympics. Early life Born in Helsinki, Ehrnrooth ...
– general (1905–2004) *
Johan Casimir Ehrnrooth Johan Casimir Ehrnrooth (russian: Казимир Густавович Э́рнрот, Kazimir Gustavovich Ernrot; 26 November 1833 – 5 February 1913) was a Finnish statesman in the service of Imperial Russia, who also acted as Prime Minister o ...
– lieutenant-general,
Prime Minister of Bulgaria The prime minister of Bulgaria ( bg, Министър-председател, Ministar-predsedatel) is the head of government of Bulgaria. They are the leader of a political coalition in the Bulgarian parliament – known as the National Assemb ...
(1833–1913) * Oskar Ferdinand Gripenberg – general of the infantry (1838–1916) * Carl Gustaf Casimir Gripenberg – rear-admiral (1836–1908) * Oskar Ludvig Starck – vice-admiral (1846–1928) * Oskar Wilhelm Enqvist – vice-admiral (1849–1912) * Theodor Kristian Avellan – admiral,
Minister of the Navy Minister of the Navy may refer to: * Minister of the Navy (France) * Minister of the Navy (Italy) The Italian Minister of the Navy ( it, Ministri della Marina del Regno) was a member in the Council Ministers until 1947, when the ministry merged ...
(1839–1916) * Birger Ek – pilot and Mannerheim Cross Knight *
Axel Heinrichs Axel Erik Heinrichs (21 July 1890 – 16 November 1965) was a Finnish military general. He was Finland's Chief of the General Staff during the Interim Peace and Continuation War (1940–1941 and 1942–1944) and commander-in-chief for a short t ...
– general (1890–1965) *
Ruben Lagus Ernst Ruben Lagus (12 October 1896 – 15 July 1959), better known as Ruben Lagus, was a Finnish major general, a member of the Jäger Movement and the recipient of the first Mannerheim Cross. He participated in the Eastern Front of World War I a ...
– major general (1896–1956) * Gustaf Erik Magnusson – father of Finnish fighter tactics *
Gustaf Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finnish military leader and statesman. He served as the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, as Regent of Finland (1918–1919), as comma ...
– marshal of Finland (1867–1951) * Lennart Oesch – lieutenant general (1892–1978) *
Harald Öhquist Harald Öhquist (1 March 1891, Helsinki – 10 February 1971, Helsinki) was a Finnish Jäger and Lieutenant General during World War II. Biography Öhquist joined the Jaeger Movement in 1915 and trained and fought in the Royal Prussian 27th J ...
– lieutenant general (1891–1971) *
Hugo Österman Hugo Viktor Österman (5 September 1892, Helsinki – 17 February 1975) was a Finnish lieutenant-general during World War II. He was commander of the Finnish Army 1933–1939. When the Winter War started Österman was made commander of the Army ...
– lieutenant general (1892–1975) *
Georg Magnus Sprengtporten Count Georg Magnus Sprengtporten (russian: Егор Максимович Шпренгпортен, translit=Egor Maksimovič Šprengporten, ; sv, Göran Magnus Sprengtporten; fi, Yrjö Maunu Sprengtporten, ; 16 December 1740 – 13 October 1819) ...
– general (1740–1819) *
Torsten Stålhandske Torsten Stålhandske (Porvoo, Finland, 1 September 1593 – Haderslev, 21 April 1644) – Swedish for "Torsten Steelglove", sometimes written "Stålhansch" in the Swedish of the time and referred to in German literature as ''Torsten Staalhansch' ...
– commander of Hakkapelites (1594–1644) *
Kurt Martti Wallenius Kurt Martti Wallenius (25 July 1893 in Kuopio – 3 May 1984 in Helsinki) was a Finnish Major General. Jäger Movement Wallenius was a member of the Finnish Jäger troops trained in Germany prior to Finnish independence. In 1915, Wallenius trave ...
– lieutenant general (1893–1984) *
Hans Wind Hans Henrik "Hasse" Wind (30 July 1919, Ekenäs – 24 July 1995, Tampere) was a Finnish fighter pilot and flying ace in World War II, with 75 confirmed air combat victories. He is one of the four double recipients of the Mannerheim Cross 2nd ...
– pilot, twice awarded the Mannerheim Cross


Sportspeople

* Mikael Almén – football player (2000– ) *
Niklas Bäckström Niklas Oskar Bäckström (; born 13 February 1978) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender and current goaltending coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets. He played ten seasons for the Minnesota Wild and Calgary Flames in the Nation ...
– ice hockey player (1978– ) *
Sean Bergenheim Sean Bergenheim (born February 8, 1984) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Minnesota Wild. Playing career Be ...
– ice hockey player (1984– ) *
Peter Enckelman Peter Mikael Enckelman (born 10 March 1977) is a Finnish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Enckelman represented Finland and previously played for TPS Turku, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Cardiff City, St Johnstone an ...
– football player (1977– ) *
Adelina Engman Adelina Viktoria Engman (born 11 October 1994) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Hammarby IF and the Finland national team. Club career Engman made her debut for Åland United in NIG 2009. In 2015, she moved t ...
– football player (1994– ) *
Alexei Eremenko Alexei Eremenko (born Aleksei Alekseyevich Yeryomenko; russian: Алексей Алексеевич Ерёменко; born 24 March 1983) is a former professional footballer. He is from a footballing family, with his father, Alexei Eremenko Sr. ...
– football player (1983– ) *
Roman Eremenko Roman Alekseyevich Eremenko (russian: Роман Алексеевич Ерёменко; born 19 March 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder who plays for HIFK in the Veikkausliiga. Eremenko is best known for hi ...
– football player (1987– ) *
Sergei Eremenko Sergei Eremenko (russian: Сергей Алексеевич Ерёменко; born 6 January 1999) is a Finnish football player who plays for HIFK. Club career Eremenko made his professional debut in the Veikkausliiga for FF Jaro on 6 July 2014 ...
– football player (1999– ) *
Marcus Forss Marcus Forss (born 18 June 1999) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Middlesbrough and the Finland national team. Forss is a graduate of the West Bromwich Albion academy and after transferring to Brentford B ...
– football player (1999– ) *
Mikael Forssell Mikael Kaj Forssell (born 15 March 1981) is a Finnish former football striker. Forssell began his professional career in 1997 for HJK, having progressed through the team's youth teams, but he only remained at the club for a single season, mak ...
– football player (1981– ) *
Albin Granlund Albin Granlund (born 1 September 1989) is a Finnish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for IFK Mariehamn. Club career On 20 August 2022, Granlund returned to IFK Mariehamn until the end of the season. International career In Augu ...
– football player (1989– ) *
Marcus Grönholm Marcus Ulf Johan Grönholm (born February 5, 1968) is a Finnish former rally and rallycross driver, being part of a family of the Swedish-speaking population of Finland lineage. His son, Niclas Grönholm, is an upcoming FIA World Rallycross Champ ...
– rally driver (1968– ) *
Tony Halme Tony Christian Halme (January 6, 1963 – January 8, 2010) was a Finnish politician, athlete, author, actor, and singer. He was a member of the Finnish Parliament from 2003 to 2007, representing the True Finns party as an independent politician ...
(stage names Ludvig Borga, Viikinki) – MMA fighter, heavyweight boxer, sports entertainer and professional wrestler, and member of parliament (1963–2010) *
Robert Helenius Robert Gabriel Helenius (born 2 January 1984) is a Finnish professional boxer. At regional level, he has held multiple heavyweight championships, including the European title twice between 2011 and 2016. As an amateur, he won a silver medal at th ...
– boxer (1984– ) *
Janne Holmén Janne Sven-Åke Holmén (born 26 September 1977) is a Finnish former long-distance runner. Holmén's biggest achievement was winning the marathon event in the 2002 European Championships in Athletics in Munich, Germany, finishing in 2:12:14 ...
– marathon runner (1977– ) *
Kasper Hämäläinen Kasper Woldemar Hämäläinen (born 8 August 1986) is a Finnish professional football attacking midfielder who plays for Ykkönen side TPS and the Finland national team. Hämäläinen was born in Turku, Finland, where he started his senior ca ...
– football player (1986– ) * Mikaela Ingberg – javelin thrower (1974– ) * Jonatan Johansson – football player and coach (1975– ) * Thomas Johanson – sailor; Olympic gold medalist (1969– ) * Benjamin Källman – football player (1998– ) * Lucas Lingman – football player (1998– ) *
Anton Lundell Anton Lundell (born October 3, 2001) is a Finnish professional ice hockey centre for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Lundell was considered a top prospect for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, where he was selected 12th overal ...
– ice hockey player (2001– ) * Joel Mattsson – football player (1999– ) *
Matilda Nilsson Matilda Nilsson (born 2 March 1997) is a Finnish ice hockey player, playing in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) with Frölunda HC Dam. As a member of the Finnish national ice hockey team, she won a bronze medal at the 2021 IIHF Women' ...
– ice hockey player (1997– ) *
Fredrik Norrena Fredrik Jan Elis Norrena (born November 29, 1973) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 100 games in the National Hockey League with the Columbus Blue Jackets between 2006 and 2008. The rest of his career, which lasted ...
– ice hockey player (1973– ) *
Oskar Osala Oskar Osala (born 26 December 1987) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He played in three National Hockey League (NHL) games with the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes and represented Finland in Olympic Winter Games 20 ...
– ice hockey player (1987– ) * Mona-Lisa Pursiainen – sprinter (1951–2000) *
Alexander Ring Alexander Michael Ring (born 9 April 1991) is a Finnish professional footballer who captains and plays as an midfielder for Major League Soccer club Austin FC. Club career Early career He moved to Bonn with his family when aged three, and grew ...
– football player (1991– ) * Ronja Savolainen – ice hockey player; 2x Olympic bronze medalist (1997– ) * Rasmus Schüller – football player (1991– ) *
Daniel Sjölund Henrik Daniel "Daja" Sjölund (born 22 April 1983) is a Finnish former footballer who played as a midfielder. He is best remembered for his stints with Djurgårdens IF and IFK Norrköping. He won 37 caps for the Finland national team. Career ...
– football player (1983– ) *
Simon Skrabb Simon Skrabb (born 19 January 1995) is a Finnish footballer who plays for Swedish Allsvenskan side Kalmar FF and the Finland national team. Club career Jaro On 12 May 2011, he became the youngest player to score a goal in a Veikkausliiga matc ...
– football player (1995– ) *
Tim Sparv Tim Sparv (born 20 February 1987) is a Finnish former professional association football, footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Sparv was born in Oravais, and started his football career in Norrvalla FF youth team before moving to Sout ...
– football player (1987– ) * Toni Ståhl – football player (1985– ) *
Toni Söderholm Toni Kristian Söderholm (born 14 April 1978) is a Finnish ice hockey coach and a retired ice hockey defenceman. He is the head coach of the German men's national team. Playing career A native of Finland's capital city of Helsinki, Söderholm pl ...
– ice hockey player (1978– ) *
Peter Tallberg Peter Tallberg (15 July 1937 – 16 May 2015) was a Finnish sailor who competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics, in the 1964 Summer Olympics, in the 1968 Summer Olympics, in the 1972 Summer Olympics, and in the 1980 Summer Olympics. He was a member ...
– sailor (1937–2015) *
Eva Wahlström Eva Ulrika Birgitta Räsänen ( Wahlström; born 30 October 1980) is a Finnish former professional boxer who competed from 2010 to 2020. She held the WBC female super-featherweight title from 2015 to 2020 and at regional level the European fema ...
– boxer (1980– )


Philosophers, theologians, and clergymen

*
Fredrik Gabriel Hedberg Fredrik Gabriel Hedberg (15 July 1811 – 19 August 1893) was a Finnish Lutheran priest and vicar. He was a Neo-Lutheran theologian, a prominent figure in the Finnish evangelical revival movement and a leader of confessional Lutheranism in Finland ...
*
Lauri Ingman Lars (Lauri) Johannes Ingman (30 June 1868, in Teuva – 25 October 1934, in Turku) was a Finnish theologian, bishop and politician. In 1906 he began to serve as the editor of '' Vartija'', a Christian magazine. From 1916 to 1930 he was the profes ...
*
John Vikström John Edvin Vikström (born October 1, 1931 in Kronoby, Finland) is a Finnish priest. He served as the Archbishop emeritus of Turku and Finland from 1982 to 1998. Personal life John was born to parents Edvin and Hilma Vikström. In 1957 he marr ...
*
Georg Henrik von Wright Georg Henrik von Wright (; 14 June 1916 – 16 June 2003) was a Finnish philosopher. Biography G. H. von Wright was born in Helsinki on 14 June 1916 to Tor von Wright and his wife Ragni Elisabeth Alfthan. On the retirement of Ludwig Wittgenste ...
– philosopher; best known for work in the fields of analytic philosophy and philosophical logic and, later, morality and pessimism (1916–2003)


Writers

* – author (1940–2022) *
Gunnar Björling Gunnar Olof Björling, (31 May 1887 – 11 July 1960) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish poet. He was one of the leading figures of Finnish-Swedish modernist literature, along with Elmer Diktonius, Edith Södergran and Hagar Olsson. Biography B ...
– modernist poet (1887–1960) *
Bo Carpelan Baron Bo Gustaf Bertelsson Carpelan (25 October 1926 – 11 February 2011) was a Finland-Swedish poet and author. He published his first book of poems in 1946, and received his PhD in 1960. Carpelan, who wrote in Swedish, composed numerous books ...
– poet and author (1926–2011) * Fredrika Wilhelmina Carstens – author (1808–1888) *
Jörn Donner Jörn Johan Donner (5 February 1933 – 30 January 2020) was a Finnish writer, film director, actor, producer, politician and founder of Finnish Film Archive. Biography Born into the Donner family of German descent, Jörn Donner was the son of ...
– author, journalist, critic, filmmaker, politician, and founder of Finnish Film Archive (1933–2020) * Olly Donner – author and anthroposopher (1881–1956) * Monika Fagerholm – novelist (1961– ) *
Tua Forsström Tua Birgitta Forsström (born 2 April 1947) is a Finland-Swedish writer who writes in Swedish. She was awarded the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 1998 for the poetry collection '' Efter att ha tillbringat en natt bland hästar''. Forsström's ...
– poet (1947– ) * – science fiction writer (1945–2021) *
Tove Jansson Tove Marika Jansson (; 9 August 1914 – 27 June 2001) was a Swedish-speaking population of Finland, Swedish-speaking Finnish author, novelist, painter, illustrator and comic strip author. Brought up by artistic parents, Jansson studied art from ...
– author of the ''
Moomin The Moomins ( sv, Mumintroll) are the central characters in a series of novels, short stories, and a comic strip by Finns, Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish language, Swedish by Schildts in Finland. The ...
books'' (1914–2001) *
Irmelin Sandman Lilius Rut Irmelin Sandman Lilius (born 14 June 1936) is a Swedish-speaking Finnish writer. Biography Irmelin Sandman was born in Helsinki. Her first book, , was published in 1955. She has written picture books and novels for children as well as books f ...
– author (1936– ) * Fredrika Runeberg – journalist, novelist, and author of historical fiction (1807–1879) *
Johan Ludvig Runeberg Johan Ludvig Runeberg (; 5 February 1804 – 6 May 1877) was a Finnish priest, lyric and epic poet. He wrote exclusively in Swedish. He is considered a national poet of Finland. He is the author of the lyrics to (''Our Land'', ''Maamme'' in Fin ...
– lyric and epic poet, considered the national poet of Finland; Lutheran priest (1804–1877) *
Johan Vilhelm Snellman Johan Vilhelm Snellman (; 12 May 1806 – 4 July 1881) was an influential Fennoman philosopher and Finnish statesman, ennobled in 1866. He was one of the most important 'awakeners' or promoters of Finnish nationalism, alongside Elias Lönnrot a ...
– author, journalist, Fennoman philosopher, author, and member of the Senate of Finland (1806–1881) * – author and songwriter (1929– ) *
Edith Södergran Edith Irene Södergran (4 April 1892 – 24 June 1923) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish poet. One of the first modernists within Swedish-language literature, her influences came from French Symbolism, German expressionism, and Russian futu ...
– modernist poet (1892–1923) * Marton Taiga – pulp fiction author (1907–1969) *
Henrik Tikkanen Georg Henrik Tikkanen (9 September 1924, Helsinki – 19 May 1984, Espoo) was a Finland-Swedish author, known primarily for anti-war literature. Several of his works are either autobiographical or semi-autobiographical. Though Finnish, he publi ...
– author (1924–1984) *
Märta Tikkanen Märta Eleonora Tikkanen (born 3 April 1935) is a Swedish-speaking Finnish writer. Biography Born in Helsinki, she has worked as a reporter for ''Hufvudstadsbladet'' from 1956 to 1961. She graduated from the University of Helsinki, Master of A ...
– author and literary scholar (1935– ) *
Zacharias Topelius Zachris Topelius (, ; 14 January 181812 March 1898) was a Finnish author, poet, journalist, historian, and rector of the University of Helsinki who wrote novels related to Finnish history. Given name Zacharias is his baptismal name, and this ...
– author and historian (1818–1898) * Nikke Torvalds – journalist (1945– ) *
Ole Torvalds Ole Torvalds (4 August 1916 – 8 February 1995) was a Finnish-Swedish journalist and poet. He was the father of journalist-politician Nils Torvalds and grandfather of software engineer Linus Torvalds famous for the Linux kernel. His full name w ...
– journalist (1916–1995) * Solveig von Schoultz – poet and author (1907–1996) *
Sara Wacklin Sara Elizabeth Wacklin (26 May 1790 – 28 January 1846) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish educator and writer. She was a pioneer in educating girls, and can be regarded as the first female university graduate in Finland. She can also be regarded ...
– author and educator (1790–1846) * Kjell Westö – author and journalist (1961– )


Other notables

*
Ior Bock Ior Bock (; originally Bror Holger Svedlin; 17 January 1942 – 23 October 2010) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish tour guide, actor, mythologist and eccentric. Bock was a colourful media personality and became a very popular tour guide at the isl ...
– mythologist and eccentric (1942–2010) *
Sophie Mannerheim Baroness Eva Charlotta Lovisa Sofia (Sophie) Mannerheim (21 December 1863 – 9 January 1928) was a famous nurse known as pioneer of modern nursing in Finland. She was daughter of count Carl Robert Mannerheim and sister of a former Finnish Presid ...
– nurse (1863–1928) *
Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld (18 November 183212 August 1901) was a Finland-Swedish aristocrat, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer. He was a member of the Fenno-Swedish Nordenskiöld family of scientists and held the title of a friher ...
– explorer (1832–1901) *
Eugen Schauman Eugen Waldemar Schauman (russian: Евгений Владимирович Шауман, ''Evgeny Vladimirovich Shauman''); ( – ) was a Swedish speaking Finnish nationalist and nobleman. Schauman assassinated the Imperial Russian Governor-Gener ...
– civilian who killed Nikolai Ivanovich Bobrikov (1875–1904) *
Thomas Wallgren Thomas Wallgren, Professor (born 28 February 1958) is a Swedish-speaking Finnish philosopher, activist and politician. He studied philosophy at the University of Helsinki and where he is a lecturer and docent. He was active in the Koijärvi Move ...
– activist, politician, philosopher * Folke West – traveller


Families

* Ahlström family * Donner family {{Finns
Swedish-speaking Finns The Swedish-speaking population of Finland (whose members are called by many names; fi, suomenruotsalainen) can be used as an attribute., group=Note—see below; sv, finlandssvenskar; fi, suomenruotsalaiset) is a linguistic minority in Fin ...
Swedish-speaking Finns The Swedish-speaking population of Finland (whose members are called by many names; fi, suomenruotsalainen) can be used as an attribute., group=Note—see below; sv, finlandssvenskar; fi, suomenruotsalaiset) is a linguistic minority in Fin ...
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...