Frequency: (365)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
Finnish: from oja ‘ditch’, ‘channel’ + the local suffix -la, a habitational name from any of the numerous farms so named throughout Finland, early settlement of the country having been concentrated along waterways. The oldest record of the family name is from the 15th century.
GIVEN NAMES: Finnish 19%; Scandinavian 4%. Eino (4), Reino (3), Aatos (2), Esa (2), Waino (2), Arvi, Arvo, Erkki, Jorma, Juha, Mikko, Niilo; Erik, Helmer.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
