Frequency: (1257)
(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 saari ‘island’. Mostly, this is an ornamental name adopted during the name conversion movement at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, but it may also be a topographic name for someone living on or near an island. It is found chiefly in central and southern Finland. In America, it is also found as an abbreviation of names containing this element, such as Viitasaari.
GIVEN NAMES: Finnish 7%; Scandinavian 4%. Arvo (4), Jorma (3), Reino (3), Toivo (3), Eino (2), Seppo (2), Waino (2), Wilho (2), Kaisa, Kauko, Lempi, Martti; Erik (3), Arni.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
