Feb 14 • 09:08 UTC 🇫🇮 Finland Iltalehti

Veera gave her daughter a name whose legality had to be checked: 'It just came from somewhere'

Veera named her daughter Meritähti, a rare name in Finland that required legal verification before being officially recognized.

Veera, a resident of southern Finland, came up with the name Meritähti for her daughter immediately after taking a positive pregnancy test. Not having encountered this unique name before, it nonetheless resonated with her as the perfect choice during her pregnancy. While she had considered other names for a possible son, she had a strong intuition that the baby would be a girl, and her prediction proved correct.

As her daughter was born, Veera took steps to legally verify the name Meritähti, which is notably uncommon in Finland. According to the Finnish Digital and Population Data Services Agency, fewer than 35 children have been registered with that name since the 1990s, indicating its rarity. The process of checking the name's legality highlights how parents navigate the intersection of personal choice and legal regulations regarding names in Finland.

This story reflects cultural aspects of naming conventions in Finland, where uniqueness is valued but must also comply with legal standards. The name Meritähti, meaning 'sea star,' is emblematic of how parents express individuality while adhering to societal norms, shedding light on contemporary naming trends within Finnish society.

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