Ancestry and Finnishness

[SwordoftheVistula]

My question here is regarding the recently mentioned Johan Backman and Juhan Molari.

Why is Johan Backman considered Finnish? Why is Signore Molari considered Finnish? Is this citizenship beyond ethnicity/ancestry? Bachmann is a German name, and Molari is an Italian name, I've met people of both names and they or the people they hang with identify as German/Italian respectively. Is there any sort of sense of these two characters as 'of immigrant background', are they considered German-Finnish/Italian-Finnish or are they considered as Finnish as anyone else? The German it makes sense to be there, but how did that Italian guy end up there, was there a period of Italian migration to Finland?

[The Ripper]

My question here is regarding the recently mentioned Johan Backman and Juhan Molari.

Why is Johan Backman considered Finnish? Why is Signore Molari considered Finnish? Is this citizenship beyond ethnicity/ancestry? Bachmann is a German name, and Molari is an Italian name, I've met people of both names and they or the people they hang with identify as German/Italian respectively. Is there any sort of sense of these two characters as 'of immigrant background', are they considered German-Finnish/Italian-Finnish or are they considered as Finnish as anyone else? The German it makes sense to be there, but how did that Italian guy end up there, was there a period of Italian migration to Finland?

Bäckman is a Swedish name and plenty of Finns have those. Molari is a Finnish name as far as I'm aware. Both are considered Finnish because that's what they are.

[Don Brick]

Bäckman is a Swedish name and plenty of Finns have those. Molari is a Finnish name as far as I'm aware. Both are considered Finnish because that's what they are.

Yup and nothing else to add ´cause to be honest I didn´t really understand the rest of the inquiry. :p

[SwordoftheVistula]

I've met people with those names on this side of the hemisphere, Molari considered himself Italian and the Bachmanns German. Was just curious how they came to end up in Finland and be considered 'Finnish'.

[Motörhead Remember Me]

Molari, just like Rossi, are Finnish names, despite sounding Italian. Bäckman is a Swedish surname, not German. Swedish surnames are very common in Finland and the reason is some 7-800 years of common history of Sweden-Finland.

Their behaviour is un-Finnish, though.

[The Ripper]

I've met people with those names on this side of the hemisphere, Molari considered himself Italian and the Bachmanns German. Was just curious how they came to end up in Finland and be considered 'Finnish'.

They were different people, these guys are both Finns.

[SwordoftheVistula]

Been reading up on this 'Backman' character, apparently that is the Swedish spelling of the name, whereas as 'Bachmann' is the southern German/Swiss spelling.

This guy seems wacked out of his mind, claiming the USSR as the non-aggressor in WWII, etc. Sounds like a member of a disgruntled minority, Finland has a Swedish minority which is apparently leftist in orientation from what I have heard?

This Molari guy, it's possible there are multiple nationalities with coincidental last names, like Bruce Lee/Robert E. Lee as a famous example.

[The Ripper]

Been reading up on this 'Backman' character, apparently that is the Swedish spelling of the name, whereas as 'Bachmann' is the southern German/Swiss spelling.

Bäckman is the Swedish spelling. Bäck = brook.


This guy seems wacked out of his mind, claiming the USSR as the non-aggressor in WWII, etc. Sounds like a member of a disgruntled minority, Finland has a Swedish minority which is apparently leftist in orientation from what I have heard?

The Swedish-speaking minority is politically rallied behind the Swedish People's Party, a liberal party. Bäckman however is not a Swedish-speaker, but a Finn, and he's a Russian agent in Finland if anything. When he says he's an anti-fascist, think Nashi, not AFA.


This Molari guy, it's possible there are multiple nationalities with coincidental last names, like Bruce Lee/Robert E. Lee as a famous example.

Yes, its coincidental. My parents were once asked if they were Italian when they conversed in Finnish (this happened in Paris).

[Motörhead Remember Me]

This guy seems wacked out of his mind, claiming the USSR as the non-aggressor in WWII, etc. Sounds like a member of a disgruntled minority It is well established that he's financed by people who has been within the Russian secret police. Check Wikipedia on this.

Finland has a Swedish minority which is apparently leftist in orientation from what I have heard?Wouldn't say so. It's just that the Swedish partys silly politicians wish to identify themselves with all minorities because they are a minority...

[Matritensis]

About Italian sounding Finnish surnames,I remember my father being a bit confused by the name "Marttiini" ,in a knife that he got as a gift ("but is this made in Finland or not?") .Curiously,there's also another Finnish knife brand that sounds Italian,Roselli.I don't know if there is a real Italian surname written exactly like that,but it looks likely...

[Motörhead Remember Me]

Pelli is another Italian sounding Finnish name.