Swedish-speaking gentility in Finland

The Swedish realms three highest estates constituted of the : Nobles, priests and burghers which had Swedish as their language.
The intermingling and intermarriages between the noble class and the clerical upper crust was an a socially ascending and distinctive element in several Nordic countries after the Reformation. As a result the gentry in Finland was constituted by nobles, clerical and some burgher families . In time other families where included in the higher estates without originally belonging to any of the estates. This was above all a feature in the 19th century Finland, contributed by immigration of families from especially German speaking countries which generally took part in mercantile activities.

A notable number of the older Finnish gentry are of Finnish decent which during the course of 700 years as a part of Sweden adopted Swedish as their language. As Swedish was for the greater part of Finnish history the cultural language, its significance can not be understated

Older Finnish *gentry of Finnish origin *( - 1650)

*Adlercreutz (1600 - )
*Alopaeus (1600 - )[]
*Boije (1400 - )
*Carpelan (1400 - )
*Creutz (1400- )
*Ehrnrooth (1500 - )
*Frosterus (1500 -)
*Idman (1600 - ) []
*Jägerhorn af Spurila
*Lagus (1500 - )
*Lilius (1600 - )
*Munck (1500 - )
*Orraeus(1600- )[]
*Procopé (1500 - )

Finnish gentry of Finnish origin (1650-1850)

*Castrén []
*Estlander []
*Ignatius
*Neovius
*Palmén
*Serlachius Serlachius
*Standertskjöld
*Stenbäck []
*Wegelius

Older Finnish gentry of non-Finnish origin ( - 1650)

*Aminoff (1600 - ) Russia
*Bonsdorff (1600 - ) Germany
*Colliander (1600 - ) Sweden
*Gripenberg (1600 - ) Sweden
*Hornborg (1600 - ), Germany-Poland
*Knorring, von (1500 - ) Germany
*Mannerheim (1600 - ) Netherlands []
*Meinander (1600 - ) Germany or Sweden
*Ramsay (1100 - ) Scotland
*Rosenlew (1600 - ) Germany
*Schauman (1600 - ) Germany
*Stjernvall (1600 - ) Sweden
*Willebrand, von (1500 - ) Germany
*Wrede (1200 - ) Germany

Finnish gentry of non-Finnish origin 1650-1850)

*Björkenheim, Sweden
*Bremer, Germany
*Furuhjelm, Germany
*Grotenfelt, Livonia, Estonia
*Järnefelt
*Julin, von
*Nordenskiöld
*Schantz, von
*Zilliacus, Livonia

Swedish-speaking Families historically involved with Industry and Commerce

*Ahlström (1800 - )
*Alfthan (1600 - )
*Bruun (1600 - )
*Borgström (1700 - )
*Donner (1600 - )
*Fazer (1800 - )
*Frenckell (1700 - )
*Hackman (1600 - )
*Paulig (1800 - )
*Stockmann (1800 - )
*von Rettig
*Rosenlew (1600 - )
*Thesleff (1500 - )
[]

*Families mentioned in Suomen Kansallisbiografia (the Finnish National Biography)
*The years inside the brackets indicates the time of adoption of the current family name or the establishment of the family in Finland
*The definition used in this article for the word gentry refers to people of high social class, especially in the past. Cambridge Dictionary

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