Origin of the name Ii

Many people wonder about Ii’s unusual name. The name Ii is based on the Sami word iddja or ijje which means night. The conclusion can be drawn that the inhabitants who arrived in present-day Ii were in contact with the Sami people. The names of places in Ii that begin with the word Lappi (Lapland) and other place names of Sami origin also attest to this.

There has also been Swedish influence in Ii. Helsinginkoski rapids were located north of the present-day Kruununsaari cemetery during the days preceding power plant construction. The name of the rapids has nothing to do with the City Of Helsinki; instead, it refers to the salmon fishing the northernmost Swedish tribe, the Helsinge, conducted at the mouth of river Iijoki.