Ethnic Finns

The ethnic Finns are the dominant ethnic group in Finland, and the largest ethnic minority in Sweden, the Sweden Finns. An indigenous minority of ethnic Finns also live in Norway, the Kvener.

Ethnic Finns share a common language and culture, although it is common to make a sub-division between Eastern and Western Finns. The Eastern Finns are more influenced by Karelian cultural traits, while the Western Finns are more influenced by Finland-Swedish and Scandinavian culture and language.

It's a matter of definition whether the Karelians are to be counted as part of the more narrow concept Ethnic Finns or to the wider concept of Finnic peoples. As a legacy of the important Fennoman Movement, Karelians are thought of as the "purest source" for Finnishness, particularly East Karelians — but religiously they (East Karelians) are Russian Orthodox while the Finns in Finland and Scandinavia are of Lutheran faith.

Also the Ingrian Finns are Lutherans, which may have contributed to their survival as an ethnos of their own despite harsh treatment in Stalinist and post-Stalinist Soviet Union, contrary to that of the Finnic Izhorians of Ingria. Many of the Ingrian Finns descend from 17th century settlers arriving in Ingria from Savonia and Finnish Karelia, which may speak for including them among the ethnic Finns.

The Samis are seen as neither ethnic Finns nor as Finnic, but as one of the more distantly akin Finno-Ugric peoples. (Old Norse) fenn, finn are usually considered to be term for Sami, but after 18th or 19th century it was transferred to mean inhabitant in Finland (Suomalainens). Johannes Gezelius (1615-1690) therefore used the term Varsinais-Suomi (de facto Finland) in Encyclopaedia synoptica (Åbo;1672) to abbrevate the geografical area where (Finnish)Suomalainens ruled in contrast to Sami, Karelians, Tavastians, etc. and the term Magnus Ducatus Fenningia for the whole Finland. In Carta marina, Sinus Vendicus is used for Gulf of Finland, and there is by some held that its inflection, Vandalia, is synonym for Southern Finland, and the old crown title in Swedish countries refers to Finland and not the Vandals.