The Swedish name Helsingfors is the original name of
the city of Helsinki, and is still the official Swedish
name for the city. The Finnish name, Helsinki (pronounced
with the stress on the first syllable: ['helsi?ki]),
has been dominant in other languages for decades. The
Swedish name Helsingfors comes from the name of the
surrounding parish, Helsinge (source for Finnish Helsinki)
and the rapids (in Swedish: fors), which flowed through
the original town. It is often thought that the name
Helsinge was given by the Swedish immigrants who came
from the Swedish province of Halsingland.
In Helsinki slang the town is also called Stadi (from
the Swedish word stad, meaning city) and Hesa in colloquial
Finnish. Helsset is the North Sami name of Helsinki.
