Aino

Aino is a Finnish and Estonian name whose precise linguistic roots are debated, though it is most commonly associated with a Finnish word meaning alone or the only one. The name gained widespread cultural prominence through the Finnish national epic the Kalevala, compiled by Elias Lönnrot in the nineteenth century, in which Aino is a tragic young woman who drowns rather than marry the old sage Väinämöinen. The name became popular across Finland and Estonia partly through this mythological association and the broader national romantic movement of the 1800s. Aino serves as a cognate and variant across the Baltic-Finnish language family, appearing in related forms in Estonian usage as well.