lapua

Two theories exist, neither of which can be considered certain. According to Lars Huldén, the name derives from the name of an old village Leppo (or specifically vernacular forms of that name like Lapu) located at the mouth of the river Lapua, which in turn has been named after the village. The modern town is then named after the river, possibly through *Lapujoki/*Lapuoja > Lapua. Lapu appears to be a vernacular form of a medieval given name attested as Labbe, Lave, the origin of which is unclear. According to Viljo Nissilä, Lapua derives from Old Swedish Lappa ā, Lapu ā (literally, the Lappa/Lapu river), named after the Sami (see lappalainen).