Kivisto Family History

Finnish (Kivistö): habitational name from farms so named from kivi ‘stone rock’ (compare Kivi) with the addition of the locative or collective suffix -stö referring to ‘rock land outcrop’. Established as a hereditary surname in western and southern Finland since the 19th century.

Adopted also in the name-changing campaigns of the early 20th century especially in place of Swedish surnames containing the word sten ‘stone’ (compare Kivela).