Vaara Family History

Finnish: habitational name from farms so named after a nearby topographic name containing the element vaara ‘hill range of hills’. Established as a hereditary surname since the 19th century in northern Ostrobothnia.

It was also adopted in southern Finland as an ornamental name during the name-changing campaigns of the early 20th century (compare Laine).

This standard Finnish variant is rare in the US where the surname is mostly spelled Waara.