Ranta Family History

Finnish: habitational name from farms so named from ranta ‘shore’ with reference to their location. Also an ornamental name from the same word adopted in the late 19th century in western and southern Finland by Finns without surnames and also in the early 20th century name-changing campaigns (compare Laine).

In North America this may also be a shortened form of various other surnames formed with ranta such as Hietaranta.