Finns proper
Finns proper are a historic people and a modern subgroup of the Finnish people. They live in areas of the historical province of Finland Proper and speak Southwestern dialects of Finnish. Finns proper had very early strong connections to Scandinavia.
Originally, the exonym "Finland" and the endonym "Suomi" referred only to the Southwestern region inhabited by Finns proper. Later, the meaning of these names expanded to refer to the whole area of modern Finland. Earlier, the name "Finn" meant Sami people, especially in older Norse sagas.
The Russian name Сумь, 'Sum', which appears in Novgorodian chronicles, is believed to refer to Finns proper. "Sums" are mentioned as allies of Swedes at the Battle of Neva at 1240.
