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Pamela Anderson Wants to Change Name to Hyytiäinen

Published 10 December 2025

Pamela Anderson, the iconic actress known for her role on Baywatch, revealed in a December 2025 interview with Vogue Scandinavia that she longs to change her surname to Hyytiäinen, honoring her Finnish heritage and the memory of her late grandfather.

Born in 1967 in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada, to parents Barry and Carol Anderson, the 58-year-old star explained that her family's original name was altered more than a century ago when her ancestors immigrated from Finland to North America. "Sometimes I don't want to be Pamela Anderson," she said. "I want to be Pamela Hyytiäinen. I would like to change my name, but they won't let me." Anderson noted the emotional pull of reclaiming that identity, describing it as a way to reconnect with a part of herself that feels distant yet integral.

The desire stems from her profound bond with her grandfather, Herman Hyytiäinen, whom she described as "the closest person to me in my life." A logger, poet, and enthusiast of Finnish folklore, Herman inspired Anderson's creativity from a young age. He taught her the Finnish language, and she often carried a dictionary as a child, immersing herself in stories of nature, fairies, and...

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