 According to a theory presented in the 1630s, at the time of Swedish colonisation of coastal areas of Finland, colonists from Hälsingland in central Sweden had arrived at what is now known as the Vantaa River and called it "Helsingå" ("Helsinge River"), which gave rise to the names of Helsinge village and church in the 1300s.This theory is questionable, because dialect research suggests that the settlers arrived from Uppland and nearby areas.Others have proposed the name as having been derived from the Swedish word "helsing", an archaic form of the word "hals" (neck), referring to the narrowest part of a river, the rapids.