Toponyms are used not only to identify places, but also to accomplish many relevant social andinteractional tasks. In a conversation speakers may use diverse forms of a toponym or different names torefer to the same place. The choice of a name or a name variant is not coincidental or free but depends onthe context, e.g., the formality of the situation. The name variants speakers use may even reveal theidentities they have as local dwellers.The article studies the relationship between the use of toponyms and social identity. The names usedby Finnish speakers of Helsinki (the official variant Helsinki and two unofficial variants, 'Hesa' and 'Stadi')and both the use of them and images and ideas connected to these names, are studied. With the names 'Hesa'and 'Stadi', the central distinctions are made between the speakers’ status as country people and city dwellersand between native Helsinki dwellers and people who have moved to Helsinki from elsewhere. Themetalinguistic and actual use of names used of Helsinki show considerable differences. They may be basedon a desire to identify oneself with a given group, which is, however, not always manifested in actuallanguage use. The material consists of focus group interviews conducted among dwellers in oneneighbourhood in Vuosaari.