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The family name Helander appears for the first time in Johan Gustaf Andersson's (b. 1823, grandfather of my grandmother Hilda b. Helander) records from 1844-50 when the priest added it to church records (rippikirjat) on top of the traditional name. Around 1850's family names start appearing or become fashionable also for common people. Perhaps JGA followed the example of others and picked up a suitable name? Perhaps he knew someone called Helander? Or the priest may have suggested this surname?
The following is a nice hypothesis, true or false: JGA lived his young adulthood (10-28 years of age) in the Salmi village of Mouhijärvi close to Tupurlanjärvi Lake. By the lake, less than a mile from his home, there is a famous rock Helaakallio, which was an ancient meeting and court place and where bonfires "helavalkeat" were burned in May to celebrate the end of winter. Helaakallio (Hela Rock) must have been a prominent place for Salmi village people and also for JGA in the 1840's when he added the surname Helander to his name. Helander can also be seen as a combination of Hela and JGA'S father's name Anders.