Norway Gazetteers

Online Gazetteers
Divisons (non church divisions) in Norway such as: Skipreider and tinglag are among the early jurisdictions. Sorenskriveri (not before 1591), Len, Amt, Fylke, (Church and state borders do not correspond to each other).


 * Example Eiker sorenskriveri Arkivportalen


 * Example Sogn -og Fjordane


 * FamilySearch Places
 * Inndelinger av sogn og prestegjeld (division of parishes) at Digitalarkivet
 * Norway's Parishes
 * Oluf Rygh: Norwegian Farm Names
 * Samiske stedsnavn (Sami place names)
 * Norway, Svalbard and Jan Mayen; official standard names approved by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names Norway, Svalbard and Jan Mayen; official standard names approved by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, FamilySearch International
 * Atlas of Norway
 * World Gazetteers at Archive.org
 * Norske gaardnavne : oplysninger samlede til brug ved matrikelens revision : efter offentlig foranstaltning udgivne med tilføiede forklaringer - Volumes: Intro, 1, 2, 3, 4 pt. 1, 4 pt. 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
 * Toponymic guidelines for map and other editors for Internasjonal use - Norway Revised edition 2019
 * Norsk stedfortegnelse : postadressbog for norge; pt. 01
 * Norsk stedfortegnelse : postadressbog for Norge; pt. 02
 * 1972 Postal Guide for Norway

Here is a list of the abbreviations used in the 1972 Postal Guide with an English translation.

Print Only Gazetteers

 * Det Bestes store Norge atlas Det Bestes store Norge atlas, Oslo, Norway : Forlaget Det Beste, c1983
 * Herred, prestegjeld og sogn i Norge:-- med forandringene gjennom tidene Herred, prestegjeld og sogn i Norge:-- med forandringene gjennom tidene] Norunn Klettum, Herred, prestegjeld og sogn i Norge : -- med forandringene gjennom tidene, [S.l.] : DIS-Norge, 2001
 * Norge Norge, Oslo, Norway : J.W. Cappelens forlag, c1963
 * Norsk stadnamnleksikon Jørn Sandnes, Ola Stemshaug, Norsk stadnamnleksikon, Oslo, Norway : Det Norske Samlaget, c1976

Why Use Gazetteers
A gazetteer is a dictionary of place-names. Gazetteers list or describe towns and villages, parishes, states, populations, rivers and mountains, and other geographical features. They usually include only the names of places that existed at the time the gazetteer was published. Within a specific geographical area, the place-names are listed in alphabetical order, similar to a dictionary. You can use a gazetteer to locate the places where your family lived and to determine the civil and religious jurisdictions over those places.

There are many places within a country with similar or identical place-names. You will need to use a gazetteer to identify the specific town where your ancestor lived, the state the town was or is in, and the jurisdictions where records about the person was kept.

Gazetteer Contents
Gazetteers may also provide additional information about towns, such as:


 * Different religious denominations
 * Schools, colleges, and universities
 * Major manufacturers, canals, docks, and railroad stations
 * The population size.
 * Boundaries of civil jurisdiction.
 * Ecclesiastical jurisdiction(s)
 * Longitude and latitude.
 * Distances and direction from other from cities.
 * Schools, colleges, and universities.
 * Denominations and number of churches.
 * Historical and biographical information on some individuals (usually high-ranking or famous individuals)