Norway Gazetteers

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Norway

Gazetteers

Online Gazetteers

• 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, Østfold 1, Akershus 2, Hedmark 3, Oppland 4 pt. 1, 4 pt. 2, Buskerud 5, Vestfold 6, Telemark 7, Aust Agder 8, Vest Agder 9, Rogaland 10, Hordaland 11, Sogn og Fjordane 12, More og Romsdal 13, Sor Trondelag 14, Nord Trondelag 15, Nordland 16, Tromso 17, Finnmark 18, Master Place Name Index 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.

Abbreviation	Term	English Translation
bi	bisentral
bo	bostad, villa	dwelling place
bostr	bolistrøk	residential area
br	bruk/småbruk	small farm once part of a large farm
brh	brevhus
busst	busstoppested	bus stop
cpl	campingplass	camping place
ds	damskipsekspedisjon	shipping office
everk	elektrisitetsverk	electric power plant
fyrl	fyrlykt	light house
gd	gard (gardsbruk)	farm
gdr	garder	farms
glh	gamleheim/aldersheim	old folks home
gym	gymnas	gym
idrpl	idrettsplass/stadion	sports field/stadium
jst	jernbanestasjon	railway station
jstop	jernbanestoppested	railroad stop
kom	kommunelokale	community office
lhl	landhandleri	country store
milit	militæranlegg	military area
P	postadresse	postal addres/zipcode
pelsf	pelsdyrfarm	fur farm
pgd	prestegård	priests farm
pk	postkontor	post office
på	poståpneri	rural postal station
rekrhj	rekreasjons/rekonvalesenthjem	convelescent home
rsk	realskole	school following grammar school
sk	skole, sentralskole	school
spsk	spesialskole	special school
T	telegraf og rikstelefonstasjon	telegraph and telephone station
tettbeb	tettbebyggelse	densly populated place
tst	telegraf og rikstelefonstasjon	telegraph and telephone station
ungdh	ungdomsherberge	youth hostel
upk	underpostkontor	post office branch
usk	ungdomsskole	junior high school

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)