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"Norwegian Farm Names"

Article originally printed in AVISEN , The Newspaper of the Norwegian-American Genealogical Association of the Minnesota Genealogical Society

Submitted by Betty Rockswold

The Norwegian agricultural areas are divided into gårds or farms. Each gård is given a tax number, and is identified by that number in tax lists, census records and bygdebøker.

Each gård may have many subdivisions - small bruks or husmann places. The subdivisions will rarely show up on tax lists or census records. If they are listed in the bygdebok, it will only be because the author chose to identify them.

More often than not farm names are a description of condition, location, and/or ownership:

Ødegård = deserted farm

Skogli = forest meadow

Jonsrud = Jon's clearing

Many contain descriptions of direction such as nord, sor, øst, vest, nedre, under, øvre, midtre, indre, and ytre:

Østerdal = east valley

Underbakke = underhill

Øverstad = over place

Midtrevollen = middle meadow

Indreøy = inner island

Ytterdal = outer valley

Eie means belongs to, and is a definite indication of a husmann's place. Jivreie is a husmann's place on Jivre (Givre). It may have another name such as Eriksplads, but the taxes will be paid as (and named) Jivre. In church records the name will depend on the practice of the local people or the mood of the pastor (prest). The farmer may use Erikspads, Pladsen, or Jivre/Givre after his name (this is his "address").

The Norwegien "en" and "et" are the definite article and means "the".

Aasen = the ridge

Vadet = the wading place

Some common words used in place names:

bakk = hill

bråte = burned clearing

gård = gard or farm

hamn = pasture

hund = dog

krog = corner

mark = field

plad/plass = place

seter = mountain cabin

sted/stead = place

strand = beach

vang = grassy spot

øde = deserted

å = creek

berg = mountin

dal = valley

haga = garden

heim = home

kleve = small room

li = mountain meadow

mo = heath

rud = clearing

skog = forest

stein = stone

sund = channel

voll = grassy meadow

ør = delta

åker = field

bo = dwelling

eng = meadow

haug = hill

høne = chicken

koll = crown, peak

land = land

nes = peninsula

set = place

slette = plateau

stue = cottage

sve = burned over

vik = bay

øy - island

ås = ridge

The Norwegian-American Genealogical Association of the Minnesota Genealogical Society, 5768 Olson Memorial Highway, Golden Valley, MN 55422 USA