Norwegian Administrative Units Through Time
When you research Norwegian ancestors, “where” can change depending on the year. Norway’s local identity is stable, but the official administrative units—both civil and church—shifted over time. Understanding Norwegian administrative units is crucial, as archives and indexes are usually organized by the administrative unit that created the record.
A practical guide for genealogy (civil and church divisions)
This guide explains the main Norwegian administrative units through time, shows how the civil and church systems overlap, and helps you predict where records are filed. Several of my previous posts touch on this topic, but as I am often asked about this, I have tried to break down the history of the administrative units through time.
Why Norwegian administrative units matter in genealogy
Most research problems come down to one of these:
The place and the name are the same, but the unit changed (county/municipality/parish district).
The record type follows church geography (kirkebøker), not civil boundaries.
Court and probate records follow judicial districts, not necessarily church districts or municipalities.
- Many same/similar farm names are found all over Norway. Recognizing the right church or judicial district is crucial for a correct identification of our ancestors
A traditional and reliable habit: identify which system created the record before you hunt for it.
Two parallel systems: civil administration and church geography
For centuries, Norway’s church organization shaped how people described local areas—and many older sources “think” in ecclesiastical units. Modern local government begins with the Formannskapslovene (1837), and early municipal structures often leaned on existing church boundaries. (Stortinget, n.d.; Store norske leksikon, n.d.-a; Regjeringen, 2021).
Norwegian civil administrative units through time
Hover mouse over the maps to enlarge the image
Medieval roots: fylke in an older sense
In medieval usage, fylke could refer to large regional divisions tied to law-areas and assemblies, and these don’t map neatly to modern counties. (Wikipedia contributors, n.d.-a).
Len to amt: early modern to 1918
Len served as major administrative regions in earlier periods. (FamilySearch, 2015). Historically, a “len” (fief) was land held by a vassal in exchange for service to a lord.
In 1662, len were re-designated as amt—a county-level unit under Danish-Norwegian administration. (Store norske leksikon, n.d.-b). Amt is a German noun referring to an official government office, agency, or authority.
Fogderi: the “state district” many sources hide inside
Amtene were subdivided into fogderier, closely tied to taxation, collection, and state administration. You’ll see fogderi/fogd language in older material and some archival groupings. (Store norske leksikon, 2024; Store norske leksikon, 2025).
1838: the municipality era begins (kommune/herred)
The big civil milestone is local self-government:
The Formannskapslovene were sanctioned in 1837 and took effect 1 January 1838, establishing elected local bodies and a lasting municipal structure. (Stortinget, n.d.; Store norske leksikon, n.d.-a; Regjeringen, 2021).
1919: amt becomes fylke (modern county terminology)
From 1 January 1919, amt was replaced by fylke (county). (Store norske leksikon, n.d.-b).
2020–2024: recent county changes you must know for filing and indexes
Counties were merged into 11 from 1 January 2020 during the region reform. (Regjeringen, 2018–2019; Store norske leksikon, 2017).
The system changed again: from 1 January 2024, Norway returned to 15 counties (including the split of Viken, Vestfold og Telemark, and Troms og Finnmark). (Regjeringen, 2024; Statistics Norway, n.d.).
Norwegian censuses and where to find them
Norwegian church administrative units through time
If you use kirkebøker, the church structure is not optional—it’s the filing system.
The core layers you’ll meet
Prestegjeld was historically a major organizing unit and often contained multiple sokn. (Store norske leksikon, n.d.-c).
Traditionally, church geography is organized as:
bispedømme (diocese) → prosti (deanery) → prestegjeld (parish) → sokn/sogn (localparish/subparish)
Today: sokn is the base unit
In modern church organization, sokn is the basic unit, and prestegjeld is no longer the main framework. (Store norske leksikon, n.d.-c). For genealogy, this explains why older church books are often grouped under prestegjeld, while newer organization emphasizes sokn. Arkivverket explicitly recommends understanding prestegjeld/sokn history to locate the correct church books. (Arkivverket, n.d.).
Be sure to read my posts on Norwegian church books and The history of Norwegian parishes. Keep in mind that in earlier days, some parishes where huge. If you have found the local farm, you might be surprised to learn that the name of the parish derives from main church miles away.
The “third map” genealogists can’t ignore: courts and judicial districts
Some of the best genealogical sources—especially probate, disputes, and land matters—follow the judicial structure, not the municipality.
The sorenskriver (magistrate) institution dates back to 1591, and sorenskriveri matters for where court and probate-related records live. (Store norske leksikon, 2024).
Arkivverket’s guides to tingbøker (Court documents) are a reminder: court materials are often structured under judicial logic, not parish or kommune. (Arkivverket, 2025a; Arkivverket, 2025b).
A practical rule: match the record type to the administrative unit
Use this as a quick “first guess” when you’re stuck:
Baptism, marriage, burial, confirmation → sokn / prestegjeld / prosti (kirkebøker). (Arkivverket, n.d.; Store norske leksikon, n.d.-c)
Probate, court cases, tingbøker → sorenskriveri / judicial district. (Arkivverket, 2025a; Store norske leksikon, 2024)
Older state administration, collection references → you may see fogd/fogderi. (Store norske leksikon, 2024; Store norske leksikon, 2025)
Post-1838 local matters → municipality (kommune/herred) becomes more important. (Regjeringen, 2021)
FAQ: Norwegian administrative units (civil and church)
What is the difference between prestegjeld and sokn?
A prestegjeld was historically a larger clerical district that could include multiple sokn (congregations/sub-parishes). Today, sokn is the basic unit in the Church of Norway’s organization. (Store norske leksikon, n.d.-c; Arkivverket, n.d.).
Why do Norwegian church books seem “filed wrong” compared to the municipality?
Because many church books are organized by church geography (sokn/prestegjeld), and those boundaries don’t always match civil units—especially around reforms. (Arkivverket, n.d.; Regjeringen, 2021).
What were amt, and when did Norway switch to fylke?
Amt was the county-level unit from 1662 to 1918; it was replaced by fylke from 1 January 1919. (Store norske leksikon, n.d.-b).
What is a fogderi and why does it appear in older sources?
A fogderi was a bailiff district used for state administration and collection functions. The fogd system was abolished in 1894 and phased out to 1919. (Store norske leksikon, 2024; Store norske leksikon, 2025).
Which unit should I use for probate and court records?
Start with the sorenskriveri (judicial district) and related court structures; many court materials (including tingbøker) follow that framework. (Store norske leksikon, 2024; Arkivverket, 2025a).
References
Arkivverket. (n.d.). Historikk for prestegjeld og sogn. https://www.arkivverket.no/forskere/historikk-for-prestegjeld-og-sogn/
Arkivverket. (2025a, November 15). Tingbøkene og tingbokavskrifter. https://www.arkivverket.no/tingbokene-og-tingbokavskrifter/
Arkivverket. (2025b). Tingbøker – avskrifter (Digitalarkivet). https://www.digitalarkivet.no/content/1187/tingb%C3%B8ker—avskrifter
FamilySearch. (2015, February 2). Norwegian Len. https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Norwegian_Len
Regjeringen. (2021, October 12). Historisk utvikling av kommunesektoren. https://www.regjeringen.no/no/tema/kommuner-og-regioner/kommunestruktur/utviklingen-av-den-norske-kommunestruktu/id751352/
Regjeringen. (2018–2019). Meld. St. 6 (2018–2019): Større ansvar i en ny fylkesstruktur. https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/meld.-st.-6-20182019/id2616180/
Regjeringen. (2024, January 1). Fylkesinndelingen fra 2024. https://www.regjeringen.no/no/tema/kommuner-og-regioner/kommunestruktur/fylkesinndelingen-fra-2024/id2922222/
Statistics Norway. (n.d.). Classification of county. https://www.ssb.no/en/klass/klassifikasjoner/104/
Store norske leksikon. (2017, December 20). Regionreformen. https://snl.no/regionreformen
Store norske leksikon. (2024, May 29). Fogderi. https://snl.no/fogderi
Store norske leksikon. (2024, November 25). Sorenskriver. https://snl.no/sorenskriver
Store norske leksikon. (2025, November 23). Fogd. https://snl.no/fogd
Store norske leksikon. (n.d.-a). Formannskapslovene. https://snl.no/formannskapslovene
Store norske leksikon. (n.d.-b). Amt. https://snl.no/amt
Store norske leksikon. (n.d.-c). Prestegjeld. https://snl.no/prestegjeld
Stortinget. (n.d.). Formannskapslovene av 1837. https://www.stortinget.no/no/Stortinget-og-demokratiet/Historikk/historisk-dokumentasjon/Formannskapslovene-av-1837/
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.-a). Counties of Norway. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counties_of_Norway
