Kommune

Each fylke again is divided into kommunes. Presently there are 448 kommunes in the whole of Norway. There are 26 kommunes in Sogn og Fjordane fylke. Each kommune has a mayor and a local government.

Bygd

This is the word for a social unit, more like a village or community. There may be several 'bygds' within a kommune.

Husmann

A man who lived in a cottage on a gard (farm), at a site called a 'husmannsplass', or just 'plass'. Usually the husmann had some petty gard land of his own. He had specific labor duties on the gard. There were many husmannsplasses in Sogn og Fjordane.

Bygdebok

A book written about the history of a specific kommune or community (bygd). Often containing genealogical information and general information about gards.

Bygdelag

A member society having roots to a specific community, kommune or local district. 'Sognalaget', 'Sunnfjordlaget' and 'Nordfjordlaget' are such bygdelags in the USA.

Støl

A mountain croft used by the farmers in the summer. Also called 'sæter'.

Prestegjeld and sokn

Prestegjeld is an administrative church district. Genealogists will know that Sogn og Fjordane was divided into prestegjelds, each with a parson writing the church records so important for family research. The borders of the prestegjelds have changed through the times. A prestegjeld is again divided into 'sokns'. A sokn being a church and its congregation. Several churches and congregations then may constitute a prestegjeld (parish).

Gard

The gard (farm) was the basic unit of the old Norwegian society. We can define a gard as a geographical unit where one or several families lived. Most of the people also had their work at the gard where they lived. For Americans searching family in Sogn og Fjordane (and generally in Norway), the use of gard names as family names may cause problems.

Up to around 1890 the gard names were not only family names, but more often they were used as addresses. If for instance a boy was baptized Ole and the name of the father was Anders, he became Ole Andersson (son of Anders). A girl baptized Anne with a father named Anders, became Anne Andersdotter (daughter of Anders). If the parents of Ole, at the time of Ole's birth, lived at the gard Hovland, Ole would be known as Ole Andersson Hovland. Hovland denoting the place (gard) where Ole lived. If Ole later on moved and settled at another gard, for instance at Moen, he would be known as Ole Andersson Moen. Moen then becoming his new family name and address. In this way a person could change his address (and family name) many times during a lifetime.

This practice is often bewildering for Americans searching family in Norway, having a specific gard name as a starting point for the research. When the parson or the harbor authorities in Norway wrote down the name of an emigrant, they mostly included the gard name (address) at the time of departure. A person living most of his life at a gard called Hovland, but living at the time of emigration at the gard Moen, would have been put down in the church records as leaving from Moen. A problem may occur when the immigrant coming to America took another gard name as family name than shown in the passenger lists. A person emigrating as a Natvik (gard in Årdal) might in America become an Offerdal (another gard name in Årdal). This change could depend on the time a person had lived on a gard, or he might choose as his permanent family name in America the name of the gard he was born a

aar year (archaic for "år")

absolvere to give absolution

absolusjon absolution (religious)

adel nobility

adelig noble

adelsmann nobleman

adlet to be raised to the nobility

adoptere to adopt

adresse address

advare to caution

advokat lawyer, solicitor (UK)

af  of/by/at/from (archaic)

aften evening

afgange deceased (archaic)

agent sales agent, sales representative for a company

agentur sales agency

agronom graduate of an agricultural college

ald.  abbreviation for "alder" - age

alder age

alderdom old age

alderdomssvakhet  weakness of old age

aldri never

alle all

allmenning forest or grazing land that several farms have the right to 

access and use.  The land may be public or privately owned.

alltid always

alter alter

altergang holy communion

almisse charity

amanuens assistant

amme to nurse

amt administrative district/county.  (archaic) Since 1918 the 

word "fylke" has been used.

amtmann highest ranking administrator in an "amt" (county) (archaic)

anden second (archaic) 

andre 1) second, 2) other

ane/aner ancestor/ancestors

anetavle table of ancestors/family tree

anfall seizure

ankomst arrival

anmerkning remark, note

annen gang second time

anno (Latin) year 

annonsere announse, publish

antall number, count

apostelgods land that originally belonged to the Apostel church in Bergen 

and leased out to farmers 

apotek pharmacy

apoteker pharmacist

arbeide work

arbeider worker

arkitekt architect

arkiv archive

arm 1) poor, 2) arm 

armod poverty, poverty-stricken

arv inheritance

arveavgift inheritance tax

arvegods hereditary estate, heirloom

arvejord inherited land

arvelodd heir's share in a probate estate

arveløs disinherited, without rights of inheritance

arvesak probate proceeding

arveskifte distribution of probate estate

arveskatt inheritance tax

arvestykke heirloom

arving heir

arvtagere heirs

assessor assistant judge (archaic)

at that

att (nn) again

atten eighteen

attende 1) back, 2) eighteenth

attest certificate, testimonial

audn/audne abandoned farm (frequently used as name of a farm that was

abandoned during the Black Death)

auk.  abbreviation for "auksjon"  

auksjon auction

auksjonsprotokoll auction records

av of, by, at, from

avdeling part, division, department

avdelingssjef department manager

avdød deceased

avgang 1) death, demise, 2) departure

avgift duty, fee

avgå retire

avhandling thesis, dissertation

avkom offspring, issue

avling harvest

avmønstre to sign off (maritime use)

avsked, få be discharged

avsked, ta retire

avskjed i nåde retire

avtale agreement

B

b.  abbreviation for "barn" - children

bg.  abbreviation for "bondegods" - land owned by the farmers themselves, 

not by the king or the church

Bg./Ber.  abbreviation for "Bergen" - city on the southwest coast of Norway

br.  abbreviation for "bruk" - farm. (Note: Norwegian farms were usually 

subdivided over the centuries into smaller "bruk". Each of these "bruk" were 

numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. Many "bruk" were only about 5 to 15 acres in size)

br.  abbreviation for "bruker" (also spelled "brukar")  - farmer

br. heile g.  abbreviation for "bruker heile gården" - used the whole farm 

bs.  abbreviation for "busett" - settled, residing in

baaret carried (archaic)

bage bake (archaic)

bager baker (archaic)

bagermester master baker (master in the bakers guild) (archaic)

bake bake

baker baker

bakermester master baker (master in the bakers guild)

bakke hill

bank bank

banksjef bank manager

bankfunksjonær bank clerk

bannlyse excommunicate

bar carried

bar barnet held child at baptism

bare only

bark bark/barque (type of vessel)

barn child/children

barn u.e. ("uekte") illegitimate child, child born out of wedlock

barna children

barndom childhood

barnesykdom childhood disease

barneårene childhood

barnebarn grandchild/grandchildren

barnebarnsbarn great-grandchild

barnlaus (nn) childless

barnløs childless

barnseng (dø i)  (die in) childbirth

barsel confined to bed

barselfeber puerperal fever, child-bed fever

barskog coniferous forest (fir and spruce) 

be pray

bebodde inhabited

beboer occupant, resident

bededag prayer day

bedrive hor commit adultery

befolkning population

begavet gifted

begge both

begivenhet occurrence, event

begrave bury

begravelse burial

begravet buried

behandle handle, treat, manage

bemerkning remark

ben 1) leg, 2) bone

benekte deny

benåde pardon

besetning livestock, crew

besittelse possession

beskrivelse description

beslekted related 

bestefar grandfather

besteforeldre grandparents

bestemor grandmother

besøk visit

besøkende visitor

betale pay

betalte paid

betjent servant

bevilge grant, permission

bevilgning grant, permission

bevis proof

bg.  abbreviation for "bondegods" 

bibliotek library

bibliotekar librarian

bind volume

biologisk (far, sønn, etc.)  blood-, biological father, son, etc.

biografi biography

biografisk biographical

bisette read the funeral sermon

bisettelse funeral service

biskop bishop

bispedømme diocese

blandkorn mixture of two types of grain, usually oats and barley 

blei (nn) became

bli  become

blikkenslager tinsmith

blind blind

blod blood

blodgang dysentary

blodskam incest

bo 1) probate estate, 2) in placenames it means farm, 3) to live at

boede lived, resided (archaic)

bodde lived, resided 

bodelning distribution of probate estate

bok book

bokbinder bookbinder

bokhandler bookseller

bokstav letter in the alphabet

bolig residence, domicile

bonde farmer

bondegods land owned by the farmers themselves, not by the king or 

the church

bopel residence, domicile

bopæl residence, domicile (archaic)

borger resident of a city (from German "burgher") who had permission to 

engage in a profession or trade

borgerbok listing of all persons in a city who had permission to engage in 

a profession or trade.  See "borger"

borgerlig ekteskap civil marriage

borgermester mayor

borgerskap citizenship

born (nn) child

bosatt to live

bosette seg to settle

bosted place of residence

bot fine

brann fire

brannmann  fireman

brannmester fire company officer

braut broke

brev letter, correspondence

bro bridge

broder brother (archaic)

brodersøn brother's son (archaic)

bror brother

brordatter brother's daughter

brorsønn brother's sønn

brud bride

brudgom bridegroom

brudesvenn sponsor of bride

br. abbreviation for "bruk"

bruk farm

brukar (nn) 1) tiller, tenant farmer, 2) user of a farm 

bruker 1) tiller, tenant farmer, 2) user of a farm

bruket the farm

bruksnummer farm number

brygger brewer

bryggeri brewery

bryllup wedding

brødre brothers

budeie milkmaid

bukk male goats

bukker male goats

bukse pants

bunad Norwegian national costume

bur 1) lives (nn), 2) cage

bumerke branding mark, branding iron

busett settled, residing in

buskap live stock

butikk shop/store

by town/city

bygd small rural village or community

bygdebok Norwegian local history book with genealogy information

bygg barley

bygge to build 

bygget buildt

bygning building

bygsla leased land

bygsle to lease land 

bygslet leased land

bygsel agreement for leasing land

byrå department

bødker cooper, barrel maker

børn children (archaic)

bøtelagt to have been fined

bære to carry

båd boat (archaic)

båret carried

båt boat, ship

C

circa approximately

civilstand marital status (archaic)

confirmerede confirmed (archaic)

copulerede married (archaic)

D

d. abbreviation for "døde" - died

d.e. abbreviation for "den eldre" - the older 

d.y. abbreviation for "den yngre" - the younger

d.s.s. abbreviation for "det samme som" -- the same as 

dl. abbreviation for "dalar" - old currency

da then, when

daab baptism (archaic. see dåp)

daap baptism (archaic. see dåp)

dag day

dagen før the day before

dagarbeider day laborer

dagsarbeider day laborer

dal valley

dalar old currency

dampskib steamship (archaic)

dannekvinde gentlewoman

dannemand gentleman

dansk Danish

datere to date

dato date

datter daughter

datterdatter grandaughter (daughter's daughter)

dattersønn grandson (daughter's son)

datum (Latin) date

de they, those, the

degn parish clerk

deira (nn) their

dele partion, divide

deling partitioning, dividing

delt partitioned/divided

delvis partially

dem them, they

den the, it, that

denne this

der there

deres their

derfor therefor

det it, the, that

difteri diphtheria

dimmitert discharged from military service

din yours

direktør manager, director

disse these

distrikt district

distriktsjef district manager

diverse various, miscellaneous

docent reader (UK), associate professor (US)

doktor medical doctor

dokument document

dom judgment

domkirke cathedral

dommer judge

domprost cathedral dean

domstol court of law

dotter (nn) daughter 

dra 1) to travel, 2)to pull 

dragon dragoon, light infantryman

dreng 1) young male servant, 2) boy

drengebarn male child

drev ran, operated

drive run, operate

drukne drown

druknet drowned

dydig virtuous

dyr 1) animal, 2) expensive

dyrlege veterinarian

dø to die

dø ut die out

døde died

døde etter died after

døde før died before

dødfødt stillborn

dødsbo estate of a deceased person

dødsdato date of death

dødsfall death

dødsår year of death

døgn day (24 hour period of time)

dømt sentenced (judicial)

døbe baptise (archaic)

døbenavn christian name (archaic)

døbt baptized (archaic)

døpe baptise

døpenavn christian name

døpt baptized, named

døtre daughters

døv deaf

døvstum deaf and dumb

døyde (nn) died

døype (nn) baptize

dåp baptism

dåpsattest certificate of baptism

dåpsdag baptismal day