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The following article was submitted by Betty Rockswold, reprinted from AVISEN.
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 = destered 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