Norway Genealogy

Guide to Norway ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Country Information
Norway is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe bordered by Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Denmark. From 1814 to 1905 it was part of the Swedish-Norwegian Union. Norwegian is the official language.

Getting Started


Finding Your Ancestors' Town in Norway

 * Genealogical records are organized by geographical locality. Civil registration (government birth, marriage, and death records) and church records (christenings/baptisms, marriages, and burials) were kept at the local level. To search these records, you must know the town where your ancestors lived.
 * If you do not know your ancestors' town, follow the advice in the Wiki article, Norway Finding Town of Origin, to search a variety of records that might provide that information.

Norway Clickable Map
The map below shows county boundaries as of about 1660 to 2018.

2020 County Mergers
On 1 January 2020 several counties were combined as part of an administrative reform. Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag were combined 1 January 2018. Four counties were unchanged.

Parishes in Norway

 * Parish List
 * Congregation List of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Regions in Norway

 * Regional List

Clerical Districts

 * Clerical District List

More Norway Research Strategies
Research strategies give guidance on how to research or what records to search for first. Below are additional research strategy Wiki articles for Norway.
 * Research Strategies
 * "How to" Guides
 * Strategies
 * Record Finder
 * Birth Record Search Strategy 1500-1813
 * Birth Record Search Strategy 1814-Present
 * Birth, Marriage, and Death Search Strategies 1500 - Present
 * Death Record Search Strategy 1500-1813
 * Death Record Search Strategy 1814-Present
 * Obtaining Background Information

More Norway Research Tools
Research tools can include resources that assist in locating correct records to search and determining the correct locality to search in. Below are links and Wiki articles to research tools in Norway.
 * Record Finder
 * Norway: Typing Æ, Ø, and Å
 * Parish heading list
 * Census Register Headings
 * Feast Day Calendar (Moveable)
 * Feast Days (Fixed and Moveable)
 * Reading Scandinavian Gothic Handwritten Records.
 * Handwriting Examples
 * Norwegian Currency
 * Weight and Measurement in Old Norway
 * Given Names List
 * Glossary
 * Websites
 * MyHeritage MyHeritage puts exclusive Scandinavian records online
 * Norway Genealogical Resources

FamilySearch Resources
Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in researching your family.
 * Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
 * Historical Records
 * Family History Center locator map

Research Tutorials

 * Search page
 * Exploring Probate Records in Norway
 * Exploring Church Records in Norway
 * Exploring Death Notices in Norway
 * Norwegian Emigration: The Experience
 * Finding ancestors in the Norwegian farm books online
 * Norwegian Migration and Immigration
 * From America to Norway - Using US and Norwegian records in tandem
 * Genealogy in Norway DIS NORGE - Genealogy Society of Norway tools
 * Norwegian History
 * How to find Ancestors in Digitalarkivet of Norway
 * Finding Gyrid Aarsand’s Place of Origin in Norway - Locating an ancestor's parish and port of emigration