Gårdsnavn

Gårdsnavn, or gårdsnamn, meaning “farm name,” is a term used for the name of a specific farm or estate in Norway. Historically, each farm had its own name, which residents used to identify the property and its inhabitants. Before fixed surnames became common, people were often identified by a patronymic (for example Olavsson) or by the farm where they lived. From the late 19th century into the early 20th century, Norwegian naming reforms promoted fixed family names, and many households adopted their gårdsnavn as hereditary surnames. As a result, contemporary Norwegian surnames such as Haugen, Lunde, Solberg, or Vik often originate from gårdsnavn.

Gårdsnavn are typically toponymic, derived from geographic features or from the farm’s own name. Common elements reflect landscape features (for example hill, lake, fjord) or the farm’s status and history. The exact form of a gårdsnavn is shaped by dialect, spelling reforms, and historical changes; some farm names have persisted unchanged, while others have been adapted or merged with neighboring names. In official records, the farm name is frequently linked to the family name, and it may still serve as the primary identifier for people who lived there.

In modern contexts, gårdsnavn remain important in place names, genealogy, and land registries. They illustrate strong ties to land and regional identity, and they continue to be used as surnames or as part of legal names for families with historical ties to a particular farm.