Trøndelag is the ancestral home of many Norwegian Americans.
Trøndelag is a county in the central part of Norway, and home to Trondheim, the historical Viking capital. It’s a region rich in history, art & culture. Our members can trace their Norwegian ancestry, in part or in full, to this area.
YOU may be a Trønder!
If your ancestors came from the central Norwegian county of Trøndelag (without an "r"), then you have inherited the title of Trønder.
Trøndelag is Norway’s second largest county ("fylke"), and home to nearly 50 municipalities ("kommuner"), including Trondheim, Norway’s third largest city.
Originally established as Trondhjem County in 1687, it was later split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag in 1804. In 2018, the two were then reunited as simply "Trøndelag".
So, what is Trønderlag (with an "r")?
In Norwegian, a lag is a club or organization. Trønderlag, then, is the name of an organization of Trønders.
Trondheim
Our "home base" when we visit Norway
Trøndelag's largest kommune, Trondheim was founded in 997 as a trading post, and it served as the capital of Norway during the Viking Age until 1217.
Trondheim's Flag
The Trondheim rose is part of our logo
The four-petal dog rose is the official flower of the city and its stylized form is related to the Tudor rose.
It is found as a symbol in medieval sources among other things representing St. Olav. This flower has been used as a symbol of the city at least since the 16th century.
Kommuner (municipalities)
There are 48 municipalities in Trøndelag county. If your ancestors are from any of these "kommuner", then you are a Trønder!
While the north and south counties were reunited in 2018, for our genealogy research purposes we still to refer to "north" and "south" Trøndelag as those were the correct designations when our ancestors emigrated.
The following images and links come from Wikipedia.
More details on each municipality can be found by clicking on its name in the list.
via Wikimedia Commons / Cropped and recolored from original.
Nord Trøndelag
(North Trøndelag)
via Wikimedia Commons / Cropped and recolored from original.