Swedish provinces › Lappland
Swedish ancestry from Lappland
Lappland – also written Lapland – is the vast northern inland province, home of the Sami, bordering Norway and Finland. It is one of Sweden’s 25 historical provinces (landskap), in Norrland.
Its 16 parishes belong to Västerbottens län (10) and Norrbottens län (6) today.
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All 16 parishes in Lappland
Names as they appear in Swedish church records. American records often leave out å, ä and ö, so a parish may be written as in the middle column. Records may also add socken or församling (parish) after the name.
| Parish | Often written | County (län) today |
|---|---|---|
| Arjeplog | Norrbottens län | |
| Arvidsjaur | Norrbottens län | |
| Dorotea | Västerbottens län | |
| Fredrika | Västerbottens län | |
| Gällivare | Gallivare | Norrbottens län |
| Jokkmokk | Norrbottens län | |
| Jukkasjärvi | Jukkasjarvi | Norrbottens län |
| Karesuando | Norrbottens län | |
| Lycksele | Västerbottens län | |
| Malå | Mala | Västerbottens län |
| Sorsele | Västerbottens län | |
| Stensele | Västerbottens län | |
| Tärna | Tarna | Västerbottens län |
| Vilhelmina | Västerbottens län | |
| Åsele | Asele | Västerbottens län |
| Örträsk | Ortrask | Västerbottens län |
Finding your ancestor’s home parish
Swedish records are kept by parish, so the parish (socken) is the key to everything. American documents often name it:
- Naturalization papers. The Declaration of Intention (after 1906) usually gives the place and date of birth.
- Death certificates and obituaries. They often name the parish, or at least the province.
- Swedish-American church records. Augustana Lutheran and other Swedish congregations often wrote down the home parish.
- The 1900 and 1910 U.S. censuses. They give the year of immigration, which narrows the search in Swedish moving-out records.
- Passenger lists after 1906. They give the last place of residence in Sweden.
- Gravestones, letters and photographs. A photographer’s stamp on an old portrait often names a Swedish town.
Already have a family tree? Upload your GEDCOM file and the map shows every Swedish parish that is already in it – free up to five generations.
Where the church records are
Swedish church books – household examination rolls (husförhörslängder), birth, marriage and death records, and moving records – are photographed and online:
- The National Archives of Sweden (Riksarkivet) – free images of the church books, searchable by parish name.
- ArkivDigital – a subscription service with color photographs of the same books.
- FamilySearch – free indexes of many Swedish births, baptisms and marriages.
Other provinces
Skåne · Blekinge · Halland · Småland · Öland · Gotland · Östergötland · Västergötland · Bohuslän · Dalsland · Värmland · Närke · Södermanland · Uppland · Västmanland · Dalarna · Gästrikland · Hälsingland · Härjedalen · Jämtland · Medelpad · Ångermanland · Västerbotten · Norrbotten
Parishes, coordinates and counties: Wikidata (CC0). A few parishes on province borders are listed in both provinces.