Introduction to the Codes

The Chapman County Code was used in 1987 by the British Standards Institution as the basis for the preparation of British Standard 6879 (revised in 1999), and by the International Standards Organisation in Geneva when publishing ISO 3166-2. 

The code has become the standard for identifying geographical areas in relation to historical records.

You will need to use these codes to submit any surnames you are researching to the member’s surnames of interest database.

“Wherever possible I utilised the systems formerly proposed and used by the English Place Name Society and the Society of Genealogists as the basis for the present system; where necessary I extended the abbreviations from those systems to three letters in such a way that when these are truncated, the former system is regained”. Source: Dr Colin Chapman June 1979

Read Dr Chapman’s article on the Lochin Publishing website.

Channel IslandsCHI
AlderneyALD
GuernseyGSY
JerseyJSY
SarkSRK
Isle of ManIOM
Isle of WightIOW
EnglandENG
All CountiesALL
BedfordshireBDF
BerkshireBRK
BuckinghamshireBKM
CambridgeshireCAM
CheshireCHS
CornwallCON
CumberlandCUL
DerbyshireDBY
DevonshireDEV
DorsetshireDOR
DurhamDUR
EssexESS
GloucestershireGLS
HampshireHAM
HerefordshireHEF
HertfordshireHRT
HuntingdonshireHUN
KentKEN
LancashireLAN
LeicestershireLEI
LincolnshireLIN
London(City)LND
MiddlesexMDX
NorfolkNFK
NorthamptonshireNTH
NorthumberlandNBL
NottinghamshireNTT
OxfordshireOXF
RutlandRUT
ShropshireSAL
SomersetSOM
StaffordshireSTS
SuffolkSFK
SurreySRY
SussexSSX
WarwickshireWAR
WestmorelandWES
WiltshireWIL
WorcestershireWOR
YorkshireYKS
Yorkshire East RidingERY
Yorkshire North RidingNRY
Yorkshire West RidingWRY
Ireland (Eire)IRL
AntrimANT
ArmaghARM
CarlowCAR
CavanCAV
ClareCLA
CorkCOR
DonegalDON
DownDOW
DublinDUB
FermanaghFER
GalwayGAL
KerryKER
KildareKID
KilkennyKIK
LeitrimLET
Leix (Queens)LEX
LimerickLIM
LondonderryLDY
LongfordLOG
LouthLOU
MayoMAY
MeathMEA
MonaghanMOG
Offaly (Kings)OFF
Ross CommonROS
SligoSLI
TipperaryTIP
TyroneTYR
WaterfordWAT
WestmeathWEM
WexfordWEX
WicklowWIC
ScotlandSCT
AberdeenshireABD
AngusANS
ArgylshireARL
AyrshireAYR
BanffshireBAN
BerwickshireBEW
ButeBUT
Caithness-shireCAI
ClackmannanshireCLK
DumfriesshireDFS
DunbartonshireDNB
East LothianELN
FifeshireFIF
ForfarshireANS
Inverness-shireINV
KincardineshireKCD
Kinross-shireKRS
KirkcudbrightshireKKD
LanarkshireLKS
MidlothianMLN
MorayMOR
NairnshireNAI
Orkney IslesOKI
PeebleshirePEE
PerthshirePER
RenfrewshireRFW
Ross and CromartyROC
RoxburghshireROX
SelkirkshireSEL
Shetland IslesSHI
StirlingshireSTI
SutherlandSUT
West LothianWLN
WigtownshireWIG
WalesWLS
AngleseyAGY
BrecknockshireBRE
CaernarvonshireCAE
CardiganshireCGN
CarmarthenshireCMN
DenbighshireDEN
FlintshireFLN
GlamorganGLA
MerionethshireMER
MonmouthshireMON
MontgomeryshireMGY
PembrokeshirePEM
RadnorshireRAD