The name
Achtkarspelen, literally meaning "eight
parishes", is derived from the original eight parishes within the
grietenij, namely:
Augustinusga,
Buitenpost (the capital),
Drogeham, De Kooten, Kortwoude, Lutkepost,
Surhuizum and
Twijzel. Achtkarspelen held a separate status within
Friesland for many years. In the
Middle Ages Achtkarspelen fell under the
Bishopric of Münster, meanwhile the rest of Friesland was a part of the
Bishopric of Utrecht. The
grietenij Achtkarspelen became a
municipality in 1851 as a result of the Municipality Act of Minister of the Interior
Johan Rudolph Thorbecke. == Population centres ==