The main population center in the municipality was the village of Titran on the western tip of the island.

Although Frøya is a variant of the name of the Norse goddess Freyja, the Old Norse form of the name of the island was Frøy or Frey (the ending -a in the modern form is actually the definite article - so the meaning of Frøya is 'the Frøy').

Until 1906, the name of the island and predecessor municipality was spelled Frøien (-en is the definite article in Danish-Norwegian).

On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Sør-Frøya.

At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Frøya prestegjeld and the Sør-Fosen prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Sør-Frøya was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four year terms.