Other villages in the municipality included Gvarv, Holtsås, Hjukse, Hjuksebø, Nordagutu, and Sauherad.

Sauherad bordered the municipalities of Kongsberg, Skien, Nome, Bø, and Notodden.

[4][5] The parish of Søfde (later spelled Saude, then Sauherad) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law).

On 1 July 1914 a small area of Sauherad (population: 27) was transferred to the neighboring Bø Municipality.

[7] The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Sauar farm (Old Norse: Sauðar) since the first Sauherad Church was built there.

The name comes from the plural form of sauðr which means "to boil" or "to seeth", likely referring to the current in the local river.

The last element, herad (added in the 20th century) comes from the word herað which means "district" or "countryside".

The official blazon is "Azure, an apple tree Or" (Norwegian: I blått et gull epletre).

The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sauherad was made up of 29 representatives that were elected to four year terms.