From 13 in 1956 to 38 in 2026: Check the List of Districts in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu started with just 13 districts. See how the state reached 38 in 2026 and which district was added last. Check the complete list here.
The district map of Tamil Nadu has undergone significant change since the formation of the state on November 1st, 1956 under the State Reorganisation Act, 1956. The number was 13 in 1956, and in 2026, it has almost tripled to 38. Let us learn about how Tamil Nadu's 13 districts became 38 in the last 70 years.
Did You Know?
Tamil Nadu was known as Madras State after being created through the State Reorganisation Act, 1956, it was officially renamed as Tamil Nadu meaning the Land of Tamils on January 14, 1969 by then chief minister C.N. Annadurai.
List of 13 Districts of Tamil Nadu after Formation of State in 1956
The following is the list of the 13 districts that were part of the Madras State after the formation in 1956.
| S.No. | District Name in 1956 | Headquarters |
| 1 | Chingleput | Chingleput / Saidapet |
| 2 | Coimbatore | Coimbatore |
| 3 | Kanyakumari | Nagercoil |
| 4 | Madras | Madras (Chennai) |
| 5 | Madurai | Madurai |
| 6 | Nilgiris | Ootacamund (Udhagamandalam) |
| 7 | North Arcot | Vellore |
| 8 | Ramanathapuram | Madurai / Ramanathapuram |
| 9 | Salem | Salem |
| 10 | South Arcot | Cuddalore |
| 11 | Thanjavur | Thanjavur |
| 12 | Tiruchirappalli | Tiruchirappalli |
| 13 | Tirunelveli | Tirunelveli |
How the Growth Happened
Tamil Nadu started with 13 districts in 1956. Between 1960 and 1980, three new districts were added to the tally, the late 1980's added another five districts.
The biggest addition to the list occured in the 1990's when 10 new districts were added, which took the total of districts to 30. In the 2000's, three more districts were added and finally between 2019 and 2020, five new districts were added to the existing list, making it 38 districts.
Full List of 38 Districts of Tamil Nadu
Here is a list of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu, along with their years of formation.
| S.No. | District | District Headquarters | Formed From / Year of Formation |
| 1 | Ariyalur | Ariyalur | Perambalur (2007) |
| 2 | Chengalpattu | Chengalpattu | Kanchipuram (2019) |
| 3 | Chennai | Chennai | Original (1956) |
| 4 | Coimbatore | Coimbatore | Original (1956) |
| 5 | Cuddalore | Cuddalore | South Arcot (1993) |
| 6 | Dharmapuri | Dharmapuri | Salem (1965) |
| 7 | Dindigul | Dindigul | Madurai (1985) |
| 8 | Erode | Erode | Coimbatore (1979) |
| 9 | Kallakurichi | Kallakurichi | Viluppuram (2019) |
| 10 | Kanchipuram | Kanchipuram | Chengalpattu (1997) |
| 11 | Kanyakumari | Nagercoil | Original / Travancore-Cochin (1956) |
| 12 | Karur | Karur | Tiruchirappalli (1995) |
| 13 | Krishnagiri | Krishnagiri | Dharmapuri (2004) |
| 14 | Madurai | Madurai | Original (1956) |
| 15 | Mayiladuthurai | Mayiladuthurai | Nagapattinam (2020) |
| 16 | Nagapattinam | Nagapattinam | Thanjavur (1991) |
| 17 | Namakkal | Namakkal | Salem (1997) |
| 18 | Nilgiris | Udhagamandalam (Ooty) | Unchanged from 1956 |
| 19 | Perambalur | Perambalur | Tiruchirappalli (1995) |
| 20 | Pudukkottai | Pudukkottai | Tiruchirappalli & Thanjavur (1974) |
| 21 | Ramanathapuram | Ramanathapuram | Unchanged from 1956 |
| 22 | Ranipet | Ranipet | Vellore (2019) |
| 23 | Salem | Salem | Unchanged from 1956 |
| 24 | Sivaganga | Sivaganga | Ramanathapuram (1985) |
| 25 | Tenkasi | Tenkasi | Tirunelveli (2019) |
| 26 | Thanjavur | Thanjavur | Unchanged from 1956 |
| 27 | Theni | Theni | Madurai (1997) |
| 28 | Thoothukudi | Thoothukudi | Tirunelveli (1986) |
| 29 | Tiruchirappalli | Tiruchirappalli | Unchanged from 1956 |
| 30 | Tirunelveli | Tirunelveli | Unchanged from 1956 |
| 31 | Tirupathur | Tirupathur | Vellore (2019) |
| 32 | Tiruppur | Tiruppur | Coimbatore & Erode (2009) |
| 33 | Tiruvallur | Tiruvallur | Chengalpattu (1997) |
| 34 | Tiruvannamalai | Tiruvannamalai | North Arcot (1989) |
| 35 | Tiruvarur | Tiruvarur | Thanjavur & Nagapattinam (1997) |
| 36 | Vellore | Vellore | North Arcot (1989) |
| 37 | Viluppuram | Viluppuram | South Arcot (1993) |
| 38 | Virudhunagar | Virudhunagar | Ramanathapuram (1985) |
Key Facts About the Districts of Tamil Nadu
Chennai is the smallest district by area, covering around 462 square kilometers while Dindigul is the largest district by area, spread across roughly 6,289 square kilometers.
Chennai though the smallest in terms of area, is the most populous while Perambalur is the least populous among all districts.
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