What is an “Administrator”? Is it the same thing as an “Executor”?
An Administrator is the person whom the probate judge appoints to administer the estate of a deceased person. Usually, the probate judge appoints this person if the decedent did not leave a will appointing an executor. Sometimes the probate judge will appoint an administrator even if the decedent left a will appointing an executor. In those cases, the executor may be deceased, not qualified or not willing to serve in that capacity.
The word “administrator” carries the masculine gender with it. Sometimes legal documents will refer to a female administrator as an “administratrix.” Increasingly, “administrtor” is being used as the gender-neutral form of the word.
