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Danish Last Names

These Danish last names run from the familiar -sen names like Nielsen, Jensen and Hansen to nature names such as Holm and Skov and old noble names like Brahe, listed A to Z with what each one means.

229 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

  • Aagaard

    River or stream farm

  • Ahlefeldt

    Noble family name from Holstein

  • Albertsen

    Son of Albert, noble and bright

  • Andersen

    Son of Anders, form of Andrew

  • Andreasen

    Son of Andreas, form of Andrew

  • Asmussen

    Son of Asmus, from Erasmus

B

  • Bach

    Brook or stream, a nature name

  • Bak

    Hill or ridge, a nature name

  • Bang

    Possibly loud or boisterous, byname

  • Bech

    Brook or stream, variant of Bach

  • Bendtsen

    Son of Bendt, form of Benedict

  • Bernstorff

    Noble family name of German origin

  • Bertelsen

    Son of Bertel, form of Bartholomew

  • Bille

    Danish noble family; possibly from bile, axe

  • Birk

    Birch tree, a nature name

  • Birkelund

    Birch grove, a place name

  • Birkholm

    Birch islet, a place name

  • Bisgaard

    Possibly bishop's farm, farm name

  • Bjerre

    Hill or mountain, place name

  • Bødker

    Cooper, a barrel maker

  • Boesen

    Son of Bo, meaning dweller

  • Bøgelund

    Beech grove, a place name

  • Bonde

    Farmer or peasant, occupational name

  • Borup

    Farm settlement, a place name

  • Brahe

    Danish noble family name, uncertain origin

  • Brandt

    Burnt clearing or fire, German origin

  • Brink

    Edge of a slope, place name

  • Brix

    Possibly from Brictius, a saint's name

  • Brøndum

    Place by the wells, Jutland village

  • Bruhn

    Brown, of German origin

  • Bruun

    Brown, a Danish byname

  • Buch

    Beech tree, of German origin

  • Bundgaard

    Possibly peasant farmer's farm

C

  • Carlsen

    Son of Carl, meaning free man

  • Christensen

    Son of Christen, form of Christian

  • Christiansen

    Son of Christian, follower of Christ

  • Christoffersen

    Son of Christoffer, form of Christopher

  • Clausen

    Son of Claus, form of Nicholas

D

  • Dahl

    Valley, a nature name

  • Dalgaard

    Valley farm, variant spelling

  • Dalsgaard

    Valley farm, a farm name

  • Dam

    Pond or dam, place name

  • Damgaard

    Pond farm, a farm name

  • Danielsen

    Son of Daniel, biblical name

  • Degn

    Parish clerk, an occupational name

  • Ditlevsen

    Son of Ditlev, form of Detlef

  • Due

    Dove, a Danish byname

  • Duus

    Possibly dove, a Danish byname

E

  • Ebbesen

    Son of Ebbe, meaning boar

  • Egelund

    Oak grove, a place name

  • Egholm

    Oak islet, a place name

  • Ellegaard

    Possibly alder farm, farm name

  • Enevoldsen

    Son of Enevold, sole ruler

  • Engelund

    Meadow grove, a place name

  • Engholm

    Meadow islet, a place name

  • Eriksen

    Son of Erik, ever ruler

  • Eskildsen

    Son of Eskild, god's cauldron

F

  • Falk

    Falcon, a Danish byname

  • Fisker

    Fisherman, an occupational name

  • Fog

    Danish family name of uncertain origin

  • Frandsen

    Son of Frands, form of Francis

  • Frederiksen

    Son of Frederik, peaceful ruler

  • Friis

    Frisian, person from Frisia

  • Frost

    Frost, a Danish byname

  • Fuglsang

    Birdsong, a place name

G

  • Gade

    Street, a place name

  • Gammelgaard

    Old farm, a farm name

  • Graversen

    Son of the gravedigger, or Graver

  • Gregersen

    Son of Gregers, form of Gregory

  • Grøn

    Green, a Danish byname

  • Gyldenstierne

    Golden star, a Danish noble family

H

  • Hald

    Slope or hillside, place name

  • Hansen

    Son of Hans, short for Johannes

  • Hartmann

    Strong man, of German origin

  • Hedegaard

    Heath farm, a farm name

  • Hemmingsen

    Son of Hemming, a Norse name

  • Henriksen

    Son of Henrik, form of Henry

  • Hjorth

    Deer or stag, a byname

  • Høj

    High or burial mound

  • Højgaard

    High farm, a farm name

  • Højlund

    High grove, a place name

  • Holm

    Small island or islet

  • Holmgaard

    Islet farm, a farm name

  • Holst

    Person from Holstein, a region

  • Hougaard

    Mound or hill farm

  • Husted

    House place, a Danish place name

  • Hvid

    White, a Danish byname

  • Hviid

    White, older spelling of Hvid

I

  • Iversen

    Son of Iver, bow warrior

J

  • Jacobsen

    Son of Jacob, biblical name

  • Jakobsen

    Son of Jakob, form of Jacob

  • Jensen

    Son of Jens, form of John

  • Jeppesen

    Son of Jeppe, form of Jacob

  • Jepsen

    Son of Jep, form of Jacob

  • Jespersen

    Son of Jesper, form of Jasper

  • Jessen

    Son of Jes, form of Jens

  • Johansen

    Son of Johan, form of John

  • Jørgensen

    Son of Jørgen, form of George

  • Josefsen

    Son of Josef, form of Joseph

  • Juhl

    Yule or Christmas, a byname

  • Justesen

    Son of Juste, form of Justus

  • Juul

    Yule, variant of Juhl

K

  • Kaae

    Jackdaw, a Danish byname

  • Kierkegaard

    Church farm, older spelling of Kirkegaard

  • Kirk

    Church, a place name

  • Kirkeby

    Church village, a place name

  • Kirkegaard

    Church farm or churchyard

  • Kjær

    Marsh or wet meadow

  • Kjærgaard

    Marsh farm, a farm name

  • Kjærsgaard

    Marsh farm, variant farm name

  • Kjærulff

    Danish family name, possibly marsh wolf

  • Kjeldgaard

    Spring or well farm

  • Kjeldsen

    Son of Kjeld, meaning cauldron

  • Klausen

    Son of Klaus, form of Nicholas

  • Knudsen

    Son of Knud, meaning knot

  • Koch

    Cook, of German origin

  • Kofoed

    Cow foot, a Bornholm family name

  • Kold

    Possibly cold, a Danish byname

  • Korsgaard

    Cross farm, a farm name

  • Kragh

    Crow, a Danish byname

  • Kristensen

    Son of Kristen, form of Christian

  • Kristiansen

    Son of Kristian, meaning Christian

  • Kristoffersen

    Son of Kristoffer, form of Christopher

  • Krogh

    Corner or nook of land

  • Kruse

    Curly haired, of German origin

  • Kvist

    Twig or branch, nature name

L

  • Lange

    Tall or long, a byname

  • Larsen

    Son of Lars, form of Laurence

  • Lassen

    Son of Lasse, form of Lars

  • Laugesen

    Son of Lauge, a Danish name

  • Lauridsen

    Son of Laurids, form of Laurence

  • Lauritzen

    Son of Lauritz, form of Laurence

  • Laursen

    Son of Laurs, form of Laurence

  • Laustsen

    Son of Laust, form of Laurence

  • Leth

    Gate or slope, place name

  • Lind

    Linden tree, a nature name

  • Lindholm

    Linden islet, a place name

  • Lorentzen

    Son of Lorentz, form of Laurence

  • Lund

    Grove, a nature name

  • Lundgaard

    Grove farm, a farm name

  • Lykke

    Luck or enclosed field

  • Lykkegaard

    Enclosed field farm, farm name

M

  • Madsen

    Son of Mads, form of Matthew

  • Mathiasen

    Son of Mathias, form of Matthew

  • Mathiesen

    Son of Mathies, form of Matthew

  • Mikkelsen

    Son of Mikkel, form of Michael

  • Mogensen

    Son of Mogens, form of Magnus

  • Mølgaard

    Mill farm, a farm name

  • Møller

    Miller, an occupational name

  • Mørch

    Possibly dark, variant of Mørk

  • Mørk

    Dark, a Danish byname

  • Mortensen

    Son of Morten, form of Martin

  • Mouritsen

    Son of Mourits, form of Maurice

  • Munch

    Monk, older spelling of Munk

  • Munk

    Monk, a Danish byname

N

  • Nicolaisen

    Son of Nicolai, form of Nicholas

  • Nielsen

    Son of Niels, form of Nicholas

  • Nikolajsen

    Son of Nikolaj, form of Nicholas

  • Nissen

    Son of Nis, form of Nicholas

  • Nørby

    North village, a place name

  • Nordentoft

    North homestead plot, place name

  • Nørgaard

    Northern farm, a farm name

  • Nørregaard

    Northern farm, variant spelling

  • Nyborg

    New castle, from the town Nyborg

  • Nygaard

    New farm, a farm name

O

  • Olesen

    Son of Ole, form of Olaf

  • Olsen

    Son of Ole or Oluf

  • Østerby

    East village, a place name

  • Østergaard

    Eastern farm, a farm name

  • Ottesen

    Son of Otte, form of Otto

  • Ottosen

    Son of Otto, meaning wealth

  • Overgaard

    Upper farm, a farm name

P

  • Pagh

    Danish family name of uncertain origin

  • Pallesen

    Son of Palle, form of Paul

  • Pape

    Priest, of Low German origin

  • Paulsen

    Son of Paul, from Latin Paulus

  • Pedersen

    Son of Peder, form of Peter

  • Petersen

    Son of Peter, biblical name

  • Ploug

    Plough, a Danish byname

  • Poulsen

    Son of Poul, form of Paul

R

  • Rask

    Quick or brisk, a byname

  • Rasmussen

    Son of Rasmus, from Erasmus

  • Ravn

    Raven, a Danish byname

  • Refslund

    Possibly fox grove, place name

  • Riis

    Brushwood or thicket, place name

  • Rosendahl

    Rose valley, an ornamental name

  • Rosenkrantz

    Rose wreath, a Danish noble family

  • Rosenlund

    Rose grove, a place name

  • Rytter

    Rider or horseman, occupational name

S

  • Sand

    Sand or sandy ground

  • Schmidt

    Smith, of German origin

  • Schou

    Forest or wood, older spelling

  • Schrøder

    Tailor, of Low German origin

  • Schultz

    Village mayor, of German origin

  • Simonsen

    Son of Simon, biblical name

  • Skov

    Forest or wood, nature name

  • Skovgaard

    Forest farm, a farm name

  • Skovlund

    Forest grove, a place name

  • Skriver

    Scribe or clerk, occupational name

  • Skytte

    Archer or marksman, occupational name

  • Smed

    Smith, an occupational name

  • Sommer

    Summer, a Danish byname

  • Søndergaard

    Southern farm, a farm name

  • Sørensen

    Son of Søren, form of Severin

  • Stampe

    Fulling mill, an occupational name

  • Steffensen

    Son of Steffen, form of Stephen

  • Storgaard

    Large farm, a farm name

  • Storm

    Storm, a Danish byname

  • Svane

    Swan, a Danish byname

  • Svendsen

    Son of Svend, meaning young man

T

  • Tang

    Seaweed or spit of land

  • Terkelsen

    Son of Terkel, Thor's cauldron

  • Thomsen

    Son of Thomas, biblical name

  • Thorsen

    Son of Tor, a name from the thunder god Thor

  • Thorup

    Thor's village or outlying farm

  • Thygesen

    Son of Thyge, a Danish name

  • Toft

    Homestead plot, a farm name

  • Tønnesen

    Son of Tønnes, form of Anthony

  • Trier

    From Trier, a German city

  • Troelsen

    Son of Troels, Thor's arrow

U

  • Ulrich

    Prosperity and power, German origin

V

  • Vestergaard

    Western farm, a farm name

  • Villadsen

    Son of Villads, form of Willehad

  • Villumsen

    Son of Villum, form of William

  • Vinther

    Winter, modern spelling of Winther

W

  • Wind

    Wind, a Danish byname

  • Winther

    Winter, a Danish byname

  • Worm

    Serpent or dragon, a byname

  • Wulff

    Wolf, of German origin

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Results (6)

  • Jessen

    Son of Jes, form of Jens

  • Asmussen

    Son of Asmus, from Erasmus

  • Kjeldsen

    Son of Kjeld, meaning cauldron

  • Kold

    Possibly cold, a Danish byname

  • Eskildsen

    Son of Eskild, god's cauldron

  • Lassen

    Son of Lasse, form of Lars

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    The given names behind Danish last names

    Most of the names at the top of the list are patronymics built on a handful of popular medieval given names. Nielsen is son of Niels, the Danish form of Nicholas, Jensen son of Jens, a form of John, and Hansen son of Hans, another form of John. Pedersen comes from Peder (Peter), Andersen from Anders (Andrew), Christensen from Christen, Rasmussen from Rasmus (Erasmus) and Sørensen from Søren, the Danish form of Severinus.

    Once you know the given name, the rest of the -sen group reads easily. Jørgensen is son of Jørgen (George), Mikkelsen of Mikkel (Michael), Laursen and Lauridsen of Laurids (Lawrence), and Madsen of Mads, a short form of Matthias. Less common ones keep older names alive: Terkelsen from Terkel, a form of the Norse Thorkel, Troelsen from Troels and Ebbesen from Ebbe. Because Jens, Hans and Niels were so popular, their -sen forms became extremely common.

    Nature words, trades and noble lines

    Outside the -sen names, the list is full of short words for the landscape. Holm means a small island or islet, Lund a grove, Skov a forest, Dahl a valley, Kjær a marsh and Toft a homestead plot, while Bach is a German-influenced word for a brook. Compounds build on the same words, so Birkelund is a birch grove, Egholm an oak islet and Skovlund a forest grove. Many families chose these names in the nineteenth century to stand apart from their neighbours.

    Trades appear as well: Møller is a miller, Smed a smith, Fisker a fisherman, Bødker a cooper, Skytte an archer or marksman and Degn a parish clerk. Some trade names came from German, like Schmidt and Koch, reflecting centuries of contact across the southern border. At the other end of the social scale are old noble names such as Rosenkrantz, Brahe, Bille and Gyldenstierne, which are rare today and carry a strong sense of history.

    Letters, sorting and search tips

    Danish has three extra letters, æ, ø and å, and they appear in many names in the list, such as Sørensen, Jørgensen, Møller and Kjær. Outside Denmark they are often written ae, oe and aa, so Møller can become Moeller or Moller in foreign records. The older spelling aa for å survives in names like Aagaard, and in Danish alphabetical order such names are filed at the very end of the alphabet, together with å.

    On this page the letter bar follows the English alphabet, so it is worth using the search box when you are hunting for a name that starts with Ø or Æ. Type the part of the name you are sure of, such as rensen or gaard, and every matching name appears. The search also looks at meanings, so typing grove, island or miller gathers the nature and trade names into a short list you can scan quickly.

    Frequently asked questions

    What do Danish last names ending in -sen mean?

    The ending means son, so Jensen is son of Jens and Nielsen son of Niels. These began as true patronymics that changed every generation, and in the nineteenth century they became fixed family names. Women's forms ending in -datter, such as Jensdatter, largely disappeared at the same time.

    Which name is the most frequent in Denmark?

    Nielsen and Jensen have traded first place for many years, with Hansen close behind. Together with Pedersen, Andersen and Christensen they are shared by a large part of the population, which is one reason Danish naming law makes it fairly easy to take a more distinctive name.

    Are Rosencrantz and Guildenstern real Danish names?

    Yes. Shakespeare took them from two noble Danish families, Rosenkrantz and Gyldenstierne, both of which appear in the list. Members of these families studied and travelled abroad in the late sixteenth century, and the names would have sounded convincingly Danish to an English audience.

    Is Schmidt a Danish name?

    It is German in origin, but it is common in Denmark, especially in southern Jutland near the German border. Danish also has its own form, Smed. Names like Schmidt, Koch and Hartmann show how much movement there has been across that border over the centuries.

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