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Danish Family History

Danish Surname Meaning

Americanized form of Slovak and Czech Daniš, Polish Danisz or Daniś (see Danis) and of their Germanized form Danisch. This is also an American shortened and altered form of various Lithuanian derivatives of the Polish names (see Danis).

Ukrainian (standard transliteration Danysh): from a derivative of the personal name Danilo Danylo (see Daniel) or of any of the Slavic compound personal names formed with the element dan ‘given’ (see Dana).

Indian: from a Muslim personal name meaning ‘knowledge wisdom’ in Persian (see Danesh). In some cases possibly also an Americanized form of Turkish Danış (see Danis).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Danish family from?

You can see how Danish families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Danish family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Danish families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 13 Danish families living in London. This was about 26% of all the recorded Danish's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Danish families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Danish surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Danish ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Danish. 100% of Danish women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Danish | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    100%

What Danish family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 3,000 census records available for the last name Danish. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Danish census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Danish

Passenger Lists

There are 652 immigration records available for the last name Danish. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Danish immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Danish. For the veterans among your Danish ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Danish military records

You've only scratched the surface of Danish family history

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What is the average Danish lifespan?

Between 1954 and 2004, in the United States, Danish life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1954, and highest in 1977. The average life expectancy for Danish in 1954 was 35, and 84 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Danish

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Danish ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Danish family tree

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