At the start of 2026, Nielsen was the most common surname in Denmark. That year, 222,355 people bore the name in the country. Historically, most surnames in Denmark were created by using the patronymic tradition until hereditary surnames became mandatory in the 1820s. This was also a common tradition in some of the other Nordic countries. For Danish surnames, this meant to have the suffix -sen (son) or -datter (daughter) added to the father’s name.Â
Female names
The number of women in Denmark amounted to approximately 2.98 million in 2023. Among these, the most common first name was Anne, with around 44,100 women having the name that year. The name originally derived from the name Hannah or Anna. Other popular female names in Denmark were Kirsten, Mette, and Hanne.
Male names
Among the 2.95 million men lived in Denmark as of 2023, and Peter was the most frequent name. As of January 2024, around 46.500 men bore the name, which is also found in the variants Petar, Peder, and Petter. The names Jens, Michael, and Lars were also very common among the Danish men.
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Statistics Denmark. (January 1, 2026). Most common surnames in Denmark as of 2026 [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved July 20, 2026, from /statistics/745971/most-common-surnames-in-denmark/
Statistics Denmark. "Most common surnames in Denmark as of 2026." Chart. January 1, 2026. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed July 20, 2026. /statistics/745971/most-common-surnames-in-denmark/
Statistics Denmark. (2026). Most common surnames in Denmark as of 2026. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 20, 2026. /statistics/745971/most-common-surnames-in-denmark/
Statistics Denmark. "Most Common Surnames in Denmark as of 2026." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 1 Jan 2026, /statistics/745971/most-common-surnames-in-denmark/
Statistics Denmark, Most common surnames in Denmark as of 2026 ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/745971/most-common-surnames-in-denmark/ (last visited July 20, 2026)
Most common surnames in Denmark as of 2026 [Graph], Statistics Denmark, January 1, 2026. [Online]. Available: /statistics/745971/most-common-surnames-in-denmark/
