In Danish culture, many last names are patronymic, a naming convention where a component of a personal name is based on the given name of one’s father, grandfather, or an even earlier male ancestor.
What does this mean? Simply put a lot of Danish surnames end with “-sen,” a suffix that means “son of”. So, for example, the surname “Jensen” could be loosely translated as “son of Jens,” while “Andersen” would mean “son of Anders.”
This reflects an old naming tradition, where a man named Jens would name his son something like “Jens’ son.” Over generations, these names have become fixed and are now passed down just like any family name, regardless of whether the father’s name matches or not.
Also, see Why Do Some People Call Danish People Squareheads? to learn more.
Last Names Related to Danish Ancestry
- Andersen
- Bach
- Bjerre
- Borg
- Brandt
- Bæk
- Carlsen
- Christensen
- Christiansen
- Clausen
- Dahl
- Dam
- Dalsgaard
- Danielsen
- Eriksen
- Eskildsen
- Frederiksen
- Fuglsang
- Gregersen
- Hansen
- Hede
- Hedegaard
- Henningsen
- Henriksen
- Hermansen
- Holm
- Ibsen
- Jacobsen
- Jakobsen
- Jensen
Also, see a list of Swedish Surnames to learn more.
- Jepsen
- Johansen
- Jørgensen
- Kjeldsen
- Kjær
- Knudsen
- Koch
- Kristensen
- Laursen
- Lund
- Madsen
- Mortensen
- Møller
- Nielsen
- Nissen
- Nørregaard
- Olsen
- Petersen
- Rasmussen
- Samsøe
Also, see a list of Norwegian Surnames to learn more.
- Simonsen
- Skov
- Sørensen
- Thomsen
- Toft
- Vestergaard
- Winther
- Østergaard