1906 Denmark Census

Source Information

Ancestry.com. 1906 Denmark Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2022.
Original data: 1906 Folketælling. København, Danmark: The Danish National Archives - Rigsarkivet.

About 1906 Denmark Census

General collection information

This collection comprises records of the 1906 census for Denmark. Enumerators went to each household in cities, market towns, and rural areas to collect biographical data about the people of Denmark and the Faroe Islands.

The information in this census can shed light on several aspects of your ancestor's life and provide an excellent starting point for further research. Birthplaces also are commonly found in the census, but in 1906, birthplace was only recorded for households in Copenhagen and Frederiksberg.

Using this collection

This census may include the following details:

  • Names
  • Age
  • Street address
  • Parish, county, and state of residence
  • Birth date and place
  • Marital status and marriage year
  • Maiden name
  • Relationship to the head of the household
  • Occupation
  • Religion

    • If you don't speak Danish knowing a few key words can help:

  • Navn is Danish for "name."
  • Fornavn is Danish for "first name."
  • Efternavn is Danish for "last name."
  • Bestilling is Danish for "occupation."
  • Trossamfund is Danish for "denominations."
  • Moder or mor is Danish for "mother."
  • Fader or far is Danish for "father."
  • Søn is Danish for "son."
  • Datter is Danish for "daughter."
  • Husbonde is Danish for "husband."
  • Hustru is Danish for "wife."
  • Sognet is Danish for "parish."
  • By is Danish for "city," "town," or "village."
  • Alder is Danish for "age."

    • The information from the 1906 census provides a snapshot of your ancestor's family at that point in time. Combined with information from previous and later censuses, a timeline of your ancestor's life can be created tracing their family, occupation, and residential history.

    Collection in context

    The Danish government began conducting censuses at regular intervals from the 1830s and these census documents were completed by enumeratorsemployed by the Danish government. The collection includes images of the documents in their original form, making them high quality primary sources. The original documents are housed in the Danish State Archives.

    In 1906, Denmark was a constitutional monarchy, and on January 26 that year Danish citizens mourned the death of King Christian IX, who had been on the throne for 43 years. Christian was succeeded by his oldest son, who became King Frederick VIII and ruled until his death in 1912.

    The 1906 census established the population of Denmark at 2,588,919. This was an increase of about 139,000 people from the previous census in 1901, or about 5.5 percent.

    Bibliography

    Danish Family Search. "Censuses in Denmark." Accessed March 23, 2022. https://www.danishfamilysearch.com/census/.

    Danish State Archives. "Censuses - Get started." Accessed March 23, 2022. https://www.sa.dk/da/hjaelp-og-vejledning/rigsarkivets-online-vejledninger/folketaellinger-kom-godt-gang/.

    ---. "Censuses." Accessed March 23, 2022. https://www.sa.dk/ao-soegesider/da/rif/rif-collection/7.

    Encyclopedia Britannica. "Christian IX, king of Denmark." Last modified January 25, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Christian-IX.

    ---. "Frederick VIII, king of Denmark." Last modified May 30, 2021. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frederick-VIII.