1916 Denmark Census

Source Information

Ancestry.com. 1916 Denmark Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2022.
Original data: 1916 Folketælling. København, Danmark: The Danish National Archives - Rigsarkivet.

About 1916 Denmark Census

General collection information

This collection contains the 1916 census records from Denmark. The 1916 Danish census was conducted on February 1, 1916 for Denmark, the Faroe Islands, the Danish West Indies, and Greenland; however, only records for Denmark are within the scope of this collection. Census enumerators collected information by handwriting data into pre-printed ledgers. All records are in Danish.

Using this collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

  • Name
  • Age
  • Residence
  • Parish name
  • Birth date and place
  • Marital status and marriage year
  • Names of family members
  • Relationships to family members
  • Occupation
  • Religion

    • When searching these records, knowing your family's address can be very helpful, especially if they lived in a large city. If you're having difficulty finding your family members, Denmark has a wealth of civic and vital records available, including civil registration and parish records. Try searching Ancestry's catalog of Danish records for additional information.

    Knowing some common Danish phrases will help you to explore these records:

  • 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."

    • Collection in context

    The Kingdom of Denmark began intermittently collecting census data in 1769. From 1835 through 1895, the census was conducted every five years. After the 1895 census, the consecutive census was delayed a year and occurred in 1901 rather than 1900. Afterwards, the census was again conducted every five years.

    Bibliography

    Johansen, Hans Christian. "Early Danish Census Taking." Last modified January 3, 2012. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1016/j.hisfam.2001.10.006.

    My Danish Roots. "Censuses." Last Modified February 18, 2022. https://mydanishroots.dk/danish-ancestry/.

    Sanders, Kirsten, "Introduction to Geneaology Research in Denmark." Danish Genealogiocal Society. Last Modified April 22, 2015. https://slaegt.dk/media/5vjfcdut/genealogy-in-denmark2.pdf.