The population of Denmark in selected years. Source: Statistics Denmark.

The first census for Denmark was taken August 15, 1769. However, most of this census has been lost, but it is often of little value to the family historian as it only provides overall statistical information. The next censuses were taken in 1787 and 1801 and from 1834 onwards every 5 to 10 years. In the rural areas, the censuses were conducted parish by parish, but in the provincial cities, the so-called Market Towns, street by street regardless of which parish they were located in. In the older censuses, Copenhagen is sub-divided into quarters, the boundaries of which sometimes ran down the middle of a street. This often makes it difficult to know in which quarter to look for an ancestor and his/her family. From 1880 onwards, also the Copenhagen censuses are conducted street by street. The simple variation in population density means that it does not take long to look through the censuses for a rural parish, whereas tracing an ancestor who lived in Copenhagen or one of the larger provincial cities can be a very time-consuming task.

Speaking generally, the demographic data produced in Denmark, Norway and Sweden since the 1700s are of very high quality compared to other countries. Although we must consider a small dropout in the early censuses, the later data are almost complete.

Which information can be found?

• Name and age of every person in the household.
• The relationship of each member to the head of the household.
• Marital status; married/unmarried, widow/widower.
• Employment status; occupation/trade, pensioner etc.

Improvements were made to the censuses over the years, but the household was retained as the basic institution. The most important change of all was the decision, from 1845 onwards, to record the exact place of birth. This information frequently points the researcher in the right direction when an attempt is made to follow a family back in time. Later changes consisted in the decision to record which religious community the person belonged to, possible handicaps, the age at first marriage, and, from 1901 onwards, the precise data of birth.

Research at the Danish Archives

The census records in Copenhagen are available for study only up to 1921; however, it is possible to obtain a special permission regarding the censuses 1925, 1930 and 1940. All census records are available on microfiche or microfilm, and from 1916 onwards they can be viewed in their original form. In some cases it is possible to find printed registers for the censuses of Copenhagen and various provincial cities.

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