Denmark Census, 1916 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Denmark

Why Should I Look at This Collection?
This collection is an enumeration of all persons in the Kingdom of Denmark on 1 February 1916. If you had an ancestor living in Denmark at this time you should check this census to see where they were living, information about their age, occupation and other members of the family or household.

What is in this Collection?
This is an every-name index to the 1916 census of Denmark. This index was created by MyHeritage from images provided by the National Archives of Denmark.

This census was taken on the first of February for the countries of Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and the Danish West Indies. The enumeration for Denmark was divided into three sections: Copenhagen city, other cities, and rural areas. This collection includes only the records for Denmark.

The National Archives of Denmark has cataloged this census with Danmarks Statistik (Dennmark Statistical Office) as the responsible government office. More information about the records created by this office can be found at the National Archives of Denmark's online catalog, Daisy.

Reading These Records
These records are in Danish. For assistance with this language, consult the Danish Word List. This is a list of common terms found in Danish genealogical records with their English translations, as well as links to more more comprehensive word lists. A PDF version of an older edition of this list may be downloaded at [[Media:Danish Genealogical Word List October 2010.pdf|Danish Genealogical Word List October 2010]]. Different forms were used for Copenhagen city, other cities and rural areas. The samples below show all three forms.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
This census contained two different lists. The main list (Hovedliste) is for persons present at their residence on the date of the enumeration. The second is an abbreviated schedule for persons temporarily present or absent. The main list contains the following information.

Digital Folder Number List
This collection was published as a DGS numbers | DGS browse collection. A table listing each DGS number and its contents can be found at Denmark Census, 1916 Digital Folder Number List.

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index, view the images or both. Before searching this collection it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person you are looking for
 * The parish where the person lived

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

I Found the Person I Was Looking for, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Check the image the index was taken from to see if there is additional information
 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference; see the section Citing this Collection for assistance. Save or print a copy of the image.
 * Use the information to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth, if that is yet undetermined.
 * Use the information to locate the individual in church records, if appropriate

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * People enjoyed a higher level of personal mobility in Denmark than in other countries due to the easier terrain and absence of laws restricting movement. A well-developed system of transportation existed which facilitated moving from one place to another.
 * Consider alternate spellings for names, such as Peder for Peter, and Maria for Maren. Law regarding surnames were not fully in effect at this time, so the person may be recorded with or without a patronymic surname.
 * When looking for a person with a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which individual is correct. Use other information, such as place of birth, age, occupation, or names of parents, to determine which candidate is the correct person. If listed, a personal title may be a clue to property ownership or occupation, either of which might be noted in other records.
 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record; also, it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name.
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible candidates which can then be examined for matches.
 * Search the records of nearby parishes. While it was uncommon for an individual in this period to move more than about 20 miles from their place of birth, smaller relocations were not uncommon.
 * Look at the actual image of the record to verify the information found in the online description, if possible.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation