Find out how popular the last name Danish is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Danish.

Danish, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Danish surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Danish in America

Danish is the 32792nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Danish surname appeared 700 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Danish.

We can also compare 2010 data for Danish to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Danish

The surname Danish has its origins in Denmark, where it first emerged in the 11th century. It likely derived from the Old Norse word "Danr," which referred to the people of Denmark. The earliest recorded instances of the name appeared in Danish parish records and historical documents from the medieval period.

One notable early bearer of the surname was Knud Danish, a Danish nobleman who lived in the late 12th century. He was mentioned in the Liber Census Daniæ, an important census record compiled in 1188. Another early example is Thorvald Danish, a Danish soldier who fought in the Battle of Lyndanisse in 1219, as recorded in the Annales Regni Daniæ.

In the 13th century, the name Danish began to spread beyond Denmark's borders as Danish merchants and traders settled in other parts of Europe. It can be found in medieval records from cities like Hamburg and Lübeck, where Danish communities had established themselves.

During the Renaissance period, several individuals with the surname Danish gained prominence. Niels Danish (1456-1531) was a Danish theologian and scholar who contributed to the translation of the Bible into Danish. Hans Danish (1488-1554) was a renowned Danish painter and architect who worked on various churches and castles throughout Denmark.

In the 17th century, the surname Danish appeared in the British Isles, likely brought by Danish immigrants. One notable bearer was Anders Danish (1611-1683), a Danish-born merchant who settled in London and became a prominent figure in the city's Danish community.

Another important figure was Christen Danish (1702-1778), a Danish-born explorer and navigator who accompanied Vitus Bering on his expeditions to the Arctic and the North Pacific. His contributions to cartography and the exploration of the Pacific Northwest were significant.

In the 19th century, the surname Danish continued to be found in various parts of Europe and North America. One notable individual was Peter Danish (1836-1912), a Danish-American artist and sculptor who was part of the Hudson River School of American landscape painting.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Danish

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Danish.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Danish was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Danish has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Danish was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Danish, please contact us.

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