[Image: Cropped map of 1871–1914 Europe; Text: Irish-Danish-German Heritage]

(Europe, 1871–1914)

Danish Emigration

Irish–Danish–German Heritage

Pictures | Data | English phrasebook for Danish emigrants | Reference list

Pictures

The following picture shows emigrants from Denmark:

Udvandrere på Larsens Plads [Emigrants at Larsens Square]
Full
[Image: Danish immigrants waiting to board ship]
Close-up
[Image: Close-up of Danish immigrants waiting to board ship]

Source: Reproduced from licensed photograph by Villy Fink Isaksen, “Emigrants at Larsens Square,” 10 May 2012, of public-domain painting by Edvard Petersen, Udvandrere på Larsens Plads [Emigrants at Larsens Square], 1890, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Udvandrere_på_Larsens_Plads_(version_2).jpg; caption in the original painting; image used under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

Note: Larsens Square is at the Port of Copenhagen. Also, according to Copenhagen-Portal.dk, the ship in the image is the S.S. Thingvalla, with a route of Copenhagen, Denmark – Kristiania (Oslo), Norway – Kristiansand, Norway – New York (Find Ancestors Copenhagen). The S.S. Thingvalla (built 1874) was part of Denmark’s Thingvalla Line.

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Data

The two tables below show that in the 91 years between 1820 and 1910, inclusive, 258,053 immigrants to the United States (0.92% of immigrants in that period), were from Denmark:

Immigration to the United States from the Denmark by decade, 1820–1910
PeriodImmigrants from DenmarkTotal immigrantsPercentageAverage from Denmark per year

Source: Data calculated from table, Table 9.—“Immigration to the United States, 1820 to 1910 [By Country of Origin],” in Immigration Commission 1911, 14–44.

Note [combined from two notes in the original]: Compiled from official sources. For 1820 to 1867 the figures are for alien passengers arriving; for 1868 to 1903, for immigrants arriving; for 1904 to 1906, for aliens admitted; and for 1907 to 1910, for immigrant aliens admitted.
1820–1830189151,8240.12%17.18
1831–18401,063599,1250.18%106.30
1841–18505391,713,2510.03%53.90
1851–18603,7492,598,2140.14%374.90
1861–187017,0942,314,8240.74%1,709.40
1871–188031,7712,812,1911.13%3,177.10
1881–189088,1325,246,6131.68%8,813.20
1891–190050,2313,687,5641.36%5,023.10
1901–191065,2858,795,3860.74%6,528.50
Total258,05327,918,9920.92%2,835.75
Immigration to the United States from Denmark by year, 1820–1910
YearImmigrants from DenmarkTotal immigrants

Source: Data from and calculated from table, Table 9.—“Immigration to the United States, 1820 to 1910 [By Country of Origin],” in Immigration Commission 1911, 14–44; footnotes in the original.

Note [combined from two notes in the original]: Compiled from official sources. For 1820 to 1867 the figures are for alien passengers arriving; for 1868 to 1903, for immigrants arriving; for 1904 to 1906, for aliens admitted; and for 1907 to 1910, for immigrant aliens admitted. The years from 1820 to 1831 and from 1844 to 1849, inclusive, are those ending September 30; 1833 to 1842 and 1851 to 1867, inclusive, those ending December 31; 1869 to 1910, those ending June 30.

  • aFifteen months ending December 31.
  • bNine months ending September 30.
  • cSix months ending June 30.
1820208,385
1821129,127
1822186,911
182366,354
1824117,912
18251410,199
18261010,837
18271518,875
18285027,382
18291722,520
18301623,322
18312322,633
1832a2160,482
183317358,640
18342465,365
18353745,374
183641676,242
183710979,340
18385238,914
18395668,069
184015284,066
18413180,289
184235104,565
1843b2952,496
18442578,615
184554114,371
1846114154,416
184713234,968
1848210226,527
18498297,024
1850a20369,980
185114379,466
18523371,603
185332368,645
1854691427,833
1855528200,877
1856173200,436
18571.035251,306
1858232123,126
1859499121,282
1860542153,640
186123491,918
18621,65891,985
18631,492176,282
1864712193,418
18651,149248,120
18661,862318,568
18671,436315,722
1868c819138,840
18693,649352,768
18704,083387,203
18712,015321,350
18723,690404,806
18734,931459,803
18743,082313,339
18752,656227,498
18761,547169,986
18771,695141,857
18782,105138,469
18793,474177,826
18806,576457,257
18819,117669,431
188211,618788,992
188310,319603,322
18849,202518,592
18856,100395,346
18866,225334,203
18878,524490,109
18888,962546,889
18898,699444,427
18909,366455,302
189110,659560,319
189210,125579,663
18937,720439,730
18945,003285,631
18953,910258,536
18963,167343,267
18972,085230,832
18981,946229,299
18992,690311,715
19002,926448,572
19013,655487,918
19025,660648,743
19037,158857,046
19048,525812,870
19058,9701,026,499
19067,7411,100,735
19077,2431,285,349
19084,954782,870
19094,395751,786
19106,9841,041,570
Total258,05327,918,992
Percentage0.92%100%
Average per year2,835.75306,802.10

The next table shows the percentage of the United States population in the second half of the 19th century that was born in Denmark:

Population of United States, 1850–1900, born in Denmark
YearDenmark-
born population		Foreign-
born population		Percentage of foreign-
born from Denmark		Total populationPercentage of total from Denmark

Sources: Data from and calculated from:

  • Forstall 1996, (PDF) 3–4.
  • Table 9.—“Foreign-born Population of Continental United States, by Country of Birth: 1850 to 1900,” in Immigration Commission 1911, 416.
  • a[in Immigration Commission 1911] Not including Indian Territory.
18501,8382,244,6020.08%23,191,8760.01%
18609,9624,138,6970.24%31,443,3210.03%
187030,1075,567,2290.54%38,558,3710.08%
188064,1966,679,9430.96%50,189,2090.13%
1890132,543a9,249,5471.43%62,979,7660.21%
1900153,80510,341,2761.49%76,212,1680.20%

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English phrasebook for Danish emigrants

A Danish brochure from 1910 or 1911 for the United Kingdom’s White Star Line (including the Titanic) had a Danish–English guide to words and phrases for Danish people emigrating to the United States.

A selection of the guide, using old-fashioned Danish spellings like ( aa ) for ( å ), is reprinted below:

White Star Line: ”Olympic” og ”Titanic,” hver 45000 Tons [White Star Line: “Olympic” and “Titanic,” each 45,000 Tons]
[Image: Brochure cover with ship]

Source: Adapted from public-domain image of brochure cover, White Star Line 1910 or 1911, front cover; image straightened and cropped of black background.

Bestillinger og Haandværk [Occupations and trades].
Dansk
[Danish]		Engelsk
[English]		Udtalen
[Pronunciation]

Source: Table reprinted from brochure, White Star Line 1910 or 1911, 29.
KobbersmedCoppersmithKoppersmith
GrovsmedBlacksmithBlacksmith
KlejnsmedLocksmithLaaksmith
HjulmagerWheelwrightWiilreight
MurerMasonMæson
StenhuggerStonemason, StonecutterStoonmæson, Stonkøtter
HandskemagerGlovemakerGlóvmæker
SkræderTailorTælor
TømrerCarpenterKarpenter
BygningssnedkerHousecarpenterHaus Karpenter
MøbelsnedkerCabinetmakerKabinetmæker
SadelmagerSaddlerSadler
TapetsererUpholstererØpholsterer
BødkerCooperKuper
MalerPainterPænter
SkomagerShoemakerShumæker
BlikkenslagerTinsmithTinsmith
At spørge om Arbejde [Asking about work].
Dansk
[Danish]		Engelsk
[English]		Udtalen
[Pronunciation]

Source: Table reprinted from brochure, White Star Line 1910 or 1911, 31.

Har De ikke Arbejde for mig?

Have you work for me?

Hæv ju work for mi?

Det ved jeg ikke, hvad kan De bestille?

I don’t know, what can you do?

Ej dont no, hvot kan ju du?

Jeg er vant til at grave og til Jordarbejde jeg kan pløje, passe Heste og er vant til at køre baade to og fire?

I am used to digging and farming; I can plough, take care of horses, and can drive both a team and a double team.

Ej æm jused to digging ænd farming; Ej kan plou, tæk kær of horses, and kan dreiv both æ tiim ænd æ døbbel tiim.

Har De ikke Brug for en Tjenestepige? Jeg har været ved et Mejeri i to Aar og tjent et Aar som Stuepige og jeg forstaar daglig Madlavning.

Can you employ a servant girl? I have been in a dairy for two years and served one year as Chambermaid, and I know how to do plain cooking.

Kan ju empløj æ sørvant gørl? Ej hæv bin in æ dæri for tuu jiirs , ænd sørvd vøn jiir as tjæmbermæd ænd no hov to du plæn kuking.

De har vel ikke Brug for en Smedesvend? Jeg har arbejdet paa et Maskinvæksted i Danmark og kan ogsaa passe en Dampmaskine.

Have you work for a journeyman blacksmith? I have worked in a machineshop in Denmark an [sic] can run an engine.

Hæv ju work for æ jørnimann blacksmith? Ej hæv vørkd in æ machinsjop in Denmark ænd kan røn æn enjien.

Jeg vil gerne spørge, om De ikke skulde have Brug for mig ved Deres Fabrik? Jeg er villig til at tage fat paa Alt, hvad der forfalder, og naar De ser hvad jeg duer til, kunne vi jo altid tale om Betalingen.

I want to know if you can use me in your factory; I am willing to make myself generally useful and we need not speak about wages before you see what I can do.

Ej vaant to no if ju kan jues mi in jur faktori? Ej æm villing to mæk miself generally jusful, ænd vi niid not spik abovt wædjes bifor ju sii hvot ej kun du.

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Reference list

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