🇩🇰 Most Popular Baby Names in Denmark (2025)
Danmarks Statistik publishes the 50 most common names given to newborn girls and boys each year. Naming in Denmark works differently from most countries here: Familieretshuset, the Agency of Family Law, keeps searchable lists of approved first names, and a name that is not on them has to be applied for. Parents have six months from the birth to name the child.
Data source: Danmarks Statistik · Year: 2025 · 50 girl names, 50 boy names
Before you settle on a name, it helps to know what the register will accept. Baby naming rules in Denmark: the legal basis, the deadline and what a registrar may refuse.
Names Used Only in Denmark
Denmark has 29 names in its 2025 ranking that appear in none of the other twelve countries on this site. Accents are ignored in that comparison, so Léo and Leo count as one name, but different spellings such as Sofia and Sophia count as two.
Girls: 10 names
KarlaEstherAlberteAstaVilmaLeonoraMilleLivaLærkeGry
Boys: 19 names
KarlValdemarLaugeMaltheKonradHolgerAnkerKalleErikSvendAlbertElmerPelleStormBjørnVilladsAtlasAsgerNohr
2024 to 2025: What Moved
Compared with 2024, in the girls' ranking, 40 of the 50 names changed position, 4 are new and 6 kept exactly the same place; in the boys' ranking, 38 of the 50 names changed position, 7 are new and 5 kept exactly the same place.
Girls
Biggest climbers: Sofia (#11 → #2, +9), Ingrid (#34 → #25, +9), Elina (#38 → #31, +7), Nora (#10 → #4, +6), Vilma (#28 → #22, +6)
Biggest drops: Luna (#3 → #14, -11), Saga (#29 → #39, -10), Lærke (#27 → #36, -9), Mathilde (#32 → #40, -8), Ella (#2 → #7, -5)
New in the ranking: Solveig, Johanne, Vilde, Viola
Dropped out: Solvej, Merle, Kaja, Søs
Boys
Biggest climbers: Ebbe (#34 → #20, +14), Viggo (#18 → #8, +10), Anton (#32 → #24, +8), Otto (#17 → #10, +7), Alfred (#9 → #3, +6)
Biggest drops: Nohr (#38 → #50, -12), Emil (#7 → #18, -11), Malthe (#12 → #21, -9), Walter (#39 → #48, -9), Theodor (#23 → #30, -7)
New in the ranking: Karl, Konrad, Svend, Elmer, Birk, Sigurd, Villads
Dropped out: Carl, Conrad, Frederik, Vilhelm, Marius, Johan, Adam
Steady Through 2021–2025
Alma tops the girls' ranking in Denmark in 2025.
44 girls' names appear in every year from 2021–2025 without a gap. The 30 highest placed:
AlmaSofiaAgnesNoraEmmaFridaEllaKarlaFrejaOliviaIdaClaraLilyLunaEstherEllieAnnaEllenAlberteAstaAstridVilmaIsabellaAyaVeraJosefineHannahLeonoraLauraElina
Oscar tops the boys' ranking in Denmark, and has done so 2 years running.
38 boys' names appear in every year from 2021–2025 without a gap. The 30 highest placed:
OscarAlfredNoahAugustOliverTheoViggoWilliamOttoAkselArthurElliotValdemarEliasHugoLucasEmilLaugeEbbeMaltheFelixMatheoAntonHolgerLiamLucaAnkerTheodorVictorMagnus
Five Years at the Top
How today's ten most common names ranked in each year since 2021. A blank cell means the name was not in that year's list.
Girls
Seven of today's top ten girls' names were already in the top ten in 2021.
| Name | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alma | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Sofia | 12 | 10 | 6 | 11 | 2 |
| Agnes | 9 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 3 |
| Nora | 10 | 8 | 14 | 10 | 4 |
| Emma | 7 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Frida | 18 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Ella | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| Karla | 11 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Freja | 6 | 2 | 13 | 14 | 9 |
| Olivia | 5 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 10 |
Boys
Six of today's top ten boys' names were already in the top ten in 2021.
| Name | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Karl | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| Alfred | 5 | 12 | 4 | 9 | 3 |
| Noah | 13 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| August | 6 | 9 | 11 | 5 | 5 |
| Oliver | 4 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| Theo | 16 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 7 |
| Viggo | 18 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 8 |
| William | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| Otto | 17 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 10 |
Denmark Among the Thirteen Countries
Where the most common names of Denmark stand in the other twelve countries on this site, each in its most recent year. Accents are ignored; different spellings count as different names.
Girls
Five of the top ten girls' names rank in at least six other countries; one ranks in no other country at all.
| Name | Rank here | Other countries where it ranks | Highest elsewhere |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alma | 1 | 5 | #4 in France |
| Sofia | 2 | 11 | #1 in Switzerland |
| Agnes | 3 | 2 | #17 in Sweden |
| Nora | 4 | 8 | #3 in the Netherlands |
| Emma | 5 | 10 | #1 in Austria |
| Frida | 6 | 1 | #5 in Norway |
| Ella | 7 | 9 | #4 in Norway |
| Karla | 8 | 0 | |
| Freja | 9 | 1 | #7 in Sweden |
| Olivia | 10 | 11 | #1 in Canada |
Boys
Three of the top ten boys' names rank in at least six other countries; one ranks in no other country at all.
| Name | Rank here | Other countries where it ranks | Highest elsewhere |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar | 1 | 4 | #8 in England and Wales |
| Karl | 2 | 0 | |
| Alfred | 3 | 2 | #5 in Sweden |
| Noah | 4 | 12 | #1 in Austria |
| August | 5 | 1 | #6 in Sweden |
| Oliver | 6 | 9 | #3 in the United States |
| Theo | 7 | 8 | #3 in Germany |
| Viggo | 8 | 1 | #35 in Sweden |
| William | 9 | 5 | #3 in Norway |
| Otto | 10 | 1 | #10 in Sweden |
Which countries name most alike
Of its 100 names, Denmark shares the most with Norway (39), Sweden (38) and Austria (27), and the fewest with Italy (11). Germany is left out of this comparison, because its list has only ten names per sex.
Where the Names of Denmark Come From
The most frequent origin among the 100 names of 2025 is Germanic, with 24. The largest change since 2021 is in Norse names: 13 then, 18 now. A name with two origins, such as Lucas with Greek and Latin, counts for both. More on the groups in the guide to name origins.
| Origin | Names in 2021 | Names in 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Germanic | 24 | 24 |
| Latin | 26 | 22 |
| Norse | 13 | 18 |
| Hebrew | 17 | 15 |
| Greek | 14 | 13 |
| Scandinavian | 4 | 5 |
| Irish | 3 | 3 |
👧 Most Popular Girl Names in Denmark (2025)
#1AlmaLatinArabic
Meaning: Nourishing, soul
Alma is linked to the Latin almus, meaning nourishing or kind, and is also the Spanish word for soul. In Britain it came into use after the Battle of the Alma in 1854.
#2SofiaGreek
Meaning: Wisdom
Sofia is the spelling of Sophia used in Italian, Spanish, the Scandinavian languages and the Slavic languages. It goes back to the Greek sophia, wisdom.
#3AgnesGreek
Meaning: Pure, holy
Agnes comes from the Greek hagnos meaning pure or holy. Early association with the Latin agnus, meaning lamb, made the lamb her emblem in art.
#4NoraLatinIrish
Meaning: Honour
Nora began as a short form of Honora and Eleanor. Henrik Ibsen gave it to the heroine of his 1879 play A Doll's House.
#5EmmaGermanic
Meaning: Whole, universal
Emma began as a short form of Germanic names built on ermen or irmin, meaning whole or universal. Emma of Normandy was queen of England twice in the eleventh century, married first to Æthelred and then to Cnut.
#6FridaGermanic
Meaning: Peace
Frida comes from the Germanic frid, meaning peace, and is a short form of longer names such as Frideswide and Elfrida.
#7EllaGermanic
Meaning: All, completely
Ella was a Norman name of Germanic origin and is also used as a short form of Eleanor and Ellen.
#8KarlaGermanic
Meaning: Free woman
Karla is the feminine form of Karl, from the Germanic karl meaning a free man.
#9FrejaNorse
Meaning: Lady
Freja is the Danish and Swedish form of Freyja, the Norse goddess of love. The name is the Old Norse word for lady or mistress.
#10OliviaLatin
Meaning: Olive tree
Olivia is linked to the Latin oliva, olive. Shakespeare gave it to the countess in Twelfth Night, and the play made it familiar in English.
#11IdaGermanic
Meaning: Work, labour
#12ClaraLatin
Meaning: Clear, bright, famous
Clara is the Latin word for clear or bright. Saint Clare of Assisi, a follower of Francis, founded the order of the Poor Clares in the thirteenth century.
#13LilyLatin
Meaning: Lily flower
#14LunaLatin
Meaning: Moon
Luna is the Latin word for moon and the name of the Roman goddess of the moon.
#15EstherHebrewPersian
Meaning: Star
Esther is the Jewish queen of Persia whose story is told at Purim. The name is usually traced to a Persian word for star, and is linked to the goddess Ishtar.
#16EllieGreek
Meaning: Bright, shining
#17AnnaHebrew
Meaning: Grace, favour
Anna is the Greek and Latin form of the Hebrew Hannah, meaning grace or favour. In Christian tradition it is the name of the mother of Mary.
#18EllenGreek
Meaning: Torch, bright
Ellen is an English and Scandinavian form of Helen, from the Greek helene, generally connected with a word for torch or brightness.
#19AlberteGermanic
Meaning: Noble and bright
Alberte is the Danish and French feminine form of Albert, from the Germanic adal meaning noble and beraht meaning bright.
#20AstaNorse
Meaning: Divine beauty
Asta is a Scandinavian short form of Astrid, from the Old Norse ass meaning god and fríðr meaning beautiful.
#21AstridNorse
Meaning: Divinely beautiful
Astrid comes from the Old Norse Ástríðr, from áss, god, and fríðr, beautiful or beloved. The Swedish children's author Astrid Lindgren bore it.
#22VilmaGermanic
Meaning: Resolute protector
Vilma is a Scandinavian short form of Wilhelmina, the feminine of William, from the Germanic wil meaning will and helm meaning protection.
#23IsabellaHebrewItalian
Meaning: My God is an oath
#24AyaArabic
Meaning: Sign, verse
Aya comes from the Arabic aya, meaning a sign or a verse of the Quran. An unrelated Japanese name is written the same way in the Latin alphabet.
#25IngridNorse
Meaning: Beautiful, beloved
Ingrid comes from the Old Norse Ingríðr, joining the name of the god Ing with fríðr, beautiful. The actress Ingrid Bergman was born in Stockholm in 1915.
#26VeraLatinSlavic
Meaning: Truth; faith
#27JosefineHebrew
Meaning: He will add
Josefine is the Scandinavian and German feminine form of Joseph, from the Hebrew yosef meaning he will add.
#28HannahHebrew
Meaning: Grace, favour
Hannah is a Hebrew name meaning grace or favour. In the Books of Samuel she is the mother of the prophet Samuel.
#29LeonoraFrench
Meaning: Disputed, of Provençal origin
Leonora is an Italian and Scandinavian form of Eleanor, a name whose Provençal origin is not settled.
#30LauraLatin
Meaning: Laurel
Laura comes from the Latin laurus, the laurel tree, a symbol of victory. Petrarch addressed his fourteenth-century love poems to a woman of that name.
#31ElinaGreekFinnish
Meaning: Bright, shining
#32MarieHebrewFrench
Meaning: Wished-for child; sea of bitterness
Marie is the French and German form of Mary, from the Hebrew Miryam. The meaning of Miryam is uncertain; proposed readings include wished-for child and sea of bitterness.
#33MilleGermanicLatin
Meaning: Strength, or gentle
Mille is a Danish short form used for Camilla and for Emilie, and so carries whichever root the fuller name supplies.
#34LivaNorse
Meaning: Protection, or life
Liva is a Danish extension of Liv, from the Old Norse hlíf meaning protection, and is read alongside the modern word for life.
#35MajaGreekScandinavian
Meaning: Pearl; great
Maja is the Scandinavian, German and Slavic spelling of Maya. It is used both as a short form of Maria and as a name of its own.
#36LærkeScandinavian
Meaning: Lark
Lærke is the Danish word for the lark. It belongs to the Danish habit of taking given names directly from birds and plants.
#37SolveigNorse
Meaning: Strong house
Solveig comes from the Old Norse Solveig, generally read from salr meaning house or hall and veig meaning strength. Ibsen's Peer Gynt made it known far beyond Norway.
#38EmilyLatin
Meaning: Rival, industrious
#39SagaNorse
Meaning: Seeing one, teller of tales
Saga is a Norse goddess associated with Odin, and the word means a told story. Both readings are current in Scandinavian use.
#40MathildeGermanic
Meaning: Battle-mighty
#41MollyHebrew
Meaning: Bitter, or beloved
Molly began as a medieval English pet form of Mary, whose Hebrew original has no settled meaning.
#42EvaHebrew
Meaning: Life
Eva is the Latin form of Eve, from the Hebrew chavah meaning to live or to breathe. In Genesis she is named as the mother of all living.
#43LivNorse
Meaning: Protection, or life
Liv comes from the Old Norse hlíf, meaning protection or shelter. In modern Norwegian and Danish it coincides with the word for life, which has reinforced its use.
#44GryNorse
Meaning: Dawn
Gry is a Danish and Norwegian name taken from the word for daybreak, related to the verb meaning to grow light.
#45AndreaGreek
Meaning: Brave, manly
#46LeaHebrew
Meaning: Weary
Lea is the German and Scandinavian spelling of Leah, the wife of Jacob in Genesis. The Hebrew name is usually explained as weary.
#47JohanneHebrew
Meaning: God is gracious
Johanne is the Danish and Norwegian feminine form of John, from the Hebrew Yochanan meaning God is gracious.
#48VictoriaLatin
Meaning: Victory
Victoria is the Latin word for victory and the name of the Roman goddess of victory. Queen Victoria reigned over Britain from 1837 to 1901.
#49VildeGermanic
Meaning: Resolute protector
Vilde is a Norwegian feminine form built on the Germanic wil, meaning will or desire, the first element of William.
#50ViolaLatin
Meaning: Violet
Viola is the Latin word for the violet. Shakespeare gave the name to the heroine of Twelfth Night.
👦 Most Popular Boy Names in Denmark (2025)
#1OscarNorseIrish
Meaning: God's spear; divine strength
Oscar is the son of Oisín in Irish legend, and James Macpherson's Ossian poems spread the name in the eighteenth century. Napoleon, an admirer of the poems, was godfather to the boy who became King Oscar I of Sweden. Its meaning is disputed.
#2KarlGermanic
Meaning: Free man
#3AlfredEnglish
Meaning: Wise counsel of the elves
Alfred comes from the Old English Aelfraed, joining aelf meaning elf with raed meaning counsel. Alfred the Great of Wessex kept the name in use after the Norman Conquest.
#4NoahHebrew
Meaning: Rest, comfort
Noah is the Hebrew Noach, meaning rest or comfort. In Genesis he builds the ark and survives the flood with his family.
#5AugustLatin
Meaning: Venerable, majestic
August comes from the Latin augustus, meaning venerable or majestic. It was the title granted to the first Roman emperor, whose adopted month still carries it.
#6OliverLatinNorse
Meaning: Olive tree
Oliver comes from Olivier, one of Charlemagne's paladins in the medieval Song of Roland. It is usually linked to the Latin oliva, olive, though a Germanic root has also been proposed.
#7TheoGreek
Meaning: Gift of God
Theo is a short form of Theodore, from the Greek theos meaning god and doron meaning gift. It is now given as a full name across most of Europe.
#8ViggoNorse
Meaning: War
Viggo is a Scandinavian short form of names built on the Old Norse víg, meaning war or battle.
#9WilliamGermanic
Meaning: Resolute protector
William comes from the Germanic Willahelm, joining wil, will or desire, with helm, protection. William the Conqueror brought it to England in 1066.
#10OttoGermanic
Meaning: Wealth, fortune
#11AkselHebrewScandinavian
Meaning: Father of peace
Aksel is the Danish and Norwegian form of Absalom, the Hebrew name of King David's son, built from av meaning father and shalom meaning peace.
#12ArthurCeltic
Meaning: Bear
Arthur is the legendary king of the Britons at the centre of the Arthurian romances. Its origin is uncertain; a Celtic word for bear and the Roman family name Artorius have both been proposed.
#13ElliotHebrew
Meaning: My God is the Lord
Elliot began as a medieval English surname derived from Elias, the Greek form of Elijah, from the Hebrew meaning my God is Yahweh. It returned as a first name in the twentieth century.
#14ValdemarSlavicGermanic
Meaning: Famous ruler
Valdemar entered Danish through the Slavic Vladimir, and was reshaped on Germanic elements meaning rule and fame. Four Danish kings carried it.
#15EliasHebrew
Meaning: My God is Yahweh
Elias is the Greek and Latin form of the Hebrew Eliyahu, Elijah, meaning my God is Yahweh. Elijah is the prophet of the Books of Kings who is taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.
#16HugoGermanic
Meaning: Mind, intellect
Hugo is the Latin form of the Germanic Hugo, from hug, meaning mind or spirit, and is used in German, French, Spanish and the Scandinavian languages.
#17LucasLatinGreek
Meaning: Bringer of light
Lucas is the Latin form of Loukas, Luke, the name of the author of the third gospel. The Greek name probably meant man from Lucania, though it is popularly linked to the Latin lux, light.
#18EmilLatin
Meaning: Rival, eager
Emil comes from the Roman family name Aemilius, from aemulus meaning rival or eager. Astrid Lindgren's Emil of Lönneberga fixed it in Scandinavian childhood reading.
#19Lauge
#20EbbeGermanic
Meaning: Wild boar
Ebbe is a Danish and Swedish short form of Germanic names beginning with eber, meaning wild boar, such as Eberhard. It has been used independently for centuries.
#21MaltheGermanic
Meaning: Ruler of the assembly
Malthe is the Danish spelling of Malte, a short form of older Germanic compounds built on elements meaning power and assembly.
#22FelixLatin
Meaning: Happy, fortunate
Felix is the Latin word for lucky or happy. It was a Roman cognomen and the name of several saints and popes.
#23MatheoHebrew
Meaning: Gift of God
Matheo is a spelling of Mateo, the Spanish form of Matthew, from the Hebrew Mattityahu meaning gift of Yahweh.
#24AntonLatin
Meaning: From the Antonius family
Anton is the German and Scandinavian form of Antonius, an old Roman family name of uncertain, probably Etruscan, origin. The meaning often given as priceless is a later invention.
#25KonradGermanic
Meaning: Bold counsel
Konrad comes from the Germanic kuoni meaning bold and rad meaning counsel. Several medieval German kings carried it.
#26HolgerNorse
Meaning: Spear of the island
Holger comes from the Old Norse Holmgeirr, joining holmr meaning small island with geirr meaning spear. Holger Danske is a figure of Danish national legend.
#27LiamIrishGermanic
Meaning: Resolute protector
Liam began as the Irish short form of Uilliam, the Irish form of William, which comes from the Germanic wil, will, and helm, protection.
#28LucaLatinItalian
Meaning: Bringer of light
Luca is the Italian form of Luke, from the Greek Loukas, which is usually explained as man from Lucania and popularly linked to the Latin lux, light.
#29Anker
#30TheodorGreek
Meaning: Gift of God
Theodor is the German and Scandinavian form of Theodore, from the Greek theos meaning god and doron meaning gift.
#31VictorLatin
Meaning: Conqueror
#32MagnusLatin
Meaning: Great
Magnus is the Latin word for great. It entered Scandinavian use through Charlemagne's Latin title Carolus Magnus, which Norse speakers took as a name.
#33LouieGermanic
Meaning: Famous warrior
Louie is an English spelling of Louis, from the Germanic hlud meaning famous and wig meaning war. Eighteen French kings carried the name.
#34KalleGermanic
Meaning: Free man
Kalle is a Scandinavian and Finnish pet form of Karl, from the Germanic karl meaning a free man.
#35ErikNorse
Meaning: Ever ruler
#36SvendNorse
Meaning: Young man, retainer
Svend comes from the Old Norse sveinn, meaning a boy, servant or young retainer. Several Danish kings carried it, among them Svend Forkbeard.
#37VincentLatin
Meaning: Conquering
Vincent comes from the Latin vincens, meaning conquering. Saint Vincent of Saragossa was one of the most venerated martyrs of the early Spanish church.
#38AlbertGermanic
Meaning: Noble and bright
#39ElmerEnglish
Meaning: Noble and famous
Elmer comes from the Old English Aethelmaer, joining aethel meaning noble with maer meaning famous. It survived as a surname before returning to use as a first name.
#40PelleGreek
Meaning: Rock
Pelle is a Scandinavian pet form of Per, itself from Peter, the Greek petros meaning rock.
#41BirkScandinavian
Meaning: Birch tree
Birk is a Danish and Norwegian name taken from the word for the birch tree. It belongs to a group of Nordic names drawn directly from the landscape.
#42StormScandinavian
Meaning: Storm
Storm is a Danish and Dutch surname and given name taken directly from the word for a storm. It belongs to the group of Nordic names drawn from weather and landscape.
#43BjørnNorse
Meaning: Bear
Bjørn is the Danish and Norwegian spelling of the word for bear, from the Old Norse bjorn. It has been a personal name since the Viking age.
#44SigurdNorse
Meaning: Guardian of victory
Sigurd comes from the Old Norse Sigurðr, joining sigr meaning victory with vorðr meaning guardian. Sigurd is the dragon slayer of the Völsunga saga.
#45VilladsGermanic
Meaning: Resolute ruler
Villads is the Danish form of Willehad, joining the Germanic wil meaning will with a second element usually read as battle.
#46AtlasGreek
Meaning: Bearer, endurer
Atlas is the Titan of Greek myth condemned to hold up the sky. The name is generally read from a root meaning to bear or endure, and it later attached itself to maps and mountains.
#47AlexanderGreek
Meaning: Defender of men
Alexander comes from the Greek Alexandros, joining alexein, to defend, with aner, man. Alexander the Great carried it from Macedonia across the ancient world.
#48WalterGermanic
Meaning: Ruler of the army
Walter comes from the Germanic wald meaning rule and hari meaning army. The Normans brought it to England, where it stayed in use for centuries.
#49AsgerNorse
Meaning: Spear of the gods
Asger comes from the Old Norse Asgeirr, joining ass meaning god with geirr meaning spear. It is the Danish form of a name found across the Norse world.
#50Nohr
Data: Danmarks Statistik. Figures for 2025. Retrieved automatically four times a year. Browse all countries →