NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Danish

Native to Denmark; of Danish origin or relating to Denmark.

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Danish is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Danish popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2443, with 9 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2005, with 40 births.

This profile covers 580 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 23% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 590 living people in the UK are called Danish. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Danish ranked #2443 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 9 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2005, when 40 boys were registered as Danish.
  • Danish ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #516 in 2019.
  • About 590 living people in the UK are estimated to have Danish as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#2443

2024

Births in 2024

9

Latest year

Peak year

2005

40 births

Estimated living

590

2026

Meaning

What does Danish mean?

The name Danish is derived from the Danish language, which is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Denmark. The name likely originated in the medieval period, as the Danish language emerged from Old Norse, the language of the Vikings.

The name Danish is believed to be related to the Old Norse word "danr," which means "Danish person" or "one from Denmark." It may also be connected to the Old Norse word "danmarkr," meaning "Denmark." This suggests that the name Danish was initially used to identify people of Danish descent or origin.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Danish can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, which were written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas often mentioned Danish characters or individuals from Denmark, indicating the use of the name during that time period.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Danish. One example is Danish Petersen (1877-1950), a Danish-American businessman and founder of the Durkee Famous Foods company. Another is Danish Kaneria (born 1980), a former Pakistani cricketer who played for the national team.

Other famous individuals with the name Danish include Danish Qureshi (born 1982), a Pakistani actor and model, and Danish Ismail (born 1983), a Bangladeshi cricket player. Additionally, Danish Siddiqui (1983-2021) was an Indian photojournalist and Pulitzer Prize winner who was tragically killed while covering the Afghanistan conflict.

While the name Danish may not be as common as some other names, it has a rich history rooted in the Danish language and culture. Its use throughout the centuries serves as a testament to the enduring influence of Danish identity and heritage.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Danish over time

The chart below shows babies named Danish registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Danish, the clearest high point is 2005. The latest England and Wales figure is 9 births in 2024, compared with 40 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Danish
010203040199620102024

Decades

Danish by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Danish was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #2237 50 5
2010s #1541 179 10
2000s #817 287 10
1990s #928 64 4

Geography

Where Danish is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Danish. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Danish ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #516 in 2019.

Scotland
5

Across the UK

Danish in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#516 in 2019

4 years of NRS records, 15 total registered

Related

Names similar to Danish

FAQ

Danish: questions and answers

How popular is the name Danish in the UK right now?

In 2024, Danish was ranked #2443 for boys in England and Wales, with 9 births registered.

When was Danish most popular?

The peak year on record was 2005, with 40 babies registered as Danish in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Danish?

Native to Denmark; of Danish origin or relating to Denmark.

How many people are called Danish in the UK?

A total of 580 babies have been registered as Danish across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 15 more in Scotland.

Where is Danish most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Danish ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #516 in 2019. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.