Danish Genealogical Word List: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 16:57, 12 December 2022

Danish Genealogical Word List

Downloadable Word List
PDF File
Handwriting Help
Danish Handwriting Danish Handwriting Examples Scandinavian Handwriting
Associated Countries
Denmark Faroe Islands	Greenland

Genealogical Word Lists

Danish Genealogical Word List

DANISH to ENGLISH Word List ENGLISH to DANISH Word List

The Danish Genealogical Word List shows Danish words and their English translations for many words that are found in documents used to research Danish ancestors. If the word you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Danish-English dictionary. (See the "Additional Resources" section below.)

Danish is a Germanic language like English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, and Icelandic. A major spelling and grammar reform was introduced in Denmark in 1953. Most differences between modern and old Danish are simply a matter of spelling. The spelling section in "Language Characteristics" below, along with the English to Danish Word list are designed to help you find the words you need.

Due to community feedback, the Danish Word List is now available in a PDF format. This list was created by revising the Genealogical Word List for Denmark that is now out of print. Some words that did not seem relevant to Danish research were removed. Many words were added including many occupations. There are 1, 278 terms in this list. The PDF will be updated as the Word List is improved. See Danish Genealogical Word List October 2010

Language Characteristics

Variant Forms of Words

In Danish, as in English, the forms of some words will vary according to how they are used in a sentence. Who—whose—whom or marry—marries—married are examples of words in English with variant forms. The endings of a word in a document may differ from those in this list, for example:

Mand= man

Kone= wife

Manden= the man

Konen= the wife

Mænd= men

Koner= wives

Mænderne= the men

Konerne= the wives

This word list gives the standard form of each word.

Alphabetical Order

Written Danish has three additional letters: Æ (æ), Ø (ø), and Å (å). These letters are filed after A-Z alphabetically. The letter Å (å) was officially introduced in 1953, so it never appears in older records. Prior to that time it was usually written as Aa (aa) and filed at the beginning of the alphabet. Danish dictionaries and indexes, this word list, and the Locality section of the FamilySearch Catalog use the following alphabetical order:

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z æ ø å

Spelling

Spelling rules were not standardized in earlier centuries. The following spelling variations are common.

aa used for å

b used for p

c used for k

d used for t

fi used for v

g used for k

i used for j

x used for ks

q used for k

w used for v

e used for æ

ö used for ø

u used for v

ch used for k

tj used for ki

Examples:

skov spelled as schov

kvinde spelled as qvinde

Århus spelled as Aarhus

Key Words

To find and use specific types of Danish records, you will need to know some key words in Danish. This section gives key genealogical terms in English and the Danish words with the same or similar meanings.

For example, in the first column you will find the English word marriage. In the second column you will find Danish words with meanings such as marry, marriage, wedding, wedlock, unite, legitimate, joined, and other words used in Danish records to indicate marriage.

English	Danish
banns	trolovede, trolovelse, forlovelse
births	fødte, født
burials	begravede, begravelse, jordet
census	folketælling
child	barn
christenings	døpte, døbt, daab
confirmations	konfirmerede
deaths	døde, død
father	fader, far
female	kvindekjøn (køn), pige
husband	mand, husbonde, husfader
index	register
male	mandkjøn (køn), drenge
marriages	copulerede, vielse, ægteviede, bryllup
military	militær, lægd
mother	moder, mor
moving in	tilgangsliste, inflytning
moving out	avgangsliste, udflytning
name, given	navne
name, surname	efternavne
parents	forældre
parish	sogn
vaccinations	vaccinerede
wife	hustru, husmoder, kone, kvinde
year	år, anno

Additional Resources

This word list includes only words most commonly found in genealogical sources. For further help, use a Danish-English dictionary. Several dictionaries are available in the Scandinavian book collection at the FamilySearch Library. Their call numbers begin with 439.81321.

The following dictionary is also available on microfilm for use in FamilySearch Centers:
Magnussen, Johannes Julius. McKay's Modern English-Danish, Danish-English Dictionary. New York: David McKay, 1957. (FS Library book 439.81321 M275m; film 1,440,033, item 1.)

Additional dictionaries are listed in the Subject section of the FamilySearch Library Catalog under DANISH LANGUAGE - DICTIONARIES or in the Locality section under DENMARK - LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGES.

A dictionary of modern Danish published by the Danish Language and Literature Society (Det Danske Sprog- og Litteraturselskab) is available online at The Danish Dictionary (Den Danske Ordbog}.

Other FamilySearch Research Wiki Resources

Denmark Probate Records for words commonly found in probate records
Denmark Occupations for a list of occupations

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-This list contains Danish words with their English translations. The words included here are those that you are likely to find in genealogical sources. If the word you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Danish-English dictionary. (See the "Additional Resources" section below.)
+{{DanishWL-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
+| link1=[[Genealogical Word Lists|Genealogical Word Lists]]
+| link2=
+| link3=
+| link4=
+| link5=[[Danish Genealogical Word List|Danish Genealogical Word List]]
+}}
-Danish is a Germanic language like Swedish, Norwegian, and Icelandic. A major spelling and grammar reform was introduced in [[Denmark]] in 1953. Most differences between modern and old Danish are simply a matter of spelling. Carefully study the spelling section in "Language Characteristics" below. This will help you find the words in this list.
+__TOC__
-== <br>LANGUAGE CHARACTERISTICS ==
+<center>'''[[Danish to English Genealogical Word List|DANISH to ENGLISH Word List]]'''</center>
-==== <br>Variant Forms of Words ====
+<center>'''[[English to Danish Genealogical Word List|ENGLISH to DANISH Word List]]'''</center>
-In Danish, as in English, the forms of some words will vary according to how they are used in a sentence. Who—whose—whom or marry—marries—married are examples of words in English with variant forms. The endings of a word in a document may differ from those in this list, for example:
-Mand man Kone wife<br> Manden the man Konen the wife<br> Mænd men Koner wives<br> Mænderne the men Konerne the wives
+The Danish Genealogical Word List shows Danish words and their English translations for many words that are found in documents used to research Danish ancestors. If the word you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Danish-English dictionary. (See the "Additional Resources" section below.)
-This word list gives the standard form of each word.
+Danish is a Germanic language like English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, and Icelandic. A major spelling and grammar reform was introduced in [[Denmark Genealogy|Denmark]] in 1953. Most differences between modern and old Danish are simply a matter of spelling. The spelling section in "Language Characteristics" below, along with the English to Danish Word list are designed to help you find the words you need.
-==== <br>Alphabetical Order ====
+Due to community feedback, the Danish Word List is now available in a PDF format. This list was created by revising the Genealogical Word List for Denmark that is now out of print. Some words that did not seem relevant to Danish research were removed. Many words were added including many occupations. There are 1, 278 terms in this list. The PDF will be updated as the Word List is improved. See [[Media:Danish Genealogical Word List October 2010.pdf|Danish Genealogical Word List October 2010]]
+== Language Characteristics  ==
+==== Variant Forms of Words  ====
+In Danish, as in English, the forms of some words will vary according to how they are used in a sentence. Who—whose—whom or marry—marries—married are examples of words in English with variant forms. The endings of a word in a document may differ from those in this list, for example:
-Written Danish has three additional letters: Æ (æ), Ø (ø), and Å (å). These letters are filed after A-Z alphabetically. The letter Å (å) was officially introduced in 1953, so it never appears in older records. Prior to that time it was usually written as Aa (aa) and filed at the beginning of the alphabet. Danish dictionaries and indexes, this word list, and the Locality section of the Family History Library Catalog use the following alphabetical order:
+Mand= man
-a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z æ ø å
+Kone= wife<br>
-==== <br>Spelling ====
+Manden= the man
-Spelling rules were not standardized in earlier centuries. The following spelling variations are common.
+Konen= the wife<br>
-aa used for å b used for p<br> c used for k d used for t<br> fi used for v g used for k<br> i used for j x used for ks<br> q used for k w used for v<br> e used for æ ö used for ø<br> u used for v ch used for k<br> tj used for ki
+Mænd= men
-Examples:
+Koner= wives<br>
-skov spelled as schov<br> kvinde spelled as qvinde<br> Århus spelled as Aarhus
+Mænderne= the men
-== <br>ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ==
+Konerne= the wives
-This word list includes only words most commonly found in genealogical sources. For further help, use a Danish-English dictionary. Several Danish-English dictionaries are available at the Family History Library. These are in the Scandinavian collection. Their call numbers begin with 439.81321.
+This word list gives the standard form of each word.
-The following dictionary is also available on microfilm for use in Family History Centers:
+==== Alphabetical Order  ====
-Magnussen, Johannes Julius. [http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=471531&disp=McKa%C3%BDs+modern+Danish%2DEnglish%2C+E%20%20&columns=*,0,0 McKay's Modern English-Danish, Danish-English Dictionary]. New York: David McKay, 1957. (FHL book 439.81321 M275m; film 1,440,033, item 1.)
+Written Danish has three additional letters: Æ (æ), Ø (ø), and Å (å). These letters are filed after A-Z alphabetically. The letter Å (å) was officially introduced in 1953, so it never appears in older records. Prior to that time it was usually written as Aa (aa) and filed at the beginning of the alphabet. Danish dictionaries and indexes, this word list, and the Locality section of the FamilySearch Catalog use the following alphabetical order:
-Additional dictionaries are listed in the Subject section of the Family History Library Catalog under [http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=subjecthitlist&columns=*%2C0%2C0&subject=Danish+Language+-+Dictionaries&presubject=Danish+Language+-+Dictionaries DANISH LANGUAGE - DICTIONARIES] or in the Locality section under DENMARK - LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGES.<br> <!--{12064086456450} -->
+a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z æ ø å
-== <br>KEY WORDS ==
+==== Spelling  ====
-To find and use specific types of Danish records, you will need to know some key words in Danish. This section gives key genealogical terms in English and the Danish words with the same or similar meanings.
+Spelling rules were not standardized in earlier centuries. The following spelling variations are common.
-For example, in the first column you will find the English word marriage. In the second column you will find Danish words with meanings such as marry, marriage, wedding, wedlock, unite, legitimate, joined, and other words used in Danish records to indicate marriage.
+aa used for å
-{| width="317" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="1"
+b used for p<br>
+c used for k
+d used for t<br>
+fi used for v
+g used for k<br>
+i used for j
+x used for ks<br>
+q used for k
+w used for v<br>
+e used for æ
+ö used for ø<br>
+u used for v
+ch used for k<br>
+tj used for ki
+Examples:
+skov spelled as schov<br>
+kvinde spelled as qvinde<br>
+Århus spelled as Aarhus
+== Key Words ==
+To find and use specific types of Danish records, you will need to know some key words in Danish. This section gives key genealogical terms in English and the Danish words with the same or similar meanings.
+For example, in the first column you will find the English word marriage. In the second column you will find Danish words with meanings such as marry, marriage, wedding, wedlock, unite, legitimate, joined, and other words used in Danish records to indicate marriage.
+{| class="wikitable"
 |-
-| English<br>
+! English
-| Danish<br>
+! Danish
 |-
 | banns
 | trolovede, trolovelse, forlovelse
 |-
 | births
 | fødte, født
 |-
 | burials
 | begravede, begravelse, jordet
 |-
 | census
 | folketælling
 |-
 | child
 | barn
 |-
 | christenings
 | døpte, døbt, daab
 |-
 | confirmations
 | konfirmerede
 |-
 | deaths
 | døde, død
 |-
 | father
 | fader, far
 |-
 | female
 | kvindekjøn (køn), pige
 |-
 | husband
 | mand, husbonde, husfader
 |-
 | index
 | register
 |-
 | male
 | mandkjøn (køn), drenge
 |-
 | marriages
 | copulerede, vielse, ægteviede, bryllup
 |-
 | military
-| militær
+| militær, lægd
 |-
 | mother
 | moder, mor
 |-
 | moving in
 | tilgangsliste, inflytning
 |-
 | moving out
 | avgangsliste, udflytning
 |-
 | name, given
 | navne
 |-
 | name, surname
 | efternavne
 |-
 | parents
 | forældre
 |-
 | parish
 | sogn
 |-
 | vaccinations
 | vaccinerede
 |-
 | wife
 | hustru, husmoder, kone, kvinde
 |-
 | year
 | år, anno
 |}
-<!--{12064086456451} --> <!--{12064086456452} -->
+[[Category:Denmark Language and Handwriting]] [[Category:Language and Handwriting]]  [[Category:Word_List]] [[Category:Genealogical_Words_in_Danish_Research]]
-<!--{12064086456453} -->
-[[Category:Denmark]]
+== Additional Resources ==
+This word list includes only words most commonly found in genealogical sources. For further help, use a Danish-English dictionary. Several dictionaries are available in the Scandinavian book collection at the FamilySearch Library. Their call numbers begin with 439.81321.
+The following dictionary is also available on microfilm for use in FamilySearch Centers:<br>
+Magnussen, Johannes Julius. [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/471531?availability=Family%20History%20Library McKay's Modern English-Danish, Danish-English Dictionary]. New York: David McKay, 1957. (FS Library book 439.81321 M275m; film 1,440,033, item 1.)
+Additional dictionaries are listed in the Subject section of the [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog FamilySearch Library Catalog] under  DANISH LANGUAGE - DICTIONARIES or in the Locality section under DENMARK - LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGES.
+A dictionary of modern Danish published by the [https://dsl.dk/ Danish Language and Literature Society] (''Det Danske Sprog- og Litteraturselskab'') is available online at [https://ordnet.dk/ddo_en The Danish Dictionary] (''Den Danske Ordbog''}.
+=== Other FamilySearch Research Wiki Resources ===
+*[[Denmark Probate Records]] for words commonly found in probate records
+*[[Denmark Occupations]] for a list of occupations