55.6762° N, 12.5689° E

COPENHAGEN

Most Famous People Born in Copenhagen, Denmark

Notable people
3,495
Peak decade
1940s
Median birth year
1904
Most distinctive
Fencer 6.0×

Nordic letters, in roughly equal measure with Nordic Olympic sport. Copenhagen's distinctive professions are fencers and rowers at the top — the Olympic tradition of a small Nordic capital — alongside painters, architects, composers, sculptors, and photographers in roughly equal columns. The 18th and 19th centuries are unusually well represented, the era of Andersen and Kierkegaard and the Royal Theatre that has shared a few square blocks with the Royal Library and the publishing houses for two hundred years.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Copenhagen during each.

What Copenhagen Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Actor is Copenhagen's biggest profession — 10% of all notables (363).

Copenhagen over-indexes on fencer6.0× the global rate.

Copenhagen under-produces politician — only 0.4× the global rate.

  1. Actor363
  2. Painter277
  3. Football258
  4. Politician164
  5. Composer136
  6. Writer116
  7. Architect93
  8. Sport84
  1. Fencer406.0×
  2. Rower534.1×
  3. Painter2773.0×
  4. Architect933.0×
  5. Composer1363.0×
  6. Sculptor572.5×
  7. Photographer362.1×
  8. Actor3631.9×
  1. Politician1640.4×
  2. Football2580.7×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Copenhagen's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

15001550160016501700175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Art & Design
  • Film & TV
  • Music
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Other
All3,495
Sort By

Showing 6 of 3,495 notable people

1291 LIEUTENANT

Christen Thomesen Sehested

1664 - 1736

Preview
1916 PAINTER

Claus Møinichen

1665 - 1710

Preview
2535 THEOLOGIAN

Jens Bircherod

1664 - 1720

Preview
2847 MILITAR

Daniel Jacob Wilster

1669 - 1732

Preview
3165 PAINTER

Adriaen Foly

1664 - 1701

Preview
3239 OFFICER

Lave Hohendorff

1662 - 1729

Preview