Scandinavian migration to Britain


Scandinavian migration to Britain is a phenomenon that has occurred at different periods over the past 1,200 years. Over the last couple of centuries, there has been regular migration from Scandinavia to Great Britain, from families looking to settle, businesspeople, academics to migrant workers, particularly those in the oil industry.

Scandinavian ancestry of British peoples

A study into the Scandinavian ancestry of British peoples found that there is evidence of particular concentrations in the Isle of Man, Shetland and Orkney; and to a lesser degree, in the Western Isles of Scotland and in the Wirral, West Lancashire, Cumbria and Yorkshire in England.

Contemporary migration

The 2001 UK Census recorded 22,525 people born in Sweden, 18,695 in Denmark, 13,798 in Norway, 11,322 in Finland and 1,552 in Iceland.
In more recent estimates by the Office for National Statistics, Sweden was the only Scandinavian country to feature in the top 60 foreign countries of birth of UK residents in 2013, with an estimated 27,000 people.

Notable individuals

The table below includes Britons with significant recent Nordic ancestry.
NameImage AncestryOccupation
Jacob AagaardDenmarkDanish born Scottish Grandmaster of Chess
Alexandra of DenmarkDenmarkQueen of the United Kingdom, consort of Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India
Sir Ove ArupDenmarkEnglish engineer, founder of Arup
Roald DahlNorwayauthor
Sophie DahlNorwayfashion model and granddaughter of Roald Dahl
Camilla DallerupDenmarkballroom dancer, a former professional on BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing
Britt EklandSwedenactress and Bond Girl
Johan EliaschSwedenUK-based businessman,chairman & CEO of sporting goods manufacturer Head and Party deputy treasurer of the Conservative Party
Mariella FrostrupNorwayjournalist and radio and television presenter
Charles HambroDenmarkbanker and politician, part of the Hambros Banking dynasty
Gustav HolstSwedenEnglish composer and was a music teacher best known for his orchestral suite The Planets
Ashley JensenDenmarkScottish actress
Ulrika JonssonSwedentelevision personality
Magnus LundNorwayEnglish rugby union player
John LundstramNorwayEnglish footballer
Magnus MagnussonIcelandtelevision presenter, notably for the BBC's Mastermind & novelist
Sally MagnussonIcelandnews presenter and daughter of Magnus Magnusson
Rosita Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of MarlboroughSwedenartist and noblewoman
Jan MølbyDenmarkformer professional footballer who spent much of his career at Liverpool F.C.
Kirsten O'BrienNorwayTV presenter
Hans RausingSwedenbillionaire heir to the Tetra Pak/Tetra Laval dynasty
Christian SalvesenNorwayshipowner and businessman
Edward Theodore SalvesenNorwayScottish lawyer, politician and judge
Peter SchmeichelDenmarkformer Manchester United goalkeeper and whose son Kasper spent his childhood in Manchester
Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of ShaftesburySwedenpeer and runner
Steve SimonsenDenmarkEnglish goalkeeper
Rupert Svendsen-CookNorwayEnglish Formula BMW UK race car driver
Sandi ToksvigDenmarkcomedian
Christian WolmarSwedenjournalist, author, and railway historian
Patrick WymarkFinlandEnglish actor
Mai ZetterlingSwedenactress