A person who lives in or comes from

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwest ...

, Denmark, is called an Aarhusian (). This is a list of well known people who were born, lived, or grew up in the city of Aarhus.

People by field

Politics *

Svend Unmack Larsen Svend Unmack Larsen (23 September 1893, in Aarhus – 23 March 1965) was a Danish politician for the Social Democratic Party who served as Denmark's Minister of Justice (1939–1940) and was the mayor of Aarhus, Denmark for 13 years (1945 ...

(1893–1965), Mayor of Aarhus, Minister of Justice *

Hans Hedtoft Hans Hedtoft Hansen (21 April 1903 – 29 January 1955) was a Danish politician of the Social Democrats who served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 1947 to 1950 and again from 1953 until his death in 1955. He also served as the first President ...

(1903–1955), Prime Minister * H. C. Hansen (1906–1960), Prime Minister * Marichen Nielsen (1921–2014), MP, MEP (Social Democrats) *

Thorkild Simonsen Thorkild Simonsen (7 July 1926 – 4 September 2022) was a Danish politician and member of the Social Democrats. He was mayor of Århus municipality from 1982 to 1997 and Interior Minister of Denmark from 1997 to 2000 in the Cabinets of Poul Nyr ...

(1926–2022), Mayor of Aarhus, Minister of Interior Affairs *

Svend Auken Svend Gunnarsen Auken (; 24 May 1943 – 4 August 2009) was a Danish politician. He represented the Social Democrats as a member of the Danish parliament (Folketinget) from 1971 until his death. He was married to journalist and editor Bettina H ...

(1943–2009), Minister of Labour, Leader of The Social Democrats party, Minister of the Environment and Energy * Uffe Elbæk (b. 1954), politician and founder of the

KaosPilot Kaospilot (lit.: Chaos Pilot) is a disruptive education provider and facilitator of learning experiences for individuals, communities and organizations located in Aarhus, Denmark, and surrounded by the creative and vibrant areas of Filmbyen and Sy ...

school, Minister of Culture, founder and leader of The Alternative party * Nicolai Wammen (b. 1971), Mayor of Aarhus, Minister for European Affairs, Minister of Defence, Minister for Finance *

Morten Østergaard Morten Østergaard (born 17 June 1976 in Aarhus) is a Danish politician who served as Denmark's Minister for Economic and Interior Affairs from 2 September 2014 to 28 June 2015. Leader of the Danish Social Liberal Party from September 2014 to Oct ...

(b. 1976), Deputy Prime Minister, Minister, Leader of the Danish Social Liberal Party *

Linea Søgaard-Lidell Linea Søgaard-Lidell (born 30 March 1987) is a Danish politician. Political career She stood in the 2019 European Parliament election in Denmark. She was placed 4th on the Venstre list and won 24,153 personal votes, and so was not elected i ...

(b. 1987), MEP, MP *

Marie Jepsen Marie Jepsen (27 March 1940 – 20 October 2018) was a Danish politician who served in the European Parliament as a member of the Conservative People's Party from 1984 until 1994. Biography Marie Jepsen was born on 27 March 1940 in the town of ...

(1940–2018), MEP Business *

Hans Broge Hans Broge (4 December 1822 – 25 March 1908) was a Danish merchant, politician, Commander of the Order of the Dannebrog and recipient of the Danish Medal of Merit. He became one of the most prominent Danish businessmen of his time and helped e ...

(1822-1908), businessman, entrepreneur, member of the city council * Søren Frich (1827-1901), industrialist, member of the city council * Laurits Christian Meulengracht (1827-1903), businessman, director of the Ceres breweries, member of the city council *

Otto Mønsted Rasmus Otto Mønsted (23 November 1838 - 4 September 1916) was an industrialist and margarine manufacturer from Denmark. Born at the rural family manor of Lyngsbækgård on Mols near Ebeltoft, Otto Mønsted became a wholesaler of butter, grain a ...

(1838–1916), businessman, member of the city council *

Anders Holch Povlsen Anders Holch Povlsen (born 4 November 1972) is a Danish billionaire, CEO and sole owner of the international retail clothing chain Bestseller (which includes Vero Moda and Jack&Jones), a company founded by his parents. He is the largest sharehol ...

(b. 1972), owner of

Bestseller A bestseller is a book or other media noted for its top selling status, with bestseller lists published by newspapers, magazines, and book store chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and specialties (novel, nonfiction book, cookb ...

Science *

Ole Worm Ole Worm (13 May 1588 – 31 August 1654), who often went by the Latinized form of his name Olaus Wormius, was a Danish physician, natural historian and antiquary. He was a professor at the University of Copenhagen where he taught Greek, Latin ...

(1588–1655), physician, scholar and antiquarian *

Ole Rømer Ole Christensen Rømer (; 25 September 1644 – 19 September 1710) was a Danish astronomer who, in 1676, made the first measurement of the speed of light. Rømer also invented the modern thermometer showing the temperature between two fix ...

(1644–1710), astronomer *

William Hovgaard William Hovgaard (born 1857, Aarhus, Denmark d. 1950, Summit, New Jersey) was a Danish, later Danish American professor of naval design and construction at Massachusetts Institute of Technology until his retirement in 1933. Hovgaard was one of the ...

(1857–1957), professor of naval design and construction *

H.O. Lange Hans Osterfeld "H.O." Lange (13 October 1863 – 15 January 1943) was a Danish librarian and egyptologist. He was chief librarian at the Royal Danish Library. Biography Lange was born in Aarhus to Hans and Catherine Lange. He expressed interest ...

(1863-1943), librarian and egyptologist *

Jens Christian Skou Jens Christian Skou (; 8 October 1918 – 28 May 2018) was a Danish biochemist and Nobel laureate. Early life Skou was born in Lemvig, Denmark to a wealthy family. His father Magnus Martinus Skou was a timber and coal merchant. His mother Ane-Ma ...

(1918–2018), physiologist, Nobel laureate in chemistry 1997 *

Ole Barndorff-Nielsen Ole Eiler Barndorff-Nielsen (18 March, 1935 – 26 June, 2022) was a Danish statistician who has contributed to many areas of statistical science. Education and career He was born in Copenhagen, and became interested in statistics when, as a ...

(1935–2022), statistician *

Drude Dahlerup Drude Dahlerup (born 3 February 1945 in Aarhus, Denmark) is a Danish-Swedish professor of Political Science at Stockholm University. Her main research area is gender and politics. She is an international consultant on the empowerment of women in ...

(b. 1945), Professor of Political Science * Bjarne Stroustrup (b. 1950), computer scientist *

Ivan Damgård Ivan Bjerre Damgård (born 1956) is a Danish cryptographer and currently a professor at the Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, Denmark. Academic background In 1983, he obtained a master's degree in mathematics (with minors in ...

(b. 1956) cryptographer *

Lene Hau Lene Vestergaard Hau (; born November 13, 1959) is a Danish physicist and educator. She is the Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and of Applied Physics at Harvard University. In 1999, she led a Harvard University team who, by use of a Bose–E ...

(b. 1959), physicist *

Lars Bak Lars Ytting Bak (born 16 January 1980) is a Danish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2019 for the Fakta, , , , and squads. From 2022, Bak will act as team manager for UCI Women's WorldTeam . Ba ...

(b. 1965), computer scientist Sports * Johan Andersen (1920-2003), sprint canoeist, World Champion *

Stig Tøfting Stig Tøfting (born 14 August 1969), commonly known as Tøffe, is a former Danish professional footballer and assistant coach, who most recently was the assistant of Erik Rasmussen at AGF. Tøfting was a hard-hitting combative defensive midfi ...

(b. 1969), footballer *

Martin Jørgensen Lars Martin Jørgensen (; born 6 October 1975) is a Danish former professional footballer played as a midfielder or defender. He works as talent manager for AGF. Jørgensen amassed 102 caps and scored 12 goals for the Denmark national team. ...

(b. 1975), footballer * Martin Kampmann (b. 1982), UFC Fighter * Sara Petersen (b. 1987), hurdler, European Champion * Dennis Ceylan (b. 1989), boxer, European Champion (EBU) * Andrej Lawaetz Bendtsen (b. 1990), rower, World Champion *

Line Kjærsfeldt Line Højmark Kjærsfeldt (born 20 April 1994) is a Danish badminton player specializing in singles. She won a bronze medal at the 2010 BWF World Junior Championships in the women's doubles with Sandra-Maria Jensen. Kjærsfeldt also won a gold ...

- (b. 1994), Badminton player, European champion. Music and culture *

Morten Børup Morten Børup (1446–1526) was a Danish educator, cathedral cantor and Latin poet. Early life and education Born in Skanderborg, he first worked as a farm labourer, suffering considerable abuse. When he was 27 he fled to Aarhus, where he manage ...

(1446–1526), educator, cathedral cantor, writer *

Heinrich Ernst Grosmann Heinrich Ernst Grosmann (1732–1811) was a Danish composer. He is best known for his work with Aarhus Cathedral. Notable works include ''Paaske Music'' (1775) and ''Cantata Paa Christi Himmelfarts Dag. Gud farer op'' (1791) See also *List ...

(1732–1811), cantor, composer *

Gabriel Axel Axel Gabriel Erik Mørch better known as Gabriel Axel (18 April 1918 – 9 February 2014)Ronald Berganbr>Obituary: Gabriel Axel ''The Guardian'', 10 February 2014 was a Danish film director, actor, writer and producer, best known for ''Babe ...

(1918–2014), film director (Oscar winner 1988), actor, writer and producer. *

Kai Winding Kai Chresten Winding ( ; May 18, 1922 – May 6, 1983) was a Danish-born American trombonist and jazz composer. He is known for his collaborations with fellow trombonist J. J. Johnson. His version of "More", the theme from the movie ''Mondo Ca ...

(1922-1983), American jazz trombonist * Erling Møldrup (1943-2016), classical guitarist * Nils Malmros (b. 1944), film director, screenwriter * Gitte Hænning (b. 1946), singer and film actress *

Flemming Jørgensen Flemming "Bamse" Duun Jørgensen (7 February 19471 January 2011) was a Danish pop singer and actor, best known as lead singer of the band Bamses Venner (''Teddy (Bear)'s Friends''). During the recent years he also released some solo albums, the la ...

(Bamse) (1947-2011), singer, songwriter, guitarist and actor *

Birthe Kjær Birthe Kjær (born 1 September 1948) is a Danish singer. She finished second at the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix in 1980, 1986 and 1987, before winning in 1989, and went on to finish third at the 1989 Eurovision Song Contest in Lausanne. She also fin ...

(b. 1948), singer *

Wayne Siegel Wayne Siegel (b. Los Angeles, California, 14 February 1953) is an American composer living in Malling, Denmark. From 1971 to 1974 Siegel studied composition and philosophy at the University of California, Santa Barbara. After three years there h ...

(b. 1953), composer, electronic music educator * Steffen Brandt (b. 1953), singer, composer and musician * Anne Linnet (b. 1953), singer and composer *

Finn Nygaard Finn Nygaard (born 1955) is a graphic designer from Denmark. He has worked professionally in many fields of graphical design, including corporate identity, colour setting, posters, graphic art, layout, and photography. He has exhibited in major ga ...

(b. 1955), graphic designer and artist *

Lis Sørensen Lis Sørensen (born 28 May 1955) is a Danish pop singer. In the 1970s she worked with Anne Linnet in Shit & Chanel and Anne Linnet Band. In 1983 she released her first solo album. She is also known for being the first artist to record Ednaswa ...

(b. 1955), singer, guitarist *

Poul Krebs Poul Krebs (born 28 May 1956 in Aarhus, Denmark) is a Danish pop/rock singer, songwriter and musician. He has released 23 albums and compilations, several topping the Danish Albums Chart. Krebs grew up in Aarhus and was in his youth a talented h ...

(b. 1956), singer-songwriter, guitarist and composer *

Anne Dorte Michelsen Anne Dorte Michelsen (born 17 July 1958, Århus) is a Danish singer and composer. In Denmark she first became known as a member of the groups Tøsedrengene and Venter på Far. Outside Denmark her second solo record ("Næste Dans") sold well in N ...

(b. 1958), singer and composer *

Kaare Norge Kaare Norge (born 1963) is a Danish classical guitarist. In 1991 he became the first classical musician to play at the Roskilde Festival. Although he has recorded a very broad repertory of classical works, well known for his recitals of composers ...

(b. 1963), classical guitarist *

Thomas Helmig Thomas Helmig (born 15 October 1964) is a Danish rock singer and musician, and has been one of the most popular singers in Denmark since the middle of the 1980s. Biography Thomas Helmig was born and grew up in Egå, a suburb of Aarhus, where his ...

(b. 1964), singer *

Mek Pek Mek Pek (born 4 January 1964) is a Danish singer and actor from Aarhus. Mek started his career in 1979 in the punk band ''Lost Kids'' in which he played the bass. ''Lost Kids'' eventually dissolved as a band and in 1982 he started his own band c ...

(b. 1964), singer and actor * Renée Simonsen (b. 1965), supermodel and author * Ida Corr (b. 1977), singer * Tina Dico (b. 1977), pop singer and guitarist * Liam O'Connor (L.O.C.) (b. 1979), rapper, songwriter and TV-host *

Marwan Marwan, Merwan or Mervan ( ar, مروان ''marwān''), is an Arabic male given name derived from the word ''marū/ maruw'' (مرو) with the meaning of either minerals, "flint(-stone)", "quartz" or "a hard stone of nearly pure silica". However, ...

(b. 1980), rapper and producer *

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

(b. 1982), pop singer * Mona Tougaard (b. 2002), Danish fashion model with Ethiopian, Somali, and Turkish ancestry Literature * Erik Pontoppidan (1698–1764) an author, a Lutheran bishop of the Church of Norway, a historian and an antiquarian. *

Thorkild Bjørnvig Thorkild Strange Bjørnvig (; 2 February 1918, Aarhus, Denmark – 5 March 2004, Samsø) was a Danish author and poet. Overview Bjørnvig studied literature at the University of Aarhus and his prize winning MA thesis (1947) was about Rainer Maria ...

(1918–2004), writer *

Bent Faurby Bent Faurby (born 21 March 1937) is a Danish author and schoolteacher who has specialized in children's literature, writing both fiction and informative works covering a variety of subjects. Biography Born in Kolding, Faurby attended Silkeborg Sem ...

(b. 1937), children's writer * Jørgen Leth (b. 1937), poet, director, author and journalist *

Svend Åge Madsen Svend Åge Madsen ( born 2 November 1939) is a Danish novelist. He studied mathematics before he began writing fiction. His novels are generally philosophical and humorous. Several of his works have been made into films in Denmark. His writings ...

(b. 1939), writer and playwright *

Peter Laugesen Peter Laugesen (born 5 March 1942 in Copenhagen) is a Danish poet and playwright and was member of the Situationist International. Peter Laugesen lives in Aarhus and he graduated from Aarhus Cathedral School in 1961 and trained as a typograph ...

(b. 1942), poet and playwright *

Elsebeth Egholm Elsebeth Egholm (born 17 September 1960) is a Danish journalist and best-selling author who writes mainly crime fiction novels. She is known internationally as the creator of the television series ''Those Who Kill''. Early life Born in Nyborg on t ...

(b. 1960),

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

writer *

Lene Kaaberbøl Lene Kaaberbøl (born in 1960) is a Danish writer born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her work primarily consists of children's fantasy series and crime fiction for adults. She received the Nordic Children's Book Prize in 2004. In 2009 Kaaberbøl with h ...

(b. 1960), writer (crime fiction and children's literature) * Yahya Hassan (1995-2020), poet and activist Religion and spirituality *

Peder Vognsen Peder Vognsen (died 11 April 1204) was bishop of the Diocese of Aarhus from 1191 until his death in 1204. He belonged to the nobility as a member of the Hvide clan and was related to Archbishop Absalon (his mother's cousin). He used his extensive ...

(d. 1204), first

bishop of Aarhus The former Diocese of Aarhus ( da, Aarhus Stift) was a Roman Catholic diocese in Denmark, founded in the 10th century and dissolved during the Protestant Reformation. The diocese included the counties of Aarhus and Randers, the islands of Sams ...

* Frederik Paludan-Müller (1809–1876) a Danish poet and bishop of Aarhus, 1830 to 1845. * Kjeld Christian Festersen Holm (b. 1945), Bishop of Aarhus 1994–2015 * Lars Muhl (b. 1950), mystic, author and musician

Notes and references

;Publications * *

External links

{{commons category-inline, People of Aarhus, People from Aarhus