Nordic and Scandinavian diaspora in the United Kingdom

Nordic and Scandinavian diaspora in the United Kingdom refers to people from the Nordic countries who settled in the United Kingdom, their descendants, history and culture. There has been exchange of populations between Scandinavia and Great Britain at different periods over the past 1,400 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[1][2][3][4]

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.^[5]

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.^[6]

Notable individuals

See also the categories British people of Scandinavian descent, Danish expatriates in the United Kingdom, Finnish expatriates in the United Kingdom, Icelandic expatriates in the United Kingdom, Norwegian expatriates in the United Kingdom, and Swedish expatriates in the United Kingdom

The table below includes Britons with significant recent Nordic ancestry.

Name	Image	Ancestry	Occupation and notes
Jacob Aagaard		Denmark	Danish-born Scottish chess grandmaster
Alicia Agneson		Sweden	Actress who moved to London at age 15
Damon Albarn		Denmark	English-Icelandic musician, singer and songwriter of Danish descent through his mother.
Alexandra of Denmark		Denmark	Queen of the United Kingdom, consort of Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India
Sir Ove Arup		Denmark	British engineer, founder of Arup
Richard Ayoade		Norway	British comedian and actor with a Norwegian mother.
Svend Bayer		Denmark	Potter
Elynor and Zoe Bäckstedt		Sweden	Welsh racing cyclists, daughters of Swedish racing cyclist Magnus Bäckstedt
Antonia Bernath		Norway	Actress
Tom Blomqvist		Sweden	Racing driver, son of Swedish rally driver Stig Blomqvist
MyAnna Buring		Sweden	actress
W. D. Caröe		Denmark	Architect
Georgina Castle		Sweden	Actress
Roald Dahl		Norway	Author
Sophie Dahl		Norway	Fashion model and granddaughter of Roald Dahl
Camilla Dallerup		Denmark	Ballroom dancer, a former professional on BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing
Sandra Dickinson		Finland	actress
Britt Ekland		Sweden	Actress and Bond Girl
Johan Eliasch		Sweden	UK-based businessman, chairman & CEO of sporting goods manufacturer Head and deputy treasurer of the Conservative Party
Mariella Frostrup		Norway	Journalist and radio and television presenter
Adeline Genée		Denmark	Ballet dancer
Charles Hambro		Denmark	Banker and politician, part of the Hambros Banking dynasty
Gustav Holst		Sweden	English composer and music teacher, best known for his orchestral suite The Planets
Ashley Jensen		Denmark	Scottish actress
Ulrika Jonsson		Sweden	Television personality
Synnøve Karlsen		Norway	Actress
Jessica Kellgren-Fozard		Sweden	YouTuber
Jonas Kellgren		Sweden	First professor of rheumatology in the UK
Felix Kjellberg		Sweden	Swedish YouTuber who moved to Brighton.
Magnus Lund		Norway	English rugby union player
John Lundstram		Norway	English footballer
Jessica Madsen		Denmark	actress
Mikko Mäkelä		Finland	filmmaker
Magnus Magnusson		Iceland	Television presenter, notably for the BBC's Mastermind, and novelist
Sally Magnusson		Iceland	News presenter and daughter of Magnus Magnusson
Rosita Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough		Sweden	Artist and noblewoman
Jan Mølby		Denmark	Former professional footballer who spent much of his career at Liverpool F.C.
Kirsten O'Brien		Norway	TV presenter
Hans Rausing		Sweden	Billionaire heir to the Tetra Pak/Tetra Laval dynasty
Sigrid Rausing		Sweden	Philanthropist and publisher
Toby Regbo		Norway	Actor
Christian Rodska		Denmark	Actor
Christian Salvesen		Norway	Shipowner and businessman
Edward Theodore Salvesen		Norway	Scottish lawyer, politician and judge
Peter Schmeichel		Denmark	Former Manchester United goalkeeper; his son Kasper spent his childhood in Manchester.
Sofia Sjöborg		Sweden	Equestrian; born and raised in London and represents Sweden in international competitions.
Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of Shaftesbury		Sweden	Peer and runner
Steve Simonsen		Denmark	English goalkeeper
Rupert Svendsen-Cook		Norway	English Formula BMW UK race car driver
Georgia Tennant		Finland	actress and producer
Sandi Toksvig		Denmark	Comedian
Christian Wolmar		Sweden	Journalist, author, and railway historian
Patrick Wymark		Finland	English actor

See also

• Swedes in the United Kingdom
• Danelaw
• Scandinavian migration to France

References

1. Excavating Past Population Structures by Surname-Based Sampling: The Genetic Legacy of the Vikings in Northwest England
2. Goodacre, S; Helgason, A; Nicholson, J; Southam, L; Ferguson, L; Hickey, E; Vega, E; Stefánsson, K; Ward, R; Sykes, B (2005). "Genetic evidence for a family-based Scandinavian settlement of Shetland and Orkney during the Viking periods". Heredity. 95 (2): 129–135. doi:10.1038/sj.hdy.6800661. PMID 15815712.
3. "Gene geography: Do you have Viking ancestry in your DNA?". Wellcome Trust. 2004. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
4. Branagan, Mark (30 January 2009). "'Time team' to seek out genetic secrets of Yorkshire's Viking past". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
5. "Country-of-birth database". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
6. "Estimated overseas-born population resident in the United Kingdom by sex, by country of birth (Table 1.4)". Office for National Statistics. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2015. Figure given is the central estimate. See the source for 95 per cent confidence intervals.