Daily Ancestorenke
Enke means "widow", a woman whose husband had died; Norwegian records write it before her name or in the marital status column.
The male form is enkemand, widower, and enkestand is the state of being widowed. In the 1801 census, a person who was or had been married also has the number of marriages or widowhoods noted, which can point to an earlier spouse.
In the old farm society remarriage was the rule. The law made a surviving spouse wait a year; from 1752 men could remarry after six months and women after twelve. A marriage entry may give the date of the probate after an earlier marriage, which leads to the probate records.
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How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "enke." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/norwegian/enke. Last checked 2026-10-28.