Poulsen— and Ragnas Ø —the name used by Henning Bistrup— at the time 1906–08 Danmark Expedition, the island was renamed in 1932 by the Gefion Expedition after Godfred Hansen (1876 - 1937), Danish polar explorer and first officer of the Gjøa, the first ship that made the Northwest Passage.

[1] Gefion Havn is the harbour on the south coast of Godfred Hansen Island.

The hunting station Ålborghus was built at the time of the 1938–39 Mørkefjord Expedition by the Nanok East Greenland Fishing Company (Østgrønlandsk Fangstkompagni Nanok A/S) in Gefion Havn, replacing the former hunting hut.

[1] Godfred Hansen Island is a coastal island located east of Queen Louise Land in SW Dove Bay, south of Germania Land.

[2] The Nørresund is a sound on the north side of the island and Sønderstrand is a flat coastal stretch in the south.