57.1501° N, 2.1018° W

ABERDEEN

Most Famous People Born in Aberdeen, United Kingdom

Notable people
885
Peak decade
1980s
Median birth year
1911
Most distinctive
Surgeon 7.8×

Granite-city overachievers: the Surgeon and Physician benches reflect the medical school that trained the founders of modern anaesthesia and tropical medicine, and the Botanist cluster comes from Kew-adjacent plant hunters who combed the empire. The Golf reading is simply what happens when your coastline invented the sport.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Aberdeen during each.

What Aberdeen Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Football is Aberdeen's biggest profession — 22% of all notables (195).

Aberdeen over-indexes on surgeon7.8× the global rate.

Aberdeen under-produces actor — only 0.6× the global rate.

  1. Football195
  2. Politician79
  3. Actor27
  4. Painter20
  5. Writer19
  6. Physician18
  7. Poet15
  8. Historian15
  1. Surgeon97.8×
  2. Golf106.7×
  3. Botanist123.4×
  4. Physician183.0×
  5. Mathematician102.3×
  6. Engineer122.2×
  7. Football1952.0×
  8. Poet151.6×
  1. Actor270.6×
  2. Writer190.7×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Aberdeen's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

15001550160016501700175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Science
  • Politics & Law
  • Writing
  • Art & Design
  • Music
  • Other
All885
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Showing 39 of 885 notable people

0033 EGYPTOLOGIST

Kenneth Kitchen

Born 1932

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0097 SAXOPHONIST

Jimmy Hastings

Born 1938

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0115 FOOTBALL

Ron Yeats

Born 1937

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0159 FOOTBALL

Graham Leggat

1934 - 2015

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0170 COMPOSER

John McLeod (composer)

Born 1934

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0200 FOOTBALL

Adam Blacklaw

1937 - 2010

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0260 POLITICIAN

Robert Hughes, Baron Hughes of Woodside

Born 1932

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0281 POLITICIAN

Norman Hogg, Baron Hogg of Cumbernauld

1938 - 2008

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0297 POLITICIAN

Richard Alexander (British politician)

1934 - 2008

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0350 FOOTBALL

Doug Smith (footballer, born 1937)

1937 - 2012

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0393 SINGER

Ian Campbell (folk musician)

1933 - 2012

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0412 COMICS

Scott Goodall

1935 - 2016

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0419 ACTOR

Glenn Cannon

1932 - 2013

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0428 MUSIC

John D. Burgess

1934 - 2005

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0466 POLITICIAN

James Forrester (politician)

1937 - 2011

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0470 GUITAR

Pat King

Born 1934

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0483 MILITAR

Roderick Klintebo

1933 - 2005

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0506 FOOTBALL

Ian Burns

1939 - 2015

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0539 NOVELIST

Ross Laidlaw (author)

Born 1931

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0632 PROFESSOR

Seaton Baxter

Born 1939

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0634 FOOTBALL

George Kelly (footballer)

1933 - 1998

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0642 POLITICIAN

John Letford

Born 1935

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0645 PRIEST

John Taylor (bishop of Glasgow and Galloway)

Born 1932

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0665 CIVIL SERVANT

William Reid (civil servant)

Born 1931

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0699 FOOTBALL

Les Massie

Born 1935

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0714 FOOTBALL

John Ogston

1939 - 2017

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0730 FOOTBALL

Ken Thomson (footballer)

1930 - 1969

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0735 FOOTBALL

Dave Bennett (footballer, born 1938)

Born 1938

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0737 MISSING

George Black (RAF officer)

Born 1932

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0742 FOOTBALL

Bert Henderson (footballer)

1931 - 2008

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0743 MINISTER

Alan Main (minister)

Born 1936

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0754 PLAYER

Ernie Michie

Born 1933

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0771 BUSINESS

David McCall (businessman)

Born 1934

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0772 FOOTBALL

Stewart Fraser (footballer)

Born 1936

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0794 FOOTBALL

Hughie Hay

1930 - 2012

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0800 POLITICIAN

Roy Hendry Thomson

1932 - 2009

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0814 FOOTBALL

Jack Lornie

1939 - 2014

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0826 FOOTBALL

Bill Smith (footballer, born 1938)

Born 1938

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0829 FOOTBALL

Dickie Ewen

1939 - 2001

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