46.9480° N, 7.4474° E

BERN

Most Famous People Born in Bern, Switzerland

Notable people
1,261
Peak decade
1940s
Median birth year
1934
Most distinctive
Author 2.7×

A Swiss federal capital whose bench is unusually literary and unusually scholarly for its size. Bern's distinctive professions are authors, academics, ice hockey players, architects, photographers, historians, painters, and diplomats — a combination that reflects both the federal civil service and a long Bernese tradition of humanistic learning. Paul Klee, Albrecht von Haller, and Friedrich Dürrenmatt all belong here; Einstein was not a son but wrote his 1905 miracle year in a Bern patent office.

Through the Centuries

One face per century — the most globally famous figure born in Bern during each.

What Bern Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Bern's biggest profession — 12% of all notables (156).

Bern over-indexes on author2.7× the global rate.

Bern under-produces football — only 0.3× the global rate.

  1. Politician156
  2. Writer77
  3. Painter66
  4. Actor64
  5. Hockey36
  6. Football34
  7. Academic31
  8. Historian30
  1. Author292.7×
  2. Academic312.4×
  3. Hockey362.4×
  4. Architect262.3×
  5. Photographer142.3×
  6. Historian302.3×
  7. Painter662.0×
  8. Diplomat141.9×
  1. Football340.3×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

15001550160016501700175018001850190019502000
  • Politics & Law
  • Writing
  • Sports
  • Science
  • Art & Design
  • Film & TV
  • Other
All1,261
Sort By

Showing 9 of 1,261 notable people

0058 EDUCATION

Philipp Emanuel von Fellenberg

1771 - 1844

Preview
0243 POET

Gottlieb Jakob Kuhn

1775 - 1849

Preview
0317 PAINTER

Jakob Samuel Weibel

1771 - 1846

Preview
0759 WRITER

Johann-Conrad Appenzeller

1775 - 1850

Preview
0774 PAINTER

Philipp Heinrich Dunker

1779 - 1836

Preview
0777 ENGRAVER

Jakob Samuel Johann Scheuermann

1771 - 1844

Preview
0802 HISTORIAN

Bernhard Emanuel von Rodt

1776 - 1848

Preview
0833 POLITICIAN

Ludwig Zeerleder (II.)

1772 - 1840

Preview
1065 PAINTER

Karl Ludwig Stettler

1773 - 1858

Preview