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
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Showing 16 of 1,261 notable people

0225 MATHEMATICIAN

Hermann Kinkelin

1832 - 1913

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0296 POLITICIAN

Hans von Hallwyl (1835–1909)

1835 - 1909

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0342 BOTANIST

Emilio Levier

1839 - 1911

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0345 GÉOLOGUE

Edmund von Fellenberg

1838 - 1902

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0390 ENGINEER

Philipp Gosset

1838 - 1911

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0417 BUSINESS

Walther von Hallwyl

1839 - 1921

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0540 DIPLOMAT

Joseph Jules de Cadoine de Gabriac

1830 - 1903

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0578 POLITICIAN

Edmund von Steiger

1836 - 1908

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0814 MILITAR

Rudolph Stauffer

1836 - 1918

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0959 WRITER

Marie Bach

1836 - 1904

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0998 POLITICIAN

Friedrich von Werdt

1831 - 1893

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1051 MILITAR

Johann Rudolf von Sinner

1830 - 1901

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1081 LIBRARIAN

Eduard von Jenner

1830 - 1917

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1088 PAEDIATRICIAN

Rudolf Demme (Mediziner)

1836 - 1892

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1148 PAINTER

Friedrich Rudolf von Frisching

1833 - 1906

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1238 ENGINEER

Franz Rudolf Jakob Rohr

1831 - 1888

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