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 18 of 1,261 notable people

0001 PAINTER

Ferdinand Hodler

1853 - 1918

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0090 INTERNIST

Hermann Sahli

1856 - 1933

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0094 INVENTOR

Rodolphe Lindt

1855 - 1909

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0152 PAINTER

Lisa Wenger

1858 - 1941

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0183 POLITICIAN

Helene von Mülinen

1850 - 1924

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0224 LAWYER

Adolf von Steiger

1859 - 1925

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0271 PAINTER

Clara von Rappard

1857 - 1912

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0273 SURGEON

Otto Hildebrand

1858 - 1927

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0392 POLITICIAN

Johann Hirter

1855 - 1926

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0458 ENGINEER

Paul Bilfinger

1858 - 1928

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0463 OFFICER

Eduard Wildbolz

1858 - 1932

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0869 ARCHITECT

Wilhelm Scholter

1858 - 1915

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0902 PAINTER

Ernst Otto Leuenberger

1856 - 1937

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1002 PAINTER

Anna Elisabeth von Erlach

1856 - 1906

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1104 OFFICER

Wilhelm Schmid (Divisionär)

1858 - 1939

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1135 ARCHITECT

Ernst Baumgart

1858 - 1938

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1178 COMPOSER

Gottfried von Fellenberg

1857 - 1924

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1236 ARCHITECT

Paul Lindt

1859 - 1913

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