34.4348° N, 81.0284° W
CHARLESTON
Most Famous People Born in Charleston, United States
- Notable people
- 749
- Peak decade
- 1940s
- Median birth year
- 1920
- Most distinctive
- Baseball 4.5×
Charleston's profile is frozen in antebellum amber: an outsized Lawyer and Judge class built by the planter bar that dominated South Carolina politics from secession through Reconstruction, with an Officer bench propped up by the Citadel and the Confederate officer corps. The smaller, stranger note is the Novelist thread — Charleston Renaissance writers like DuBose Heyward, whose Porgy became the seed for American opera.
One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Charleston during each.
Notable Births by Decade
Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1940s with 63 notable births.
What Charleston Is Known For
Click any row to filter the list of people below.
Politician is Charleston's biggest profession — 22% of all notables (166).
Charleston over-indexes on baseball — 4.5× the global rate.
Charleston under-produces writer — only 0.6× the global rate.
Profession Mix Over Time
Each band shows a profession family's share of Charleston's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.
- Politics & Law
- Sports
- Film & TV
- Music
- Writing
- Science
- Other
Thomas Miller (pastor)
Born 1970
William Elliott Gonzales
1866 - 1937
Dave Meggett
Born 1966
James Edwin Belser
1805 - 1859
John Rutledge Jr.
1766 - 1819
Julius Waties Waring
1880 - 1968
Barbara J. Fields
-
Georgette Seabrooke
1916 - 2011
Pete Briggs
Born 1904
John Linscom Boss Jr.
1780 - 1819
Randy Cohen
-
John E. Ferling
Born 1940
Matt Whiteside
Born 1967
Walt Easley
1957 - 2013
Chris McGuiness
Born 1988
Jakob August Lorent
1813 - 1884
Bryan Randall
Born 1983
Peter Manigault
1731 - 1773
De'Angelo Henderson
Born 1992
Martha Laurens Ramsay
1759 - 1811
William H. Danforth
1870 - 1955
Pierson Prioleau
Born 1977
Nicholas Eveleigh
1748 - 1791
Adam Brown Littlepage
1859 - 1921
Dennis Harrah
Born 1953
Merton Simpson
1928 - 2013
Charles Henry Simonton
1829 - 1904
John G. Hutchinson
Born 1935
Charles Gaines (artist)
Born 1944
Grady Hendrix
-
Rich T. Buckler
1865 - 1950
Benjamin M. Palmer
1818 - 1902
Anita Pollitzer
1894 - 1975
Theodore A. Peyser
1873 - 1937
Ovie Mughelli
Born 1980
Jeff Gossett
Born 1957
Jeremy Messersmith
-
Jack Hitt
-
William Davidson (congressman)
1778 - 1857
Bruce Howe Hendricks
Born 1957
Tom Martin (baseball)
Born 1970
Karey Dornetto
-
Ainsworth O'Brien-Moore
1897 - 1936
Charles I. du Pont
1797 - 1869
James David Barber
1930 - 2004
Elizabeth O'Neill Verner
1883 - 1979
Andy Kubiszewski
Born 1961
William Valk
1806 - 1879
Clay Matthews Sr.
1928 - 2017
Arthur Middleton Manigault
1824 - 1886
Keg Purnell
1915 - 1965
J. R. House
Born 1979
Samuel Henry Dickson
1798 - 1872
Isaac Motte
1738 - 1795
Josephine Pinckney
1895 - 1957
Ralph H. Johnson
1949 - 1968
St. Julien Ravenel
1819 - 1882
Francisco Adolfo Sauvalle
1807 - 1879
Mitch Carmichael
Born 1960
Robert Wilson Gibbes
1809 - 1866
Keri Pickett
Born 1959
Jeremy Cummings
Born 1976
William Melton Halsey
1915 - 1999
Tony Brown (journalist)
Born 1933
Drew Meyer
Born 1981
Alice Ravenel Huger Smith
1876 - 1958
Charles Fraser (artist)
1782 - 1860
Percival Drayton
1812 - 1865
Paul Washington
1921 - 2002
Chris Smith (composer)
1879 - 1949
William Mayrant
1765 - 1832
Ryan Robinson (American football)
Born 1990
William Bull (governor)
1683 - 1755
Samuel P. Moore
1813 - 1889
Josephine Humphreys
Born 1945
Barnard E. Bee Sr.
1787 - 1853
Dick Huffman
1923 - 1992
Ruth Samuelson
1959 - 2017
Jim Lett
Born 1951
Burnet R. Maybank Jr.
1924 - 2016
H. Rodgin Cohen
Born 1944
John Bass (baseball)
1848 - 1888
Bryce Florie
Born 1970
Marty Pattin
1943 - 2018
Tracy White
Born 1981
Michael P. Mills
Born 1956
Henry Clay Lewis
1825 - 1850
John Kean (South Carolina politician)
1756 - 1795
Will Demps
Born 1979
Malcolm Barnwell
Born 1958
Penina Moise
1797 - 1880
Francois P. Giraud
1818 - 1877
Jesse Johnson (politician)
Born 1959
Alex Parsons (American football)
Born 1987
Harlan Greene
Born 1953
Robert C. Richardson Jr.
1882 - 1954
Gabriel Manigault
1758 - 1809
Paul Root Wolpe
Born 1957
Jamie Costa
Born 1990
E. Henry Knoche
1925 - 2010
Henry P. Northrop
1842 - 1916
Raphael J. Moses
1812 - 1893
Legrand G. Capers
1834 - 1877
Oronde Gadsden
Born 1971
Dunbar Rowland
1864 - 1937
Dick Zimmerman
Born 1937
Harriet McDougal
Born 1939
Dina Rabinovitch
1963 - 2007
DJ Speedy
Born 1976
Albert Simons
1890 - 1980
James R. Fair
1920 - 2010
Eric Nelson (West Virginia politician)
Born 1960
Herbert Fielding
1923 - 2015
Atsuro Riley
-
Bill Crosby (politician)
Born 1937
David A. Faber
Born 1942
William Martin Aiken
1855 - 1908
Zola Davis
Born 1975
Eldra Buckley
Born 1985
Mark Hunt (politician)
Born 1960
Shawn Lemon
Born 1988
Thomas Ravenel
Born 1962
John Moultrie (politician)
1729 - 1798
Joyce Ingalls
1950 - 2015
Anthony Lazzaro (racing driver)
Born 1963
Sarah Davis (Texas politician)
Born 1976
Christine Johnson (Utah politician)
Born 1968
Daniel D. (violinist)
Born 1989
Margaret Anne Florence
Born 1978
Mike Cook (baseball)
Born 1963
Darrion Scott
Born 1981
Edwin Warren Moïse
1810 - 1868
M. Blane Michael
1943 - 2011
John Adams (offensive lineman)
1921 - 1969
Josh White (racing driver)
Born 1991
Chauncey H. Browning Jr.
1934 - 2010
Nick Noble
Born 1984
Francis Kinloch Huger
1773 - 1855
Benjamin Cudworth Yancey Jr.
1817 - 1891
Mignon Clyburn
Born 1962
Stella F. Simon
1878 - 1973
Bill Benford
1902 - 1994
Maylon Hanold
Born 1963
Elías L. Rivers
1924 - 2013
Alexander Smith Taylor
1817 - 1876
Moses Cohen Mordecai
1804 - 1888
Margaret Workman
Born 1947
William James Rivers
1822 - 1909
Harold Houston
Born 1990
William Tester
Born 1960
Mike Phillips (Montana politician)
Born 1958
Frederick Grimke
1791 - 1863
Benjamin Hutto
1947 - 2015
John Thomas Copenhaver Jr.
Born 1925
Jeramie Rain
Born 1948
Herbert L. Stone
1871 - 1955
Isaac Holmes
1758 - 1812
Robert North
Born 1945
Leon Stavrinakis
-
Charles C. Tew
1827 - 1862
John Izard Middleton
1785 - 1849
Miss Amy
Born 1962
Charlotte Pritt
Born 1949
Chip Limehouse
Born 1962
Chris Walters
Born 1986
John Hopper
1923 - 1996
Thomas McCants Stewart
1853 - 1923
Mary Margaret Oliver
Born 1948
Charles Q. Williams
1933 - 1982
John Arigo
Born 1978
John W. Mitchell (United States Air Force)
1915 - 1995
Jessica Hische
Born 1984
Langston Moore
Born 1981
Joseph Attles
1903 - 1990
Thomas Saltus Lubbock
1817 - 1862
Frances Elizabeth Barrow
1822 - 1894
Ray Canterbury
Born 1969
Harriet C. Babbitt
Born 1947
Charlie Brown (wide receiver)
Born 1958
Patrick Michael Duffy
Born 1943
Eugene Figg
1936 - 2002
Booth Goodwin
Born 1971
Thomas M. Logan
1840 - 1914
John P. Grace
1874 - 1940
Larry Carter
Born 1965
Bill Workman
1940 - 2019
Damon Wilson
-
Jon Pineda
Born 1971
Ricky Frazier
Born 1958
Kristen Ruhlin
Born 1984
Mitchell Campbell King
1815 - 1901
Wendell Gilliard
Born 1954
William Ashmead Courtenay
1831 - 1908
Elias Horry
1773 - 1834
Christopher Edwards Gadsden
1785 - 1852
Akim Anastopoulo
Born 1960
Helena Wells
1761 - 1824
Cedric Minter
Born 1958
Jehu Jones
1786 - 1852
Tim Armstead
Born 1965
Elena Passarello
Born 1978
James Matthews Legaré
1823 - 1859
Harry Young (American football)
1893 - 1977
Carolyn Tomei
Born 1936
Charlie Condon
-
Sam Bartholomew
1917 - 1999
William May Wightman
1808 - 1882
Samuel David Ferguson
1842 - 1916
Charles Macbeth
1805 - 1881
Garrett Chisolm
Born 1988
Jordan Roberts (American football)
Born 1990
Anne Gamble Kennedy
1920 - 2001
Thomas Wightman
1811 - 1888
Thomas Lee (South Carolina)
1769 - 1839
R. Jay GaBany
Born 1954
Hunter Via
Born 1976
Danny Wells (politician)
Born 1940
Harriet Starr Cannon
1823 - 1896
Bob Ashley
Born 1953
Ernest T. Eaton
1877 - 1957
Elise Forrest Harleston
1891 - 1970
Bobbie Howard
Born 1977
Tyrone Goard
Born 1990
John N. McLaughlin
1918 - 2002
Willard Hirsch
1905 - 1982
Ryan Steed
Born 1990
Jess H. Dickinson
Born 1947
David Walker (West Virginia politician)
Born 1952
Betty Ireland
Born 1946
Franklin J. Moses Sr.
1804 - 1877
David Hyer
1875 - 1942
Eric Smedley
Born 1973
Ray Fisher (defensive lineman)
Born 1934
Elizabeth Virginia Hallanan
1925 - 2004
Ronnie Free
Born 1936
James Boon Lankershim
1850 - 1931
Thomas Grace (Bishop of Saint Paul)
1814 - 1897
Urylee Leonardos
1910 - 1986
Frank Trenholm Coffyn
1878 - 1960
Russ McCubbin
1935 - 2018
Jonathan Moore (basketball)
Born 1958
Edward McCrady
1802 - 1892
Thomas E. Johnston
Born 1967
Margaret Vale
Born 1878
John Cannady
1923 - 2002
Nancy Jacobs
Born 1951
Glenn E. Trowbridge
Born 1943
Gary Stubblefield
Born 1951
Corey Palumbo
Born 1972
John Beaufain Irving
1825 - 1877
John A. Field Jr.
1910 - 1995
Meshea Poore
Born 1975
Malcolm Graham (politician)
Born 1963
George Hughes Revercomb
1929 - 1993
Vicky Hamilton
Born 1958
Steve Harrison (politician)
Born 1966
Ernie Nevel
1918 - 1988
Mother Juan Aviance
Born 1963
Lisa Ervin
Born 1977
Luther Broughton
Born 1974
Chase Page
Born 1983
Sergio Myers
Born 1969
William Dennison Porter
1810 - 1883
Shane Beamer
Born 1977
Otis Davis (baseball)
1920 - 2007
Bill Cox (baseball)
1913 - 1988
B. B. Sams
Born 1944
Tracy Scott
1969 - 2016
John Tecklenburg
Born 1955
George C. Rogers
1889 - 1964
Daniel Augustus Joseph Sullivan
1884 - 1941
Thomas M. Wagner
1824 - 1862
Jeffrey W. Hayzlett
Born 1960
Bud Moore (racing driver)
1941 - 2017
Orlando Ruff
Born 1976
Ron McCartney
Born 1954
John F. Ficken
1843 - 1925
Walter Hundley
Born 1953
Falcon Black Hawkins Jr.
1927 - 2005
Joseph H. McGee Jr.
Born 1929
Edward M. Brawley
1851 - 1923
John A. Cade
1929 - 1996
Pat Luby
1869 - 1899
Richard Berg
1943 - 2019
Bobby Wright
Born 1942
Charles P. Snyder (admiral)
1879 - 1964
Bernice Robinson
1914 - 1994
Charlie Whitehouse
1894 - 1960
David Mack (politician)
Born 1953
Sarah Lee Brown Fleming
1876 - 1963
Jeremy McLellan
-
Miriam Benjamin
1861 - 1947
Alonzo Gesner
1842 - 1912
Morris Grant
1845 - 1915
Beatrice Ravenel
1870 - 1956
Gabriel Manigault (merchant)
1704 - 1781
B. Campbell Thornal
1908 - 1970
Damien Kinloch
Born 1980
Helen von Kolnitz Hyer
1896 - 1983
Alexander Juhan
1765 - 1845