21.3043° N, 157.8564° W

HONOLULU

Most Famous People Born in Honolulu, United States

Notable people
910
Peak decade
1980s
Median birth year
1956
Most distinctive
Surfer 50.2×

Honolulu's roster is an economy of the body. The Surfer count runs at better than fifty times the global baseline — essentially Duke Kahanamoku inventing modern surfing at Waikiki and the postwar longboard generations that followed him — while a Martial Art bench more than twenty times the norm grew out of the Kajukenbo gyms and judo dojos that fed Hawaii's action-cinema pipeline. Underneath sit Wrestler and Swimmer cohorts running back through the plantation-era Baseball leagues that sent players to the majors from the 1950s on.

Through the Decades

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

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1980s with 114 notable births.

What Honolulu Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Actor is Honolulu's biggest profession — 12% of all notables (113).

Honolulu over-indexes on surfer50.2× the global rate.

Honolulu under-produces writer — only 0.4× the global rate.

  1. Actor113
  2. Football99
  3. Politician79
  4. Player35
  5. Baseball33
  6. Singer27
  7. Music24
  8. Lawyer24
  1. Surfer1250.2×
  2. Martial Art2021.5×
  3. Wrestler227.5×
  4. Swimmer214.8×
  5. Model93.8×
  6. Baseball333.2×
  7. Actor1132.3×
  8. Player352.0×
  1. Writer120.4×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

1700175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Film & TV
  • Politics & Law
  • Music
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Other
Swimmer21
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Showing 21 of 910 notable people

0010 SWIMMER

Duke Kahanamoku

1890 - 1968

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0098 SWIMMER

Bill Smith (swimmer)

1924 - 2013

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0137 SWIMMER

Samuel Kahanamoku

1902 - 1966

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0147 SWIMMER

Ford Konno

Born 1933

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0152 SWIMMER

Warren Kealoha

1903 - 1972

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0155 SWIMMER

Tracie Ruiz

Born 1963

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0219 SWIMMER

Evelyn Kawamoto

1933 - 2017

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0225 SWIMMER

Mariechen Wehselau

1906 - 1992

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0227 SWIMMER

Manuella Kalili

1912 - 1969

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0236 SWIMMER

Thelma Kalama

1931 - 1999

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0239 SWIMMER

Maiola Kalili

1909 - 1972

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0258 SWIMMER

Bill Woolsey

Born 1934

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0271 SWIMMER

Bill Harris (swimmer)

1897 - 1961

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0382 SWIMMER

Dick Cleveland

1929 - 2002

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0449 SWIMMER

Harold Kruger

1897 - 1965

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0524 SWIMMER

Chris Woo

Born 1957

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0557 SWIMMER

Christel Simms

Born 1990

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0635 SWIMMER

Jared Heine

Born 1984

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0670 SWIMMER

George Onekea

Born 1939

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0751 SWIMMER

Henry Luning

1905 - 1965

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0868 SWIMMER

Kristina Moir

Born 1951

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