26.2026° S, 28.0412° E
JOHANNESBURG
Most Famous People Born in Johannesburg, South Africa
- Notable people
- 1,234
- Peak decade
- 1980s
- Median birth year
- 1967
- Most distinctive
- Golf 14.8×
A young city with an old sporting establishment. Johannesburg's notables are dominated by cricketers, golfers, and rugby players at concentrations that, given the city's size, look almost statistical — the legacy of an English-speaking sporting culture that organised itself around the gold rush of the 1880s. There is almost no pre-20th-century tail at all; the entire bench fits inside the lifetime of the city itself.
One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Johannesburg during each.
Notable Births by Decade
Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1980s with 247 notable births.
What Johannesburg Is Known For
Click any row to filter the list of people below.
Cricket is Johannesburg's biggest profession — 13% of all notables (156).
Johannesburg over-indexes on golf — 14.8× the global rate.
Johannesburg under-produces politician — only 0.2× the global rate.
Profession Mix Over Time
Each band shows a profession family's share of Johannesburg's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.
- Sports
- Film & TV
- Writing
- Music
- Science
- Politics & Law
- Other
- Field: Swimmer Clear ×
Keri-anne Payne
Born 1987
Chad Ho
Born 1990
Grant Brits
Born 1987
Calvyn Justus
Born 1995
Giulio Zorzi
Born 1989
Jean Basson
Born 1987
Jade Howard
Born 1995
Susan Roberts
Born 1939
Wendy Trott
Born 1990
Sebastien Rousseau
Born 1990
Nathalie Bernard
Born 1985
Katheryn Meaklim
Born 1989
Graeme Moore
Born 1989
Romina Armellini
Born 1984
William Diering
Born 1986
Jenny-Lyn Anderson
Born 1992
Tatjana Schoenmaker
Born 1997
Ralph Goveia
Born 1996
Charl Crous
Born 1990
Michael Meyer (swimmer)
Born 1992
Jon Jon Park
Born 1957
Murray McLachlan (swimmer)
Born 1941
Aubrey Bürer
Born 1939
Dottie Sutcliffe
Born 1946
Laura Ranwell
Born 1941