54.3232° N, 10.1396° E

KIEL

Most Famous People Born in Kiel, Germany

Notable people
1,158
Peak decade
1900s
Median birth year
1925
Most distinctive
Soldier 13.1×

The roster carries the Imperial Navy in its bones: a Soldier bench at better than thirteen times the global baseline, rooted in the Kaiser's main Baltic base and the 1918 sailors' mutiny that kicked off the German Revolution. The Handball depth is the THW Kiel dynasty that still defines the city's sports identity, and the Economist and Art Historian signals come from the Christian-Albrechts university and its postwar Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

Through the Decades

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

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1900s with 124 notable births.

What Kiel Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Kiel's biggest profession — 13% of all notables (148).

Kiel over-indexes on soldier13.1× the global rate.

Kiel under-produces football — only 0.3× the global rate.

  1. Politician148
  2. Actor58
  3. Academic54
  4. Painter45
  5. Writer41
  6. Football41
  7. Author34
  8. Soldier27
  1. Soldier2713.1×
  2. Art Historian156.8×
  3. Theologian215.0×
  4. Handball174.7×
  5. Academic544.6×
  6. Economist194.0×
  7. Author343.4×
  8. Judge173.1×
  1. Football410.3×
  2. Player150.7×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

1550160016501700175018001850190019502000
  • Politics & Law
  • Science
  • Writing
  • Sports
  • Art & Design
  • Film & TV
  • Other
All1,158
Sort By

Showing 124 of 1,158 notable people

0006 FILM

Ernst Busch (actor)

1900 - 1980

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0008 SCREENWRITER

Ernst von Salomon

1902 - 1972

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0015 ACTOR

Hans Söhnker

1903 - 1981

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0021 SOLDIER

Harro Schulze-Boysen

1909 - 1942

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0022 ACTOR

Bernhard Minetti

1905 - 1998

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0032 MATHEMATICIAN

Kurt Otto Friedrichs

1901 - 1982

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0037 PHYSICIST

Max Steenbeck

1904 - 1981

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0060 POLITICIAN

Helmut Lemke

1907 - 1990

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0067 CONDUCTOR

Karl Ristenpart

1900 - 1967

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0075 MATHEMATICIAN

Heinrich Heesch

1906 - 1995

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0077 ACTOR

Wera Engels

1904 - 1988

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0096 JUDGE

Manfred Roeder (judge)

1900 - 1971

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0103 MILITAR

Erich Dethleffsen

1904 - 1980

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0161 COMMANDER

Herbert Schultze

1909 - 1987

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0169 COMMANDER

Viktor Schütze

1906 - 1950

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0185 FILM

Willy Zeyn (editor)

1907 - 1983

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0196 ACADEMIC

Theodor Eschenburg

1904 - 1999

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0202 FOOTBALL

Franz Esser

1900 - 1982

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0224 POLITICIAN

Eduard Wald

1905 - 1978

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0228 FOOTBALL

Werner Widmayer

1909 - 1942

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0230 FOOTBALL

Carl Schulz (footballer)

1901 - 1971

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0243 SKIPPER

Theodor Thomsen

1904 - 1982

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0256 FOOTBALL

Kurt Voß

1900 - 1978

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0267 WRITER

Hildegard Schaeder

1902 - 1984

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0299 KOMMUNIST

Walter Husemann

1909 - 1943

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0304 WATCHMAKER

Gustav Bruemmer

1905 - 1970

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0313 FOOTBALL

Johann Ludwig

1903 - 1985

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0336 CIVIL SERVICE

Reinhold Vorberg

1904 - 1983

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0352 WIDERSTAND

Johannes Schröder (Pfarrer)

1909 - 1990

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0364 JOURNALIST

Hermann Pörzgen

1905 - 1976

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0370 SON

Prince Henry of Prussia (1900–1904)

1900 - 1904

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0372 HISTORIAN

Adalbert Erler

1904 - 1992

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0380 POLITICIAN

Hans-Hellmuth Qualen

1907 - 1993

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0389 AUTHOR

Walter Poller

1900 - 1975

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0392 MUSIC

Lilli Friedemann

1906 - 1991

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0405 POLITICIAN

Martin Pörksen

1903 - 2002

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0413 ARCHITECT

Carl-Friedrich Fischer

1909 - 2001

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0454 POLICE

Kurt Stawizki

1900 - 1959

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0461 ZOOLOGIST

Gotthilft von Studnitz

1908 - 1994

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0463 GENETICIST

Heinrich Schade

1907 - 1989

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0479 HISTORIAN

Heinz Arno Knorr

1909 - 1996

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0487 JUDGE

Horst Groepper

1909 - 2002

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0516 FÜHRER

Theodor Christensen (SS-Mitglied)

1905 - 1988

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0521 SOLDIER

Edward Wegener

1904 - 1981

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0536 ACTOR

Heinz Suhr (Schauspieler)

1904 - 1985

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0542 JOURNALIST

Johannes Weyl

1904 - 1989

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0552 WRITER

Bodo Schütt

1906 - 1982

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0557 PUBLISHER

Kurt Ganske

1905 - 1979

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0569 ACTOR

Carla Carlsen

1909 - 1971

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0576 CHESS

Albert Heinrich Kniest

1908 - 1984

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0587 BOTSCHAFTER

Werner Junker

1902 - 1990

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0596 PAINTER

Annemarie Ewertsen

1909 - 1993

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0606 JUDGE

Kurt Bellmann

Born 1901

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0609 ACADEMIC

Walter Hensen

1901 - 1973

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0612 ECONOMIST

Friedrich Edding

1909 - 2002

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0616 MARINE

Heinrich Erdmann

1908 - 1992

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0628 POLITICIAN

Hans-Carl Rüdel

1906 - 1976

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0657 DIPLOMAT

Kurt Brunhoff

1900 - 1986

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0658 ARTIST

Siegfried Prütz

1900 - 1939

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0673 POLITICIAN

Hermann Andersen

1901 - 1989

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0684 ARCHITECT

Herbert Jensen

1900 - 1968

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0685 JOURNALIST

Wilhelm Grotkopp

1900 - 1972

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0702 INTERNIST

Rudolf Frercks

1908 - 1985

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0706 PHYSICIAN

Werner Koll

1902 - 1968

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0712 JUDGE

Wolfgang Mersmann

1902 - 1973

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0713 EDUCATOR

Ursula Stahl-Schultze

1906 - 2001

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0719 ACADEMIC

Max Gundel

1901 - 1949

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0725 LAWYER

Emil Frey (Manager)

1904 - 1980

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0739 LAWYER

Friedrich Schumm (Jurist)

1901 - 1933

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0746 POLITICIAN

Egon Wilhelm Ramms

1909 - 1993

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0747 JOURNALIST

Werner Abel

1902 - 1935

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0778 PAINTER

Leonore Vespermann

1900 - 1974

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0784 FÜHREN

Kurt Graaf

1909 - 1972

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0789 ACADEMIC

Hans Tägert

1908 - 1945

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0793 ART HISTORIAN

Hans B. Jessen

1909 - 2007

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0804 COMPOSER

Robert Rehan

1901 - 1987

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0809 POLITICIAN

Werner Blunck

1901 - 1988

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0810 ECONOMIST

Gustav Fremerey

1902 - 1987

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0814 KIRCHE

Oskar Epha

1901 - 1982

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0819 POLITICIAN

Peter Matthiessen (Politiker)

1907 - 1995

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0829 POLITICIAN

Paul Husfeldt

1909 - 1972

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0831 POLITICIAN

Anni Krahnstöver

1904 - 1961

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0835 PHYSICIAN

Carl Reimers

1901 - 1969

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0843 THEOLOGIAN

Werner Vollborn

1909 - 1972

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0845 ACTOR

Karl Klüsner

1905 - 1960

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0849 POLITICIAN

Walther Lehmkuhl

1905 - 1970

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0851 JUDGE

Ludwig Hoffmeister

1906 - 1993

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0886 PROFESSOR

Heinrich Bach

1905 - 1984

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0892 POLITICIAN

Anna Brodersen

1903 - 1971

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0898 WRITER

Armin Jüngling

1909 - 1985

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0921 SOLDIER

Karl-August Freiherr von Bülow

1904 - 1986

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0934 SOLDIER

Jost Brökelmann

1907 - 1967

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0937 POLITICIAN

Bruno Verdieck

1902 - 1969

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0945 HANDBALL

Fritz Westheider

1909 - 1999

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0947 POLITICIAN

Hans Kersig

1902 - 1973

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0953 SURGEON

Karl Sell

1907 - 1982

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0960 POLITICIAN

Gerda Schlayer-von Puttkamer

1901 - 1953

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0963 POLITICIAN

Julius Bredenbeck

1907 - 1990

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0970 POLITICIAN

Heinrich Fischer (Politiker, 1909)

1909 - 1983

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0976 SCULPTOR

Rudolf Leptien

1907 - 1977

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0980 POLITICIAN

Arthur Schwinkowski

1908 - 1994

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0993 TRADE UNION

Herbert Kowalewsky

1907 - 2003

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0998 FOOTBALL

Otto Wolff (Wirtschaftsfunktionär)

1907 - 1992

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1001 LAWYER

Edinger Ancker

1909 - 1986

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1005 MÖRDER

Walter Pohlenz

1902 - 1978

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1012 POLITICIAN

Heinrich Fink (Politiker)

1902 - 1981

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1018 POLITICIAN

Hans Schröder (Politiker)

1902 - 1971

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1024 SWIMMER

Albert Schumberg

1909 - 1967

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1032 PAINTER

Lorenz Leisner

1906 - 1995

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1043 POLITICIAN

Karl Langowski

1905 - 1965

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1045 GENERALMAJOR

Karl-Eduard Wilke

1901 - 1990

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1054 ARCHITECT

Peter Neve (Architekt)

1906 - 1985

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1057 POLITICIAN

Kurt Petersen

1904 - 1971

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1063 ARTIST

Karl Niemann

1908 - 1982

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1069 POLITICIAN

Max Schümann

1909 - 1945

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1073 LAWYER

Hans-Herbert Dengler

1905 - 1982

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1080 POLITICIAN

Anni Trapp

1901 - 1994

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1086 POLITICIAN

Willi Lausen

1901 - 1972

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1087 ARTIST

Hugo Rost

1904 - 1965

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1115 SOLDIER

Hans-Günther Brachmann

Born 1904

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1118 MISSING

Fred Kniefall

1909 - 1945

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1125 POLITICIAN

Heinz Kock

1904 - 1972

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1155 POLITICIAN

Kurt Ohff

1906 - 1969

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1158 DRAUGHTSWOMAN

Mario Stahl

1908 - 1975

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