51.5071° N, 0.1297° W

LONDON

Most Famous People Born in London, United Kingdom

Notable people
15,663
Peak decade
1960s
Median birth year
1919
Most distinctive
Novelist 2.6×

Nine centuries of the British public eye. London's notables fan out across a longer continuous span than almost any other anglophone city, from medieval peers and antiquarians through Georgian solicitors and impresarios to a postwar wave of actors, footballers, and singers. The court and the stage have always been within walking distance of each other here, and the dataset shows it.

Standouts

What London Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Actor is London's biggest profession — 13% of all notables (2,038).

London over-indexes on novelist 2.6× the global rate.

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

  1. Actor 2,038 2.5×
  2. Politician 1,102 0.6×
  3. Painter 769 1.9×
  4. Writer 646 1.3×
  5. Football 600 0.3×
  6. Singer 424 1.3×
  7. Film 350 1.8×
  8. Music 340 1.5×
  1. Novelist 163 2.6×
  2. Actor 2,038 2.5×
  3. Painter 769 1.9×
  4. Film 350 1.8×
  5. Composer 318 1.5×
  6. Music 340 1.5×
  1. Football 600 0.3×
  2. Politician 1,102 0.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

1550 1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000
  • Film & TV
  • Writing
  • Art & Design
  • Politics & Law
  • Music
  • Sports
  • Other
All15,663
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Showing 65 of 15,663 notable people

0227 LIEUTENANT

William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe

1729 - 1814

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0238 CLERIC

John Newton

1725 - 1807

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0292 KING

Prince William, Duke of Cumberland

1721 - 1765

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0306 POLITICIAN

John Wilkes

1725 - 1797

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0353 POLITICIAN

William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire

1720 - 1764

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0612 QUEEN

Louise of Great Britain

1724 - 1751

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0650 MILITAR

Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe

1726 - 1799

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1087 PAINTER

Francesco Giuseppe Casanova

1727 - 1803

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1282 MILITAR

Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel

1725 - 1786

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1286 REGENT

Princess Mary of Great Britain

1723 - 1772

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1333 MILITAR

William, Count of Schaumburg-Lippe

1724 - 1777

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1452 OFFICER

George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend

1724 - 1807

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1884 PAINTER

Francis Cotes

1726 - 1770

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2085 JUDGE

John Fielding

1721 - 1780

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2142 OFFICER

George Keppel, 3rd Earl of Albemarle

1724 - 1772

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2196 SISTER

Caroline Fox, 1st Baroness Holland

1723 - 1774

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2410 ARISTOCRAT

Elizabeth Pierrepont, Duchess of Kingston-upon-Hull

1720 - 1788

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3063 JOURNALIST

John Hawkesworth (book editor)

1720 - 1773

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3083 JEWELLER

James Cox (inventor)

1723 - 1800

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3287 POLITICIAN

Charles Yorke

1722 - 1770

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3496 DIARIST

Lady Mary Coke

1727 - 1811

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3550 SON

Henry Pelham-Clinton, 2nd Duke of Newcastle

1720 - 1794

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3813 WRITER

Charles Bertram

1723 - 1765

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4782 PRIEST

John Egerton (bishop)

1721 - 1787

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4797 DIPLOMAT

Georg Adam, Prince of Starhemberg

1724 - 1807

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5438 PHILOSOPHER

Thomas Hollis (1720–1774)

1720 - 1774

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5539 BARON

Hester Pitt, Countess of Chatham

1720 - 1803

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5570 PAINTER

Charles Brooking

1723 - 1759

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5589 SCULPTOR

Joseph Wilton

1722 - 1803

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5590 POLITICIAN

Noble Wimberly Jones

1723 - 1805

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5697 POLITICIAN

Charles Cadogan, 1st Earl Cadogan

1728 - 1807

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6497 COURTIER

Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury

1729 - 1814

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6688 COMPOSER

John Worgan

1724 - 1790

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6841 POLITICIAN

Edward Craggs-Eliot, 1st Baron Eliot

1727 - 1804

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7136 ARCHITECT

Henry Keene

1726 - 1776

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7600 BANK

Gustavus Brander

1720 - 1787

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7789 GOVERNOR

John Penn (governor)

1729 - 1795

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7840 POLITICIAN

George Cholmondeley, Viscount Malpas

1724 - 1764

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8173 LAWYER

Robert Vansittart (judge)

1728 - 1789

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8655 POLITICIAN

William Gerard Hamilton

1729 - 1796

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8718 ENGRAVER

John Ingram (engraver)

1721 - 1767

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8997 NOBLE

Robert Shirley, 6th Earl Ferrers

1723 - 1787

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9037 PAINTER

John Collett (artist)

1725 - 1780

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9057 JOURNALIST

Thomas Francklin

1721 - 1784

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9074 ARCHITECT

Theodore Jacobsen

1724 - 1772

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9477 ANTIQUARIAN

Charles Vallancey

1721 - 1812

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9598 PAINTER

George van der Mijn

1723 - 1763

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9749 POLITICIAN

James Brudenell, 5th Earl of Cardigan

1725 - 1811

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10000 ARTIST

Rhoda Delaval

1725 - 1757

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10215 POET

John Duncombe (writer)

1729 - 1786

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10217 AUDITOR

John Hoole

1727 - 1803

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10264 ACTOR

Thomas Hull (actor)

1728 - 1808

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10399 POLITICIAN

Metcalf Bowler

1726 - 1789

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10717 ARTIST

Elizabeth Grenville

1720 - 1769

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10788 ARCHITECT

Thomas Malton, the elder

1726 - 1801

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10804 MILITAR

Alexander Schomberg

1720 - 1804

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11306 PHYSICIAN

Daniel Peter Layard

1720 - 1802

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11346 POLITICIAN

Edward Harley, 4th Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer

1726 - 1790

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11820 MIDWIFE

Elizabeth Nihell

1723 - 1776

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11862 TOCHTER

Maria Eva Sophia von Starhemberg

1722 - 1773

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12163 POET

Bonnell Thornton

1725 - 1768

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12352 LAWYER

Theodosius Forrest

1728 - 1784

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12835 POLITICIAN

Robert de Carteret

1721 - 1776

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15118 POLITICIAN

John Stewart (died 1781)

1720 - 1781

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15282 FILLE

Suzanne Cappe

Born 1720

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