36.1804° N, 86.7409° W

NASHVILLE

Most Famous People Born in Nashville, United States

Notable people
804
Peak decade
1980s
Median birth year
1941
Most distinctive
Songwriter 8.7×

Nashville's Songwriter bench is Music Row in one line of the file — the Bradley and RCA studios that built modern country and then absorbed Americana, gospel and contemporary Christian writing on top. The heavier-than-expected Baseball count is older, a holdover from the Nashville Vols of the Southern Association, while the Music and Singer lines run from the Grand Ole Opry's founding generation through the outlaw country and contemporary Americana eras.

Through the Decades

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

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1980s with 79 notable births.

What Nashville Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Football is Nashville's biggest profession — 10% of all notables (80).

Nashville over-indexes on songwriter — 8.7× the global rate.

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

  1. Football80
  2. Politician78
  3. Singer69
  4. Actor59
  5. Baseball58
  6. Basket38
  7. Lawyer37
  8. Music34
  1. Songwriter138.7×
  2. Baseball586.3×
  3. Coach95.4×
  4. Wrestler114.3×
  5. Singer694.1×
  6. Basket383.8×
  7. Music343.0×
  8. Lawyer372.6×
  1. Writer100.4×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

18001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Music
  • Politics & Law
  • Film & TV
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Other
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Showing 28 of 804 notable people

0012 ASTRONOMER

Harlow Shapley

1885 - 1972

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0063 PRIEST

Samuel Stritch

1887 - 1958

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0072 MILITAR

Frank Maxwell Andrews

1884 - 1943

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0102 ACTOR

Alan Roscoe

1886 - 1933

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0167 PAINTER

William Edmondson

1882 - 1951

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0224 PHOTOGRAPHER

Mary R. Calvert

1884 - 1974

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0300 RIDER

Ephraim Graham

1888 - 1962

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0306 BASEBALL

John J. Tigert

1882 - 1965

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0378 BASEBALL

Fred Toney

1888 - 1953

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0380 MATHEMATICIAN

D. M. Smith

1884 - 1962

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0384 TRUMPET

Willie Hightower

1889 - 1959

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0397 SCULPTOR

Nancy Cox-McCormack

1885 - 1967

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0409 MILITAR

Gladeon M. Barnes

1887 - 1961

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0461 LIEUTENANT

Alvan Cullom Gillem Jr.

1888 - 1973

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0473 BASKET

W. A. Cunningham

1886 - 1958

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0548 PAINTER

Alonzo C. Webb

1888 - 1975

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0570 SPORT

John Noel (sport shooter)

1888 - 1939

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0581 OLYMPIC

Roy E. Steckel

1887 - 1950

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0600 BASEBALL

Bob Fisher (baseball)

1886 - 1963

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0606 BASEBALL

Bruce Petway

1885 - 1941

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0608 COACH

John Owsley Manier

1887 - 1956

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0715 FOOTBALL

Irish Graham

1883 - 1940

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0721 FOOTBALL

Louis Hasslock

1888 - 1974

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0723 ARCHITECT

George D. Waller

1883 - 1969

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0727 PLAYWRIGHT

Sidney Mttron Hirsch

1884 - 1962

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0761 JOCKEY

Roscoe Troxler

1883 - 1976

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0766 ARCHITECT

Donald W. Southgate

1887 - 1953

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0783 BASEBALL

Joe Hewitt (baseball)

1885 - 1948

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