39.9292° N, 75.2300° W
PHILADELPHIA
Most Famous People Born in Philadelphia, USA
- Notable people
- 5,575
- Peak decade
- 1940s
- Median birth year
- 1928
- Most distinctive
- Baseball 6.0×
The original American capital, then the capital of nothing in particular, then a sports town. Philadelphia's notables run thick through the 18th century — lawyers, philanthropists, financiers — and then settle into a long, steady output of baseball players, basketball players, jazz bandleaders, and character actors. The city has one of the highest shares of notables in organized labor of the early 20th century and one of the deepest benches of soul singers of the late 20th.
Standouts
Notable Births by Decade
Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1940s with 556 notable births.
What Philadelphia Is Known For
Click any row to filter the list of people below.
Politician is Philadelphia's biggest profession — 9% of all notables (482).
Philadelphia over-indexes on baseball — 6.0× the global rate.
Philadelphia under-produces football — only 0.4× the global rate.
Profession Mix Over Time
Each band shows a profession family's share of Philadelphia's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.
- Sports
- Politics & Law
- Film & TV
- Music
- Writing
- Art & Design
- Other
- Field: Politician Clear ×
Ash Carter
Born 1954
George M. Dallas
1792 - 1864
John Wanamaker
1838 - 1922
Chaka Fattah
Born 1956
Thomas Mifflin
1744 - 1800
Bob McDonnell
Born 1954
Ro Khanna
Born 1976
Christine O'Donnell
Born 1969
Fernando Wood
1812 - 1881
Tom Rooney (Florida politician)
Born 1970
Connie Mack III
Born 1940
Bob Brady
Born 1945
Tom Corbett
Born 1949
Joseph McKenna
1843 - 1926
Morgan Griffith
Born 1958
Ted Kaufman
Born 1939
Lisa P. Jackson
Born 1962
George Clymer
1739 - 1813
William Bingham
1752 - 1804
Patrick Murphy (Pennsylvania politician)
Born 1973
Brendan Boyle
Born 1977
Mike Fitzpatrick
1963 - 2020
Walter Evans Edge
1873 - 1956
Samuel J. Randall
1828 - 1890
Marjorie Margolies
Born 1942
Elias Boudinot
1740 - 1821
Lisa Blunt Rochester
Born 1962
Frank Rizzo
1920 - 1991
William Franklin
1731 - 1813
Oscar Goodman
Born 1939
Frank Wolf (politician)
Born 1939
Gunning Bedford Jr.
1747 - 1812
Simon Guggenheim
1867 - 1941
Thomas Willing
1731 - 1821
Thomas Dunn English
1819 - 1902
Joseph S. Clark Jr.
1901 - 1990
Joseph Anderson
1757 - 1837
James A. Bayard (elder)
1767 - 1815
Sarah Yorke Jackson
1803 - 1887
Dwight Evans (politician)
Born 1954
Roswell P. Flower
1835 - 1899
Boies Penrose
1860 - 1921
C. Delores Tucker
1927 - 2005
Jim Kenney
Born 1958
Leon Abbett
1836 - 1894
George Logan
1753 - 1821
William Jones (statesman)
1760 - 1831
William T. Cahill
1912 - 1996
Bingham Baring, 2nd Baron Ashburton
1799 - 1864
William D. Kelley
1814 - 1890
Antonio Guiteras
1906 - 1935
Adolph E. Borie
1809 - 1880
Albert Wynn
Born 1951
John Adler
1959 - 2011
Shirley Franklin
Born 1945
Francis J. Myers
1901 - 1956
Thomas Green Clemson
1807 - 1888
John Brown Francis
1791 - 1864
Glenn Nye
Born 1974
William C. Preston
1794 - 1860
William Scott Vare
1867 - 1934
Frank McCloskey
1939 - 2003
James Campbell (postmaster general)
1812 - 1893
Charles F. Manderson
1837 - 1911
Edward C. Stokes
1860 - 1942
John Sergeant (politician)
1779 - 1852
Ebenezer Hazard
1744 - 1817
Michael Leib
1760 - 1822
Robert W. Edgar
1943 - 2013
William H. Meyer
1914 - 1983
Edwin Sydney Stuart
1853 - 1937
John Renshaw Thomson
1800 - 1862
Michael Nutter
Born 1957
Franklin Davenport
1755 - 1832
Edward Biddle
1738 - 1779
Joe Hoeffel
Born 1950
William M. Bunn
1842 - 1923
Jarvis Tyner
Born 1941
Richard T. Schulze
Born 1929
Thomas Morris (New York politician)
1771 - 1849
Carolyn Goodman (politician)
Born 1938
Charles W. Sandman Jr.
1921 - 1985
Thomas Forrest
1747 - 1825
Jonathan Bayard Smith
1742 - 1812
James Wolcott Wadsworth
1846 - 1926
Samuel Rhoads
1711 - 1784
John Biddle (Michigan politician)
1792 - 1859
Samuel Powel
1738 - 1793
Robert Adams Jr.
1849 - 1906
Andrew Natsios
Born 1949
Andrew Allen (Pennsylvania)
1740 - 1825
Tom Lewis (American politician)
1924 - 2003
Samuel Meredith
1741 - 1817
Harold M. Williams
1928 - 2017
Joshua Eilberg
1921 - 2004
Charles B. Clark
1844 - 1891
Francis Baring, 3rd Baron Ashburton
1800 - 1868
Isaac Bacharach
1870 - 1956
Richard Vaux
1816 - 1895
Magnus Miller Murray
1787 - 1838
Raymond Lederer
1938 - 2008
Scott Wiener
Born 1970
George Law Curry
1820 - 1878
Michael Myers (politician)
Born 1943
James A. Byrne
1906 - 1980
Richard Biddle
1796 - 1847
Samuel Wharton
1732 - 1800
Isaac Wayne
1772 - 1852
Ethel D. Allen
1929 - 1981
William Milnor
1769 - 1848
Jonathan Clarkson Gibbs
1821 - 1874
Francis Swaine Muhlenberg
1795 - 1831
Matthew F. McHugh
Born 1938
August E. Johansen
1905 - 1995
William J. Green III
Born 1938
Richard Alsop Wise
1843 - 1900
John O'Neill (congressman)
1822 - 1905
Henry Horn
1786 - 1862
William J. Green Jr.
1910 - 1963
Charles Naylor
1806 - 1872
Charles O'Neill (Pennsylvania politician)
1821 - 1893
George Scott Graham
1850 - 1931
Joel Cook
1842 - 1910
Dwight Clinton Jones
Born 1948
Samuel Sitgreaves
1764 - 1827
John C. Smith (politician)
1832 - 1910
Charles H. Mansur
1835 - 1895
John F. Starr
1818 - 1904
Samuel M. Moore
1796 - 1875
Robert A. Borski Jr.
Born 1948
Thomas Birch Florence
1812 - 1875
Edwin Henry Fitler
1825 - 1896
Jim Whelan
1948 - 2017
John M. Morin
1868 - 1942
Joseph Jorgensen
1844 - 1888
James Williams (Delaware representative)
1825 - 1899
Richard Bache Jr.
1784 - 1848
Joseph Clay
1769 - 1811
Charles Browne (politician)
1875 - 1947
Charles Godfrey (physician)
Born 1917
Benjamin Say
1755 - 1813
Bryan Lentz
Born 1964
Claude Allen
Born 1960
James R. Young (Pennsylvania politician)
1847 - 1924
Douglas Hemphill Elliott
1921 - 1960
Edward L. Bader
1874 - 1927
James Hamilton (Pennsylvania)
1710 - 1783
Phillip Martin
1926 - 2010
Alan Wood Jr.
1834 - 1902
Alfred C. Harmer
1825 - 1900
Kate M. Harper
Born 1956
J. Burrwood Daly
1872 - 1939
Henry Myer Phillips
1811 - 1884
William A. Barrett
1896 - 1976
Robert Waln
1765 - 1836
William T. Granahan
1895 - 1956
Benjamin F. James
1885 - 1961
J. William Ditter
1888 - 1943
W. Arthur Winstead
1904 - 1995
D. Lane Powers
1896 - 1968
Harry C. Ransley
1863 - 1941
Kintzing Prichette
1800 - 1869
Charles Brown (congressman)
1797 - 1883
Michael Woolston Ash
1789 - 1858
Isaac Norris (statesman)
1701 - 1766
Allan C. Durborow Jr.
1857 - 1908
Martina White
Born 1988
John Brewer Brown
1836 - 1898
Harry H. Seldomridge
1864 - 1927
Charles Biddle
1745 - 1821
Job Roberts Tyson
1803 - 1858
Daylin Leach
Born 1961
George Washington Toland
1796 - 1869
William Eckart Lehman
1821 - 1895
George W. Cheyney
1853 - 1903
John J. Taylor (Pennsylvania politician)
Born 1955
Clare G. Fenerty
1895 - 1952
William Millward
1822 - 1871
Tom Killion
Born 1957
Charles F. Dougherty
Born 1937
Joseph F. Smith (Pennsylvania politician)
1920 - 1999
Virginia Knauer
1915 - 2011
John Wood (congressman)
1816 - 1898
Robert N. McGarvey
1888 - 1952
Henry Brown Floyd MacFarland
1861 - 1921
Chapman Freeman
1832 - 1904
Jacob Swoope
1770 - 1832
James Hugh Joseph Tate
1910 - 1983
James Landy
1813 - 1875
William Ward (Pennsylvania)
1837 - 1895
John V. Creely
1839 - 1900
Daniel H. Miller
Died 1846
Robert Donatucci
1952 - 2010
Cadwalader Morris
1741 - 1795
Edward L. Stokes
1880 - 1964
Earl Chudoff
1907 - 1993
Michael J. Bradley
1897 - 1979
William H. Milliken Jr.
1897 - 1969
Randy Brock
Born 1943
Katie McGinty
Born 1963
Peter Courtney
Born 1943
Leon Sacks
1902 - 1972
John Guier Scott
1819 - 1892
Kelly Cassidy
-
William H. Wilson
1877 - 1937
James A. Gallagher
1869 - 1957
Francis R. Smith
1911 - 1982
William Wall (U.S. politician)
1800 - 1872
William S. Reyburn
1882 - 1946
Daniel Udree
1751 - 1828
James J. Connolly
1881 - 1952
Dennis M. O'Brien
Born 1952
Matthew J. Ryan
1932 - 2003
George Middleton (American politician)
1809 - 1888
Frank J. G. Dorsey
1891 - 1949
Raymond Pitcairn
1885 - 1966
Frank A. Mathews Jr.
1890 - 1964
Fred C. Gartner
1896 - 1972
James Washington Logue
1863 - 1925
Thomas C. McGrath Jr.
1927 - 1994
Michael Joseph Muldowney
1889 - 1947
Alfred M. Waldron
1865 - 1952
Thacher Longstreth
1920 - 2003
Sharon Tyndale
1816 - 1871
Herbert J. McGlinchey
1904 - 1992
Franklin J. Maloney
1899 - 1958
Adam Eckfeldt
1769 - 1852
Thomas Marshal Bibighaus
1817 - 1853
Charles F. Warwick
1852 - 1913
Anna C. Verna
Born 1931
Robert Lee Davis
1893 - 1967
John Perzel
Born 1950
Eckley Brinton Coxe
1839 - 1895
Marguerite Quinn
-
Susan Lynn
-
Dan Wolf
Born 1957
Christine Tartaglione
Born 1960
Bill Purcell (mayor)
Born 1953
William Goforth
1731 - 1807
Ruth Petroff
Born 1965
William F. Keller
Born 1951
George W. Sarbacher Jr.
1919 - 1973
Vanessa L. Brown
-
Stephen Freind
Born 1944
Alfred H. Love
1830 - 1913
Vincent Hughes
Born 1956
Malcolm Hoenlein
-
Vince Fumo
Born 1943
Diane B. Snelling
Born 1952
Stephen Kinsey
Born 1958
Kevin J. Boyle
Born 1980
Albert T. Morgan
1842 - 1922
John Watkinson Douglass
1827 - 1909
Curtis Thomas
Born 1948
Mary L. Washington
Born 1962
Michael Barbieri
Born 1949
Richard Bloom
Born 1953
Angel Cruz
-
Margo L. Davidson
Born 1962
LeAnna Washington
Born 1945
Ron Villanueva
Born 1970
Peter Schwartzkopf
Born 1955
Dwight M. Bullard
Born 1977
Gwen Margolis
1934 - 2020
Nathaniel J. McFadden
Born 1946
Al Taubenberger
Born 1953
Alexander Starne
1813 - 1886
Tom Houghton
-
Maria Quiñones-Sanchez
Born 1968
Troy Singleton
Born 1973
Michael Driscoll (Pennsylvania politician)
Born 1960
John James Sweeney
Born 1927
James Irvine (Pennsylvania)
1735 - 1819
John How
1813 - 1885
Bill Adolph
Born 1949
Francis Lynch
1920 - 1993
Lois Wolk
Born 1946
Fred H. Madden
Born 1954
John R. Leopold
Born 1943
Rosita Youngblood
Born 1946
Michael H. O'Brien
1954 - 2018
Edwin Erickson
1938 - 2019
Alan Robbins
Born 1943
Terry C. Burton
Born 1956
Tom Quigley
Born 1961
George Connell (mayor)
1871 - 1955
Thomas W. Druce
Born 1961
John Hare Powel
1786 - 1856
Richard Griffith (general)
1814 - 1862
Jack Gargan (politician)
1930 - 2018
Maria Donatucci
Born 1954
Ralph Remington
Born 1963
Joan Specter
Born 1934
Darrell L. Clarke
Born 1940
Ted Blunt
Born 1943
Alan Butkovitz
Born 1952
Edward M. Bernstein
Born 1949
S. Howard Woodson
1916 - 1999
Bob O'Donnell
Born 1943
Jenifer Branning
Born 1979