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
Alexander Montgomery Thackara
1848 - 1937
David Bar Katz
-
John Cecil Holm
1904 - 1981
Charles O'Neill (Pennsylvania politician)
1821 - 1893
Lee Elia
Born 1937
Judy Stone (journalist)
1924 - 2017
Marian Thayer
1872 - 1944
Art Spector
1920 - 1987
George Scott Graham
1850 - 1931
Herb Sargent
1923 - 2005
Joel Cook
1842 - 1910
William Shippen Jr.
1736 - 1808
Paul Ryan (actor)
1945 - 2015
Noam Pitlik
1932 - 1999
George Biddle
1885 - 1973
Nah-Shon Burrell
Born 1990
Barnett Rubin
Born 1950
Eddie Stanky
1916 - 1999
Danny Rapp
1941 - 1983
Susan Block
Born 1955
Jesse Watters
Born 1978
F. D. Reeve
1928 - 2013
Dwight Clinton Jones
Born 1948
Norm Grekin
1930 - 1981
Samuel Sitgreaves
1764 - 1827
Trooper Washington
1944 - 2004
Richard S. Edwards
1885 - 1956
John Joseph Graham
1913 - 2000
B. Jay Becker
1904 - 1987
Patrick Cronin (actor)
Born 1941
Allan Muhr
1882 - 1944
John C. Smith (politician)
1832 - 1910
Helen Sobel Smith
1909 - 1969
Rachel Alana Handler
Born 1988
Joseph Hirsch
1910 - 1981
William Remington (athlete)
1879 - 1963
Al Thompson
1884 - 1960
Arthur James Boucot
1924 - 2017
Mary Draper Ingles
1732 - 1815
Lillian Hoban
1925 - 1998
Charles H. Mansur
1835 - 1895
Ned Cuthbert
1845 - 1905
Joseph Biles Anthony
1795 - 1851
Mo'ne Davis
Born 2001
Horace Disston
1906 - 1982
Bebe Moore Campbell
1950 - 2006
John Hyland
1912 - 1998
John Vincent Lawless Hogan
1890 - 1960
Arthur S. Reber
Born 1940
John F. Starr
1818 - 1904
David Brooks (politician)
1756 - 1838
Samuel M. Moore
1796 - 1875
Brandon Penn
Born 1990
Maggie Hogan
Born 1979
Charles McIlvaine (rower)
1903 - 1975
Stephenie LaGrossa
Born 1978
Silver Flint
1855 - 1892
John Fulton (torero)
1933 - 1998
R. D. Robb
Born 1972
Robert A. Borski Jr.
Born 1948
Tom Glazer
1914 - 2003
David B. Thompson
1923 - 2013
Robert M. Koerner
1933 - 2019
Abe Pollin
1923 - 2009
Jacob Pressman
1919 - 2015
Thomas Birch Florence
1812 - 1875
Harry O'Neill (catcher)
1917 - 1945
Dorothy Norman
1905 - 1997
Charles Grafly
1862 - 1929
Charles Grymes McCawley
1827 - 1891
Eddie Mast
1948 - 1994
Alfred P. Boller
1840 - 1912
Leroy Lovett
1919 - 2013
Jed S. Rakoff
Born 1943
Kelly Petillo
1903 - 1970
Myer Feldman
1914 - 2007
Joseph Lucien Bonaparte
1824 - 1865
Duane Eubanks
Born 1969
Edwin Henry Fitler
1825 - 1896
Sharrif Floyd
Born 1992
Richard Harrison Shryock
1893 - 1972
Paul Jenkins (actor)
1938 - 2013
Richard T. James
1914 - 1974
Joey Forman
1929 - 1982
Marian Swayne
1891 - 1973
Courtney Friel
Born 1980
Jim Whelan
1948 - 2017
George A. McCall
1802 - 1868
Fran O'Hanlon
Born 1948
Helen Abbott Michael
1857 - 1904
Deborah K. Ross
Born 1963
Whitney Peyton
-
Maria Louisa Bustill
1853 - 1904
Elliot M. Bour
Born 1969
Al Guokas
1925 - 1990
L. C. Hughes
1842 - 1915
Veit Krenn
Born 1960
Franz Federschmidt
1894 - 1956
Ruth Goetz
1912 - 2001
John M. Morin
1868 - 1942
Brooke Dolan II
1908 - 1945
Murray S. Blum
Born 1929
Suzy Kolber
Born 1964
Martin Schechter (mathematician)
Born 1930
Jesse Hart
Born 1989
Michael Shaowanasai
Born 1964
Bunny Sigler
1941 - 2017
James Milnor
1773 - 1845
Seth Hoffman (artist)
1895 - 1948
Ida Waugh
1846 - 1919
Joseph Jorgensen
1844 - 1888
Harold Weisberg
1913 - 2002
Edith Grosz
1919 - 2011
Raymond J. Broderick
1914 - 2000
John M. Snowden
1776 - 1845
Alice Arden (athlete)
1914 - 2012
Andrew Kay Womrath
1869 - 1939
John Sebastian (classical harmonica player)
1914 - 1980
Robert D. Sack
Born 1939
Ivan Robinson
Born 1971
William Howard Shuster
1893 - 1969
Jameel McClain
Born 1985
Danny Sembello
1963 - 2015
Zoe Strauss
Born 1970
James Williams (Delaware representative)
1825 - 1899
Richard Bache Jr.
1784 - 1848
Julian Christopher
Born 1944
Miriam Engelberg
1958 - 2006
Kyle Eckel
Born 1981
Steve Little (boxer)
1965 - 2000
Anna King (singer)
1937 - 2002
Joseph Clay
1769 - 1811
Ed Bullins
Born 1935
Bill McGlaughlin
Born 1943
Paul R. Heyl
1872 - 1961
Jerold T. Hevener
Born 1873
Charles Browne (politician)
1875 - 1947
Francis R. Nicosia
Born 1944
Thomas Irwin
1785 - 1870
Charles Godfrey (physician)
Born 1917
Eddie Layton
1925 - 2004
Mervin F. Verbit
Born 1936
Edward Cullen (bishop)
Born 1933
John G. Fuller
1913 - 1990
Stacey Snider
Born 1961
Jason Cain
Born 1985
Vinton Freedley
1891 - 1969
Erich Federschmidt
1895 - 1962
Robert Perew
1923 - 1999
Mifflin Wistar Gibbs
1823 - 1915
William Guthrie
Born 1967
Maureen Herman
Born 1966
Ira D. Gruber
Born 1934
John Powers Middleton
Born 1984
Sharnee Zoll-Norman
Born 1986
Harriet Whitney Frishmuth
1880 - 1980
Buster Drayton
Born 1954
Chalmers Alford
1955 - 2008
Alfred Stillé
1813 - 1900
Benj Pasek
Born 1985
Dion James
Born 1962
Rudolph Hering
1847 - 1923
Sherman White (basketball)
1928 - 2011
Peggy Stern
Born 1948
Benjamin Say
1755 - 1813
Thomas J. McDonough
1911 - 1998
William H. Rau
1855 - 1920
Maria Beasley
Born 1847
Richard Amsel
1947 - 1985
Rose Hemingway
Born 1984
Courtney Niemiec
Born 1992
Brian Fortuna
Born 1982
Mike City
-
Peedi Peedi
Born 1977
Bryan Lentz
Born 1964
Claude Allen
Born 1960
James R. Young (Pennsylvania politician)
1847 - 1924
Michael Wilder
Born 1962
Rock Allen
Born 1981
Douglas Hemphill Elliott
1921 - 1960
Stephen Powers (artist)
Born 1968
Dom Irrera
Born 1947
Herbert Needleman
1927 - 2017
Edward L. Bader
1874 - 1927
James Hamilton (Pennsylvania)
1710 - 1783
Mike McGlinchey (offensive lineman)
Born 1994
Jacob Zeilin
1806 - 1880
Charlie White (artist)
Born 1972
David Bey
1957 - 2017
Hugh Weiss
1925 - 2007
Chris Godwin
Born 1996
Dennis James (musician)
Born 1950
Roy Coffin
1898 - 1982
Victor Galeone
Born 1935
Scoop Jardine
Born 1988
Phillip Martin
1926 - 2010
C. S. Holling
1930 - 2019
Allan Travers
1892 - 1968
Lillian B. Rubin
1924 - 2014
Alan Wood Jr.
1834 - 1902
Edward Kern
1822 - 1863
Camille Zeckwer
1875 - 1924
Richard Bruce Silverman
Born 1946
Conyers Read
1881 - 1959
Charlie Gaines
1900 - 1986
Daryl Worley
Born 1995
Harold H. Saunders
1930 - 2016
Freddie Pendleton
Born 1963
Henry Goldman
1857 - 1937
Alfred C. Harmer
1825 - 1900
Annette Weiner
1933 - 1997
Wharton Esherick
1887 - 1970
Jihad Ward
Born 1994
William A. Fletcher
Born 1945
Warren Johansson
1934 - 1994
Kate M. Harper
Born 1956
Ned McGowan
Born 1970
Laura Nelson Hall
1876 - 1936
James S. Allen
1906 - 1986
Liz Larsen
Born 1959
Alex Wesby
Born 1980
John Trout Greble
1834 - 1861
Eric Lipton
Born 1965
John Henry Hobart
1775 - 1830
J. Burrwood Daly
1872 - 1939
Samuel Wells Morris
1786 - 1847
Henry Myer Phillips
1811 - 1884
Edward Kilenyi, Jr.
1910 - 2000
Douglas Baird (Indian Army officer)
1953 - 1963
William A. Barrett
1896 - 1976
Ellen Schrecker
Born 1938
Rome Fortune
Born 1988
Florence Moore
1886 - 1935
Tyrone Brunson (boxer)
Born 1985
Louise Rosskam
1910 - 2003
Jeremy Vuolo
Born 1987
Ed Bassmaster
Born 1973
Ruth Malcomson
1906 - 1988
Robert Waln
1765 - 1836
William T. Granahan
1895 - 1956
Thomas Maguire (priest)
1776 - 1854
Mike Berenstain
Born 1951
Al Gorgoni
Born 1939
Charles Brewer (boxer)
Born 1969
J. D. Walter
Born 1967
Guy Marks
1923 - 1987
Mendy Rudolph
1926 - 1979
George Henry Boker
1823 - 1890
Robert Hawkins (boxer)
Born 1970
Benjamin F. James
1885 - 1961
J. William Ditter
1888 - 1943
Lynn Sherr
Born 1942
Daniel Kubert
1947 - 2010
Jerrold Freedman
Born 1941
John B. Clymer
1887 - 1937
Essra Mohawk
Born 1948
Nick Perri
Born 1984
W. Arthur Winstead
1904 - 1995
D. Lane Powers
1896 - 1968
Charles Pollock (designer)
1930 - 2013
Johnny Jadick
1908 - 1970
Steve Courtin
Born 1942
Shawn Harvey (basketball)
Born 1973
Ruth Cernea
1934 - 2009
Otto Siegel
1897 - 1962
Peggy Solomon
1909 - 1995
Tina Seelig
Born 1958
Joseph Kallinger
1935 - 1996
Harry C. Ransley
1863 - 1941
Alexander R. Bolling
1895 - 1964
Ronald M. Shapiro
Born 1943
Kenny Gamble
Born 1943
Kintzing Prichette
1800 - 1869
Charles Brown (congressman)
1797 - 1883
Neo da Matrix
-
Danny Murphy (second baseman)
1876 - 1955
Richard Bartlett
1922 - 1994
Marcus Dupree
Born 1964
Eric Harding
Born 1972
Mark Andes
Born 1948
Lawrence Kramer (musicologist)
Born 1946
Sidney Fernbach
1917 - 1991
Jim Mooney (basketball)
Born 1930
Marie Wainwright
1853 - 1923
Carl Bridenbaugh
1903 - 1992
Jon Entine
Born 1952
Jayson Stark
Born 1951
Adam Forepaugh
1831 - 1890
Michael Woolston Ash
1789 - 1858
Joseph William Drexel
1833 - 1888
Lee Guber
1920 - 1988
George W. Taylor (professor)
1901 - 1972
Gary K. Michelson
Born 1949
Goler T. Butcher
1925 - 1993
Gary B. Nash
Born 1933
Samuel H. Caldwell
1904 - 1960
Lyle Kessler
-
Isaac Norris (statesman)
1701 - 1766
Philip Syng Physick
1768 - 1837
William Candidus
1840 - 1910