40.4418° N, 80.0008° W

PITTSBURGH

Most Famous People Born in Pittsburgh, United States

Notable people
2,110
Peak decade
1940s
Median birth year
1938
Most distinctive
Baseball 6.2×

A steel city with an unusually literary bench — novelists, screenwriters, and musicians at the top, the legacy of Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh — alongside the expected baseball and basketball shelves. Pittsburgh's most famous son is Andy Warhol, with Gene Kelly, Gertrude Stein, Martha Graham, and Mary Cassatt a few shelves down; the philanthropic tradition is what happens when the Mellons, Fricks, and Carnegies all live on the same hill.

Through the Decades

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

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1940s with 233 notable births.

What Pittsburgh Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Football is Pittsburgh's biggest profession — 11% of all notables (242).

Pittsburgh over-indexes on baseball6.2× the global rate.

Pittsburgh under-produces painter — only 0.7× the global rate.

  1. Football242
  2. Politician193
  3. Actor176
  4. Baseball148
  5. Lawyer72
  6. Basket69
  7. Music64
  8. Writer52
  1. Baseball1486.2×
  2. Novelist253.0×
  3. Basket692.6×
  4. Screenwriter232.5×
  5. Officer302.2×
  6. Music642.1×
  7. Lawyer722.0×
  8. Business361.7×
  1. Painter370.7×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Politics & Law
  • Film & TV
  • Music
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Other
All2,110
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Showing 20 of 2,110 notable people

0451 JUDGE

George Shiras Jr.

1832 - 1924

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0555 OFFICER

Francis J. Herron

1837 - 1902

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0700 PRIEST

Thomas Albert Andrew Becker

1832 - 1899

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0757 OFFICER

John M. Corse

1835 - 1893

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0793 ENGINEER

Alexander Cassatt

1839 - 1906

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0805 POLITICIAN

Elliot S. N. Morgan

1832 - 1894

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1014 PAINTER

George Cochran Lambdin

1830 - 1896

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1041 CLERIC

Benjamin Tucker Tanner

1835 - 1923

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1132 WRITER

Kate Harrington (poet)

1831 - 1917

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1241 ARMY

Joseph Barr Kiddoo

1837 - 1880

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1263 ENGINEER

William Metcalf (manufacturer)

1838 - 1909

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1266 WRITER

Matthew Brown Riddle

1836 - 1916

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1361 LAWYER

George M. Dallas (judge)

1839 - 1917

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1398 OFFICER

John Irwin (admiral)

1832 - 1901

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1455 LAWYER

Alfred L. Pearson

1838 - 1903

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1458 MISSIONARY

Samuel Dutton Hinman

1839 - 1890

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1502 LAWYER

Oliver Perry Shiras

1833 - 1916

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1748 MILITAR

David B. McKibbin

1831 - 1890

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1885 OFFICER

Elliott Warren Rice

1835 - 1887

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2019 MISSING

James Y. McKee

1836 - 1891

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