64.1475° N, 21.9346° W

REYKJAVIK

Most Famous People Born in Reykjavik, Iceland

Notable people
658
Peak decade
1980s
Median birth year
1971
Most distinctive
Handball 20.9×
Through the Decades

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

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1980s with 138 notable births.

What Reykjavik Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Football is Reykjavik's biggest profession — 18% of all notables (117).

Reykjavik over-indexes on handball — 20.9× the global rate.

Reykjavik under-produces painter — only 0.5× the global rate.

  1. Football117
  2. Politician102
  3. Handball43
  4. Writer40
  5. Actor37
  6. Singer26
  7. Basket22
  8. Sport21
  1. Handball4320.9×
  2. Chess139.7×
  3. Swimmer196.0×
  4. Basket222.6×
  5. Composer192.2×
  6. Sport211.9×
  7. Singer261.9×
  8. Writer401.9×
  1. Painter80.5×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

1650170017501800185019001950
  • Sports
  • Politics & Law
  • Writing
  • Film & TV
  • Music
  • Art & Design
  • Other
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Showing 12 of 658 notable people

0075 POLITICIAN

Gunnar Thoroddsen

1910 - 1983

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0123 BOTANIST

Áskell Löve

1916 - 1994

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0162 PAINTER

Louisa Matthíasdóttir

1917 - 2000

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0238 COMPOSER

Jórunn Viðar

1918 - 2017

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0301 CHESS

Baldur Möller

1914 - 1999

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0407 FOOTBALL

Óli B. Jónsson

1918 - 2005

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0443 FOOTBALL

Hermann Hermannsson

1914 - 1975

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0474 FOOTBALL

Sigurður Ólafsson

1916 - 1993

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0577 OPERA

Einar Kristjánsson

1910 - 1966

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0625 SCULPTOR

Þorbjörg Pálsdóttir

1919 - 2009

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0631 DESIGNER

Íeda Herman

1918 - 2019

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0658 BUSINESS

Olafur Sigurdsson

1914 - 2003

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