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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Writer40
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Showing 40 of 658 notable people

0002 WRITER

Halldór Laxness

1902 - 1998

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0003 WRITER

Arnaldur Indriðason

Born 1961

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0007 WRITER

Gunnar Hansen

1947 - 2015

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0017 WRITER

Sjón

Born 1962

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0019 WRITER

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

Born 1963

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0029 WRITER

Jón Kalman Stefánsson

Born 1963

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0031 WRITER

Hallgrímur Helgason

Born 1959

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0037 WRITER

Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir

Born 1958

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0038 WRITER

Einar Már Guðmundsson

Born 1954

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0052 WRITER

Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson

Born 1962

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0053 WRITER

Andri Snær Magnason

Born 1973

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0077 WRITER

Einar Kárason

Born 1955

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0104 WRITER

Auður Jónsdóttir

Born 1973

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0107 WRITER

Vigdís Grímsdóttir

Born 1953

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0109 WRITER

Gerður Kristný

Born 1970

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0110 WRITER

Steinunn Sigurðardóttir

Born 1950

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0111 WRITER

Guðrún Eva Mínervudóttir

Born 1976

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0113 WRITER

Árni Þórarinsson

Born 1950

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0150 WRITER

Álfrún Gunnlaugsdóttir

Born 1938

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0156 WRITER

Pétur Gunnarsson

Born 1947

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0164 WRITER

Stefán Máni

Born 1970

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0166 WRITER

Steinar Bragi

Born 1975

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0172 WRITER

Bergsveinn Birgisson

Born 1971

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0195 WRITER

Ólafur Haukur Símonarson

Born 1947

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0200 WRITER

Linda Vilhjálmsdóttir

Born 1958

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0202 WRITER

Hermann Stefánsson

Born 1968

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0219 WRITER

Bjarni Bjarnason

Born 1965

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0239 WRITER

Guðmundur Andri Thorsson

Born 1957

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0248 WRITER

Kristín Helga Gunnarsdóttir

Born 1963

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0260 WRITER

Halldór Guðmundsson

Born 1956

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0284 WRITER

Birgir Sigurðsson (writer)

Born 1937

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0330 WRITER

Thorarinn Leifsson

Born 1966

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0367 WRITER

Andrés Indriðason

1941 - 2020

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0397 WRITER

Anna Svanhildur Björnsdóttir

Born 1948

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0406 WRITER

Hrafnhildur Hagalín

Born 1965

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0437 WRITER

Drífa Viðar

1920 - 1971

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0462 WRITER

Jón Atli Jónasson

Born 1972

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0465 WRITER

Snorri Hergill Kristjánsson

Born 1974

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0485 WRITER

Ágústína Jónsdóttir

Born 1949

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0637 WRITER

Þórður Helgason

Born 1947

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