22.9085° S, 43.1965° W

RIO DE JANEIRO

Most Famous People Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Notable people
5,466
Peak decade
1980s
Median birth year
1956
Most distinctive
Martial Art 13.2×

The capital that wasn't, but acted like one. Rio's most distinctive profession is martial arts at more than thirteen times the global rate — the home of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the Gracie family — alongside the composers, singers, and music players of bossa nova and samba and a deep diplomatic-and-journalistic bench from its century as the seat of the Portuguese and then Brazilian empires. Footballers and actors are tied at almost exactly the same share, a balance that you don't see in any other Brazilian city.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Rio de Janeiro during each.

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1980s with 771 notable births.

What Rio de Janeiro Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Football is Rio de Janeiro's biggest profession — 16% of all notables (898).

Rio de Janeiro over-indexes on martial art — 13.2× the global rate.

Rio de Janeiro under-produces painter — only 0.5× the global rate.

  1. Football898
  2. Actor896
  3. Politician372
  4. Singer309
  5. Composer270
  6. Writer216
  7. Music213
  8. Journalist168
  1. Martial Art7413.2×
  2. Composer2703.7×
  3. Actor8963.1×
  4. Music2132.7×
  5. Singer3092.7×
  6. Diplomat732.3×
  7. Swimmer552.1×
  8. Journalist1681.9×
  1. Painter740.5×
  2. Politician3720.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

16501700175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Film & TV
  • Music
  • Politics & Law
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Other
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All5,466
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Showing 15 of 5,466 notable people

0197 MUSIC

Francisco Manuel da Silva

1795 - 1865

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0281 POET

Evaristo da Veiga

1799 - 1837

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0520 BOTANIST

Francisco Freire Allemão e Cysneiro

1797 - 1874

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2082 PAINTER

Francisco Pedro do Amaral

1790 - 1831

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2301 POLITICIAN

Manuel da Fonseca de Lima e Silva

1793 - 1869

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4747 POLITICIAN

José Maria da Silva Bittencourt

1795 - 1875

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4778 POLITICIAN

Luís Paulo de Araújo Bastos

1797 - 1863

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4823 NOBRE

Joaquim Ribeiro de Avelar

1791 - 1863

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4944 NOBRE

João José de Araújo Gomes

1791 - 1862

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4945 DIPLOMAT

José Alexandre Carneiro Leão

1793 - 1863

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5119 ARISTOCRATA

Engrácia Maria da Costa Ribeiro Pereira

1792 - 1863

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5397 DIPLOMAT

Luíz Moutinho de Lima Alvares e Silva

1792 - 1863

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5438 PHYSICIAN

João Fernandes Tavares

1795 - 1874

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5446 MAGISTRAT

José Maria de Sales Gameiro de Mendonça Peçanha

1791 - 1857

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5450 POLITICIAN

Vicente de Paulo de Oliveira Vilas-Boas

Born 1790

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