Global Leaderboard 100 in view

Most Famous Scientists & Academics in the World

Science 12,107
All 152,953
05 AE Albert Einstein Albert Einstein German Physicist 1879–1955
12 CD Charles Darwin Charles Darwin British Biologist 1809–1882
16 KM Karl Marx Karl Marx German Economist 1818–1883
26 A Aristotle Aristotle Greek Biologist -383–-322
28 GG Galileo Galilei Galileo Galilei Italian Astronomer 1564–1642
40 SH Stephen Hawking Stephen Hawking British Physicist 1942–2018
41 IN Isaac Newton Isaac Newton British Mathematician 1643–1727
66 MC Marie Curie Marie Curie Polish Physicist 1867–1934
118 TE Thomas Edison Thomas Edison American Inventor 1847–1931
120 LP Louis Pasteur Louis Pasteur French Biologist 1822–1895
161 NC Nicolaus Copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus Polish Astronomer 1473–1543
167 AT Alan Turing Alan Turing British Computer Scientist 1912–1954
181 BR Bertrand Russell Bertrand Russell British Mathematician 1872–1970
196 NT Nikola Tesla Nikola Tesla Austrian Inventor 1856–1943
197 CL Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus Swedish Geologist 1707–1778
220 AS Adam Smith Adam Smith British Economist 1723–1790
227 NA Neil Armstrong Neil Armstrong American Astronaut 1930–2012
244 AS Arthur Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer German Academic 1788–1860
255 BP Blaise Pascal Blaise Pascal French Mathematician 1623–1662
268 MW Max Weber Max Weber German Sociologist 1864–1920
274 JM John Maynard Keynes John Maynard Keynes British Economist 1883–1946
283 JK Johannes Kepler Johannes Kepler German Naturalist 1571–1630
319 RF Richard Feynman Richard Feynman American Physicist 1918–1988
322 GB Giordano Bruno Giordano Bruno Italian Astronomer 1548–1600
347 FE Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels German Economist 1820–1895
384 LE Leonhard Euler Swiss Mathematician 1707–1783
398 A Archimedes Archimedes Greek Mathematician -287–-212
416 WH Werner Heisenberg Werner Heisenberg German Physicist 1901–1976
441 RD Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins British Biologist b. 1941
449 CF Carl Friedrich Gauss Carl Friedrich Gauss German Mathematician 1777–1855
468 ÉD Émile Durkheim Émile Durkheim French Anthropologist 1858–1917
486 JV John von Neumann Hungarian Mathematician 1903–1957
513 MP Max Planck Max Planck German Physicist 1858–1947
535 H Hippocrates Hippocrates Greek Physician -460–-370
590 OK Omar Khayyam Omar Khayyam Turkish Mathematician 1048–1131
610 FN Fridtjof Nansen Fridtjof Nansen Norwegian Zoologist 1861–1930
634 ER Ernest Rutherford Ernest Rutherford New Zealand Scientist 1871–1937
650 JP Jean Piaget Jean Piaget Swiss Psychologist 1896–1980
653 N Nostradamus Nostradamus French Physician 1503–1566
674 WV Wernher von Braun Wernher von Braun German Physicist 1912–1977
783 GM Gregor Mendel Gregor Mendel Austrian Biologist 1822–1884
807 TB Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe Danish Astronomer 1546–1601
815 P Paracelsus Paracelsus Swiss Physician 1493–1541
851 DM Dmitri Mendeleev Dmitri Mendeleev Russian Chemist 1834–1907
882 JJ J. J. Thomson J. J. Thomson British Physicist 1856–1940
934 LP Linus Pauling American Chemist 1901–1994
951 RK Robert Koch Robert Koch German Biologist 1843–1910
984 SR Srinivasa Ramanujan Srinivasa Ramanujan Indian Mathematician 1887–1920
999 JL Jacques Lacan Jacques Lacan French Psychiatrist 1901–1981
1,030 AN Alfred Nobel Alfred Nobel Swedish Engineer 1833–1896
1,031 AS Amartya Sen Amartya Sen Indian Economist b. 1933
1,037 IK Ibn Khaldun Ibn Khaldun Tunisian Anthropologist 1332–1406
1,045 GB George Boole George Boole British Mathematician 1815–1864
1,046 MM Maria Montessori Maria Montessori Italian Psychologist 1870–1952
1,049 P Ptolemy Ptolemy Roman Mathematician 100–160
1,076 IP Ivan Pavlov Ivan Pavlov Russian Chemist 1849–1936
1,138 JL Jean-Baptiste Lamarck Jean-Baptiste Lamarck French Botanist 1744–1829
1,141 WR Wilhelm Röntgen Wilhelm Röntgen German Physicist 1845–1923
1,147 BA Buzz Aldrin Buzz Aldrin American Astronaut b. 1930
1,149 MB Max Born Max Born German Physicist 1882–1970
1,183 AV Antonie van Leeuwenhoek Antonie van Leeuwenhoek Dutch Zoologist 1632–1723
1,209 KG Kurt Gödel Kurt Gödel Austrian Mathematician 1906–1978
1,221 G Galen Galen Roman Physician 129–216
1,233 PL Pierre-Simon Laplace Pierre-Simon Laplace French Mathematician 1749–1827
1,235 JF John Forbes Nash Jr. John Forbes Nash Jr. American Mathematician 1928–2015
1,238 HP Henri Poincaré Henri Poincaré French Mathematician 1854–1912
1,242 GE Gustave Eiffel Gustave Eiffel French Engineer 1832–1923
1,276 AR Alfred Russel Wallace Alfred Russel Wallace British Mathematician 1823–1913
1,332 JW James Watt James Watt British Engineer 1736–1819
1,335 EH Edmund Husserl Edmund Husserl German Mathematician 1859–1938
1,342 TR Thomas Robert Malthus Thomas Robert Malthus British Economist 1766–1834
1,392 SC Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar American Mathematician 1910–1995
1,402 EJ Edward Jenner Edward Jenner British Physician 1749–1823
1,483 PK Paul Krugman Paul Krugman American Economist b. 1953
1,485 CH Christiaan Huygens Christiaan Huygens Dutch Astronomer 1629–1695
1,532 BF B. F. Skinner B. F. Skinner American Psychologist 1904–1990
1,538 RF Rosalind Franklin Rosalind Franklin British Chemist 1920–1958
1,567 TH Thor Heyerdahl Thor Heyerdahl Norwegian Anthropologist 1914–2002
1,576 WR Wilhelm Reich Wilhelm Reich Austrian Psychiatrist 1897–1957
1,599 CS Claude Shannon Claude Shannon American Mathematician 1916–2001
1,609 RB Robert Boyle Robert Boyle Irish Physicist 1627–1691
1,611 EH Ernst Haeckel Ernst Haeckel German Biologist 1834–1919
1,654 JD John Dalton John Dalton British Chemist 1766–1844
1,808 RC Rachel Carson Rachel Carson American Biologist 1907–1964
1,809 SC Santiago Calatrava Santiago Calatrava Spanish Engineer b. 1951
1,843 ME Mircea Eliade Mircea Eliade Romanian Anthropologist 1907–1986
1,866 ML Mikhail Lomonosov Mikhail Lomonosov Russian Astronomer 1711–1765
1,882 AS Alan Shepard Alan Shepard American Astronaut 1923–1998
1,893 IJ Irène Joliot-Curie French Physicist 1897–1956
1,909 IA Ibn al-Haytham Ibn al-Haytham Iraqi Mathematician 965–1039
1,930 FB Frederick Banting Frederick Banting Canadian Physician 1891–1941
1,951 TH Thomas Henry Huxley Thomas Henry Huxley British Biologist 1825–1895
1,970 OS Oliver Sacks Oliver Sacks British Neurologist 1933–2015
1,991 RV Rudolf Virchow Rudolf Virchow German Biologist 1821–1902
2,015 MI Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi Turkish Mathematician 780–850
2,022 ÉG Évariste Galois Évariste Galois French Mathematician 1811–1832
2,047 AM Albertus Magnus Albertus Magnus German Chemist 1206–1280
2,069 BR B. R. Ambedkar B. R. Ambedkar Indian Economist 1891–1956
2,085 SR Santiago Ramón y Cajal Santiago Ramón y Cajal Spanish Physician 1852–1934
2,092 LF Ludwig Feuerbach Ludwig Feuerbach German Anthropologist 1804–1872
See all 152,953 rankings →

Ranked by cross-verified academic notability — how it works

By the numbers

Inside Scientists & Academics

12,107 notable people in this slice of the dataset.

Through the Centuries

One face per century — the leading figure from Scientists & Academics born in each.

Notable Births by Decade

Notable births among Scientists & Academics peaked in the 1940s with 889 people.

What Scientists & Academics Are Known For

Disciplines inside this family, plus countries that over- and under-produce them.

Academia is the largest group within Scientists & Academics — 1,171 people, 10% of the family.

Scientists & Academics over-index on germany — 1.8× the global rate.

Scientists & Academics under-produce canada — only 0.6× the global rate.

  1. Academia1,171
  2. Physician1,158
  3. Mathematician954
  4. Botanist873
  5. Engineer829
  6. Physicist639
  7. Chemist595
  8. Economist529
  1. Germany2,7871.8×
  2. Switzerland2751.6×
  1. Canada1650.6×
  2. India2030.7×

City Hot Spots

Cities that over-produce Scientists & Academics compared to the world average — multiplier shows how much more.