Global Leaderboard 100 in view

Most Famous People from Russia

All 152,953
Russia 4,578
30 VL Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Lenin Russian Politician 1870–1924
30 JS Joseph Stalin Joseph Stalin Russian Politician 1879–1953
85 FD Fyodor Dostoevsky Fyodor Dostoevsky Russian Novelist 1821–1881
92 LT Leo Tolstoy Leo Tolstoy Russian Writer 1828–1910
130 AC Anton Chekhov Anton Chekhov Russian Playwright 1860–1904
131 PI Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Russian Composer 1840–1893
146 LT Leon Trotsky Leon Trotsky Russian Politician 1879–1940
147 MG Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev Russian Politician b. 1931
154 VP Vladimir Putin Vladimir Putin Russian Politician b. 1952
275 AP Alexander Pushkin Alexander Pushkin Russian Poet 1799–1837
346 CT Catherine the Great Catherine the Great Russian Empress 1729–1796
372 NI Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II of Russia Russian Emperor 1868–1918
405 LB Leonid Brezhnev Leonid Brezhnev Russian Politician 1906–1982
420 NK Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Khrushchev Russian Politician 1894–1971
425 IS Igor Stravinsky Igor Stravinsky Russian Composer 1882–1971
479 RL Rosa Luxemburg Rosa Luxemburg Russian Philosopher 1871–1919
508 YG Yuri Gagarin Yuri Gagarin Russian Cosmonaut 1934–1968
517 AS Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Russian Writer 1918–2008
554 MS Maria Sharapova Maria Sharapova Russian Player b. 1987
564 BY Boris Yeltsin Boris Yeltsin Russian Politician 1931–2007
601 MC Marc Chagall Marc Chagall Russian Painter 1887–1985
754 GZ Georgy Zhukov Georgy Zhukov Russian Militar 1896–1974
762 NG Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Gogol Russian Novelist 1809–1852
773 SR Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Rachmaninoff Russian Composer 1873–1943
797 MB Mikhail Bulgakov Russian Novelist 1891–1940
819 SP Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Prokofiev Russian Composer 1891–1953
828 MG Maxim Gorky Maxim Gorky Russian Writer 1868–1936
851 DM Dmitri Mendeleev Dmitri Mendeleev Russian Chemist 1834–1907
919 GR Grigori Rasputin Grigori Rasputin Russian Mystic 1869–1916
949 IT Ivan the Terrible Ivan the Terrible Russian Prince 1530–1584
1,034 MB Mikhail Bakunin Mikhail Bakunin Russian Revolutionary 1814–1876
1,036 AT Andrei Tarkovsky Andrei Tarkovsky Russian Film 1932–1986
1,063 SE Sergei Eisenstein Sergei Eisenstein Russian Film 1898–1948
1,065 NR Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Russian Composer 1844–1908
1,070 AI Alexander II of Russia Alexander II of Russia Russian Emperor 1818–1881
1,076 IP Ivan Pavlov Ivan Pavlov Russian Chemist 1849–1936
1,108 VM Vladimir Mayakovsky Vladimir Mayakovsky Russian Artist 1893–1930
1,255 AI Alexander III of Russia Alexander III of Russia Russian Aristocrat 1845–1894
1,259 AA Anna Akhmatova Anna Akhmatova Russian Writer 1889–1966
1,267 EG Emma Goldman Emma Goldman Russian Activist 1868–1940
1,301 IB Ivan Bunin Ivan Bunin Russian Writer 1870–1953
1,302 IT Ivan Turgenev Ivan Turgenev Russian Writer 1818–1883
1,377 VM Vyacheslav Molotov Vyacheslav Molotov Russian Politician 1890–1986
1,403 JP Józef Piłsudski Józef Piłsudski Russian Politician 1867–1935
1,503 IR Ilya Repin Ilya Repin Russian Painter 1844–1930
1,625 AN Anna Netrebko Anna Netrebko Russian Opera b. 1971
1,658 RN Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Nureyev Russian Ballet 1938–1993
1,672 HB Helena Blavatsky Russian Occultist 1831–1891
1,687 LV Lev Vygotsky Lev Vygotsky Russian Philosopher 1896–1934
1,697 LB Lavrentiy Beria Lavrentiy Beria Russian Politician 1899–1953
1,702 GD Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia Russian Tsar 1901–1918
1,820 AK Anatoly Karpov Anatoly Karpov Russian Chess b. 1951
1,832 AR Alfred Rosenberg Alfred Rosenberg Russian Nazi 1893–1946
1,833 AF Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse) Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse) Russian Consort 1872–1918
1,841 IA Ivan Aivazovsky Ivan Aivazovsky Russian Painter 1817–1900
1,866 ML Mikhail Lomonosov Mikhail Lomonosov Russian Astronomer 1711–1765
1,958 NI Nicholas I of Russia Nicholas I of Russia Russian Emperor 1796–1855
2,062 MM Modest Mussorgsky Modest Mussorgsky Russian Composer 1839–1881
2,290 AK Aram Khachaturian Aram Khachaturian Russian Composer 1903–1978
2,338 SY Sergei Yesenin Sergei Yesenin Russian Poet 1895–1925
2,339 YA Yuri Andropov Yuri Andropov Russian Politician 1914–1984
2,391 MS Mikhail Sholokhov Mikhail Sholokhov Russian Writer 1905–1984
2,918 YY Yevgeny Yevtushenko Yevgeny Yevtushenko Russian Poet 1932–2017
3,105 NM Nestor Makhno Nestor Makhno Russian Revolutionary 1888–1934
3,123 ÉM Élie Metchnikoff Élie Metchnikoff Russian Biologist 1845–1916
3,211 CA Chinghiz Aitmatov Chinghiz Aitmatov Russian Author 1928–2008
3,266 MG Mikhail Glinka Mikhail Glinka Russian Composer 1804–1857
3,442 KT Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Russian Aerospace 1857–1935
3,453 AG Andrei Gromyko Andrei Gromyko Russian Politician 1909–1989
3,675 VZ Vladimir Zhirinovsky Vladimir Zhirinovsky Russian Nationalist b. 1946
3,859 DB Dima Bilan Dima Bilan Russian Singer b. 1981
3,866 MS Mikheil Saakashvili Mikheil Saakashvili Russian Politician b. 1967
3,916 GM Georgy Malenkov Georgy Malenkov Russian Politician 1901–1988
3,958 AN Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy Russian Playwright 1883–1945
4,013 VT Valentina Tereshkova Valentina Tereshkova Russian Astronaut b. 1937
4,044 NC Nikolay Chernyshevsky Russian Novelist 1828–1889
4,054 GP Georgi Plekhanov Georgi Plekhanov Russian Philosopher 1856–1918
4,102 KV Kliment Voroshilov Kliment Voroshilov Russian Politician 1881–1969
4,131 FD Felix Dzerzhinsky Felix Dzerzhinsky Russian Politician 1877–1926
4,270 VB Vitus Bering Vitus Bering Russian Explorer 1681–1741
4,367 SR Sviatoslav Richter Russian Composer 1915–1997
4,456 FT Fyodor Tyutchev Fyodor Tyutchev Russian Writer 1803–1873
4,464 NN Nikolay Nekrasov Nikolay Nekrasov Russian Poet 1821–1878
4,510 SD Sergei Diaghilev Sergei Diaghilev Russian Art Critic 1872–1929
4,515 EL El Lissitzky El Lissitzky Russian Painter 1890–1941
4,627 AD Anton Denikin Anton Denikin Russian Officer 1872–1947
4,642 BN Boris Nemtsov Boris Nemtsov Russian Politician 1959–2015
4,773 SA Sholem Aleichem Sholem Aleichem Russian Playwright 1859–1916
4,969 AK Andrey Kolmogorov Russian Mathematician 1903–1987
4,976 MS Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin Russian Writer 1826–1889
5,008 PK Pyotr Kapitsa Pyotr Kapitsa Russian Physicist 1894–1984
5,083 MV Mikhail Vrubel Mikhail Vrubel Russian Painter 1856–1910
5,186 CI Catherine I of Russia Catherine I of Russia Russian Sovereign 1684–1727
5,390 AK Aleksandr Kuprin Aleksandr Kuprin Russian Writer 1870–1938
5,392 CS Chaim Soutine Chaim Soutine Russian Painter 1893–1943
5,395 AR Anton Rubinstein Anton Rubinstein Russian Composer 1829–1894
5,468 MT Mikhail Tukhachevsky Mikhail Tukhachevsky Russian Militar 1893–1937
5,497 AN Alexander Nevsky Alexander Nevsky Russian Saint 1220–1263
5,601 FC Feodor Chaliapin Feodor Chaliapin Russian Singer 1873–1938
5,610 AS Alfred Schnittke Alfred Schnittke Russian Composer 1934–1998
See all 152,953 rankings →

Ranked by cross-verified academic notability — how it works

By the numbers

Inside Russia

4,578 notable people in this slice of the dataset.

Through the Centuries

One face per century — the most globally famous figure born in Russia during each.

Notable Births by Decade

Notable births in Russia peaked in the 1950s with 363 people.

What Russia Is Known For

Click any row to drill into that filter.

Sports is Russia's biggest group — 27% of all notables (1,252).

Russia over-indexes on exploration — 3.8× the global rate.

Russia under-produces religion — only 0.3× the global rate.

  1. Sports1,252
  2. Writing630
  3. Politics & Law568
  4. Military489
  5. Science443
  6. Other299
  7. Film & TV246
  8. Art & Design218
  1. Exploration883.8×
  2. Military4892.5×
  1. Religion830.3×
  2. Politics & Law5680.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

  • Sports
  • Writing
  • Politics & Law
  • Military
  • Science
  • Film & TV
  • Other

Datelines

The biggest birthplaces of fame — every city is a doorway.