Most Famous People from United Kingdom

100 British people in view out of 9,762

All 152,953
United Kingdom 9,803
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill British Politician 1874 – 1965
#7
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare British Playwright 1564 – 1616
#8
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin British Biologist 1809 – 1882
#12
Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin British Film 1889 – 1977
#23
John Lennon
John Lennon British Producer 1940 – 1980
#27
David Bowie
David Bowie British Painter 1947 – 2016
#32
Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking British Physicist 1942 – 2018
#40
Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton British Mathematician 1643 – 1727
#41
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney British Guitar Born 1942
#52
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens British Writer 1812 – 1870
#54
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I of England British Queen 1533 – 1603
#71
Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria British Queen 1819 – 1901
#72
J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien British Writer 1892 – 1973
#74
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock British Film 1899 – 1980
#77
J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling British Film Born 1965
#79
Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie British Playwright 1890 – 1976
#81
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde British Poet 1854 – 1900
#89
Jane Austen
Jane Austen British Writer 1775 – 1817
#121
Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf British Novelist 1882 – 1941
#125
George Orwell
George Orwell British Novelist 1903 – 1950
#142
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher British Politician 1925 – 2013
#144
John Locke
John Locke British Philosopher 1632 – 1704
#145
Elton John
Elton John British Singer Born 1947
#150
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn British Actor 1929 – 1993
#159
Adele
Adele British Singer Born 1988
#160
Alan Turing
Alan Turing British Computer Scientist 1912 – 1954
#167
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury British Singer 1946 – 1991
#177
Bertrand Russell
Bertrand Russell British Mathematician 1872 – 1970
#181
Diana (Princess of Wales)
Diana (Princess of Wales) British Royal Family 1961 – 1997
#212
Adam Smith
Adam Smith British Economist 1723 – 1790
#220
Mary (Queen of Scots)
Mary (Queen of Scots) British Sovereign 1542 – 1587
#229
James Cook
James Cook British Explorer 1728 – 1779
#245
Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley British Writer 1797 – 1851
#253
SC
Sean Connery British Actor 1930 – 2020
#261
John Maynard Keynes
John Maynard Keynes British Economist 1883 – 1946
#274
Emma Watson
Emma Watson British Actress Born 1990
#281
Charles (Prince of Wales)
Charles (Prince of Wales) British Heir Born 1948
#310
George Michael
George Michael British Singer 1963 – 2016
#314
H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells British Writer 1866 – 1946
#318
Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet British Actor Born 1975
#321
Sting (musician)
Sting (musician) British Actor Born 1951
#326
Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll British Writer 1833 – 1898
#332
George VI
George VI British Monarch 1895 – 1952
#335
Phil Collins
Phil Collins British Actor Born 1951
#335
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru British Statesperson 1889 – 1964
#337
Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee British Actor 1922 – 2015
#340
James VI and I
James VI and I British King 1566 – 1625
#358
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton British Guitar Born 1945
#360
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon British Philosopher 1561 – 1626
#362
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins British Film Born 1937
#365
Charles I of England
Charles I of England British Monarch 1600 – 1649
#366
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes British Philosopher 1588 – 1679
#370
George III of the United Kingdom
George III of the United Kingdom British King 1738 – 1820
#372
William Blake
William Blake British Painter 1757 – 1827
#391
Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger British Actor Born 1943
#394
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II British Monarch Born 1926
#419
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell British Politician 1599 – 1658
#432
Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins British Biologist Born 1941
#441
George V
George V British King 1865 – 1936
#446
C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis British Writer 1898 – 1963
#452
David Cameron
David Cameron British Politician Born 1966
#453
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne British Singer Born 1948
#460
Cary Grant
Cary Grant British Actor 1904 – 1986
#467
Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley British Actor Born 1985
#472
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh British Actor 1913 – 1967
#481
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn British Queen 1501 – 1536
#488
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier British Actor 1907 – 1989
#493
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones British Actor Born 1969
#501
Edward VIII
Edward VIII British King 1894 – 1972
#502
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl British Novelist 1916 – 1990
#509
Michael Caine
Michael Caine British Actor Born 1933
#511
John Stuart Mill
John Stuart Mill British Philosopher 1806 – 1873
#522
Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams British Singer Born 1974
#533
Robert Hooke
Robert Hooke British Philosopher 1635 – 1703
#552
Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews British Actor Born 1935
#563
Anne (Queen of Great Britain)
Anne (Queen of Great Britain) British Queen 1665 – 1714
#570
AR
Alan Rickman British Actor 1946 – 2016
#576
Brian May
Brian May British Guitar Born 1947
#578
William III of England
William III of England British Sovereign 1650 – 1702
#586
Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley British Poet 1894 – 1963
#597
SR
Salman Rushdie British Writer Born 1947
#603
Roger Moore
Roger Moore British Actor 1927 – 2017
#604
John Keats
John Keats British Poet 1795 – 1821
#605
Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis British Actor Born 1957
#614
Judi Dench
Judi Dench British Actor Born 1934
#622
Anthony Eden
Anthony Eden British Politician 1897 – 1977
#644
Richard Burton
Richard Burton British Actor 1925 – 1984
#647
Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain British Politician 1869 – 1940
#661
Roger Waters
Roger Waters British Composer Born 1943
#668
T. E. Lawrence
T. E. Lawrence British Biographer 1888 – 1935
#672
Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott British Film Born 1937
#680
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson British Actor Born 1959
#690
Francis Drake
Francis Drake British Explorer 1540 – 1596
#694
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley British Poet 1792 – 1822
#697
J. M. W. Turner
J. M. W. Turner British Painter 1775 – 1851
#703
Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart British Actor Born 1940
#703
David Attenborough
David Attenborough British Actor Born 1926
#716
Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen British Actor Born 1939
#720
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great British King 849 – 899
#730
Henry VII of England
Henry VII of England British Monarch 1457 – 1509
#733

By the numbers

Inside the United Kingdom

9,803 notable people in this slice of the dataset.

Through the Centuries

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

Notable Births by Decade

Notable births in the United Kingdom peaked in the 1940s with 646 people.

What the United Kingdom Is Known For

Click any row to drill into that filter.

Sports is the United Kingdom's biggest group — 24% of all notables (2,395).

The United Kingdom over-indexes on royalty — 2.5× the global rate.

The United Kingdom under-produces politics & law — only 0.6× the global rate.

  1. Sports2,395
  2. Writing1,274
  3. Politics & Law1,113
  4. Science927
  5. Film & TV902
  6. Other771
  7. Military574
  8. Music564
  1. Royalty2242.5×
  2. Exploration1032.0×
  1. Politics & Law1,1130.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

15001550160016501700175018001850190019502000
  • Sports
  • Writing
  • Politics & Law
  • Science
  • Film & TV
  • Military
  • Other

Top Cities

Biggest birthplaces in this slice — click any to explore.