List of Germans
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(Redirected from List of famous Germans)
Famous or notable persons considered Germans by citizenship or nationality.
Actors/Actresses
- Inga Abel (1946–2000), actress
- Mario Adorf (born 1930), actor, writer
- Hans Albers (1891–1960), actor
- Mark Bellinghaus (born 1963), activist, actor, poet, writer
- Moritz Bleibtreu (born 1971), actor
- Grit Boettcher (born 1938), actress
- Eric Braeden (born Hans Gudegast, 1941), actor
- Daniel Brühl (born 1978), actor
- Horst Buchholz (1933–2003), actor
- Vicco von Bülow, aka Loriot, actor and comedian
- Hans Clarin (1930–2005), actor
- George Dzundza (born 1945), actor
- Marlene Dietrich (1901–1992), actress
- August Diehl (born 1976), actor
- Heinz Erhardt (1909–1979), actor and comedian
- Gert Fröbe (1913–1988), actor
- Martina Gedeck (born 1961), actress
- Götz George (born 1938), actor
- Heinrich George (1893–1946), actor
- Gustaf Gründgens (1899–1963), actor
- Eva Habermann (born 1976), actress and model
- Brigitte Helm (1908–1996), actress
- Emil Jannings (1884–1950), actor
- Klaus Kinski (1926–1991), actor, Polish-German father, German mother
- Nastassja Kinski (born 1959), actress, daughter of Klaus Kinski
- Heidi Klum (born 1973), model and actress
- Hildegard Knef (1925–2002), actress, singer, writer
- Thomas Kretschmann (born 1962), actor, model
- Diane Kruger (born 1976), model and actress
- Sebastian Koch (born 1962) actor
- Alexandra Maria Lara (born 1978), actress
- Heike Makatsch (born 1971), actress
- Hanna Maron (born 1923), Israeli actress
- Willy Millowitsch (1909–1999), actor
- Armin Mueller-Stahl (born 1930), actor
- Luise Neumann (1818–1905)
- Uwe Ochsenknecht (born 1956), actor
- Christian Oliver, actor
- Franka Potente (born 1974), actress
- Jürgen Prochnow (born 1941), actor
- Heinz Rühmann (1902–1994), actor
- Otto Sander (born 1941), actor
- Romy Schneider, actress
- Hanna Schygulla (born 1943), actress
- Kristina Söderbaum (1912–2001), actress and photographer
- Claudia Schiffer (born 1970), actress and supermodel
- Til Schweiger (born 1963), actor
- Matthias Schweighöfer (born 1981), actor
- Xenia Seeberg (born 1972), actress and model
- Barbara Sukowa (born 1950), actress
- Nora Tschirner (born 1981), actress
- Nadja Uhl (born 1972), actress
- Christoph Waltz (born 1956) actor
- Veronica Ferres actress
Artists
- Hans von Aachen (1552–1615), mannerist painter
- Albrecht Altdorfer (1480–1538), painter
- Ernst Barlach (1870–1938), sculptor (and writer)
- Günther Behnisch (born 1922) architect
- Peter Behrens (1868–1940) architect
- Sibylle Bergemann (1941–2010) photographer
- Joseph Beuys (1921–1986), artist
- Elisabeth Böhm (born 1921), architect
- Gottfried Böhm (born 1920) architect
- Arno Breker (1900–1991), sculptor
- Lovis Corinth (1858–1925), painter
- Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553), painter
- Lucas Cranach the Younger (1515–1586), painter
- Yitzhak Danziger (1916–77), Berlin-born Israeli sculptor
- Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), painter
- Egon Eiermann (1904–1970), architect and designer
- Max Ernst (1891–1976), surrealist painter
- Carl Eytel (1862–1925), painter of desert landscapes in the American Southwest
- Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840), painter
- Dörte Gatermann (born 1956), architect
- Walter Gropius (1883–1969), architect
- George Grosz (1893–1959), artist
- Johann Gottlieb Hantzsch, (1794–1848), painter (genre works)
- Hannah Höch – artist
- Hans Holbein the Elder (c. 1465–1524), painter
- Hans Holbein the Younger (c. 1497–1543), illustrator, painter
- Harro Magnussen (1861–1908), sculptor
- Jörg Immendorff, painter
- Helmut Jahn (born 1940) architect and designer
- Anselm Kiefer (born 1945), painter
- Martin Kippenberger (1953–1997), painter
- Leo von Klenze (1784–1864) architect
- Hans Kollhoff (born 1946) architect
- Käthe Kollwitz (1867–1945), painter
- Max Liebermann, painter
- Markus Lüpertz (born 1941), painter and sculptor
- Franz Marc (1880–1916), painter
- Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) architect, designer
- Helmut Newton (1920–2004), photographer
- Frei Otto (born 1925) architect and research scientist
- Sigmar Polke (1941–2010), painter
- Gerhard Richter (born 1932), painter
- Karl Friedrich Schinkel, architect, painter
- Oskar Schlemmer (1888–1943), choreographer, painter, sculptor, stage & costume designer
- Eberhard Schlotter (born 1921), painter
- Kurt Schwitters, painter, poet
- Fritz Schumacher (1869–1947) architect and urban designer
- Max Slevogt, painter
- Carl Spitzweg (1808–1885), painter
- Birgit Stauch (born 1961) sculptor
- Franz Stuck, painter
- Yigal Tumarkin (born 1933), Israeli painter and sculptor
- Wolf Vostell (1932–1998), artist
- Emilie Winkelmann (1875–1951), architect
Composers
- Carl Friedrich Abel (1725–1787), composer
- Martin Agricola (1466–1506), composer
- Siegfried Alkan (1858–1941), composer
- Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–1788), composer, son of J. S. Bach
- Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), composer
- Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), composer
- Martin Boettcher (born 1927), film-composer (Karl May movies)
- Johannes Brahms (1833–1897), composer
- Max Bruch (1838–1920), composer
- Hanns Eisler (1898–1962), composer
- Friedrich von Flotow (1812–1883), composer
- Georg Friedrich Händel (1685–1759), composer, opera composer
- Fanny Hensel, composer
- Paul Hindemith (1895–1963), composer
- Engelbert Humperdinck (1854–1921), composer
- Albert Lortzing (1801–1851), composer
- Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791–1864), composer
- Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809–1847), composer
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), composer and musician
- Jacques Offenbach (1819–1880), composer
- Carl Orff (1895–1982), composer
- Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706), composer
- Hans Pfitzner (1869–1949), composer
- Max Reger (1873–1916), composer
- Wolfgang Rihm (born 1952), composer
- Leopold Schefer (1784–1862), writer and composer
- Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672), composer
- Clara Schumann (1819–1896), composer
- Robert Schumann (1810–1856), composer, songwriter
- Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928–2007), modern composer
- Richard Strauss (1864–1949), composer, opera composer
- Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767), composer
- Richard Wagner (1813–1883), composer
- Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826), composer
- Kurt Weill (1900–1950), composer (Threepenny Opera, "September Song")
- Hans Zimmer (born 1957), film-composer (The Lion King, Crimson Tide, Gladiator, The Dark Knight, Inception)
- Klaus Badelt (born 1967), film composer (Pirates of the Caribbean, Miami Vice, Ultraviolet, Beijing Olympics Closing Ceremonies)
Filmmakers
- Andreas Deja, animator
- Uwe Boll, film director
- Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, film director, academy award winner
- Doris Dörrie, female film director
- Bernd Eichinger (1949–2011) film producer
- Roland Emmerich, (born 1955), film director (Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow)
- Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1945–1982), film director
- Werner Herzog (born 1942), film director
- Oliver Hirschbiegel, film director
- Carl Koch (1892–1963), film director and writer
- Fritz Lang (1890–1976), film director
- Ernst Lubitsch (1892–1947), film director
- F.W. Murnau (1888–1931), film director
- Wolfgang Petersen (born 1941), film director
- Leni Riefenstahl (1902–2003), female film director
- Volker Schlöndorff (born 1939), film director
- Andreas Schnaas (born 1968), film director
- Tom Tykwer (born 1965), film director
- Robert Wiene, film director
- Wim Wenders (born 1945), film director
Company Founders
- John Jacob Bausch (1830–1926), co-founder of Bausch & Lomb, makers of contact lenses and Ray-Ban sunglasses
- Friedrich Bayer (1825–1880), founder of what would become Bayer, chemical and pharmaceutical company
- Paul Carl Beiersdorf (1836–1896), founded Beiersdorf AG manufacturers of Nivea, Eucerin, etc.
- Amalie Auguste Melitta Bentz (1873–1950), invented the coffee filter and started Melitta, manufacturers of coffee, paper coffee filters, and coffee makers.
- Karl Benz (1844–1929), inventor of the gasoline-powered automobile, co-founder of the automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz
- Maximilian Delphinius Berlitz (1852–1921), founded Berlitz Language Schools
- Carl Bertelsmann (1791–1850), founder of Bertelsmann AG, subsidiaries include Random House and BMG.
- Johann Adam Birkenstock, in 1774 founded Birkenstock shoe company
- Robert Bosch (1861–1942), industrialist, engineer and inventor, founder of Robert Bosch GmbH
- Hugo Boss (1885–1948), fashion designer, founder of Hugo Boss AG
- Max Braun (1883–1967), founded Braun GmbH, makers of electric shavers and trimmers, Oral-B products, thermometers, blood pressure monitors, coffee makers and other home appliances.
- Adolphus Busch (1839–1913), co-founder of Anheuser-Busch brewing company.
- Adolph Coors (1847–1929), started the Adolph Coors Company brewery, now part of MillerCoors.
- Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900), inventor and engineer, founder of Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, now Daimler-Benz AG
- Adolf Dassler (1900–1978), founder of sportswear company Adidas
- Rudolf Dassler (1898–1974), founder of PUMA sportwear company
- Friedrich Engelhorn (1821–1902), founder of BASF, the largest chemical company in the world
- Kaspar Faber (1730–1784), founded Faber-Castell, one of the world's largest manufacturers of pens, pencils, other office supplies, art supplies, high-end writing instruments and luxury leather goods.
- Friedrich Krupp (1787–1826), steel manufacturer and founder of the ThyssenKrupp AG, one of the world's largest steel producers.
- Henry Lomb (1828–1908), co-founder of Bausch & Lomb
- Oscar Ferdinand Mayer (1859–1955), founded the processed-meat firm Oscar Mayer.
- Georg(e) Merck (1867–1926), founder of Merck & Co.
- Heinrich Meyerfreund, founder of Garoto, a chocolate company in Brazil
- Carl Miele (1869–1938), founder of Miele, a manufacturer of high-end domestic appliances (praised by Steve Jobs for their design), commercial equipment and fitted kitchens.
- Frederick Miller (1824–1888), born as Friedrich Eduard Johannes Müller, he founded the Miller Brewing Company in 1855
- Richard Hellmann (1876–1971), founded Hellmann's Mayonnaise
- Johann Peter Henckels, founder of (Zwilling) J.A. Henckels, one of the largest and oldest manufacturers of kitchen knives, scissors, cookware and flatware
- August Horch (1868–1951), founded Audi automobile company in 1909
- Karl Kellner, founded Ernst Leitz GmbH, which later became Leica Camera AG, Leica Geosystems AG, and Leica Microsystems AG, producing cameras, geosurvey equipment, and microscopes.
- Adam Opel (1837–1895), founder of the automobile company Adam Opel AG
- Werner Otto (1909–2011), founder of Otto GmbH, now Otto Group, the world's largest mail order company.
- Ferdinand Porsche (1875–1951), designer and founder of Porsche
- Karl Friedrich Rapp (1882–1962), co-founder of Rapp Motorenwerke GmbH, which later became BMW AG.
- Paul Reuter (1816–1988), pioneer of telegraphy and news reporting, founder of Reuters news agency
- Hans Riegel Sr.(1893–1945), founder of Haribo, the biggest manufacturer of gummi and jelly sweets in the world.
- Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering (1824–1889), founded Schering AG a research-centered pharmaceutical company.
- Fritz Sennheiser (1912–2010), founded Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co. KG, specializing in high fidelity products.
- Werner von Siemens (1816–1892), inventor, founder of Siemens, largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company.
- J.S. Staedtler, in 1835 founded Staedtler Mars GmbH & Co. KG, one of the world's leading suppliers of writing, artist, and engineering drawing instruments.
- Henry E. Steinway (1797–1871), founder of the piano company Steinway & Sons.
- Franz Ströher (born c. 1854), in 1880 founded Wella AG, one of the world’s leading cosmetics suppliers.
- August Storck-Oberwelland, in 1903 founded Werther's Sugar Confectionery Factory, now August Storck AG, manufacturers of Werther's Original, Riesen, merci,
- Carl von Thieme,(1844–1924), founder of Allianz AG, a global financial services company
- Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838–1917), inventor of the Zeppelin, founded the Zeppelin Airship company
- Carl Zeiss (1816–1888), maker of optical instruments, founded Carl Zeiss AG
Royalty
- Alix of Hesse and Rhine (1872–1918), German princess by birth before marrying Tsar Nicholas II to become a Russian tsarina.
- Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1819–1861), Queen Victoria's husband & consort
- Albert (1828–1902), King of Saxony (1873–1902)
- Anton (1755–1836), King of Saxony (1827–1836)
- Carol I of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1839–1914), Prince (1867–1881) and King (1881–1914) of Romania
- Charles IV (1316–1378), King of Germany 1346, Holy Roman Emperor 1355–1378
- Charles V (1500–1558), King of Spain 1516, King of Germany 1519, Holy Roman Emperor 1530–1556
- Charles (1823–1891), King of Württemberg (1823–1891)
- Claus von Amsberg (1926–2002), diplomat and husband of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands
- Ferdinand of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1865–1927), King of Romania (1924–1927)
- Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (1861–1948), Prince of Bulgaria (1887–1908), King (or Tsar) of the Bulgarians (1908–1918)
- Frederick I Barbarossa (1122–1190), King of Germany 1152, Holy Roman Emperor 1155–1190
- Frederick I of Prussia (1657–1713), Elector of Brandenburg (1688–1713), King in Prussia (1701–1713)
- Frederick I of Württemberg (1754–1816), Duke (1797–1803), Elector (1803–1806), and King (1806–1816) of Württemberg
- Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (1194–1250), Holy Roman Emperor and King of Jerusalem
- Frederick II of Prussia (1712–1786), King of Prussia (1740–1786)
- Friedrich III (1831–1888), German Emperor and King of Prussia (1888)
- Frederick Augustus I (1750–1827), Elector (1763–1806) and King (1806–1827) of Saxony
- Frederick Augustus II (1797–1854), King of Saxony (1836–1854)
- Frederick Augustus III (1865–1932), King of Saxony (1904–1918)
- Frederick William I (1688–1740), King of Prussia (1713–1740)
- Frederick William II (1744–1797), King of Prussia (1786–1797)
- Frederick William III (1770–1840), King of Prussia (1797–1840)
- Frederick William IV (1795–1861), King of Prussia (1840–1861)
- George (1832–1904), King of Saxony (1902–1904)
- George V (1819–1878), King of Hanover (1851–1866)
- Henry I the Fowler (876–936), King of Germany 919
- Henry II (972–1024), King of Germany 1002, Holy Roman Emperor 1014–1024
- Henry III (1017–1056), King of Germany 1039, Holy Roman Emperor 1046–1056
- Henry IV (1050–1106), King of Germany 1056, Holy Roman Emperor 1084–1106
- Henry V (1081–1125), King of Germany 1106, Holy Roman Emperor 1111–1125
- Henry VI (1165–1197), King of Germany 1190, Holy Roman Emperor 1191–1197
- John (1801–1873), King of Saxony (1854–1873)
- Louis IV (1281–1347), King of Germany 1314, Holy Roman Emperor 1328–1347
- Ludwig I (1786–1868), King of Bavaria (1825–1848)
- Ludwig II (1845–1886), King of Bavaria (1864–1886)
- Ludwig III (1845–1921), King of Bavaria (1913–1918)
- Maximilian I (1459–1519), King of Germany 1486, Holy Roman Emperor 1508–1519
- Maximilian I (1756–1825), Elector (1799–1805) and King (1805–1825) of Bavaria
- Maximilian II (1811–1864), King of Bavaria (1848–1864)
- Otto I the Great (912–973), King of Germany 936, Holy Roman Emperor 962–973
- Otto II (955–983), Holy Roman Emperor 973–983
- Otto III (980–1002), King of Germany 983, Holy Roman Emperor 996–1002
- Otto of Greece King of Bavaria (1815–1867), King of the Hellenes (1833–1862)
- Otto of Bavaria (1848–1916), King of Bavaria (1886–1913)
- Wilhelm I (1797–1888), German Emperor (1871–1888) and King of Prussia (1861–1888)
- Wilhelm II (1859–1941), German Emperor and King of Prussia (1888–1918)
- William I (1781–1864), King of Württemberg (1816–1864)
- William II (1848–1921), King of Württemberg (1891–1918)
Fashion models
- Nadja Auermann (born 1971), supermodel
- Eugen Bauder (born 1986)
- Charlott Cordes (born 1988)
- Toni Garrn (born 1992)
- Lena Gercke (born 1988), winner of Germany's Next Topmodel 2006
- Jennifer Hof (born 1991), winner of Germany's Next Topmodel 2008
- Alexandra Kamp (born 1966)
- Heidi Klum (born 1973), model and host of Project Runway and Germany's Next Topmodel
- Diane Kruger (born 1976) model turned actress
- Barbara Meier (born 1986), winner of Germany's Next Topmodel 2007
- Sara Nuru (born 1989), winner of Germany's Next Topmodel 2009
- Uschi Obermaier (born 1946), model and actress
- Eva Padberg (born 1980)
- Nico (1938–1988), model, singer and actress
- Tatjana Patitz (born 1966), supermodel
- Claudia Schiffer (born 1970), supermodel
- Nico Schwanz (born 1978)
- Julia Stegner (born 1984)
- Manon von Gerkan (born 1972)
- Bill Kaulitz (born 1989)
Musicians and singers
- Lena Meyer-Landrut
- ATB
- Fancy (singer)
- Gadjo
- Lou Bega
- Mike Kogel, lead singer of Los Bravos
- Alexander Klaws
- Cassandra Steen
- Gershon Kingsley
- Hans Albers
- Thomas Anders
- Wolf Biermann (born 1936), singer-songwriter and East German dissident
- Bushido
- Rolf Köhler
- Fritz Busch (1890–1951), conductor
- Sarah Connor, pop/soul singer
- Michael and Sandra Cretu, founder-performers of Enigma (musical project) and Sandra (group)
- Diana Damrau, coloratura soprano
- DJ Tomekk
- Martin Rich (born 1905) conductor and pianist
- Frank Farian
- Wilhelm Furtwängler (1886–1954), conductor and composer
- Herbert Grönemeyer (born 1956)
- Heino, popular singer
- Bill Kaulitz, lead singer of Tokio Hotel
- Tom Kaulitz, guitarist of Tokio Hotel
- Michail Lifits, concert pianist (born 1982)
- Georg Listing, bassist of Tokio Hotel
- Gustav Schäfer, drummer of Tokio Hotel
- LaFee (born 1990)
- Reinhard Mey (born 1942)
- Marius Müller-Westernhagen
- Anne-Sophie Mutter (born 1963), violinist
- Karl Münchinger, conductor
- Xavier Naidoo (born 1971)
- Nena (born 1960)
- Meshell Ndegeocello (born 1969), born of American parents in Germany
- Klaus Nomi (1944–1983)
- Kool Savas, half German, half Turkish
- Lisa Otto, opera singer
- Michael Schenker (born 1955), guitar player of UFO and solo career
- Sandra
- Rammstein
- Paffendorf
- Sido (rapper)
- Hannes Wader
- Bruno Walter (1876–1962), conductor and composer
- Konstantin Wecker
- Paul Van Dyk
- Willy Hess, violinist
- Yvonne Catterfeld (born 1979)
- Dieter Bohlen (born 1954), music-producer
- Klaus Meine vocalist scorpions (band)
- Rudolf Schenker guitarist scorpions (band) brother of Michael Schenker
- Matthias Jabs guitarist Scorpions (band)
- Hans-Jürgen Buchner, founder, composer, songwriter etc. of Haindling
Philosophers
- Theodor Adorno (1903–1969), philosopher, sociologist and composer
- Albertus Magnus (c. 1193–1280), medieval philosopher and theologian
- Hannah Arendt (1906–1975), political theorist
- Bruno Bauer (1809–1882), political theorist and philosopher
- Walter Benjamin (1892–1940)
- Ernst Bloch (1885–1977)
- Jakob Böhme (1575–1624), mystic philosopher
- Rudolf Carnap (1891–1970), philosopher
- Ernst Cassirer (1874–1945)
- Friedrich Engels (1820–1895), philosopher, political economist
- Ludwig Feuerbach (1804–1872), philosopher
- Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762–1814), philosopher
- Gottlob Frege (1848–1925), mathematician, logician and philosopher
- Erich Fromm (1900–1980)
- Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900–2002), philosopher
- Jürgen Habermas (born 1929), philosopher, social theorist
- Eduard von Hartmann (1842–1906), philosopher
- Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831), philosopher
- Martin Heidegger (1889–1976), philosopher
- Max Horkheimer (1895–1973)
- Karl Jaspers (1883–1969), philosopher
- Immanuel Kant (1724–1804), philosopher
- Ludwig Klages (1872–1956), philosopher
- Gottfried Leibniz (1646–1716), physicist, philosopher
- Leo Löwenthal (1900–1993)
- Karl Löwith (1897–1973)
- Herbert Marcuse (1898–1979)
- Karl Marx (1818–1883), philosopher and sociologist
- Nikolaus Cusanus (1401–1462), philosopher, theologian, mathematician
- Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), early existentialist philosopher
- Bernhard Philberth (born 1927), physicist, engineer, philosopher, theologian
- Johann Karl Friedrich Rosenkranz (1805–1879)
- Franz Rosenzweig (1886–1929)
- Max Scheler (1874–1928), philosopher
- Friedrich Schelling (1775–1854), philosopher
- Moritz Schlick (1882–1936), philosopher
- Carl Schmitt (1888–1985), political theorist
- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860), philosopher
- Georg Simmel (1859–1918) philosopher and sociologist
- Ferdinand Tönnies (1855–1936), philosopher, founder of German sociology
- Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker (1912–2007), philosopher and physicist
Politicians
Miscellaneous
- Arminius (Herman the German) (18 or 17 BC – AD 21)
- August Bebel (1840–1913), co-founder of the SPD
- Rudolf von Bennigsen (1824–1902), founder of the National Liberal Party.
- Eduard Bernstein (1850–1932), Social Democratic leader
- Julius Curtius (1877–1948), Foreign Minister (DVP)
- Matthias Erzberger (1875–1921), Catholic Center party leader
- Joschka Fischer (born 1948), Foreign Minister and vice chancellor 1998–2005 (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
- Hans-Dietrich Genscher (born 1927), former minister for foreign affairs (FDP)
- Jakob Grimm (1785–1863), parliamentarian
- Wilhelm Grimm (1786–1859), parliamentarian
- Gregor Gysi (born 1948), former leader of the Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany)
- Alfred Hugenberg (1865–1951), leader of the DNVP
- Johann Jacoby (1805–1877), radical democrat in Prussia
- Luise Kähler (1869–1955), trade union leader, founding member of Socialist Unity Party of Germany(SED)
- Karl Kautsky (1854–1938), Social Democratic leader and theoretician
- Petra Kelly (1947–1992), cofounder of the German Green Party
- Roland Koch (born 1958), Minister-President of Hesse
- Ferdinand Lassalle (1825–1864), democrat and socialist
- Karl Liebknecht (1871–1919), Socialist
- Wilhelm Liebknecht (1826–1900), co-founder of the SPD
- Rosa Luxemburg (1870–1919), left wing Social Democratic leader
- Jakob Maria Mierscheid (born 1933), virtual parliamentarian (SPD)
- Hermann Müller (1876–1931), Chancellor of the Weimar Republic (SPD)
- Hans Modrow (born 1928), former leader of GDR, honorary chairman of PDS
- Walther Rathenau (1867–1922), foreign minister (DDP)
- Eugen Richter (1838–1906), liberal politician
- Carlo Schmid (1896–1979), politician, who had vast influence on the content of the German Basic Law after WW2.
- Kurt Schumacher (1895–1952), leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany in the early years of the FRG
- Baron Heinrich vom Stein (1757–1831)
- Edmund Stoiber – party leader of the CSU and former minister president of Bavaria
- Franz Josef Strauß (1915–1988), Bavarian Politician (CSU)
- Ernst Thälmann (1886–1944), leader of the Communist Party of Germany during the Weimar period
- Guido Westerwelle – party leader of the liberal party (FDP)
- Clara Zetkin (1857–1933), socialist and fighter for women's rights
Chancellors of Germany 1871–1945
- Gustav Bauer (1870–1944), chancellor of the Weimar Republic (SPD)
- Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg (1856–1921), Imperial Chancellor
- Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898), Imperial Chancellor
- Heinrich Brüning (1885–1970), Chancellor of the Weimar Republic (Centre Party)
- Bernhard von Bülow (1849–1929), Imperial Chancellor
- Leo von Caprivi (1831–1899), Imperial Chancellor
- Wilhelm Cuno (1876–1933), Chancellor of the Weimar Republic
- Konstantin Fehrenbach (1852–1926), Chancellor of the Weimar Republic (Centre)
- Georg von Hertling (1843–1919), Imperial Chancellor
- Adolf Hitler (1889–1945), combining legally both offices, President and Chancellor ("Führer und Reichskanzler") 1934–1945
- Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (1819–1901), Imperial Chancellor
- Hans Luther (1885–1962), Chancellor of the Weimar Republic
- Wilhelm Marx (1863–1946), Chancellor of the Weimar Republic (Centre)
- Prince Maximilian of Baden (1867–1929), Last Imperial Chancellor
- Georg Michaelis (1857–1936), Imperial Chancellor
- Franz von Papen (1879–1969), Chancellor of the Weimar Republic
- Philipp Scheidemann (1865–1939), Chancellor of Weimar Republic (SPD)
- Kurt von Schleicher (1882–1934), last Chancellor of the Weimar Republic
- Gustav Stresemann (1878–1929), Chancellor of the Weimar Republic (DVP)
- Joseph Wirth (1879–1956), Chancellor of the Weimar Republic (Centre)
Chancellors of Germany (after World War II)
- Konrad Adenauer (1876–1967), first democratically elected Federal Chancellor in Western Germany (after the second world war) from 1949 to 1963 (Christian-Democratic Union, CDU)
- Ludwig Erhard (1897–1977), Federal Chancellor from 1963 to 1966 (CDU)
- Kurt Georg Kiesinger (1904–1988), Federal Chancellor from 1966 to 1969 (CDU)
- Willy Brandt (1913–1992), Federal Chancellor from 1969 to 1974 (Social Democratic Party, SPD)
- Helmut Schmidt (born 1918), Federal Chancellor from 1974 to 1982 (SPD)
- Helmut Kohl (born 1930), Federal Chancellor from 1982 to 1998 (CDU)
- Gerhard Schröder (born 1944), Federal Chancellor from 1998 to 2005 (SPD)
- Angela Merkel (born 1954), Federal Chancellor since 2005 (CDU)
Presidents of Germany
- Friedrich Ebert (1871–1925), First President of the Weimar Republic (SPD) 1919–1925
- Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934), Field Marshal, President 1925–1934
- Adolf Hitler (1889–1945), combining legally both offices, President and Chancellor ("Führer und Reichskanzler") 1934–1945
- Karl Dönitz (1891–1980), Admiral of the Fleet, after Hitler's death, President for 22 days, 1945
Presidents of the Federal Republic of Germany since 1949:
- Theodor Heuss (1884–1963), Federal President 1949–1959 (Liberal-Democratic Party, FDP)
- Heinrich Lübke (1894–1972), Federal President 1959–1969 (CDU)
- Gustav Heinemann (1899–1976), Federal President 1969–1974 (SPD)
- Walter Scheel (born 1919), Federal President 1974–1979 (FDP)
- Karl Carstens (1914–1992), Federal President 1979–1984 (CDU)
- Richard von Weizsäcker (born 1920), Federal President 1984–1994 (CDU)
- Roman Herzog (born 1934), Federal President 1994–1999 (CDU)
- Johannes Rau (1931–2006), Federal President 1999–2004 (SPD)
- Horst Köhler (born 1943), Federal President 2004–2010 (CDU)
- Jens Böhrnsen (born 1949), acting President since resignation of Köhler in 2010 (SPD)
- Christian Wulff (born 1959), Federal President 2010–2012 (CDU)
Politicians of the East German Communist Party and regime
- Otto Grotewohl (1894–1964), minister president of the GDR
- Erich Honecker (1912–1994), leader of the GDR until 1989
- Egon Krenz (born 1937), leader of the GDR after Honecker
- Erich Mielke (1907–2000), head of the Stasi
- Wilhelm Pieck (1876–1960), first president of the GDR
- Heinrich Rau (1899–1961), chairman of the German Economic Commission (predecessor of the East German government)
- Günter Schabowski (born 1929), member of politburo
- Willy Stoph (1914–1999), Premier of the GDR
- Walter Ulbricht (1893–1973), leader of the GDR
Personalities of the Nazi Party and regime
- Klaus Barbie (1913–1991), the "Butcher of Lyon"
- Martin Bormann (1900–1945), nazi leader
- Eva Braun (1912–1945), Hitler's mistress and finally his wife
- Karl Brandt (1904–1948)
- Karl Dönitz (1891–1980), Admiral of the Fleet, briefly Hitler's successor as President
- Anton Drexler (1884–1942), founder of German Workers Party, which became the NSDAP
- Hans Frank (1900–1946), Governor-General of Poland
- Roland Freisler (1893–1945), infamous Nazi-judge
- Wilhelm Frick (1877–1946), Minister of the Interior
- Walter Funk (1890–1960), Minister of Economics
- Joseph Goebbels (1897–1945), Chancellor of Germany, propaganda chief for the Nazis
- Hermann Göring (1893–1946), Nazi, Reich Marshal and chief of Luftwaffe
- Rudolf Hess (1894–1987), Hitler's private secretary, later Deputy Führer
- Reinhard Heydrich (1904–1942), Nazi officer, head of the Sicherheitsdienst and Gestapo
- Heinrich Himmler (1900–1945), Nazi head of the SS
- Adolf Hitler (1889–1945), Reichskanzler and Nazi leader
- Rudolf Höss (1900–1947), commandant of Auschwitz.
- Ernst Kaltenbrunner (1903–1946), Heydrich's successor at the SD
- Hans Kammler (1901 – c. 1945), author and organiser of first Death Camps
- Wilhelm Keitel (1882–1946), Field Marshal, head of the OKW (1939–45)
- Karl Otto Koch (1897–1945), German first commandant of the Buchenwald concentration camp
- Robert Ley (1890–1945), head of the German Labour Front
- Erich von Manstein (1885–1973), Field Marshal and commander of the Eleventh Army (1941–42), Army Group Don (1942–43), and Army Group South (1943–44)
- Josef Mengele (1911–1979), German SS officer and a physician in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz.
- Erhard Milch (1892–1972), Göring's second-in-command, Air Inspector General
- Heinrich Müller (1900–1945 {?}), head of the Gestapo
- Konstantin von Neurath (1873–1956), Foreign Minister in the early years of the regime
- Franz von Papen (1879–1969), Deputy Chancellor in Hitler's first cabinet.
- Erich Raeder (1876–1960), Admiral of the Fleet
- Joachim von Ribbentrop (1893–1946), Nazi foreign minister
- Ernst Röhm (1887–1934), head of the SA
- Erwin Rommel (1891–1944), Commander of the 7th Panzer Division and the Afrika Korps
- Alfred Rosenberg (1893–1946), Nazi ideologist
- Gerd von Rundstedt (1875–1953), Field Marshal, Commander-in-Chief East (1939–40), commander of Army Group South (1939–41), Commander-in-Chief West (1942–45)
- Hjalmar Schacht, Minister of Finance
- Baldur von Schirach (1907–1974), Hitler Youth leader
- Arthur Seyss-Inquart (1892–1946), Austrian Nazi leader
- Albert Speer (1905–1981), "Hitler's architect", Minister of Armaments
- Gregor Strasser (1892–1934), Left-wing Nazi leader
- Julius Streicher (1885–1946), Nazi Party leader in Franconia
Scientists and engineers
A–G
- Otto Wilhelm Hermann von Abich (1806–1886), mineralogist, geologist
- Alois Alzheimer (1864–1915), psychiatrist and neuropathologist
- Peter Apian (1495–1552), mathematician, astronomer and cartographer
- Manfred von Ardenne (1907–1997), physicist
- Anton de Bary (1831–1888), surgeon, botanist, microbiologist
- Johann Bayer (1572–1625), astronomer
- Karl Benz (1844–1929), inventor of the gasoline-powered automobile
- Friedrich Bessel (1784–1846), mathematician
- Hans Bethe (1906–2005), physicist
- Max Born (1882–1970), physicist
- Robert Bosch (1861–1942), industrialist
- Karl Ferdinand Braun (1850–1918), physicist
- Wernher von Braun (1912–1977), space engineer, rocket scientist
- Robert Wilhelm Bunsen (1811–1899), chemist
- Georg Cantor (1845–1918), mathematician
- Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543), astronomer
- Hans Gerhard Creutzfeldt, neuropathologist
- Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900), inventor and engineer
- Carl Duisberg (1861–1935), chemist and industrialist
- Rudolf Diesel (1858–1913), inventor of the Diesel engine
- Albert Einstein (1879–1955), physicist
- Hans Jürgen Eysenck (1916–1997), psychologist
- Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736), physicist, engineer, and glass blower
- Joseph von Fraunhofer (1787–1826), physicist
- Gottlob Frege (1848–1925), mathematician and logicist
- Wilhelm Siegmund Frei (1885–1943), dermatologist
- Erich Fromm (1900–1980), psychologist
- Klaus Fuchs (1911–1988), physicist and spy
- Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855), mathematician
- Johannes Gutenberg (1398–1468), inventor of modern bookprinting
H–J
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- Fritz Haber (1868–1934), chemist
- Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919), physician
- Otto Hahn (1879–1968), chemist
- Bernhard Hantzsch (1875–1911), ornithologist
- Georg Hartmann (geographer) (1865–1946), geographer
- Felix Hausdorff (1868–1942), mathematician
- Robert Havemann (1910–1982), chemist
- Ernst Heinkel (1888–1958), Aircraft engineer
- Werner Karl Heisenberg (1901–1976), physicist
- Hermann Helmholtz, physicist
- Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (1857–1894), physicist
- Johannes Hevelius (1611–1687), astronomer
- David Hilbert (1862–1943), mathematician
- Johann Homann (1664–1724), geographer
- Erich Hueckel (1896–1980), physicist
- Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859), explorer
- Carl Gustav Jakob Jacobi (1804–1851), mathematician
- Alfons Maria Jakob (1884–1931), neurologist
- Hugo Junkers (1859–1935), Aircraft engineer
K–L
- Theodor Kaluza (1885–1954), mathematician, theoretical physicist
- Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz (1829–1896), chemist
- Johannes Kepler (1571–1630), astronomer
- Gustav Robert Kirchhoff (1824–1887), physicist
- Felix Klein (1849–1925), mathematician
- Wolfgang Franz von Kobell (1803–1882), mineralogist
- Robert Koch (1843–1910), physician
- Walter Karl Koch (1880–1962), surgeon
- Adolph Wilhelm Hermann Kolbe (1818–1884), chemist
- Leopold Kronecker (1823–1891), mathematician
- Ernst Eduard Kummer (1810–1893), mathematician
- Edmund Landau (1877–1938), mathematician
- Hermann Lattemann (1852–1894), balloon pilot and parachutist
- Max von Laue (1879–1960), physicist
- Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716), mathematician
- Philipp Eduard Anton von Lenard (1862–1947), physicist
- August Leskien (1840–1916), linguist
- Justus von Liebig (1803–1873), chemist
- Otto Lilienthal (1848–1896), aviation pioneer
- Ferdinand von Lindemann (1852–1939), mathematician
- Alexander Lippisch (1894–1976), aerodynamicist
- Johann Josef Loschmidt (1821–1895), physicist, chemist
- Reimar Lüst (born 1923), astrophysicist
M–R
- (Albertus Magnus see "A")
- Ludwig Immanuel Magnus, mathematician
- Siegfried Marcus (1831–1898), automobile pioneer
- Wilhelm Maybach (1846–1929), car-engine and automobile constructor
- Wilhelm Messerschmitt (1898–1978), Aircraft engineer
- Lothar Meyer (1830–1895), chemist
- Franz Mertens (1840–1927), mathematician
- August Ferdinand Möbius (1790–1868), mathematician, theoretical astronomer
- Johannes Müller (1801–1858), physiologist
- Walther Nernst (1864–1941), physicist
- Franz Ernst Neumann (1798–1895), mathematician
- Carl Gottfried Neumann (1832–1925), mathematician
- Claus Noé (1938–2008), economist
- Emmy Noether (1882–1935), mathematician
- Georg Ohm (1789–1854), physicist
- Wilhelm Ostwald, Nobel prize winning chemist, philosopher
- Nikolaus Otto (1832–1891), coinventor of the Otto cycle
- Bernhard Philberth (1927–2010), physicist, engineer, philosopher, theologian
- Jesco von Puttkamer (born 1933), space-scientist (NASA-Manager), engineer and author
- Max Planck (1858–1947), physicist
- Bernhard Riemann (1826–1866) mathematician
- Adam Riese (1492–1559), mathematician
- Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen (1845–1923), physicist, inventor of x-rays
S–V
- Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742–1786), chemist
- Matthias Jakob Schleiden (1804–1881), botanist
- Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890), archaeologist
- Christian Friedrich Schonbein (1799–1868), chemist
- Friedrich Hermann Schottky (1851–1935), mathematician
- Theodor Schwann (1810–1882), physiologist
- Hermann Amandus Schwarz (1843–1921), mathematician
- Karl Schwarzschild (1873–1916), physicist
- Carl Semper (1832–1893), ecologist
- Rolf Singer (1906–1994), mycologist
- Arnold Sommerfeld (1868–1951), physicist
- Eduard Adolf Strasburger (1844–1912), German-Polish professor, one of the most famous botanists of the 19th century
- Georg Steller (1709–1746), naturalist
- William Stern (1871–1938), psychologist, philosopher
- Alfred Stock (1876–1946), chemist
- Levi Strauss (1829–1902), jeans
- Werner von Siemens (1816–1892), inventor, industrialist
- Max Vasmer (1886–1962), linguist
- Rudolf Virchow (1821–1902), pioneer of medicine
W–Z
- Otto Wallach, physicist
- Hellmuth Walter (1900–1980), propulsion
- Felix Wankel (1902–1988), inventor of the Wankel engine
- Alfred Wegener (1880–1930), geologist, meteorologist
- Karl Weierstrass (1815–1897), mathematician
- August Weismann (1834–1914), biologist
- Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker (born 1912), physicist
- Hermann Weyl (1885–1955), mathematician
- Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782–1867), zoologist
- Wilhelm Wien (1864–1928), physicist
- Mieczysław Wolfke (1883–1947), Polish physicist of German descent
- Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920), physiologist, psychologist
- Christian Zeller (1822–1899, Rektor; mathematician
- Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838–1917), inventor of the Zeppelin, founded the Zeppelin Airship company
- Ernst Zermelo (1871–1953), mathematician
- Konrad Zuse (1910–1995), computer pioneer
Sportspersons
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- Adolf Anderssen (1818–1879), chess grandmaster
- Rudi Ball (1911–75), ice hockey player, Olympic bronze 1932, World runner-up 1930, bronze 19341
- Michael Ballack (born 1976), football player
- Karin Balzer (born 1938), hurdler
- Dieter Baumann (born 1965), athlete
- Franz Beckenbauer (born 1945), football player
- Boris Becker (born 1967), tennis player
- Elly Beinhorn (born 1907), aviatrix
- Stefan Bellof (1957–1985), race car driver
- Frank Biela (born 1964), race car driver
- Oliver Bierhoff (born 1968), football player
- Heike Drechsler (born 1964), athlete
- Timo Boll, table tennis player
- Paul Breitner (born 1951), football player
- Kai Budde (born 1979), professional Magic: The Gathering player
- Bettina Bunge (born 1963), tennis player
- Rudolf Caracciola (1901–1959), race car driver
- Ursula "Uschi" Disl (born 1970), biathlete
- Christian Ehrhoff, German Olympian and NHL hockey player currently playing for the Buffalo Sabres.
- Erich Gottlieb Eliskases (1913–1997) leading chess player of the 1930s–40s, represented Austria, Germany and Argentina in international competition
- Harald Ertl (1948–1982), race car driver
- Jürgen Fanghänel (born 1951), boxer
- Rudi Fink (born 1958), boxer
- Birgit Fischer (born 1962), kayaker
- Sven Fischer (born 1971), biathlete
- Alfred Flatow (1869–1942), gymnast, 3-time Olympic champion (parallel bars, team parallel bars, team horizontal bar), silver (horizontal bar)
- Gustav Felix Flatow (1875–1945), 2-time Olympic champion (team parallel bars, team horizontal bar)
- Torsten Frings (born 1976), football player
- Gottfried Fuchs (1889–1972)), football player
- Marcel Goc, German Olympian and NHL hockey player currently playing for the Nashville Predators.
- Steffi Graf (born 1969), tennis player
- Michael Greis (born 1976), biathlete
- Michael Groß (born 1964), swimmer
- Ricco Groß (born 1970), biathlete
- Ludwig Guttmann (1899–1980), founder of the Paralympics2
- Georg Hackl (born 1966), luger
- Sven Hannawald (born 1974), ski jumper
- Armin Hary (born 1937), athlete
- Nick Heidfeld (born 1977), racing driver
- Lilli Henoch (1899–1942), world records in discus, shot put, and 4x100-m relay
- Peter Hussing (born 1948), boxer
- Robert Hübner (born 1948), chess grandmaster
- Reinhold Joest (born 1937), race car driver and racing team owner
- Klaus Junge (1924–1945), one of the youngest German chess grandmasters
- Oliver Kahn (born 1969), football player
- Andy Kapp (born 1967), curler
- Herbert Klein (1923–2001), Olympic bronze (200-m breaststroke); 3 world records
- Ralph Klein (1931–2008), Berlin-born Israeli basketball player and coach
- Jutta Kleinschmidt, rally driver
- Jürgen Klinsmann (born 1964), football player and coach
- Miroslav Klose (born 1978), football player
- Georg Koch (born 1972), football player
- Andreas Köpke (born 1962), football player (goalkeeper)
- Olaf Kölzig (born 1970), German Olympian and NHL goalie currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning
- Louis Krages (1949–2001), racing driver who raced under the pseudonym of "John Winter"
- Philipp Lahm (born 1983), football player
- André Lange, Bobsledding champion
- Hermann Lang (1909–1987), Champion race car driver
- Bernhard Langer (born 1957), golfer
- Henry Laskau, racewalker, won 42 national titles; Pan American Games champion; 4-time Maccabiah champion
- Emanuel Lasker (1868–1941), the second World Chess Champion (1894–1921)
- Jens Lehmann (born 1969), football player (goalkeeper)
- Ellen Lohr, racing driver
- Klaus Ludwig, racing driver
- Marion Lüttge (born 1941), javelin thrower
- Sepp Maier (born 1944), football player
- Henry Maske (born 1964), boxer
- Jochen Mass, racing driver
- Lothar Matthäus (born 1961), football player
- Helene Mayer (1910–1953), foil fencer, Olympic champion
- Georg Meier (1910–1999) Motor-Cycle Racer
- Christoph Metzelder (born 1980), football player
- Ulrike Meyfarth (born 1956), high jumper
- Rosi Mittermaier (born 1950), alpine ski champion
- Gerd Müller (born 1945), football player
- Jörg Müller, race car driver
- Petra Müller (born 1965), athlete
- Patricia Neske (born 1966), figure skater
- Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann (born 1966), speed skater
- Dirk Nowitzki (born 1978), NBA star
- Aron Nimzowitsch (1886–1935) Latvian-Danish German chess master and chess writer
- Sylke Otto (born 1969), luger
- Claudia Pechstein (born 1972), speed skater
- Uta Pippig (born 1965), athlete
- Sarah Poewe (born 1983), swimmer, Olympic bronze (4x100 medley relay)
- Daniel Prenn (1904–1991), tennis player, highest world ranking # 6
- Birgit Prinz (born 1977), football player
- Lina Radke (1903–1983), athlete
- Teodor Regedziński (aka Theodor Reger) (1894–1954) Polish chess master of German origin, fathers name was Reger
- Annegret Richter (born 1950), athlete
- Lars Riedel (born 1967), athlete
- Walter Röhrl, rally and racing driver (2-times Rally World Champion)
- Bernd Rosemeyer (1909–1938), racing driver
- Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, football player
- Max Schmeling (1905–2005), World Heavyweight Boxing Champion
- Martin Schmitt (born 1978), ski jumper
- Paul Felix Schmidt (1916–1984), Estonian–German chess master.
- Bernd Schneider, racing driver
- Bernd Schneider,football player
- Detlef Schrempf (born 1963), former NBA star
- Rainer Schüttler, tennis player
- Michael Schumacher (born 1969), racing driver (7-times Formula One World Champion)
- Ralf Schumacher (born 1975), racing driver, brother of Michael
- Harald Schumacher (born 1954), football player
- Ralf Schumann (born 1962), pistol shooter
- Bastian Schweinsteiger (born 1984),football player
- Uwe Seeler (born 1936),football player
- Werner Seelenbinder (1904–1944), wrestler
- Katja Seizinger, alpine ski champion
- Renate Stecher (born 1950), athlete
- Michael Stich (born 1968), tennis player
- Rolf Stommelen (died 1983), racing driver
- Hans Stuck (died 1978), racing driver
- Hans Joachim Stuck, racing driver and son of Hans
- Siegbert Tarrasch (1862–1934), chess grandmaster
- Axel Teichmann (born 1979), cross-country skier
- Richard Teichmann (1868–1925), leading German chess player, easily of grandmaster strength
- Toni Turek (1919–1984), football player
- Jan Ullrich (born 1973), cyclist
- Wolfgang Unzicker (1925–2006), chess grandmaster
- Franziska van Almsick (born 1978), swimmer
- Sebastian Vettel, Formula One driver
- Berti Vogts, football player and coach
- Rudi Völler (born 1960), football player
- Ralf Waldmann, motorcycle racer
- Fritz Walter (1920–2002), football player
- Fritz Walter (born 1960), football player
- Jens Weißflog (born 1964), ski jumper
- Kati Wilhelm (born 1976), biathlete
- Joachim Winkelhock, racing driver
- Manfred Winkelhock (1951–1985), racing driver, brother of Joachim
- Katarina Witt (born 1965), figure skater
- Sigrun Wodars (born 1965), athlete
- Jenny Wolf (born 1979), speed skater
- Erik Zabel (born 1970), cyclist
- Johannes Hermann Zukertort (1842–1888), German Polish-Jewish chessmaster
Theologians, saints, beatified persons
See also List of German popes
- Heinrich Abeken (1809–1872), theologian
- Johannes Agricola (1494–1566), Protestant reformer
- Albertus Magnus, medieval philosopher and theologian
- Eusebius Amort (1692–1775)
- Pope Benedict XVI, a.k.a. Joseph Ratzinger (born 1927)
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945), Theologian
- Johannes Bugenhagen (1485–1558) Protestand Reformer of Pomerania and Denmark, Theologian
- Rudolf Bultmann
- Alfred Delp
- Johann Eck (1486–1543)
- Matthias Faber (1586–1653)
- Adolf Harnack (1851–1930)
- Hedwig of Andech (1174–1243)
- Johann Gottfried Herder, poet, translator, philosopher and theologian
- Dietrich von Hildebrand (1889–1977)
- Clemens August Graf von Galen, beatified, cardinal
- Adolph Kolping (1813–1865), beatified, priest
- Hans Küng
- Karl Lehmann
- Martin Luther (1483–1546), of the Protestant Reformation
- Philipp Melanchthon (1497–1560), Protestant Reformation
- Moses Mendelssohn
- Jürgen Moltmann (born 1926), theologian
- Bernhard Philberth (born 1927), physicist, engineer, philosopher, theologian
- Karl Rahner, theologian
- Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768–1834), theologian, philosopher
- Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965), musician, physician, pastor, philosopher and theologian
- Dorothee Sölle (1929–2003)
- Edith Stein (1891–1942), saint, nun, victim of Holocaust
- Carsten Peter Thiede (1952–2004), theologian, New Testament historian, chaplain
- Helmut Thielicke, theologian
- Paul Tillich, theologian, philosopher
Writers
- Yehuda Amichai (born Ludwig Pfeuffer; 1924–2000), German-born Israeli poet
- Ernst Moritz Arndt – poet, songwriter, and patriot
- Achim von Arnim (1781–1831), poet
- Bettina von Arnim (1785–1859), writer and novelist
- Heinrich Böll (1917–1985), author
- Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), playwright, poet
- Clemens Brentano (1778–1842), poet and novelist
- Georg Büchner, dramatist and author
- Wilhelm Busch (1832–1908), poet and satirist
- Azriel Carlebach (1909–56), Israeli journalist and editorial writer
- Matthias Claudius (1740–1815), poet and writer
- Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797–1848), poet
- Michael Ende (1929–1995), author of fantasy novels and children's books
- Joseph von Eichendorff (1788–1857), poet
- Hans Magnus Enzensberger (born 1929), essayist and poet
- Theodor Fontane (1819–1898), novelist and poet
- Paul Gerhardt (c. 1606–1676), hymn writer
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749–1832), author, poet
- Leah Goldberg (1911–1970), Israeli poet
- Joseph Görres (1776–1848), essayist
- Günter Grass (born 1927), author, Nobel Prize in Literature 1999
- Brothers Grimm, famous collectors of fairy tales
- Peter Härtling, (born 1933), author
- Wilhelm Hauff (1802–1827), writer
- Heinrich Heine (1797–1856), poet
- Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803), essayist and poet
- Hermann Hesse (1877–1962), author
- Rolf Hochhuth (born 1931), playwright
- E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776–1822), author
- Friedrich Hölderlin (1770–1843), poet
- Ernst Jünger (1895–1998), writer, novelist
- Wladimir Kaminer (born 1967), short story writer
- Erich Kästner (1899–1974), novelist
- Daniel Kehlmann (born 1975), novelist
- Friedrich Kellner (1885–1970, diarist My Opposition
- Heinrich von Kleist (1777–1811), poet, dramatist, novelist
- Siegfried Lenz (born 1926), author
- Gotthold Lessing (1729–1781), writer
- Golo Mann (1909–1994), author, historian (second-oldest of Thomas Mann)
- Heinrich Mann (1871–1950), author (brother of Thomas Mann)
- Klaus Mann (1906–1949), author (oldest son of Thomas Mann)
- Thomas Mann (1875–1955), author (brother of Heinrich Mann)
- Karl May (1842–1912), author
- Christian Morgenstern (1871–1914), poet
- Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué (1777–1843), writer
- Novalis (1772–1801), poet and novelist
- Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau (1785–1871), writer and landscape gardener
- Wilhelm Raabe (1831–1910), novelist
- Erich Maria Remarque (1898–1970), novelist
- Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926), poet
- Peter Rühmkorf (1929–2008), poet
- Leopold Schefer (1784–1861), writer, poet, and composer
- Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805), poet, playwright
- August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767–1845), poet, translator
- Bernhard Schlink (born 1944), author, professor of law
- Arno Schmidt (1914–1979), writer
- Theodor Storm (1817–1888), author
- Patrick Süskind (born 1949), author, screenwriter
- Ludwig Tieck (1773–1853), poet, editor, novelist
- Kurt Tucholsky (1890–1935), writer, satirist
- Ludwig Uhland (1787–1862), poet, writer, playwright
- Martin Walser (born 1927), playwright and novelist
- Walter von der Vogelweide (c. 1170 – c. 1230), poet
- Gero von Wilpert (born 1933), essayist
- Christa Wolf (1929–2011), novelist and essayist
- Wolfram von Eschenbach (died 1220), poet
Military
- Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831), Prussian professional soldier, military historian, and influential military theorist
- Erich von Falkenhayn (1861–1922), General, Prussian Minister of War (1913–15) and Chief of General Staff (1914–16)
- August von Gneisenau (1760–1831), Prussian field marshal and chief of the Prussian General Staff (1813–14)
- Heinz Guderian (1888–1954), Military theorist and innovative General (1907–1945)
- Erich Hartmann (1922–1993), fighter pilot and air ace (1941–1970)
- Alfred Jodl (1890–1946), general, operations chief of the OKW
- Günther von Kluge (1882–1944), field marshal and commander of the Fourth Army (1939–41) and Army Group Center (1941–43)
- Erich Ludendorff (1865–1937), General and Quartermaster General (1916–18)
- Erich von Manstein (1887–1973), Field Marshal and professional soldier (1906–1944)
- Friedrich Paulus (1890–1957), General and commander of the German Sixth Army, later promoted to Field Marshal (1910–1943)
- Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the Red Baron, (1892–1918), fighter pilot and air ace
- Erwin Rommel (1891–1944), field marshal and commander of Afrika Korps (1942–43) and Army Group B (1944)
- Hans-Ulrich Rudel (1916–1982), Stuka dive-bomber pilot and air ace (1936–1945)
- Gerd von Rundstedt (1875–1953), Field Marshal and famed commander (1892–1945)
- Alfred von Schlieffen (1833–1913), Field Marshal, Strategist and Chief of General Staff (1891–1905)
- Gerhard von Scharnhorst (1755–1813), General and Prussian Minister of War (1808–10)
- Michael Wittmann (1914–1944), SS-Captain and celebrated tank ace (1934–1944)
Others
- Rodolphus Agricola (1443–1485)
- Franz Borkenau (1900–1957), social scientist
- Hugo Boss (1885–1948), fashion designer
- Dieter Claessens (1921–1997), sociologist
- Adolf Dassler (1900–1978), founder of Adidas
- Rudolf Dassler (1898–1974), founder of PUMA
- Adolf Eugen Fick, inventor of contact lenses
- Gudrun Ensslin (1940–1977), terrorist
- Anne Frank (1929–1945), diarist and victim of the Holocaust
- Reinhard Furrer (1940–1995), astronaut
- Herschel Grynszpan
- Johann Gutenberg (c. 1390s – 1468), printer
- Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179), abbess, mystic
- August Horch (1868–1951), car designer and manufacturer
- Karen Horney, psychoanalyst
- Heribert Illig (born 1947), historian
- Sigmund Jähn (born 1937), the first German in space
- René König (1906–1992), sociologist
- Siegfried Kracauer
- Karl Lagerfeldt, (born 1933), fashion designer
- Christian Frederick Martin (1796–1867), Inventor of the steel-string guitar
- Ulrike Meinhof (1934–1976), journalist and terrorist
- Ulf Merbold (born 1941), astronaut
- Heinrich Meyerfreund, founder of Garoto, a chocolate company in Brazil
- Michael Mittermeier (born 1966), comedian
- Adam Opel (1837–1895), founder of the automobile company Adam Opel AG
- Carl von Ossietzky (1889–1938), journalist and pacifist
- Ferdinand Porsche (1875–1951), designer and founder of Porsche
- Ferry Porsche (1909–1998), automobile designer and son of Ferdinand Porsche
- Ferdinand Alexander Porsche (born 1935), designer and member of the Porsche family
- Ferdinand Oliver Porsche (born 1961), lawyer, executive and family member of Porsche
- Ludwig Quidde (1858–1941), historian and pacifist
- Leopold von Ranke (1795–1886), historian
- Paul Reuter (1816–1988), entrepreneur, pioneer of telegraphy and news reporting
- Mathias Rust (born 1968), aviator who landed on Moscow's Red Square in 1987
- Helmut Schelsky (1912–1984), sociologist
- Hannelore Schmatz, mountaineer
- Sophie Scholl (1921–1943), member of the German resistance in WW2
- Heffa Schücking, environmentalist
- Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965), physician, humanitarian
- Henry Shultz (1776–1851), emigrant to USA, entrepreneur
- Edith Stein (1891–1942), nun, victim of Holocaust
- Johann Tetzel (1465–1519), monk
- Ulrich Walter (born 1954), astronaut
- Alfred Weber, sociologist
- Max Weber, sociologist
- Diedrich Hermann Westermann (1875–1956), linguist
- Carl Zeiss (1816–1888), maker of optical instruments, founded Carl Zeiss AG
More lists of Germans
- List of German inventors and discoverers
- List of Alsatians and Lorrainians
- List of Baltic Germans
- List of German agriculture ministers
- List of German Jews
- List of German monarchs
- List of German popes
See also
- German Americans
- Germans
- Germans of Poland
- Germans of Romania
- Germans of Paraguay
- List of Austrian Jews
- List of Austrians
- List of people by nationality
- List of Swiss people
References
- ^ Birger Nordmark and Patrick Houda. "Rudi Ball". Sihss.se. http://www.sihss.se/RudiBallbiography.htm. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ "Historical View". Jewishsports.net. http://www.jewishsports.net/historical_view.htm. Retrieved May 12, 2010.