List of Germans

This is a list of notable Germans. Persons of mixed heritage have their respective ancestries credited.

Architects

Walter Gropius (1883–1969), architect
Carl Ludvig Engel (1778–1840), architect
Leo von Klenze (1784–1864), architect
Balthasar Neumann (1687–1753), architect and engineer
Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann (1662–1736), architect
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969), architect
Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781–1841), architect and painter
Johann Conrad Schlaun (1695–1773), architect
Gottfried Semper (1803–1879), architect
Albert Speer (1905–1981), architect
Wilhelm Kreis (1873–1955), architect

Artists

A–M

Hans von Aachen (1552–1615), mannerist painter
Albrecht Altdorfer (1480–1538), painter
Gertrud Arndt (1903–2000), photographer; pioneering self-portraiture
Ernst Barlach (1870–1938), sculptor and writer
Günther Behnisch (1922–2010), architect
Peter Behrens (1868–1940), architect
Sibylle Bergemann (1941–2010), photographer
Joseph Beuys (1921–1986), artist
Hermann Biow (1804–1850), photographer
Elisabeth Böhm (1921–2012), architect
Gottfried Böhm (1920–2021), 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 (1916–1977), Berlin-born Israeli sculptor
Otto Dix (1891–1969), painter
Leon Draisaitl (born 1995), ice hockey player of the Edmonton Oilers
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
Willi Glasauer (born 1938), artist
Walter Gropius (1883–1969), architect
George Grosz (1893–1959), artist
Matthias Grünewald (c. 1470 – 1528), German Renaissance painter
Johann Gottlieb Hantzsch (1794–1848), painter (genre works)
Bettina Heinen-Ayech (1937–2020), painter
Hannah Höch (1889–1978), artist
Hans Holbein the Elder (c. 1465 – 1524), painter
Hans Holbein the Younger (c. 1497 – 1543), illustrator and painter
Jörg Immendorff (1945–2007), painter
Helmut Jahn (1940–2021), architect and designer
Horst Janssen (1929–1995), draftsman, graphic artist, woodcutter, watercolour painter, writer
Ulli Kampelmann (born 1952), sculptor and painter
Anselm Kiefer (born 1945), painter
Martin Kippenberger (1953–1997), painter
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880–1938), painter
Leo von Klenze (1784–1864), architect
Hans Kollhoff (born 1946), architect
Käthe Kollwitz (1867–1945), painter
Christian Lemmerz (born 1959), sculptor and scenographer
Max Liebermann (1847–1935), painter
Markus Lüpertz (born 1941), painter and sculptor
August Macke (1887–1914), painter
Harro Magnussen (1861–1908), sculptor
Franz Marc (1880–1916), painter
Hans Memling (c. 1430 – 1494), painter
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969), architect and designer
Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876–1907), painter
Georg Muche (1895–1987), painter, printmaker, architect, author and teacher
Bill Kaulitz (born 1989), songwriter, composer, singer-songwriter, voice actor, film producer, and lyricist
Tom Kaulitz (born 1989), songwriter, singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist, voice actor, film producer, and lyricist
Georg Listing (born 1987), bassist and pianist
Gustav Schäfer (born 1988), musician and drummer

N–Z

Helmut Newton (1920–2004), photographer
Frei Otto (1925–2015), architect and research scientist
Max Pechstein (1881–1955), painter
Sigmar Polke (1941–2010), painter
Gerhard Richter (born 1932), painter
Julius Runge (1843–1922), marine painter
Karl Friedrich Schinkel, architect and painter
Oskar Schlemmer (1888–1943), choreographer, painter, sculptor and stage designer
Eberhard Schlotter (1921–2014), painter
Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884–1976), painter
Kurt Schwitters, painter and poet
Fritz Schumacher (1869–1947), architect and urban designer
Max Slevogt, painter
Carl Spitzweg (1808–1885), painter
Birgit Stauch (born 1961), sculptor
Fritz Stoltenberg (1855–1921), landscape artist and marine painter
Franz Stuck, painter
Yigal Tumarkin (1933–2021), Israeli painter and sculptor
Wolf Vostell (1932–1998), artist
Bertha Wehnert-Beckmann (1815–1901), pioneering female photographer
Emilie Winkelmann (1875–1951), architect

Company founders

A–M

Karl Albrecht (1920–2014) and Theo Albrecht (1922–2010), founder of Aldi
Ludwig Bamberger (1823–1899), co-founder of Deutsche Bank^[1]
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
Hans Beck (1929–2009), founder of Playmobil
Paul Beiersdorf (1836–1896), founded Beiersdorf AG, manufacturers of Nivea, Eucerin
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^[2]
Maximilian Delphinius Berlitz (1852–1921), founder of 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
Hermann Blohm (1848–1930), in 1877, co-founder of Blohm+Voss, manufacturer of ships
Carl F. W. Borgward (1890–1963), founder of Borgward
August Borsig (1804–1854), founder of Borsig Werke
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), founder of Braun GmbH, makers of personal care appliances, coffee makers and other home appliances
Adolphus Busch (1839–1913), co-founder of Anheuser-Busch brewing company
Adolph Coors (1847–1929), founder of 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^[3]
Adolf Dassler (1900–1978), founder of sportswear company Adidas^[4]
Rudolf Dassler (1898–1974), founder of sportwear company Puma
Adelbert Delbrück (1822–1899), co-founder of Deutsche Bank
Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck (1830–1916), founder of company Schlesische AG für Bergbau und Zinkhüttenbetrieb
Claude Dornier (1884–1969), founder of Dornier Flugzeugwerke
Friedrich Engelhorn (1821–1902), founder of the chemical company BASF
Kaspar Faber (1730–1784), founder of Faber-Castell, manufacturers of office supplies, art supplies, writing instruments and leather goods
Günther Fielmann (1939-2024), founder of Fielmann
Wilhelm von Finck (1848–1924), co-founder of Munich Re and Allianz
Eduard Fresenius (1874–1946), founder of Fresenius
Jakob Fugger the Elder (1368–1469), founder of Fugger bank
Marcus Goldman (1821–1904), co-founder of Goldman Sachs
Max Grundig (1908–1989), founder of Grundig
Max Herz (1905–1965), co-founder of Tchibo
Ernst Heinkel (1888–1958), founder of Heinkel, manufacturer of airplanes
Richard Hellmann (1876–1971), founder of Hellmann's Mayonnaise
Friedrich Karl Henkel (1848–1930), founder of Henkel
J.A. Henckels, manufacturers of kitchen knives, scissors, cookware and flatware
August Horch (1868–1951), founder of Audi automobile company in 1909^[5]
Helmut Horten (1909–1987), founder of Horten AG
August Howaldt (1809–1883), founder of Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in 1835
Hugo Junkers (1859–1935), founder of Junkers, manufacturer of airplanes in 1895
Rudolph Karstadt (1856–1944), founder of Karstadt
Ernst Keil (1816–1878), founder and publisher of Die Gartenlaube
Carl Kellner (1826–1855), founder of Ernst Leitz GmbH, which later became Leica Camera AG, Leica Geosystems AG, and Leica Microsystems AG, producing cameras, geosurvey equipment and microscopes
Peter Klöckner (1863–1940), founder of Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz AG and Klöckner & Co
Carl Heinrich Theodor Knorr (1800–1875) founder of Knorr
Friedrich Krupp (1787–1826), steel manufacturer and founder of the steel producers ThyssenKrupp AG
Heinrich Lanz (1838–1905), founder of Heinrich Lanz AG
Henry Lehman (1822–1855), Emanuel Lehman (1827–1907) and Mayer Lehman (1830–1897), German-born bankers, co-founders of Lehman Brothers
Carl von Linde (1842–1934), founder of The Linde Group
Henry Lomb (1828–1908), co-founder of Bausch & Lomb
Friedrich Lürssen (1851–1916), founder of Lürssen in 1875, manufacturers of ships
Oscar Ferdinand Mayer (1859–1955), founder of the processed-meat firm Oscar Mayer
Joseph Mendelssohn (1770–1848), founder of former bank Mendelssohn & Co.
Friedrich Jacob Merck (1621–1678), founder of Merck KGaA (Engel-Apotheke in Darmstadt)
George Merck (1867–1926), founder of Merck & Co.
Willy Messerschmitt (1875–1978), founder of Messerschmitt, airplane manufacturer
Heinrich Meyerfreund, founder of Garoto, chocolate company in Brazil
Carl Miele (1869–1938), founder of Miele, manufacturer of domestic appliances
Frederick Miller (born as Friedrich Eduard Johannes Müller) (1824–1888), founder of the Miller Brewing Company in 1855

N–Z

Josef Neckermann (1912–1992), founder of the company Neckermann
August Oetker (1862–1918), founder of the company Dr Oetker
Adam Opel (1837–1895), founder of the automobile company Adam Opel AG
Salomon Oppenheim (1772–1828), founder of bank Sal. Oppenheim
Ernest Oppenheimer (1880–1957), diamond and gold mining entrepreneur, financier and philanthropist, who controlled De Beers and founded the Anglo American Corporation of South Africa
Werner Otto (1909–2011), founder of Otto GmbH, now Otto Group, a mail order company
Ferdinand Porsche (1875–1951), designer and founder of Porsche^[6]
Günther Quandt (1881–1954), industrial, entrepreneur of different companies (today includes BMW AG and Altana)
Karl Friedrich Rapp (1882–1962), co-founder of Rapp Motorenwerke GmbH, which later became BMW AG^[7]
Emil Rathenau (1838–1915), founder of AEG
Paul Reuter (1816–1899), pioneer of telegraphy and news reporting; founder of Reuters news agency
Hans Riegel, Sr. (1893–1945), founder of Haribo, manufacturer of gummy and jelly sweets
Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777–1836), founder of British company N M Rothschild & Sons
Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering (1824–1889), founder of the pharmaceutical company Schering AG
Gustav Schickedanz (1895–1977), founder of Quelle
Anton Schlecker (born 1944), founder of Schlecker
Ernst Schmidt and Wilhelm Schmidt-Ruthenbeck (1906–1988), founders of Metro AG
Fritz Sennheiser (1912–2010), founder of Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co. KG, specializing in high fidelity products
Georg von Siemens (1839–1901), co-founder of Deutsche Bank
Werner von Siemens (1816–1892), inventor, founder of Siemens, electronics and electrical engineering company
Axel Springer (1912–1985), publisher, founder of Axel Springer SE
J.S. Staedtler, in 1835 founded Staedtler Mars GmbH & Co. KG, suppliers of writing, artist, and engineering drawing instruments
Bruno Steinhoff (born 1937), founder of Steinhoff
Henry E. Steinway (1797–1871), founder of the piano company Steinway & Sons
Hugo Stinnes (1870–1924), co-founder of Rheinisch-Westfälisches Elektrizitätswerk AG
August Storck-Oberwelland, in 1903 founder of Werther's Sugar Confectionery Factory, now August Storck AG
Franz Ströher (born c. 1854–1936), in 1880 founded cosmetics company Wella AG
Carl Tchilinghiryan (1910–1987), co-founder of Tchibo
Carl von Thieme (1844–1924), founder of Allianz AG, financial services company
August Thyssen (1842–1926), founder of Walzwerk Thyssen & Co. in Mülheim an der Ruhr
Friedrich Thyssen (1804–1877), founder of Draht-Fabrik-Compagnie in Aachen
Hermann Tietz (1837–1907), founder of Hertie, department store
Leopold Ullstein (1826–1899), founder of publishing company Ullstein Verlag
Ernst Voss (1842–1920), in 1877, co-founder of Blohm+Voss, manufacturer of ships
Carl Walther (1858–1915), founder of Walther
Moses Marcus Warburg (1763–1820) and Gershon Warburg (1765–1826), co-founder of M. M. Warburg & Co., German bank
Siegmund Warburg, founder of S. G. Warburg & Co., British bank
Bartholomeus V. Welser (1484–1561), Welser brothers bank
Georg Wertheim (1857–1939), founder of Wertheim, department store
Stef Wertheimer (born 1926), German-born Israeli industrialist, investor, philanthropist, billionaire, and former Member of the Knesset
Aloys Wobben (1952–2021), founder of Enercon
Reinhold Würth (born 1935), company Würth
Carl Zeiss (1816–1888), founder of Carl Zeiss AG, maker of optical instruments
Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838–1917), inventor of the Zeppelin; founder of the Zeppelin Airship company

Fashion models

Johanna Acs (born 1992), model
Nadja Auermann (born 1971), supermodel
Eugen Bauder (born 1986)
Charlott Cordes (born 1988)
Zohre Esmaeli (born 1985 in Afghanistan), model, author, designer
Toni Garrn (born 1992)
Lena Gercke (born 1988), winner of 2006 Germany's Next Topmodel^[8]
Stefanie Giesinger (born 1996), model^[9]
Jennifer Hof (born 1991), winner of 2008 Germany's Next Topmodel
Alexandra Kamp (born 1966)
Heidi Klum (born 1973), model and host of Project Runway and Germany's Next Topmodel^[10]
Diane Kruger (born 1976), model and actress
Barbara Meier (born 1986), winner of 2007 Germany's Next Topmodel
Nico (1938–1988), model, singer and actress
Uschi Obermaier (born 1946), model and actress
Eva Padberg (born 1980)
Tatjana Patitz (born 1966), supermodel
Claudia Schiffer (born 1970), supermodel
Julia Stegner (born 1984)

Fashionmakers

Hugo Boss (1885–1948), fashion designer
Wolfgang Joop (born 1944), fashion designer
Karl Lagerfeld (1933–2019), fashion designer
Michael Michalsky (born 1967), fashion designer

Film and theatre

Actresses and actors

A–M

Inga Abel (1946–2000), actress
Mario Adorf (born 1930), actor and writer
Hans Albers (1891–1960), actor
Iris Berben (born 1950), actress
Moritz Bleibtreu (born 1971), actor
Grit Boettcher (born 1938), actress
Eric Braeden (born Hans Gudegast, 1941), actor^[11]
Daniel Brühl (born 1978), actor
Horst Buchholz (1933–2003), actor
Vicco von Bülow (also known as Loriot), actor and comedian
Zazie Beetz (born 1991), German born American actress^[12]
Hans Clarin (1930–2005), actor
August Diehl (born 1976), actor
Marlene Dietrich (1901–1992), actress^[13]
George Dzundza (born 1945), actor
Heinz Erhardt (1909–1979), actor and comedian
Veronica Ferres (born 1965), actress
Gert Fröbe (1913–1988), actor
Cornelia Froboess (born 1943), actress
Martina Gedeck (born 1961), actress
Götz George (1938–2016), actor
Heinrich George (1893–1946), actor
Gustaf Gründgens (1899–1963), actor
Eva Habermann (born 1976), actress and model
Evelyn Hamann (1942–2007), actress
Brigitte Helm (1908–1996), actress
Henriette Hendel-Schütz (1772–1849), stage actress, mimoplastic performer
Michael Herbig (born 1968), actor, director and comedian
Emil Jannings (1884–1950), actor
Harald Juhnke (1929–2005), actor and comedian
Heidi Kabel (1914–2010), actress
Klaus Kinski (1926–1991), actor; Polish-German father, German mother
Nastassja Kinski (born 1959), actress; daughter of actor Klaus Kinski
Heidi Klum (born 1973), model and actress
Hildegard Knef (1925–2002), actress, singer and writer
Sebastian Koch (born 1962), actor
Thomas Kretschmann (born 1962), actor and model
Diane Kruger (born 1976), actress and model^[14]
Alexandra Maria Lara (born 1978), actress
Siegfried Lowitz (1914–1999),actor
Heike Makatsch (born 1971), actress
Hanna Maron (1923–2014), Israeli actress
Inge Meysel (1910–2004), actress
Brigitte Mira (1910–2005), actress
Willy Millowitsch (1909–1999), actor
Ulrich Mühe (1953–2007), actor
Armin Mueller-Stahl (born 1930), actor

N–Z

Luise Neumann (1818–1905)
Uwe Ochsenknecht (born 1956), actor
Christian Oliver, actor
Lilli Palmer (1914–1986), actress
Franka Potente (born 1974), actress
Jürgen Prochnow (born 1941), actor
Luise Rainer (1910–2014), actress
Heinz Rühmann (1902–1994), actor
Otto Sander (1941–2013), actor
Claudia Schiffer (born 1970), actress and supermodel
Romy Schneider (1938–1982), actress
Jessica Schwarz (born 1977), actress
Til Schweiger (born 1963), actor
Matthias Schweighöfer (born 1981), actor
Hanna Schygulla (born 1943), actress
Xenia Seeberg (born 1972), actress and model
Tomer Sisley (born 1974), Israeli humorist, actor, screenwriter, comedian, and film director
Kristina Söderbaum (1912–2001), actress and photographer
Günter Strack (1929–1999), actor
Barbara Sukowa (born 1950), actress
Horst Tappert (1923–2008), actor
Katharina Thalbach (born 1954), actress
Nora Tschirner (born 1981), actress
Ulrich Tukur (born 1957), actor
Nadja Uhl (born 1972), actress
Wolfgang Völz (1930–2018), actor
Fritz Wepper (born 1941), actor
Luise del Zopp (1871–1946), actress, opera singer, screenwriter

Filmmakers

Uwe Boll, film director
Andreas Deja, animator
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)
Harun Farocki (1944–2014), film director
Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1945–1982), film director
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, film director; Academy Award winner
Werner Herzog (born 1942), film director
Oliver Hirschbiegel, film director
Alexander Kluge (born 1932), 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 (1941–2022), film director
Ashwin Raman (born 1946), documentary filmmaker
Leni Riefenstahl (1902–2003), female film director
Helma Sanders-Brahms (1940–2014), film director
Peter Schamoni (1934–2011), film director
Volker Schlöndorff (born 1939), film director
Andreas Schnaas (born 1968), film director
Hans-Jürgen Syberberg (born 1935), film director
Tom Tykwer (born 1965), film director
Margarethe von Trotta (born 1942), film director
Robert Wiene, film director
Wim Wenders (born 1945), film director
William Wyler, (1902–1981), film director

Literature

Classic

Adam of Bremen (c. 1050 – c. 1085), medieval chronicler
Joseph von Auffenberg (1798–1857), dramatist
Heinrich Böll (1917–1985), author
Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), playwright and poet
Clemens Brentano (1778–1842), poet and novelist
Georg Büchner, dramatist and author
Charles Bukowski (1920–1994), German-born American poet, novelist, and short story writer
Wilhelm Busch (1832–1908), poet and satirist
Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797–1848), poet
Joseph von Eichendorff (1788–1857), poet
Theodor Fontane (1819–1898), novelist and poet
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832), author and poet
Brothers Grimm, collectors of fairy tales
Heinrich Heine (1797–1856), poet
Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803), essayist and poet
Hermann Hesse (1877–1962), author
E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776–1822), author
Friedrich Hölderlin (1770–1843), poet
Ernst Jünger (1895–1998), writer and novelist
Erich Kästner (1899–1974), novelist
Heinrich von Kleist (1777–1811), poet, dramatist and novelist
Gotthold Lessing (1729–1781), writer
Heinrich Mann (1871–1950), author (brother of Thomas Mann)
Thomas Mann (1875–1955), author (brother of Heinrich Mann)
Karl May (1842–1912), author
Theodor Mommsen (1817–1903), A history of Rome
Christian Morgenstern (1871–1914), poet
Novalis (1772–1801), poet and novelist
Erich Maria Remarque (1898–1970), novelist
Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805), poet and playwright
Arno Schmidt (1914–1979), writer
Theodor Storm (1817–1888), author
Kurt Tucholsky (1890–1935), writer and satirist
Walter von der Vogelweide (c. 1170 – c. 1230), poet
Christa Wolf (1929–2011), novelist and essayist
Wolfram von Eschenbach (died 1220), poet

Major

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
Ezriel Carlebach (1909–1956), Israeli journalist and editorial writer
Matthias Claudius (1740–1815), poet and writer
Michael Ende (1929–1995), author of fantasy novels and children's books
Erik Erikson (1902–1994), German-American writer, developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst
Anne Frank (1929–1945), diarist and victim of the Holocaust
Paul Gerhardt (c. 1606 – 1676), hymn writer
Leah Goldberg (1911–1970), Israeli poet
Joseph Görres (1776–1848), essayist
Wilhelm Hauff (1802–1827), writer
Paul Heyse (1830–1914), writer and translator
Janosch (born 1931), author of artist and children's books
Friedrich Kellner (1885–1970), diarist of My Opposition
Golo Mann (1909–1994), author and historian (second-oldest son of Thomas Mann)
Klaus Mann (1906–1949), author (oldest son of Thomas Mann)
Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué (1777–1843), writer
Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau (1785–1871), writer and landscape gardener
Otfried Preussler (1923–2013), author of children's books
Wilhelm Raabe (1831–1910), novelist
Peter Rühmkorf (1929–2008), poet
Nelly Sachs (1891–1970), poet
Leopold Schefer (1784–1861), writer, poet and composer
August Wilhelm Schlegel (1767–1845), poet and translator
Ludwig Tieck (1773–1853), poet, editor and novelist
Ludwig Uhland (1787–1862), poet, writer and playwright
Gero von Wilpert (1933–2009), essayist

Contemporary

Hans Magnus Enzensberger (1929–2022), essayist and poet
Günter Grass (1927–2015), author; recipient, 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature
Peter Härtling (1933–2017), author
Rolf Hochhuth (1931–2020), playwright
Wladimir Kaminer (born 1967), short story writer
Daniel Kehlmann (born 1975), novelist
Siegfried Lenz (1926–2014), author
Ferdinand von Schirach (born 1964), author, screenwriter and lawyer
Bernhard Schlink (born 1944), author and professor of law
Patrick Süskind (born 1949), author and screenwriter
Rudolf von Waldenfels (born 1965), author
Martin Walser (1927–2023), playwright and novelist

Humorists, cabaret performers and comedians

Dieter Hildebrandt (1927–2013), cabaret performer
Bruno Jonas (born 1952), cabaret performer
Michael Mittermeier (born 1966), comedian
Georg Schramm (born 1949), cabaret performer
Mathias Richling (born 1953), cabaret performer
Richard Rogler (born 1949), cabaret performer
Daniel Tosh (born 1975), comedian

Journalists

Rudolf Augstein (1923–2002), journalist
Peter Limbourg (born 1960), journalist
Marion Dönhoff (1909–2002), journalist
Günther Jauch (born 1956), journalist
Sabine Christiansen (born 1957), journalist
Maybrit Illner (born 1965), journalist
Anne Will (born 1966), journalist
Sandra Maischberger (born 1966), journalist

Mathematicians

Wilhelm Ackermann (1896–1962), mathematician
Georg Cantor (1845–1918), mathematician
Richard Dedekind (1831–1916), mathematician
Walther von Dyck (1856–1934), mathematician
Albert Einstein (1879–1955), mathematician, physicist
Gottlob Frege (1848–1925), mathematician
Philipp Furtwängler (1869–1940), mathematician
Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855), mathematician
Ernst Hellinger (1883–1950), mathematician
David Hilbert (1862–1943), mathematician
Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi (1804–1851), mathematician
Erich Kähler (1906–2000), mathematician
Johannes Kepler (1571–1630), mathematician and astronomer
Felix Christian Klein (1849–1925), mathematician
Hermann Klaus Hugo Weyl (1885–1955), mathematician
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716), mathematician
Kurt Mendelssohn (1906–1980), mathematician
Hermann Minkowski (1864–1909), mathematician
August Ferdinand Möbius (1790–1868), mathematician, theoretical astronomer
Carl Neumann (1832–1925), mathematician
Emmy Noether (1882–1935), mathematician
Georg Ohm (1789–1854), mathematician
Carl Adam Petri (1926–2010), mathematician, computer scientist
Julius Plücker (1801–1868), mathematician
Bernhard Riemann (1826–1866), mathematician
Adam Ries (1492–1559), mathematician, physicist, archeologist
Gustav Roch (1839–1866) mathematician
Eric Reissner (1913–1996), mathematician, engineer
Carl David Tolmé Runge (1856–1927), mathematician, physicist, spectroscopist
Heinrich Scherk (1798–1885), mathematician
Herman Schwarz (1843–1921), mathematician
Carl Ludwig Siegel (1896–1981), mathematician
Roland Sprague (1894–1967), mathematician
Heinrich Martin Weber (1842–1913), mathematician
Karl Weierstrass (1815–1897), mathematician
Max Zorn (1906–1993), mathematician

Military

Heinrich Bürkle de la Camp (1895–1974), general who specialized as a medic and army doctor
Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831), Prussian professional soldier, military historian, and influential military theorist
Erich von Falkenhayn (1861–1922), general, Prussian Minister of War (1913–1915) and Chief of General Staff (1914–1916)
August von Gneisenau (1760–1831), Prussian field marshal and chief of the Prussian General Staff (1813–1814)
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 (1939–1941) and Army Group Center (1941–43)
Erich Ludendorff (1865–1937), general and Quartermaster General (1916–1918)
Erich von Manstein (1887–1973), field marshal and professional soldier (1906–1944)
Helmuth von Moltke the Elder (1800–1891), field marshal, chief of staff of the Prussian Army for thirty years
Friedrich Paulus (1890–1957), general and commander of the German Sixth Army, later promoted to Field Marshal (1910–1943)
Günther Rall (1918–2009), third highest scoring fighter ace in history with 275 confirmed kills while serving as a pilot in the Luftwaffe in World War II
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 (1942–1943) and Army Group B (1944)
Albrecht von Roon (1803–1879), field marshal, Minister of War from (1859–1873)
Hans-Ulrich Rudel (1916–1982), Stuka dive-bomber pilot and air ace (1936–1945)
Gerd von Rundstedt (1875–1953), field marshal and 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 (1808–1810)
Michael Wittmann (1914–1944), SS captain and tank ace (1934–1944)

Music

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 Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Christian Bach (1735–1782), composer; son of Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), composer
Klaus Badelt (born 1967), film composer (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Miami Vice, Ultraviolet, 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in Beijing)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827), composer
Martin Böttcher (1927–2019), film composer (Karl May film adaptations)
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897), composer
Max Bruch (1838–1920), composer
Dieterich Buxtehude (c. 1637/39–1707), Danish-German organist and composer of the Baroque period
Hanns Eisler (1898–1962), composer
Friedrich von Flotow (1812–1883), composer
Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714–1787), composer
Georg Friedrich Händel (1685–1759), composer, opera composer
Fanny Hensel (1805–1847), composer
Paul Hindemith (1895–1963), composer
Engelbert Humperdinck (1854–1921), composer
Albert Lortzing (1801–1851), composer
Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791–1864), composer
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847), composer
Leopold Mozart (1719–1787), composer, conductor, teacher, and violinist; father of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart^[15]
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
Clara Schumann (1819–1896), composer
Robert Schumann (1810–1856), composer and songwriter
Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672), composer
Charlotte Seither (born 1965), classical composer, pianist and music educator
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 (The Threepenny Opera, "September Song")
Hans Zimmer (born 1957), film composer (The Lion King, Crimson Tide, Gladiator, The Dark Knight, Inception, Dune)

Conductors, instrumentalists and singers

A–M

Hans Albers (1891–1960), singer and actor
Thomas Anders (born 1963), singer
Lale Andersen (1905–1972), singer
Lou Bega (born 1975), singer
Andrea Berg (born 1966), singer-songwriter
Wolf Biermann (born 1936), singer-songwriter and East German dissident
Dieter Bohlen (born 1954), music producer
Andreas Bourani (born 1983), singer-songwriter
Hans-Jürgen Buchner (born 1944), founder, composer, songwriter of the band Haindling
Fritz Busch (1890–1951), conductor
Bushido (born 1978), rapper
Campino (born 1962), lead singer of the band Die Toten Hosen
Yvonne Catterfeld (born 1979), singer
Sarah Connor (born 1980), pop and soul singer
Michael and Sandra Cretu, founders and performers of the musical project Enigma and the group Sandra
Diana Damrau, coloratura soprano opera singer
Marlene Dietrich (1901–1992), singer
Herbert Dreilich (1942–2004), singer of the Band Karat
Jürgen Drews (born 1945), singer
Katja Ebstein (born 1945), singer
Fancy (born 1946), singer
Frank Farian (born 1941), German record producer and songwriter
Helene Fischer (born 1984), singer
Gertrude Förstel (1880–1950), operatic soprano, voice teacher
Peter Fox (born 1971), singer
Wilhelm Furtwängler (1886–1954), conductor and composer
Rex Gildo (1936–1999), singer
Bernd Heinrich Graf, lead singer of the Band Unheilig
Antye Greie (born 1969), vocalist, musician and composer
Herbert Grönemeyer (born 1956), singer
Gudrun Gut (born 1957), electronic musician
Nina Hagen (born 1955), singer
Heino (born 1938), pop singer
Willy Hess (1859–1939), violinist
Natalie Horler (born 1981), member of the band Cascada
Annette Humpe (born 1950), singer of the bands Ideal and Ich + Ich
Matthias Jabs (born 1955), guitarist of the band Scorpions
Roland Kaiser (born 1952), singer
Bill Kaulitz (born 1989), lead singer of the band Tokio Hotel
John Kay (musician) (born 1944), German–Canadian musician
Gershon Kingsley (1922–2019), composer
Alexander Klaws (born 1983), singer
Hildegard Knef (1925–2002), singer
Peter Kraus (born 1939), singer
Mike Kogel, lead singer of the band Los Bravos
Rolf Köhler (1951–2007), singer, musician and record producer
Paul Kuhn (1928–2013), band leader and singer
LaFee (born 1990), singer
Ute Lemper (born 1963), singer
Udo Lindenberg (born 1946), singer
Michail Lifits (born 1982), concert pianist
Till Lindemann (born 1963), lead singer of the band Rammstein
Georg Listing, bassist of the band Tokio Hotel
Frida Lyngstad, lead singer of the pop group ABBA
Peter Maffay (born 1949), singer
Klaus Meine, vocalist of the band Scorpions
Reinhard Mey (born 1942)
Lena Meyer-Landrut (born 1991), singer
Marius Müller-Westernhagen (born 1948), singer
Karl Münchinger (1915–1990), conductor
Anne-Sophie Mutter (born 1963), violinist

N–Z

Xavier Naidoo (born 1971)
Meshell Ndegeocello (born 1969), born of American parents in Germany
Nena (born 1960)
Nicole (born 1964), singer
Klaus Nomi (1944–1983)
Lisa Otto (1919–2013), opera singer
Hedwig Reicher-Kindermann (1853–1883), opera singer
Martin Rich (1905–2000), conductor and pianist
Marianne Rosenberg (born 1955), singer-songwriter
Anneliese Rothenberger (1924–2010), singer
Ralph Siegel (born 1945), senior songwriter
Sandra (born 1962), singer
Kool Savas (born 1975), half German, half Turkish singer
Gustav Schäfer, drummer of the band Tokio Hotel
Michael Schenker (born 1955), guitar player of band UFO and solo career
Rudolf Schenker (born 1948), guitarist of the band Scorpions; brother of Michael Schenker
Peter Schilling (born 1956), singer
Sido (born 1980), rapper
Cassandra Steen (born 1980), German-American singer-songwriter, and voice actress
Farin Urlaub (born 1963), lead singer of the band Die Ärzte
Lena Valaitis (born 1943), singer
Paul van Dyk (born 1971), DJ, musician and record producer
Hannes Wader (born 1943), singer-songwriter
Claire Waldoff (1884–1957), singer
Bruno Walter (1876–1962), conductor and composer
Konstantin Wecker (born 1947), singer-songwriter

Philosophy

Classic

Theodor Adorno (1903–1969), philosopher, sociologist and composer
Albertus Magnus (c. 1193 – 1280), medieval philosopher and theologian
Hannah Arendt (1906–1975), political theorist
Walter Benjamin (1892–1943)
Ernst Bloch (1885–1977)
Jakob Böhme (1575–1624), mystic philosopher
Franz Brentano (1838–1917), philosopher and psychologist
Rudolf Carnap (1891–1970), philosopher
Ernst Cassirer (1874–1945)
Wilhelm Dilthey (1833–1911), philosopher, historian, psychologist
Ludwig Feuerbach (1804–1872), philosopher
Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762–1814), philosopher
Gottlob Frege (1848–1925), mathematician, logician and philosopher
Eduard von Hartmann (1842–1906), philosopher
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831), philosopher
Martin Heidegger (1889–1976), philosopher
Max Horkheimer (1895–1973)
Edmund Husserl (1859–1938), philosopher
Karl Jaspers (1883–1969), philosopher
Immanuel Kant (1724–1804), philosopher
Gottfried Leibniz (1646–1716), physicist, philosopher
Karl Marx (1818–1883), philosopher and sociologist
Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786), philosopher
Lorenz Christoph Mizler (1711–1778), philosopher active in Poland
Nikolaus Cusanus (1401–1462), philosopher, theologian, mathematician
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), early existentialist philosopher
Friedrich Schelling (1775–1854), philosopher
Moritz Schlick (1882–1936), philosopher
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860), philosopher
Christian Wolff (1679–1754), philosopher

Major

Bruno Bauer (1809–1882), political theorist and philosopher
Friedrich Engels (1820–1895), philosopher, political economist
Rudolf Christoph Eucken (1846–1926), philosopher
Erich Fromm (1900–1980)
Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900–2002), philosopher
Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767–1835), philosopher, linguist, government functionary, diplomat; brother of Alexander von Humboldt
Ludwig Klages (1872–1956), philosopher
Leo Löwenthal (1900–1993)
Karl Löwith (1897–1973)
Herbert Marcuse (1898–1979)
Samuel von Pufendorf (1632–1694), moral and political philosopher
Johann Karl Friedrich Rosenkranz (1805–1879)
Franz Rosenzweig (1886–1929)
Max Scheler (1874–1928), philosopher
Carl Schmitt (1888–1985), political theorist
Georg Simmel (1859–1918), philosopher and sociologist
Max Stirner (1806–1856), philosopher
Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker (1912–2007), philosopher and physicist

Contemporary

Hans Albert (1921–2023), philosopher
Kurt Flasch (born 1930), philosopher
Jürgen Habermas (born 1929), philosopher, social theorist
Dieter Henrich (1927–2022), philosopher
Odo Marquard (1928–2015), philosopher
Julian Nida-Rümelin (born 1954), philosopher and political theorist
Konrad Ott (born 1959), moral philosopher and environmentalist
Peter Sloterdijk (born 1947), philosopher and television host
Robert Spaemann (1927–2018), philosopher
Oswald Spengler (1880–1936), philosopher of history; best known for his book "The Decline of the West" (Der Untergang des Abendlandes)
Ernst Tugendhat (1930–2023), philosopher

Politicians

Miscellaneous

Rainer Barzel (1924–2006), leader of the party Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU)
August Bebel (1840–1913), co-founder of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Rudolf von Bennigsen (1824–1902), founder of the National Liberal Party
Eduard Bernstein (1850–1932), Social Democratic leader
Heinrich von Brentano (1904–1964), Foreign Minister Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU)
Julius Curtius (1877–1948), Foreign Minister (German People's Party)
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 (1927–2016), 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
Georg Hornstein (1900–1942), resistance fighter during the period of National Socialism (Nazism)
Alfred Hugenberg (1865–1951), leader of the German National People's Party
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), co-founder of the German Green Party
Roland Koch (born 1958), Minister-President of Hesse
Oskar Lafontaine (born 1943), socialist, former minister for finance
Ferdinand Lassalle (1825–1864), democrat and socialist
Karl Liebknecht (1871–1919), socialist
Wilhelm Liebknecht (1826–1900), co-founder of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)
Rosa Luxemburg (1870–1919), left-wing Social Democratic leader
Jakob Maria Mierscheid (born 1933), virtual parliamentarian (SPD)
Hans Modrow (1928–2023), former leader of GDR, honorary chairman of PDS
Hermann Müller (1876–1931), Chancellor of the Weimar Republic (SPD)
Erich Ollenhauer (1901–1963), leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)
Antonie "Toni" Pfülf (1877–1933), female socialist (SPD)
Walther Rathenau (1867–1922), foreign minister (DDP)
Eugen Richter (1838–1906), liberal politician
Wolfgang Schäuble (born 1942), Christian politician, financial minister (CDU)
Carlo Schmid (1896–1979), politician who had vast influence on the content of the German Basic Law after World War II
Gerhard Schröder (1910–1989), foreign minister, minister of the Interior (CDU)
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 (born 1941), 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
Hans-Jochen Vogel (1926–2020), leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), federal minister of justice
Otto Wels (1873–1939), leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)
Guido Westerwelle (1961–2016), party leader of the liberal party (FDP)
Klaus Wowereit (born 1953), social democrat politician (SPD)
Clara Zetkin (1857–1933), socialist and fighter for women's rights
Silke Grimm (born 1967), German politician

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
Constantin Fehrenbach (1852–1926), Chancellor of the Weimar Republic (Centre)
Georg von Hertling (1843–1919), Imperial Chancellor
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945), Leader of Nazi Germany, combining legally the offices of President and Chancellor ("Führer und Reichskanzler") (1933–1945)

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)

(in chronological order)

Konrad Adenauer (1876–1967), first democratically elected Federal Chancellor in Western Germany (after World War II) 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 (1918–2015), Federal Chancellor from 1974 to 1982 (SPD)
Helmut Kohl (1930–2017), Federal Chancellor from 1982 to 1998 (CDU)
Gerhard Schröder (born 1944), Federal Chancellor from 1998 to 2005 (SPD)
Angela Merkel (born 1954), Federal Chancellor from 2005 to 2021 (CDU)
Olaf Scholz (born 1958), Federal Chancellor since 2021 (SPD)

Presidents of Germany

(in chronological order)

Friedrich Ebert (1871–1925), first president of the Weimar Republic (SPD) 1919–25
Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934), field marshal, president 1925–34
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945), combining legally both offices, president and chancellor ("Führer und Reichskanzler") 1933–45
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:
(in chronological order)

Theodor Heuss (1884–1963), Federal President 1949–59 (Liberal-Democratic Party, FDP)
Heinrich Lübke (1894–1972), Federal President 1959–69 (CDU)
Gustav Heinemann (1899–1976), Federal President 1969–74 (SPD)
Walter Scheel (1919–2016), Federal President 1974–79 (FDP)
Karl Carstens (1914–1992), Federal President 1979–84 (CDU)
Richard von Weizsäcker (1920–2015), Federal President 1984–94 (CDU)
Roman Herzog (1934–2017), Federal President 1994–99 (CDU)
Johannes Rau (1931–2006), Federal President 1999–2004 (SPD)
Horst Köhler (born 1943), Federal President 2004–10 (CDU)
Jens Böhrnsen (born 1949), acting president since resignation of Köhler in 2010 (SPD)
Christian Wulff (born 1959), Federal President 2010–12 (CDU)
Horst Seehofer (born 1949), acting president since resignation of Wulff in 2012 (CDU)
Joachim Gauck (born 1940), Federal President 2012–2017 (Independent)
Frank-Walter Steinmeier (born 1956) Federal President since 19 March 2017 (SPD)

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 (1929–2015), 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

Artur Axmann (1913–1996), Hitler Youth leader (1940–1945)
Klaus Barbie (1913–1991), the "Butcher of Lyon"
Fedor von Bock (1880–1945), field marshal
Martin Bormann (1900–1945), Nazi leader
Eva Braun (1912–1945), Hitler's mistress and finally his wife
Wilhelm Canaris (1887–1945), admiral and chief of the Abwehr
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
Adolf Eichmann (1906–1962), Nazi SS-Obersturmbannführer (lieutenant colonel)
Hans Frank (1900–1946), Governor-General of Poland
Roland Freisler (1893–1945), Nazi judge
Wilhelm Frick (1877–1946), Minister of the Interior
Walther 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 RSHA
Heinrich Himmler (1900–1945), Nazi head of the SS
Rudolf Höss (1901–1947), commandant of Auschwitz
Ernst Kaltenbrunner (1903–1946), Heydrich's successor at the RSHA
Hans Kammler (1901 – c. 1945), author and organiser of first Death Camps
Wilhelm Keitel (1882–1946), field marshal, head of the OKW (1939–1945)
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 (1941–1942), Army Group Don (1942–43), and Army Group South (1943–1944)
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
Walter Model (1891–1945), field marshal
Heinrich Müller (1900–1945?), head of the Gestapo (1939–1945)
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), first Stabschef 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 (1939–1941), Commander-in-Chief West (1942–1945)
Hjalmar Schacht, Minister of Finance
Baldur von Schirach (1907–1974), first Hitler Youth 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

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 and consort
Albert (1828–1902), King of Saxony (1873–1902)
Anne of Cleves (1515–1557), Queen of England from 6 January to 9 July 1540 as the fourth wife of King Henry VIII
Anton (1755–1836), King of Saxony (1827–1836)
Carol I of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1839–1914), Prince (1867–1881) and King (1881–1914) of Romania
Catherine the Great (1729–1796), Empress of Russia
Charles IV (1316–1378), King of Germany 1346, Holy Roman Emperor 1355–78
Charles V (1500–1558), King of Spain 1516, King of Germany 1519, Holy Roman Emperor 1530–56
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 1155–90
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)
Augustus II the Strong (1670–1733), Elector of Saxony (1694), King of Poland (1697–1733)
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 1014–24
Henry III (1017–1056), King of Germany 1039, Holy Roman Emperor 1046–56
Henry IV (1050–1106), King of Germany 1056, Holy Roman Emperor 1084–1106
Henry V (1081–1125), King of Germany 1106, Holy Roman Emperor 1111–25
Henry VI (1165–1197), King of Germany 1190, Holy Roman Emperor 1191–97
John (1801–1873), King of Saxony (1854–1873)
Louis IV (1281–1347), King of Germany 1314, Holy Roman Emperor 1328–47
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 1508–19
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)

Scientists and engineers

A–G

Nicolaus Copernicus, Tornaeus Borussus Mathematicus (N.C.,Prussian mathematician from Thorn/Torun). Copper engraving from 1597

Otto Wilhelm Hermann von Abich (1806–1886), mineralogist, geologist
Michael Albeck (born 1934), Israeli chemist; President of Bar-Ilan University
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
Henning Behrens (born 1940), economist and political scientist
Georg Bednorz (born 1950), physicist Nobel Prize for Physics
Emil von Behring (1854–1917), physician
Karl Benz (1844–1929), inventor of the gasoline-powered automobile
Friedrich Bessel (1784–1846), mathematician
Hans Bethe (1906–2005), physicist
Hennig Brand (c. 1630 – c.1692 or c. 1710), alchemist; discoverer of phosphorus
Max Born (1882–1970), physicist
Robert Bosch (1861–1942), industrialist
Carl F. W. Borgward (1890–1963), engineer
Karl Ferdinand Braun (1850–1918), physicist
Wernher von Braun (1912–1977), space engineer, rocket scientist
Eduard Buchner (1860–1917), biochemist; recipient 1907 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the discovery of enzymes
Robert Wilhelm Bunsen (1811–1899), chemist
Alfred Buntru (1887–1974), hydraulic engineer and SS officer
Georg Cantor (1845–1918), mathematician
Conrad of Leonberg (1460–1511), humanist scholar
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543), Prussian astronomer who wrote and spoke German; he is also often considered as a Pole
Hans Gerhard Creutzfeldt, neuropathologist
Adolf Daimler (1871–1913), mechanical engineer
Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900), inventor and engineer
Gertrud Dorka (1893–1976), archaeologist, prehistorian and museum director
Carl Duisberg (1861–1935), chemist and industrialist
Rudolf Diesel (1858–1913), inventor of the Diesel engine
Paul Ehrlich (1854–1915), physician
Albert Einstein (1879–1955), physicist
Gerhard Ertl (born 1936), physicist
Hans Jürgen Eysenck (1916–1997), psychologist
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736), physicist, engineer, and glass blower
Adolf Eugen Fick (1829–1901), inventor of contact lenses
Wolfgang Finkelnburg (1905–1967), physicist
Hermann Emil Fischer (1852–1919), chemist and 1902 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Friederike Fless (born 1964), president of the German Archaeological Institute
Elvira Fölzer (1868–1928), early female archaeologist
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
Hans Geiger (1882–1945), physicist
Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855), mathematician
Otto von Guericke (1602–1682), scientist
Johannes Gutenberg (1398–1468), inventor of modern bookprinting

H–J

Fritz Haber (1868–1934), chemist
Ernst Haeckel (1834–1919), physician
Otto Hahn (1879–1968), chemist
Theodor W. Hänsch (born 1941), physicist
Bernhard Hantzsch (1875–1911), ornithologist
Georg Hartmann (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
Magnus Hirschfeld (1868–1935), physician, sexologist, founder of the first ever committee for LGBTQ+ rights
Johann Homann (1664–1724), geographer
Erich Hueckel (1896–1980), physicist
Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859), explorer
Carl Gustav Jacob 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
Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1743–1817), chemist
Felix Klein (1849–1925), mathematician
Klaus von Klitzing (born 1943), physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics
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
Rudolph Lennhoff (1866–1933), public health doctor
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
Friedrich Loeffler (1852–1915), bacteriologist
Johann Josef Loschmidt (1821–1895), physicist, chemist
Cornelia Lüdecke (born 1954), polar researcher, historian
Reimar Lüst (1923–2020), 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
Ralph Bernstein (1933), engineer
Johannes Müller (1801–1858), physiologist
Walther Nernst (1864–1941), physicist
Carl Gottfried Neumann (1832–1925), mathematician
Franz Ernst Neumann (1798–1895), mathematician
Claus Noé (1938–2008), economist
Emmy Noether (1882–1935), mathematician
Georg Ohm (1789–1854), physicist
Wilhelm Ostwald, chemist; recipient 1909 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Nicolaus Otto (1832–1891), coinventor of the Otto cycle
Bernhard Philberth (1927–2010), physicist, engineer, philosopher, theologian
Max Planck (1858–1947), physicist
Jesco von Puttkamer (1933–2012), space scientist (NASA manager), engineer and author
Bernhard Riemann (1826–1866), mathematician
Adam Ries (1492–1559), mathematician
Wilhelm 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
Ernst Stromer (1871-1952), Paleontologist
Carl Semper (1832–1893), ecologist
Cynthia Sharma (born 1979), infectious disease researcher, biologist
Werner von Siemens (1816–1892), inventor, industrialist
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
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 (1912–2007), physicist
Hermann Weyl (1885–1955), mathematician
Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (1782–1867), zoologist
Wilhelm Wien (1864–1928), physicist
Heinrich Wohlwill (1874–1943), electrical engineer
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

Sportspeople

A–G

Franziska van Almsick (born 1978), swimmer
Adolf Anderssen (1818–1879), chess grandmaster
Tobias Arlt (born 1987), luger
Rudi Ball (1911–1975), Hall of Fame ice hockey player, Olympic bronze 1932, World runner-up 1930, bronze 1934^[16]
Michael Ballack (born 1976), football player
Karin Balzer (1938–2019), hurdler
Marcel Barthel (born 1990), professional wrestler
Dieter Baumann (born 1965), athlete
Franz Beckenbauer (1945–2024), football player
Boris Becker (born 1967), tennis player
Ludger Beerbaum (born 1963), equestrian; four-time Olympic Gold medalist
Elly Beinhorn (1907–2007), aviator
Valery Belenky (born 1969), Soviet/Azerbaijan/German Olympic gymnastics champion (team combined exercises), bronze (individual combined exercises)
Isaac Bonga, NBA player^[17]
Stefan Bellof (1957–1985), race car driver
Gretel Bergmann (1914–2017), internationally renowned high jumper of the 1930s was excluded from the 1936 Olympic team due to being Jewish.
Frank Biela (born 1964), race car driver
Oliver Bierhoff (born 1968), football player
Jérôme Boateng (born 1988), football player
Timo Boll, table tennis player
Kathrin Boron (born 1969), scmomuller; four-time Olympic gold medallist
Daryl Boyle (born 1987), ice hockey player for Germany
Andreas Brehme (born 1960), football player and coach
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
Rolf Decker, German-born American, football midfielder (US national team)
Uschi Disl (born 1970), biathlete
Leon Draisaitl (born 1995), ice hockey player
Heike Drechsler (born 1964), athlete
Mathew Dumba (born 1994), ice hockey player
Stefan Effenberg (born 1968), football player
Christian Ehrhoff (born 1982), Olympian and National Hockey League hockey player; plays for the Buffalo Sabres
David Elsner (born 1992), ice hockey forward
Erich Gottlieb Eliskases (1913–1997), leading chess player of the 1930s–40s, represented Austria, Germany and Argentina in international competition
Kornelia Ender (born 1958), swimmer; became the first woman swimmer to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games (in 1976), all in world record times
Karin Enke (born 1961), speed skater; one of the most dominant of the 1980s
Jürgen Fanghänel (born 1951), boxer
Rudi Fink (born 1958), boxer
Birgit Fischer (born 1962), kayaker
Sven Fischer (born 1971), biathlete
Theodor Fischer, Olympic épée and foil fencer
Alfred Flatow (1869–1942), gymnast, three-time Olympic champion (parallel bars, team parallel bars, team horizontal bar), silver (horizontal bar)
Gustav Felix Flatow (1875–1945), two-time Olympic champion (team parallel bars, team horizontal bar)
Heinz-Harald Frentzen (born 1967), racing driver
Torsten Frings (born 1976), football player
Gottfried Fuchs (1889–1972), Olympic football player
Erika Geisen, IFBB professional bodybuilder
Natalie Geisenberger (born 1988), luger
Timo Glock (born 1982), racing driver
Marcel Goc, German Olympian and NHL hockey player; plays for the Nashville Predators
Harold Goldsmith, born Hans Goldschmidt (1930–2004), American Olympic foil and épée fencer
Mario Gómez (born 1985), football player
Steffi Graf (born 1969), tennis player
Michael Greis (born 1976), biathlete
Michael Gross (born 1964), swimmer
Ricco Groß (born 1970), biathlete
Jan Gustafsson (born 1979), chess grandmaster and Janistan head of state
Ludwig Guttmann (1899–1980), founder of the Paralympics^[18]

H–M

Tommy Haas (born 1978), tennis player
Georg Hackl (born 1966), luger
Hans Halberstadt (1885–1966), German-born American Olympic fencer
Dietmar Hamann (born 1973), football player
Sven Hannawald (born 1974), ski jumper
Armin Hary (born 1937), athlete
Thomas Häßler (born 1966), football player
Nico Hülkenberg (born 1987), racing driver
Nick Heidfeld (born 1977), racing driver
Lilli Henoch (1899–1942), world records in discus, shot put, and 4x100-m relay; shot by the Nazis in Latvia
Jupp Heynckes (born 1945), retired footballer and current manager of FC Bayern Munich
Julius Hirsch (1892–1945), Olympian football player and first Jewish member of the national team, two-time Germany team champion, awarded the Iron Cross during World War I, murdered in Auschwitz concentration camp.
Ottmar Hitzfeld (born 1949), football player and manager
Leah Horowitz (1933–1956), Israeli Olympic hurdler
Mats Hummels (born 1988), football player
Peter Hussing (1948–2012), 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
Enriko Kehl (born 1992), muay thai kickboxing
Oliver Kahn (born 1969), football player
Andy Kapp (born 1967), curler
Fritz Keller (born 1957), football administrator
Udo Kiessling (born 1955), first ice hockey player to compete at five Olympics
Herbert Klein (1923–2001), Olympic bronze (200-m breaststroke); three world records
Ralph Klein (1931–2008), Berlin-born Israeli basketball player and coach
Jutta Kleinschmidt, rally driver
Reiner Klimke (1936–1999), equestrian; won six gold and two bronze medals in dressage at the Summer Olympics
Jürgen Klinsmann (born 1964), football player and manager^[19]
Jürgen Klopp (born 1967), Liverpool football manager
Miroslav Klose (born 1978), football player
Georg Koch (born 1972), football player
Marita Koch (born 1957), sprint track and field athlete who collected 30 world records
Olaf Kölzig (born 1970), German Olympian and National Hockey League goalie; plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning
Andreas Köpke (born 1962), football player (goalkeeper)
Louis Krages (1949–2001), racing driver who raced under the pseudonym of "John Winter"
Ingrid Krämer (born 1943), diver and Olympic champion
Toni Kroos (born 1990), football player
Uwe Krupp (born 1965), ice hockey player and coach; won the Stanley Cup and played in an NHL All-Star Game
Erich Kühnhackl (born 1950), ice hockey player; named Germany's ice hockey player of the 20th century and member of the IIHF Hall of Fame
Kevin Kuske (born 1979), bobsledder; most successful Olympic athlete in bobsledding, winning four gold medals and two silver medals
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 (1916–2000), racewalker; won 42 national titles; Pan American Games champion; four-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
Joachim Löw (born 1960), football player and manager of Germany
Klaus Ludwig, racing driver
Marion Lüttge (born 1941), javelin thrower
Brooks Macek (born 1992), ice hockey player for Germany
Felix Magath (born 1953), football player and manager
Sepp Maier (born 1944), football player
Jan Martín (born 1984), German-Israeli-Spanish basketball player
Henry Maske (born 1964), boxer
Jochen Mass, racing driver
Lothar Matthäus (born 1961), football player
Roland Matthes (1950–2019), swimmer and the most successful backstroke swimmer of all times
Helene Mayer (1910–1953), foil fencer, Olympic champion
Georg Meier (1910–1999), motorcycle racer
Yona Melnik (born 1949), Israeli Olympic judoka
Markus Merk (born 1962), top-level football referee
Christoph Metzelder (born 1980), football player
Ulrike Meyfarth (born 1956), high jumper
Rosi Mittermaier (1950–2023), alpine ski champion
Andreas Möller (born 1967), football player
Gerd Müller (1945–2021), football player
Jörg Müller (born 1969), race car driver
Petra Müller (born 1965), athlete
Thomas Müller (born 1989), football player

N–R

Patricia Neske (born 1966), figure skater
Günter Netzer (born 1944), football player
Manuel Neuer (born 1986), football player (goalkeeper)
Gunda Niemann-Stirnemann (born 1966), speed skater
Aron Nimzowitsch (1886–1935), Latvian-Danish German chess master and chess writer
Dirk Nowitzki (born 1978), National Basketball Association player^[17]
Kristin Otto (born 1966), Olympic swimming champion
Sylke Otto (born 1969), luger
Mesut Özil (born 1988), football player
Claudia Pechstein (born 1972), speed skater
Uta Pippig (born 1965), athlete
Lukas Podolski (born 1985), football player
Sarah Poewe (born 1983), South African-German swimmer, Olympic bronze (4 × 100 medley relay)
Ellen Preis (Ellen Müller-Preis) (1912–2007), German-born Austrian Olympic champion foil fencer
Daniel Prenn (1904–1991), German-Polish-British tennis player, highest world ranking # 6
Birgit Prinz (born 1977), football player
Lina Radke (1903–1983), athlete
Teodor Regedziński (also known as Theodor Reger) (1894–1954), Polish chess master of German origin; father's name was Reger
Otto Rehhagel (born 1938), football player and manager
Annegret Richter (born 1950), athlete
Lars Riedel (born 1967), athlete
Maria Höfl-Riesch (born 1984), World Cup alpine ski racer
Jochen Rindt (1942–1970), German-born racing driver who represented Austria during his career (one-time World Champion)
Walter Röhrl, rally and racing driver (two-time Rally World Champion)
Nico Rosberg (born 1985), former German–Finnish Formula One driver (one-time World Champion)
Bernd Rosemeyer (1909–1938), racing driver
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (born 1955), football player

S–Z

Arian Sadiković (born 1994), professional Kickboxer former title challenger at One Championship (2022)
Matthias Sammer (born 1967), football player and manager who won the 1996 Ballon d'Or
Thomas Schaaf (born 1961), football player and manager
Max Schmeling (1905–2005), World Heavyweight Boxing Champion
Paul Felix Schmidt (1916–1984), Estonian–German chess master
Martin Schmitt (born 1978), ski jumper
Bernd Schneider, football player
Bernd Schneider, racing driver
Mehmet Scholl (born 1970), football player
Anja Schreiner, IFBB professional bodybuilder
Detlef Schrempf (born 1963), German-American former NBA player^[17]
Carl Schuhmann (1869–1946), won four Olympic titles in gymnastics and wrestling at the 1896 Summer Olympics; becoming the most successful athlete at the inaugural Olympics of the modern era
Harald Schumacher (born 1954), football player
Michael Schumacher (born 1969), racing driver (seven-time Formula One World Champion)^[20]
Ralf Schumacher (born 1975), racing driver; brother of Michael Schumacher
Dennis Schröder, NBA player^[17]
Ralf Schumann (born 1962), pistol shooter
Bernd Schuster (born 1959), football player and manager
Rainer Schüttler, tennis player
Armin Schwarz (born 1963), racing driver
Wolfgang Schmidt (athlete) (born 1954), olympian track and field
Bastian Schweinsteiger (born 1984), football player
Werner Seelenbinder (1904–1944), wrestler
Uwe Seeler (1936–2022), football player
Dennis Seidenberg (born 1981), ice hockey player
Katja Seizinger, alpine ski champion
Wolfgang Stark (born 1969), football referee
Renate Stecher (born 1950), athlete
Britta Steffen (born 1983), swimmer; three-time Olympic medalist^[21]
Michael Stich (born 1968), tennis player
Rolf Stommelen (1943–1983), racing driver
Hans Stuck (1900–1978), racing driver
Hans-Joachim Stuck, racing driver and son of Hans
Marco Sturm (born 1978), ice hockey player and coach; one-time NHL All-Star (1999)
Siegbert Tarrasch (1862–1934), chess grandmaster
Joseph Taussig (1877–1947), German-born American football quarterback^[22]
Axel Teichmann (born 1979), cross-country skier
Richard Teichmann (1868–1925), leading German chess player, easily of grandmaster strength
Axel Tischer (born 1986), professional wrestler
Toni Turek (1919–1984), football player
Jan Ullrich (born 1973), cyclist
Wolfgang Unzicker (1925–2006), chess grandmaster
Nicole Uphoff (born 1967), equestrian
Sebastian Vettel, Formula One driver (four-time World Champion)
Berti Vogts, football player and manager
Johannes Voigtmann (born 1992), basketball player
Rudi Völler (born 1960), football player
Sebastian Vollmer (born 1984), American football player, first German NFL draft pick; plays for the New England Patriots
Katrin Wagner-Augustin (born 1977), sprint canoer
Ralf Waldmann, motorcycle racer
Fritz Walter (1920–2002), football player
Fritz Walter (born 1960), football player
Ulrich Wehling (born 1952), won the nordic combined event in the Winter Olympics three consecutive times, in 1972, 1976, and 1980
Jens Weißflog (born 1964), ski jumper
Tobias Wendl (born 1987), luger
Moritz Wagner, NBA player for the Los Angeles Lakers^[23]^[17]
Isabell Werth (born 1969), equestrian and world champion in dressage; holds the record for the most Olympic medals won by any equestrian athlete
Kati Wilhelm (born 1976), biathlete
Joachim Winkelhock, racing driver
Manfred Winkelhock (1951–1985), racing driver; brother of Joachim Winkelhock
Hans Günter Winkler (1926–2018), show jumping rider
Katarina Witt (born 1965), figure skater
Bärbel Wöckel (born 1955), sprinter
Sigrun Wodars (born 1965), athlete
Jenny Wolf (born 1979), speed skater
Erik Zabel (born 1970), cyclist
Christian Ziege (born 1972), football player and manager
Johannes Zukertort (1842–1888), German Polish-Jewish chessmaster

Theologians, saints and beatified persons

Heinrich Abeken (1809–1872), theologian
Johannes Agricola (1494–1566), Protestant reformer
Albertus Magnus, medieval philosopher and theologian
Eusebius Amort (1692–1775)
Pope Benedict XVI (also known as Joseph Ratzinger) (1927–2022)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945), theologian
Johannes Bugenhagen (1485–1558), Protestant reformer of Pomerania and Denmark; theologian
Rudolf Bultmann (1884–1976)
Pope Clement II (1005–1047)
Pope Damasus II (?–1048)
Alfred Delp (1907–1945)
Eugen Drewermann (born 1940)
Johann Eck (1486–1543)
Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774–1824)
Matthias Faber (1586–1653)
Pope Gregory V (c. 972–999)
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
Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380 – 1471), canon regular
Adolph Kolping (1813–1865), beatified, priest
Hans Küng (1928–2021)
Karl Lehmann (1936–2018)
Pope Leo IX (1002–1054)
Martin Luther (1483–1546), Protestant Reformation
Philipp Melanchthon (1497–1560), Protestant Reformation
Moses Mendelssohn (1729–1786)
Jürgen Moltmann (born 1926), theologian
Bernhard Philberth (1927–2010), physicist, engineer, philosopher, theologian
Karl Rahner (1904–1989), 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 the Holocaust
Johann Tetzel (1465–1519), monk
Carsten Peter Thiede (1952–2004), theologian, New Testament historian, chaplain
Helmut Thielicke (1908–1986), theologian
Paul Tillich (1886–1965), theologian, philosopher
Pope Victor II (c. 1018 – 1057)

Militants

Sophie Scholl (1921–1943), member of the German resistance in World War II
Linda Wenzel, ISIS bride

Others

Katja von der Bey, art historian, feminist
Thomas Bach (born 1953), lawyer, former fencer
Franz Borkenau (1900–1957), social scientist
Gottfried Gabriel Bredow (1773–1814), historian
Moritz Brosch (1829–1907), historian
Dieter Claessens (1921–1997), sociologist
Thomas Druyen (born 1957), sociologist
Shlomo Eckstein (1929–2020), Israeli economist and president of Bar-Ilan University
Gudrun Ensslin (1940–1977), terrorist
Michael Fassbender (born 1977), actor
Siegfried Fischbacher (1939–2021), magician, conservationist
Reinhard Furrer (1940–1995), astronaut
Andreas Gaill (1526–1587), jurist
Margarete Gütschow (1871–1951), archaeologist
Herschel Grynszpan (1921–1944), Polish-Jewish refugee turned assassin
Kerstin Günther (born 1967), business executive
Johann Gutenberg (c. 1390s – 1468), printer
Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179), abbess, mystic
Roy Horn (1944–2020), magician, conservationist
Karen Horney, psychoanalyst
Heribert Illig (born 1947), historian
Peter Hoffmann, awarded outstanding historian
Sigmund Jähn (1937–2019), first German in space
Bruno Kahl (born 1962), intelligence administrative lawyer
Erhart Kirfel, businessman, finance controller of the SPD
René König (1906–1992), sociologist
Siegfried Kracauer
Christian Frederick Martin (1796–1867), inventor of the steel-string guitar
Ulrike Meinhof (1934–1976), journalist and terrorist
Ulf Merbold (born 1941), astronaut
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 (1935–2012), 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 (1816–1899), entrepreneur, pioneer of telegraphy and news reporting
Dora Richter (1891–presumed 1933), first known woman to undergo sex reassignment surgery
Margarete Rosenberg (1910–1985), lesbian Holocaust survivor
Mathias Rust (born 1968), aviator who landed on Moscow's Red Square in 1987
Helmut Schelsky (1912–1984), sociologist
Oskar Schindler (1908–1974), industrialist; credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust
Hannelore Schmatz, mountaineer
Heffa Schücking, environmentalist
Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965), physician, humanitarian
Henry Shultz (1776–1851), emigrant to the United States, entrepreneur
Ell Smula (1914–1943), Ravensbrück concentration camp victim
Guy Spier, author and investor
Claus von Stauffenberg (1907–1944), Operation Valkyrie
Ilse Totzke (1913–1987), Holocaust survivor
Frederick Trump (1869–1918), businessman, patriarch of the Trump family^[24]
Hans-Hasso von Veltheim (1885–1956) Indologist, Anthroposophist
Ulrich Walter (born 1954), astronaut
Alfred Weber, sociologist
Max Weber, sociologist
Diedrich Hermann Westermann (1875–1956), linguist
Ruth Westheimer (born 1928), German-American sex therapist, talk show host, author, Doctor of Education, Holocaust survivor, and former Haganah sniper.
William the Silent (1533–1584), German-born main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs^[25]
Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717–1768), art historian and archaeologist
Karl Witte (1800–1883), jurist and scholar of Dante Alighieri
Friedrich Heinrich Zinckgraf (1878–1954), gallery owner

More lists of Germans

References

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[25]

List of Germans

Architects

Artists

A–M

N–Z

Company founders

A–M

N–Z

Fashion models

Fashionmakers

Film and theatre

Actresses and actors

A–M

N–Z

Filmmakers

Literature

Classic

Major

Contemporary

Humorists, cabaret performers and comedians

Journalists

Mathematicians

Military

Music

Composers

Conductors, instrumentalists and singers

A–M

N–Z

Philosophy

Classic

Major

Contemporary

Politicians

Miscellaneous

Chancellors of Germany 1871–1945

Chancellors of Germany (after World War II)

Presidents of Germany

Politicians of the East German Communist Party and regime

Personalities of the Nazi Party and regime

Royalty

Scientists and engineers

A–G

H–J

K–L

M–R

S–V

W–Z

Sportspeople

A–G

H–M

N–R

S–Z

Theologians, saints and beatified persons

Militants

Others

More lists of Germans

See also

References