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

A–M

 * Karl Albrecht (1920–2014) and Theo Albrecht (1922–2010), founder of Aldi
 * Ludwig Bamberger (1823–1899), co-founder of Deutsche Bank
 * 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
 * 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
 * Adolf Dassler (1900–1978), founder of sportswear company Adidas
 * 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
 * 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
 * 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
 * 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
 * Stefanie Giesinger (born 1996), model
 * 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
 * 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

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
 * 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
 * Hans Clarin (1930–2005), actor
 * August Diehl (born 1976), actor
 * Marlene Dietrich (1901–1992), actress
 * 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
 * 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

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)

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
 * 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)

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

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

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)

A–G



 * 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

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
 * 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
 * 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

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
 * 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
 * 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
 * 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)
 * Ralf Schumacher (born 1975), racing driver; brother of Michael Schumacher
 * Dennis Schröder, NBA player
 * 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
 * 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
 * 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
 * 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 (1926–2024), 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
 * 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
 * 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

 * List of German astronauts
 * 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
 * List of Nobel laureates by country