List of converts to Hinduism

The following is a list of converts to Hinduism from other religions or a non-religious background.

Christianity

 * Nayanthara
 * Julia Roberts
 * Sati Kazanova
 * Russell Brand
 * E. C. George Sudarshan
 * Jeffery D. Long

Islam

 * Anirudh Gyan Shikha (1 June 1928 – 25 November 2006; popularly known as Anwar Shaikh
 * Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi (born Waseem Rizvi) former member and chairman of the Shia Central Waqf Board.

Judaism

 * Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert) (1931–2019) – syncretist, and follower of the Hindu deity Hanuman. Professor of psychology at Harvard University.
 * Tamal Krishna Goswami (born Thomas G. Herzig) (1946–2002) – governing body commissioner of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
 * Lora Logic (b. 1960) – punk rock saxophonist with Poly Styrene's X-Ray Spex.
 * Radhanath Swami (born Richard Slavin) (b. 1950) – prominent Bhakti yoga guru and a governing body commissioner of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

From other Indian-origin religions
This is list of converts from Indian-origin religions.

Buddhism

 * Mihirakula ((r. c. 502 – c. 530)) – Huna ruler.
 * Rajasinghe I (c. 1544–1593) – Sri Lankan king who conquered Kandy.
 * Rishabhadatta – Satrap viceroy.
 * Rudradaman I ((r. 130 – 150)) – Satrap ruler and conqueror of the Satavahanas.
 * Vasudeva I ((r. c. 191 – c. 232)) – Kushan king
 * Jayavarman III ((r. c. 835 – c. 877))

Jainism

 * Mahendravarman I ((r. 600 – 630)) – Pallava King and patron of the arts.
 * Vishnuvardhana ((r. c. 1108 – c. 1152)) – King of Hoysala empire and prominent temple-builder.
 * Tirunavukkarasar (c. ) – Saivite saint and one of the most prominent of the sixty-three Nayanars.

Other theist converts

 * Mihirakula (r. c. 502–530) – Huna ruler.
 * Heliodorus – Greek minister to King Bhagabhadra.
 * Pamheiba (1690–1751) – Manipuri King
 * Suhungmung ((r. 1497 – 1539)) – Ahom kingdom's ruler who extended Assam up to the Kamarupa Kingdom
 * Supangmung ((r. 1663 – 1670)) – Ahom kingdom's ruler who recaptured Guwahati. Converted to Vaishnavism.
 * Susenghphaa ((r. 1603 – 1641)) – Ahom king; during his rule the Ahom-Mughal conflicts began

Non-theistic converts

 * Annie Besant – British socialist, theosophist, women's rights activist, writer, orator, and supporter of both Irish and Indian self-rule.
 * John Dobson (former atheist who became a believer in Vedanta) – astronomer and telescope designer.
 * Sita Ram Goel (former atheist) – Indian commentator, writer and Hindu activist.
 * Chrissie Hynde (born 7 September 1951) is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the garage rock new wave band the Pretenders.
 * Poly Styrene (3 July 1957 – 25 April 2011), singer with one of Britain's earliest punk rock bands, X-Ray Spex; earlier religious affiliation unknown (Poly Styrene had one Sudanese parent, possibly Muslim, and one British parent of unknown religion).

Converts from undetermined former religion

 * Agehananda Bharati (born Leopold Fischer) (1923–1991) – academic Sanskritist, a prolific author about religious subjects, and a Hindu monk in the Dasanami Sannyasi order.
 * Alain Daniélou – French historian, intellectual, musicologist, and Indologist.
 * Crispian Mills of Kula Shaker – Hare Krishna devotee. His initiated name is Krishna Kantha Dasa. He was initiated by Narayana Maharaja. He wrote a foreword to a book by Bhaktivinoda Thakur titled Sri Siksastaka.
 * Geoffrey Giuliano – American biographer.


 * Nina Hagen (follower of Haidakhan Babaji) – German singer.
 * Joe Don Looney (follower of Swami Muktananda) – football player.
 * J Mascis – lead vocalist, guitarist, and drummer for Dinosaur Jr.
 * John McLaughlin (became a disciple of Sri Chinmoy) – jazz fusion guitar player.
 * Lex Hixon (syncretist and disciple of Swami Nikhilananda) – poet, philosopher, spiritual practitioner and teacher.
 * Sati Kazanova, Russian singer.
 * Savitri Devi (born Maximiani Portas) – Greek-French writer and Nazi-sympathiser.
 * Savitri Khanolkar (born Eve Yvonne Maday de Maros) – designer of India's highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra.
 * Mathias Rust – German daredevil pilot.
 * Kelli Williams – American actress who played Lindsay Dole Donnell on the ABC legal drama The Practice.
 * Sherlyn Chopra - Indian actress.