List of people from Boston

This is a list of people who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with the city of Boston, Massachusetts and its surrounding metropolitan statistical area.

0-9

 * 7L & Esoteric – rap group

A

 * Abiel Abbot (1770–1828) – born in Andover, clergyman and author
 * Ezra Abbot (1819–1884) – biblical scholar, taught at Harvard Divinity School
 * Joel Abbot (1776–1826) – naval officer
 * Amos Abbott (1786–1868) – born in Westford, member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts
 * Austin Abbott (1831–1896) – born in Boston; lawyer, novelist, and academic
 * Benjamin Vaughan Abbott (1830–1890) – born in Boston, lawyer and legal writer
 * Joseph Carter Abbott (1825–1882) – publisher of the Boston Bee
 * Josiah Gardner Abbott (1814–1891) – member of United States House of Representatives
 * Abdul-Malik Abu (born 1995) – basketball player in the Israeli Premier Basketball League
 * Edith Achilles (1892–1989) – psychologist
 * Abigail Adams (1744–1818) – born in Weymouth, First Lady of the United States
 * Abijah Adams (1754–1816) – born in Boston, journalist, often embroiled in lawsuits against him
 * Charles Francis Adams Sr. (1807–1886) – born in Boston; son of Abigail Adams and John Adams; Congressman; diplomat; writer
 * Edwin Adams (1834–1877) – born in Medford, 19th-century stage actor
 * Eliphalet Adams (1677–1753) – born in Medford, clergyman and missionary
 * Hannah Adams (1755–1831) – born in Medfield, famous Christian writer
 * Henry Adams (1838–1918) – born in Boston, journalist, historian, academic and novelist
 * Jasper Adams (1793–1841) – born in Medway, clergyman and college president
 * Nehemiah Adams (1806–1878) – clergyman and author
 * Sammy Adams – musician
 * Samuel Adams – American Revolution patriot, signer of the Declaration of Independence
 * Aerosmith – band
 * Ben Affleck – Academy Award-winning actor, screenwriter and director, brother of Casey
 * Casey Affleck – Academy Award-winning actor, brother of Ben
 * George Aiken (1830–1876) – born in Boston, actor and playwright
 * Amos T. Akerman (1821–1880) – United States Attorney General, born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
 * Akrobatik – hip hop artist, member of The Perceptionists
 * Al B. Sure – singer
 * Harriet Ryan Albee (1829–1873) – born and died in Boston; social reformer and philanthropist
 * Mildred Albert (1905–1991) – fashion show producer and radio and television personality
 * Louisa May Alcott – 19th-century author of Little Women
 * Horatio Alger Jr. – author
 * Fred Allen – radio comedian
 * Frederick Lewis Allen – writer
 * Joseph Allen (1749–1827) – born in Boston, United States Congressman
 * Nathaniel M. Allen – soldier in Civil War, awarded Congressional Medal of Honor
 * The Almighty RSO – rap group
 * John Amaechi – NBA player
 * American Hi-Fi – band
 * American Nightmare – hardcore band
 * Amerie – R&B artist
 * Ed Ames – actor and singer
 * Tony Amonte – NHL player
 * Anarchy Club – band
 * Leroy Anderson – composer for Boston Pops Orchestra
 * Mary Antin – author
 * Apollo Sunshine – band
 * Thomas Gold Appleton (1812–1884) – writer
 * Isabel Atkin – British–American skier and Olympic medalist for Great Britain
 * Crispus Attucks – American Revolution patriot
 * Red Auerbach – Boston Celtics coach and president, Basketball Hall of Famer
 * John Augustus (1785–1859) – born in Boston, philanthropist and pioneer of probation
 * James Trecothick Austin (1784–1870) – born in Boston, member of Massachusetts General Court and Massachusetts Attorney General
 * Jonathan Loring Austin (1748–1826) – born in Boston; officer in American Revolutionary War; Massachusetts state representative, senator, secretary, and treasurer

B

 * Bad Rabbits – band
 * Arthur Baker – rap DJ, music producer
 * Bang Camaro – rock band
 * Sasha Banks – WWE wrestler, former WWE Raw Women's Champion, former NXT Women's Champion
 * Maria Barrett – US Army Major General; older sister of US Army General Paula Lodi
 * Dana Barros – former NBA player
 * Zered Bassett – professional skateboarder
 * Benjamin E. Bates – founder and namesake of Bates College
 * Ruth Batson – civil rights and education activist
 * Susan Batson – actress, author, and producer; daughter of Ruth Batson
 * Peter D. Bear – Wisconsin State Senator
 * Bell Biv DeVoe – music group
 * Gaston Bell – stage and silent film actor
 * Tobin Bell – actor (born in Queens, NY, raised in Weymouth)
 * Mark Bellhorn – MLB player
 * Asher Benjamin – architect and author
 * *Cora Agnes Benneson – attorney, lecturer, and writer
 * Frank Weston Benson – Impressionist artist
 * Rick Berlin – musician
 * Leonard Bernstein – New York Philharmonic conductor, composer and pianist
 * Big D and the Kids Table – band
 * Big Shug – rapper
 * Traci Bingham – actress, model
 * Mike Birbiglia – comedian
 * Molly Birnbaum – writer
 * William Blackstone (also spelled Blaxton) – first European settler
 * Arthur Blake – athlete
 * Will Blalock – former NBA player for
 * David Blatt (born 1959) – Israeli-American basketball player and coach (most recently, for the Cleveland Cavaliers)
 * C. L. Blood – physician
 * Matt Bloom – NFL player and professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
 * Michael Bloomberg – former Mayor of New York City
 * Bob and Ray – comedy team
 * Ernie Boch Jr. – president of Boch Enterprises
 * Ray Bolger – actor and dancer, Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz
 * Veda Ann Borg – film actress
 * Boston – band
 * Boys Like Girls – band
 * Ron Brace – NFL player, New England Patriots
 * Nathaniel Jeremiah Bradlee – architect
 * William J. Bratton – chief of police for NYPD and LAPD
 * Connie Britton – actress
 * John Britton – abortion provider
 * Edward W. Brooke – first African American elected by popular vote to United States Senate
 * Bobby Brown – singer
 * Carolyn Brown – dancer, writer, choreographer
 * Earle Brown – composer
 * Lexie Brown – basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks
 * Sam Brown – comedian from IFC sketch comedy show Whitest Kids U' Know
 * Scott Brown – U.S. Senator
 * William B. Broydrick – Wisconsin State Assemblyman
 * Aimee Buchanan (born 1993) – American-born Olympic figure skater for Israel
 * Charles Bulfinch – architect who designed Massachusetts State House, original United States Capitol dome and rotunda
 * James "Whitey" Bulger – organized crime boss
 * Ephraim Wales Bull – creator of the concord grape
 * Thomas Burke – sprinter
 * Bill Burr – comedian
 * Edwin C. Burt – shoemaker
 * Bury Your Dead – band
 * George H. W. Bush – 41st President of The United States
 * Vannevar Bush – scientist

C

 * C60 – band
 * Louis C.K. – comedian and actor
 * Will Calhoun – drummer for Living Colour (born in NY, lived in Boston)
 * Steve Carell – actor and comedian, The Office, The Daily Show, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Despicable Me
 * The Cars – band
 * Melnea Cass – community and civil rights activist
 * Peggy Cass – actress and TV game show panelist
 * John Cazale – actor, The Godfather, The Deer Hunter, Dog Day Afternoon
 * John Cena – professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
 * Nicholas Raymond Cerio – founder of Nick Cerio's Kenpo
 * Kevin Chapman – actor
 * Julius Caesar Chappelle – Massachusetts legislator
 * Ken Cheeseman – actor
 * Gary Cherone – singer (Extreme and Van Halen)
 * Michael Chiklis – actor, The Shield
 * Neil Cicierega – Internet personality, created Potter Puppet Pals
 * Lenny Clarke – comedian and actor
 * The Click Five – band
 * Alex Cobb – baseball pitcher
 * John A. Collins – Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Air Force
 * Misha Collins – actor
 * Jerry Colonna – entertainer
 * Greg Comella – NFL fullback
 * James Bryant Conant – chemist, 23rd president of Harvard University
 * Dane Cook – comedian and actor
 * Calvin Coolidge – 30th President of the United States
 * Harriet Abbott Lincoln Coolidge – author, philanthropist, reformer
 * Jennifer Coolidge – actress, American Pie, A Mighty Wind, Legally Blonde
 * Miriam O'Leary Collins – actress
 * John Singleton Copley – artist
 * Chick Corea – Grammy Award-winning jazz musician and composer
 * Jeff Corwin – TV personality
 * Aisha Cousins (born 1978) – artist/performance art score writer
 * Lynne Cox – professional swimmer
 * Charlie Coyle (born 1992) – hockey player
 * Zach Cregger – actor, comedian, star of the IFC sketch comedy series WKUK
 * Norm Crosby – comedian
 * Marcia Cross – actress, Desperate Housewives
 * James Michael Curley – Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts Governor, and U.S. Representative
 * Jane Curtin – actress and comedian
 * Johnny Curtis – professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
 * Thomas Curtis (1873–1944) – athlete
 * Richard Cushing – Archbishop of Boston and Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
 * Susan Webb Cushman (1822–1859) – stage actress
 * Jay Cutler – 4x IFBB Mr. Olympia, bodybuilder

D

 * Joey Daccord – ice hockey goaltender
 * Dick Dale – musician
 * Matt Damon – actor and Oscar-winning screenwriter, Good Will Hunting, The Departed, Ocean's Eleven and Bourne Identity series
 * Evan Dando – musician
 * Duncan Daniels – Nigerian-American afropop and afrobeat musician, producer and songwriter
 * Bette Davis – Academy Award-winning actress, Dark Victory, Jezebel, All About Eve
 * Daniel Davis Jr. – nineteenth century inventor
 * Geena Davis – Academy Award-winning actress, The Accidental Tourist
 * Henry Dearborn – physician, general, and politician
 * Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn – lawyer, author, statesman, soldier, Mayor of Roxbury; son of Henry Dearborn
 * Death Before Dishonor – band
 * Patrick DeCoste – musician
 * Manny Delcarmen – MLB pitcher
 * Becky DelosSantos – Playboy Playmate centerfold, April 1994
 * Brad Delp – singer
 * Tony DeMarco – boxer, welterweight champion, born 1932 in North End
 * Paul Demayo – IFBB professional bodybuilder
 * Joseph Dennie – writer
 * Joe Derrane (1930–2016) – accordion player
 * Michael Dertouzos (1936–2001) – computer scientist
 * Albert DeSalvo – serial killer known as "The Boston Strangler"
 * Jack DeSena – actor, played Sokka in Avatar: The Last Airbender
 * P. T. Deutermann – author
 * Diamante – rock singer
 * Dinosaur Jr. – band
 * Rick DiPietro – NHL goaltender (from Boston suburbs)
 * Tony Dize – reggaeton singer
 * Ken Doane – professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
 * The Dresden Dolls – punk cabaret duo
 * Robert Drinan – former U.S. Congressman
 * Drop Nineteens – band
 * Dropkick Murphys – band
 * Shem Drowne – America's first weathervane maker
 * W. E. B. Du Bois – scholar, professor; first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard; founder of NAACP
 * Joseph Dudley – Colonial Governor of Massachusetts
 * Michael Dukakis – Massachusetts governor, US presidential candidate in 1988
 * William C. Durant – founder of General Motors
 * Adam Duritz – singer-songwriter for Counting Crows (born in Baltimore, lived in Boston)
 * Eliza Dushku – actress
 * Mary Dyer – martyr

E

 * Ed O.G. – hip hop artist
 * Ryan Edell (born 1983) – professional baseball player
 * Adam Edelman (born 1991) – American-born four-time Israeli National Champion in skeleton event, and Israeli Olympian
 * Richard J. Egan – founder and chairman of EMC Corporation
 * Charles H. Eglee – television screenwriter
 * Jeremy Elbertson – livestreamer, YouTuber, and internet comedian
 * Charles C. Eldredge – art historian and educator
 * Ralph Waldo Emerson – essayist, lecturer, poet
 * Ernie and the Automatics – band
 * Mike Eruzione – captain of USA's 1980 Winter Olympics hockey team (from Boston suburbs)
 * Julius Erving – Basketball Hall of Famer, UMass, New York Nets, Philadelphia 76ers
 * William Eustis – early American statesman, Governor of Massachusetts
 * Chris Evans – actor, known for role as "Captain America"
 * Patrick Ewing – Basketball Hall of Famer, NCAA champion, center for New York Knicks
 * Patrick Ewing Jr. – NBA player, New York Knicks, New Orleans Hornets
 * Extreme – band

F

 * Louis Farrakhan – head of Nation of Islam
 * Charles Farrell – actor
 * Spike Feresten – screenwriter and television personality
 * John Ferruggio – led evacuation of Pan Am Flight 93, hijacked in 1970
 * Arthur Fiedler – Boston Pops orchestra conductor
 * Charles L. Fletcher – architect and interior designer; owner of Charles Fletcher Design
 * Doug Flutie – Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Boston College; AFL, CFL, and NFL player, television commentator
 * Robert Bennet Forbes – sea captain, China trader
 * Ben Foster – actor (born in Boston)
 * Dwight Foster – Massachusetts Attorney General; associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
 * Jon Foster – actor (born in Boston)
 * Toby Fox – composer and video game developer known best for creating Undertale
 * Arlene Francis – actress, radio and TV personality (What's My Line?)
 * Black Francis – of the band Pixies
 * Benjamin Franklin – author, public servant, diplomat, signer of the Declaration of Independence
 * Bettina Freeman – opera singer
 * Robert Frost – iconic poet

G

 * The G-Clefs – Top 40 soul group
 * Tony Gaffney (born 1984) – basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
 * Greg Gagne – MLB player
 * Ryan Gallant – professional skateboarder (Plan B Skateboards, DC Shoes)
 * Gang Green – band
 * Gang Starr – rap group
 * Erle Stanley Gardner – lawyer, author, creator of Perry Mason
 * Kevin Garnett – retired professional basketball player
 * Edmund H. Garrett – prolific 19th- and 20th-century book illustrator and artist
 * Althea Garrison – politician and first known transgender member of a state legislature in the United States
 * Peter Gerety – actor
 * Elbridge Gerry – signer of Declaration of Independence; Governor of Massachusetts; Vice President of the United States; gave his name to "gerrymandering"
 * Kahlil George Gibran – sculptor
 * Charles Dana Gibson – illustrator
 * Joy Giovanni – professional wrestler, known for her time in WWE
 * Paul Michael Glaser – actor and director, Starsky & Hutch
 * Tom Glavine – Hall of Fame baseball pitcher for Atlanta Braves
 * Sumner Jules Glimcher – professor, author and filmmaker
 * Godsmack – band
 * Jared Goldberg – Olympic skier
 * Duff Goldman – star of Food Network TV show Ace of Cakes (born in Detroit, lived in MA)
 * Ezekiel Goldthwait (1710–1782) – prominent in town affairs in the years leading up to the American Revolution
 * Benjamin Gould – astronomer
 * Robert Goulet – Grammy Award-winning singer and Tony-winning actor (born in Lawrence)
 * Paul Graham – hacker, painter, essayist, tech startup guru
 * Kaz Grala – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, youngest ever to win a NASCAR Touring Series race
 * Geoffrey Gray (born 1997) – American-Israeli professional basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
 * Jane Loring Gray – editor
 * Ari Graynor – actress
 * Clark Gregg – actor
 * Justine Greiner – Playboy Playmate centerfold, February 1984
 * Mike Grier – NHL player
 * Tammy Grimes – actress, singer
 * Hattie Tyng Griswold (1842–1909) – author, poet
 * Matt Grzelcyk – NHL player
 * Bill Guerin – NHL player
 * Louise Gunning – musical actress
 * Guru – rapper, member of Gang Starr
 * Guster – band
 * Jasmine Guy – actress and singer

H

 * Betsy Hager – farmer and blacksmith who produced weapons for the American Revolution
 * Marvelous Marvin Hagler – middleweight boxing champion of the world
 * Edward Everett Hale – author
 * Jack Haley – actor, known as Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz
 * Anthony Michael Hall – actor, The Breakfast Club, The Dead Zone
 * Marc-André Hamelin – pianist, composer
 * John Hancock – statesman, signer of Declaration of Independence
 * Noah Hanifin – ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015
 * Kay Hanley – musician
 * G Hannelius – actress
 * Bob Hansen – MLB player
 * Hannah Hanson Kinney – alleged serial killer
 * Beth Harrington – filmmaker and musician
 * Maggie Hassan – United States Senator and former governor of New Hampshire
 * Matt Hasselbeck – NFL quarterback for the Tennessee Titans
 * Tim Hasselbeck – NFL quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals
 * Juliana Hatfield – musician
 * Have Heart – hardcore band
 * Kevin Hayes – NHL player
 * Roy Haynes – jazz musician
 * Heads of State – music group
 * Ed Healey – NFL Hall of Fame player for Chicago Bears
 * William Hooper – North Carolina signer of United States Declaration of Independence
 * Armand Van Helden – DJ
 * Ed Herlihy – radio and television announcer
 * John Michael Higgins – game show TV host/cartoon narrator
 * Rich Hill – MLB pitcher
 * Karl Hobbs – George Washington University basketball coach
 * Oliver Wendell Holmes – physician and author
 * Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. – U. S. Supreme Court Justice
 * Winslow Homer – artist
 * Michelle Hoover – author
 * The Hope Conspiracy – hardcore band
 * Allen Hoskins – actor
 * Joan Imogen Howard – educator
 * Christine Hunschofsky – politician

I

 * Dorothy Iannone (1933–2022) – visual artist
 * Ice Nine Kills – music group
 * Isis – music group

J

 * Shar Jackson – actress
 * Jada – pop and R&B singing group signed to UniversalMotown
 * Marie Jansen – musical actress
 * Jerma – Twitch streamer, YouTuber
 * Martin Johnson – lead singer of Boys Like Girls
 * Thomas Johnston – engraver, organ builder, japanner, and heraldic painter
 * JoJo – singer, actress
 * Julia Jones – actress
 * Sam Jones III – actor, Glory Road
 * Darin Jordan – NFL player
 * Rebecca Richardson Joslin – author, lecturer, benefactor, clubwoman
 * Jujubee – drag queen
 * Tom Jung – art director, graphic designer, illustrator, storyboard artist

K

 * Madeline Kahn – actress, Blazing Saddles
 * Mindy Kaling – actress, The Office
 * Alex Karalexis – UFC, WEC fighter
 * Karmin – musical group
 * Robert Kelly – actor, comedian
 * Edward "Ted" Kennedy (1932–2009) – longtime Massachusetts Senator
 * John F. Kennedy – Massachusetts Senator and 35th President of the United States
 * Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. – ambassador; father of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Edward Kennedy
 * Myles Kennedy – singer, songwriter
 * Robert F. "Bobby" Kennedy – U.S. Attorney General and New York Senator
 * Jack Kerouac – beat poet and writer
 * Nancy Kerrigan – Olympic figure skating silver medalist
 * John Kerry – U.S. Secretary of State, longtime Massachusetts Senator (1985–2013) and presidential candidate in 2004
 * Keytar Bear – keytarist in a bear costume who commonly performs at MBTA stations
 * Killswitch Engage – metalcore band
 * John King – CNN chief political correspondent
 * Kofi Kingston – professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE (born in Ghana, lived in Boston)
 * Jonathan Knight – singer, dancer (New Kids on the Block)
 * Jordan Knight – singer, dancer (New Kids on the Block)
 * Henry Knox – first U.S. Secretary of War, Founding Father, Senior General in the Continental Army under Washington
 * Yitzhak Aharon Korff – Grand Rabbi, diplomat, international consultant
 * Lauren Koslow – soap opera actress
 * Walter "Killer" Kowalski – professional wrestler, teacher, photographer
 * Bob Kraft – owner of the New England Patriots
 * John Krasinski – actor (Jim Halpert in NBC's The Office)
 * Sol Kumin – businessman, philanthropist and racehorse owner

L

 * Phil Labonte – musician
 * PJ Ladd – professional skateboarder
 * Liz LaManche – public artist
 * Jack Landron – folk singer, songwriter
 * Robert Lanza – medical doctor and scientist
 * Lewis Howard Latimer – inventor
 * Denis Leary – actor, comedian, writer and director
 * Matt LeBlanc – actor, Friends
 * Dennis Lehane – author
 * Jack Lemmon – Academy Award-winning actor, Mister Roberts, Save the Tiger, The Odd Couple, Grumpy Old Men
 * Jay Leno – comedian and television personality
 * Letters To Cleo – rock band
 * Elma Lewis – founder of National Center of Afro-American Artists (including a museum) and Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts
 * Gary Russell Libby – art historian, museum director, curator
 * William Linn – defender of the Alamo
 * Henry Cabot Lodge – politician
 * Paula Lodi – US Army Brigadier General; younger sister of US Army General Maria Barrett
 * Edward Lawrence Logan – military officer, jurist, politician
 * Howie Long – NFL player
 * Edward "Ted" Kennedy (1932–2009) – longtime Massachusetts Senator
 * Amy Lawrence Lowell – Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
 * Robert Lowell – poet
 * Joyner Lucas – rapper
 * Adam Lundquist – radio DJ
 * Lyte Funky Ones – pop trio

M

 * Aimee Mann – singer
 * Jonathan Mann – HIV/AIDS researcher and World Health Organization administrator; killed on Swissair Flight 111
 * Rob Mariano – Survivor contestant
 * Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – rap group
 * Pedro Martínez – retired professional baseball player, member of National Baseball Hall of Fame
 * Connie Martinson – talk show host
 * Mike Matarazzo – professional bodybuilder
 * Aaron Maund – Major League soccer player
 * Masspike Miles – singer, songwriter, producer, Perfect Gentlemen (Maybach Music Group)
 * Cotton Mather – Puritan minister and author
 * Jonah Matranga – singer/songwriter
 * Greg Mauldin – NHL player, Ottawa Senators
 * John Mayer – singer-songwriter (born in Connecticut, lived in Boston)
 * Charles Johnson Maynard – naturalist and ornithologist
 * Chris McCarron – jockey
 * Tommy McCarthy – baseball player
 * John P. McDonough – Chief of Chaplains of U.S. Air Force
 * Neal McDonough – actor
 * Sean McDonough – sports announcer
 * Will McDonough – sportswriter
 * Richard McGonagle – voice actor
 * Joey McIntyre – singer, dancer, actor (New Kids on the Block)
 * Amy Upham Thomson McKean – pianist, songwriter and composer
 * Ed McMahon – television personality
 * Peter McNeeley – boxer (born in Medfield)
 * Michael McShane – actor
 * Maria Menounos – actress, journalist, professional wrestler
 * Nelson Merced – activist and politician, first Hispanic elected to Massachusetts General Court
 * David Merkow – golfer
 * The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – band
 * Roger Miller – musician
 * Wayne Millner – NFL Hall of Famer
 * Mission of Burma – band
 * Joe Moakley – congressman
 * Leo Monahan (1926–2013) – sports journalist
 * William Monahan – screenwriter
 * Morphine – band
 * Van Morrison – singer, musician, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee in 1993 (born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, has lived in Boston for years)
 * Robert Morse – actor
 * Samuel F. B. Morse – inventor and painter, inventor of electric telegraph and Morse code
 * Eddie Mottau – guitarist
 * Mr. Lif – hip-hop artist, member of The Perceptionists
 * Helen Messinger Murdoch (1862–1956) – photographer; pioneered use of autochromes in travel photography
 * Connor Murphy – professional ice hockey player

N

 * Jack Nance – actor, title character in Eraserhead
 * Jason Nash – actor
 * Packy Naughton – Major League Baseball pitcher
 * William Cooper Nell – abolitionist
 * Betty Jo Nelsen – member of Wisconsin State Assembly
 * Victor Folke Nelson – author, prison reform advocate, and sensational prison escapist
 * New Edition – music group
 * New Kids on the Block – band
 * Nicky Jam – reggaeton singer and songwriter, Latin Grammy winner
 * Terry Nihen – Playboy Playmate
 * Leonard Nimoy – actor, known as Mr. Spock from Star Trek
 * Zack Norman – actor, producer, financier
 * Edward Norton – actor, American History X, Fight Club, The Italian Job
 * B. J. Novak – actor, writer for NBC's The Office (from Newton)
 * Christopher Nowinski – professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE

O

 * Bill O'Brien – former head coach of Penn State football and the NFL's Houston Texans
 * Conan O'Brien – television personality
 * Mike O'Malley – actor
 * On Broken Wings – band
 * Patrice O'Neal – actor, comedian
 * Thomas "Tip" O'Neill – U.S. Congressman, Speaker of the House
 * David Ortiz – retired professional baseball player
 * James Otis Jr. – patriot

P

 * Robert Treat Paine – signer of Declaration of Independence
 * Amanda Palmer – songwriter and performer
 * Evelyn Parnell – opera singer
 * George Patton IV – U.S. Army general; son of famed World War II General George S. Patton III
 * Susan Paul – abolitionist
 * John Peck – naval architect and merchant
 * The Perceptionists – rap group
 * Esther Petrack – contestant on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 15
 * Paul Pierce – professional basketball player
 * John Pigeon – Massachusetts Commissary General during Revolutionary War
 * Albert Pike – C.S. Army general; author, poet, orator, jurist and prominent member of the Freemasons
 * John Pinette – actor and comedian
 * The Pixies – band
 * Sylvia Plath – poet and author
 * Edgar Allan Poe – poet and writer
 * Amy Poehler – actress and comedian
 * John Pollini – art historian
 * Ellen Pompeo – actress
 * Poppy (Moriah Rose Pereira) – musician and YouTube personality
 * Tom Poti – NHL player, Washington Capitals
 * Powerman 5000 – metal band
 * Seth Putnam – musician

Q

 * Dionne Quan – voice actress
 * John Quinlan – pro wrestler

R

 * Nicole Raczynski – pro wrestler known as Nikki Roxx, and as Roxxi in TNA Wrestling
 * Aly Raisman – gymnast and Olympic gold medalist
 * Sumner Redstone – chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Viacom
 * Maia Reficco – actress and singer
 * Arthur E. Reimer – two-time presidential candidate of Socialist Labor Party of America
 * James Remar – actor, known for roles of Ajax in The Warriors and of Harry Morgan in Dexter
 * Lee Remick – actress, Days of Wine and Roses, Anatomy of a Murder
 * Jerry Remy – MLB player and sportscaster
 * Patrick Renna – actor, known for role of Ham in The Sandlot
 * Frank Renzulli – writer, actor
 * Paul Revere – silversmith and American Revolution patriot
 * Abbie Richards – TikToker
 * Ellen Swallow Richards – "mother" of home economics and sewage treatment
 * Jonathan Richman – musician
 * Sam Rivers – jazz musician
 * Alex Rocco – actor, known for role of Moe Greene in The Godfather
 * Norman Rockwell – artist
 * Jeremy Roenick – NHL player
 * Jereme Rogers – professional skateboarder
 * Mitt Romney – 70th Governor of Massachusetts; 2012 U.S. presidential candidate
 * Francis Rosa – sports journalist for The Boston Globe
 * Eli Roth – director, writer, producer, actor
 * Lillian Roth – actress, singer
 * John Rowe (1715–1787) – Boston resident merchant and diarist, original developer of Rowes Wharf
 * Nathaniel Ruggles – U.S. Representative
 * Bill Russell – professional basketball player and coach, NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist
 * Blanchard Ryan – actress

S

 * Alicia Sacramone – gymnast, world champion and Olympic silver medalist
 * Perry Saturn – pro wrestler
 * Richard Scarry – author, illustrator
 * Jeremy Scott – televangelist, nudist, poet
 * Edward Seaga – former Jamaican politician and statesman; his parents returned to Jamaica with him when he was three months old
 * Ebenezer Seaver – U.S. Representative, chairman of Roxbury Board of Selectmen
 * Anne Sexton – poet
 * Dan Shaughnessy – Boston Globe sports columnist
 * John H. Sherburne – U.S. Army brigadier general
 * William E. Sheridan – actor
 * Timothy Shriver – Chairman of Special Olympic Committee
 * Anthony T. Shtogren – U.S. Air Force general
 * Fatima Siad – fashion model, third place on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 10
 * Bill Simmons – sports columnist, "The Sports Guy" on ESPN.com
 * Slaine – hip hop artist
 * Slapshot – band
 * Jenny Slate – actress, comedian, Saturday Night Live cast member
 * Emily Goodrich Smith – newspaper correspondent
 * Jean Kennedy Smith (1928–2020) – sister of president John F. Kennedy; former United States Ambassador to Ireland
 * Samuel Francis Smith – composer
 * Edward Dexter Sohier – lawyer
 * Joseph B. Soloveitchik – rabbi
 * Thankful Southwick (1792–1867) – abolitionist, women's rights activist
 * James Spader – actor, Boston Legal, The Blacklist
 * Clinton Sparks – hip hop DJ, producer
 * Statik Selektah – record producer and DJ
 * Special Teamz – rap group
 * Billy Squier – rock musician
 * Lesley Stahl – television journalist, 60 Minutes
 * Staind – band
 * Larry Stark – theater critic
 * Maurice Starr – musician, producer (New Edition and New Kids on the Block)
 * Frederick Stevens – U.S. Representative from Minnesota
 * Jane Agnes Stewart — author, editor, and contributor to periodicals
 * Sonny Stitt – jazz saxophonist
 * Street Dogs – band
 * John J. Sullivan – diplomat
 * John L. Sullivan – first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing
 * Louis Sullivan – architect
 * Donna Summer – singer
 * William H. Sumner – developer of East Boston
 * John Sununu – junior U.S. Senator from New Hampshire (born in Boston)
 * William H. Swanson – chairman and CEO of Raytheon Company

T

 * Edmund C. Tarbell – painter
 * Lofa Tatupu – NFL linebacker
 * James Taylor – folk singer
 * Ruth Carol Taylor – first African-American flight attendant in the United States
 * That Handsome Devil – band
 * John Thomas – first man to clear 7 ft in high jump
 * Thomas W. Thompson – United States Representative and United States Senator
 * Henry David Thoreau – iconic poet, novelist
 * Uma Thurman – actress, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill
 * Maura Tierney – actress
 * 'Til Tuesday – band
 * Jimmy Tingle – stand-up comedian, actor
 * Jane Toppan – serial killer and nurse
 * Eve Torres – professional wrestler
 * John Tortorella – NHL coach, head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets
 * Touré – writer, TV host
 * Eliza Townsend – poet
 * Judy Traub – Minnesota state senator
 * Ralph Tresvant – singer
 * Kevin Trudeau – author, pocket billiards promoter, salesman
 * Jen Trynin – musician
 * Jonathan Tucker – actor
 * John Tudor – MLB pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals
 * Charles Tufts – founder of Tufts University

U

 * Unearth – band
 * Hezekiah Usher – first bookseller in the 13 colonies

V

 * Sarah Van Patten – ballet dancer
 * Steven Van Zandt – musician with Bruce Springsteen band and actor, The Sopranos
 * Vanna – band
 * Jimmy Vesey – ice hockey player
 * Brian Viglione – musician

W

 * Philip Waggenheim – gangster
 * Ashley Wagner (born 1991) – figure skater
 * Donnie Wahlberg – actor, singer, producer (New Kids on the Block)
 * Mark Wahlberg – actor, rapper, producer, Boogie Nights, The Perfect Storm, The Departed, The Fighter
 * David Walker – abolitionist
 * Jimmy Walker – NBA All-Star
 * Mike Wallace – television journalist
 * Marty Walsh – Mayor of Boston
 * Barbara Walters – television journalist
 * An Wang – computer engineer and inventor, co-founder of Wang Laboratories
 * Fiske Warren – paper manufacturer and philanthropist
 * Gretchen Osgood Warren – poet and muse
 * Joseph Warren – founding father and Son of Liberty who died at the Battle of Bunker Hill
 * Sam Waterston – actor
 * Jack Welch – businessman, CEO of General Electric
 * Westbound Train – band
 * Phillis Wheatley – poet and former slave
 * Colin White – ice hockey player
 * Eli Whitney – inventor of the cotton gin
 * Jermaine Wiggins – NFL player
 * Alfred J. Wiggin – painter and society portraitist
 * Tony Williams – jazz drummer
 * Alan Wilson – singer, guitarist (Canned Heat)
 * Oren Elbridge Wilson – Mayor of Albany, New York, born in Boston
 * Robert Scott Wilson – actor, first male model on The Price Is Right
 * Clara Winthrop – philanthropist, art collector
 * Danny Wood – singer (New Kids on the Block)
 * Gene Wood – game show announcer
 * George Wood – baseball player
 * Brian Woods – documentary filmmaker
 * Benjamin Edward Woolf – British-born composer, playwright, journalist for Boston Saturday Evening Gazette and Boston Globe
 * Steven Wright – Academy Award-winning comedian, actor and writer

X

 * Malcolm X – civil rights activist, Muslim minister (lived in Roxbury)

Y

 * Donnie Yen – Hong Kong actor, martial artist

Z

 * Katya Zamolodchikova – drag queen, actor
 * Rob Zombie – musician, director, producer