List of people from Dayton, Ohio

The following is a list of people from Dayton, Ohio.

Actors, entertainers, and models

 * Tom Aldredge, actor
 * Ralph Byrd, actor
 * Nancy Cartwright, voice artist
 * Damian Chapa, actor
 * Max Charles, actor
 * Mystro Clark, actor, comedian, and TV host
 * Willis "Bing" Davis, visual artist and teacher
 * Dr. Creep aka Barry Hobart, actor
 * Charles Michael Davis, actor
 * Mel Epstein, film producer
 * Dorothy Gish, silent actress
 * Luke Grimes, actor
 * Dorian Harewood, actor
 * Drew Hastings, comedian, actor, writer
 * Allison Janney, actress
 * Ken Jenkins, actor
 * Toccara Jones, fashion model and TV personality
 * Gordon Jump, actor
 * Chad Lowe, actor
 * Rob Lowe, actor
 * Aaron O'Connell, actor
 * Maulik Pancholy, actor, voice actor, author
 * Dan Patrick (Pugh), sports anchor
 * Wendy Pepper, reality TV star and fashion designer
 * Keith Prentice, actor
 * Ted Ross, actor
 * Gary Sandy, actor
 * Sherri Saum, actress
 * Martin Sheen, actor
 * Beth Stelling, comedian
 * Andrea Thompson, actress
 * De'Angelo Wilson, actor
 * Jonathan Winters, comedian and actor
 * Vincent M. Ward, actor
 * Katt Williams, comedian and actor

Athletes

 * Deveon Everhart Aikens, pro wrestler
 * Will Allen, NFL safety
 * Michael Bennett, NFL defensive tackle
 * Pauline Betz, Hall of Fame tennis player, four-time U.S. Open champion
 * Howie Brown, NFL guard
 * David Bruton, NFL strong safety
 * Tonja Buford-Bailey, Olympic 400m hurdler
 * Derek Bunch, NFL linebacker
 * Keith Byars, NFL running back
 * Roosevelt Chapman, basketball hall of famer and all-time leading scorer at the University of Dayton
 * Roger Clemens, MLB pitcher
 * Norris Cole, NBA player
 * Kurt Coleman, NFL safety
 * Marco Coleman, NFL defensive tackle
 * Cris Collinsworth, NFL wide receiver, sports commentator
 * Daequan Cook, NBA player
 * Greg Cook, NFL quarterback
 * Charles Daniels, Olympic freestyle swimmer
 * Megan Duffy, WNBA player
 * Rob Dyrdek, skateboarder, Alien Workshop
 * Claire Falknor, professional soccer player
 * Doug France, NFL Player
 * Nikki Fuller, professional bodybuilder
 * Na'Shan Goddard, NFL offensive lineman
 * Jeff Graham, NFL receiver
 * Joe Greene, two-time Olympic bronze medalist long jumper
 * Andy Harmon, NFL player
 * Ron Harper, basketball player
 * A. J. Hawk, NFL linebacker
 * Victor Heflin, NFL defensive back
 * Vince Heflin, NFL wide receiver
 * John Henderson, NFL wide receiver
 * Kirk Herbstreit, Ohio State quarterback, football analyst
 * Chris Hero, pro wrestler
 * Brady Hoke, Ball State University linebacker
 * Todd Hollandsworth, baseball player
 * Darrell Jackson, NFL wide receiver
 * Will Johnson, football player
 * Kerry Kittles, NBA player
 * Dave Krynzel, MLB player
 * Frank Lockhart, race car driver
 * Ron Lyle, boxer
 * Holley Mangold, Olympic weightlifter
 * Nick Mangold, NFL offensive lineman
 * Justin Masterson, baseball pitcher
 * Don May, NBA player
 * Brandon McKinney, NFL nose tackle
 * Mike Mickens, NFL defensive back
 * Braxton Miller, NFL wide receiver
 * Mike Mohler, baseball pitcher
 * Edwin C. Moses, Olympic gold medalist hurdler
 * Sean Murphy, MLB Catcher
 * Josh Myers, NFL center
 * Mike Nugent, NFL kicker
 * Ifeadi Odenigbo, NFL Defensive End
 * Jim Paxson Jr., NBA player and executive
 * John Paxson, basketball player, coach, manager, broadcaster
 * Peerless Price, NFL wide receiver
 * Scott Rettich, racing driver
 * Javon Ringer, NFL running back
 * Chris Rolfe, soccer player
 * Brett Salisbury, quarterback
 * Joe Schilling, kickboxer
 * Mike Schmidt, Hall of Fame baseball player
 * Bryan Sellers, race car driver
 * Donald Smith, NBA player
 * Scott Stamper, NFL running back
 * Joe Thomasson (born 1993), basketball player
 * Al Tucker, Jr, NBA basketball player
 * T. J. Turner, NFL player
 * Sam Underhill, English Rugby Union player
 * Salt Walther, Indy car driver
 * Taylor Ward, baseball player
 * Dan Wilkinson, NFL defensive tackle
 * Tamika Williams, WNBA player
 * Jerel Worthy, NFL defensive end
 * Chris Wright, NBA forward
 * Steve Yeager, MLB player

Writers and cartoonists

 * Natalie Clifford Barney, playwright, poet and novelist
 * Eva Best (1851–1925), story writer, poet, music composer, dramatist
 * Erma Bombeck, columnist and author
 * Richard H. Brodhead, author and president of Duke University
 * Si Burick, sports editor and columnist
 * Milton Caniff, cartoonist
 * Ritter Collett, sports editor and columnist
 * Charlotte Reeve Conover, historian
 * Paul Laurence Dunbar, early African-American poet
 * Cathy Guisewite, cartoonist
 * Marj Heyduck, journalist, columnist, editor
 * Hunter Lewis, author
 * Hal McCoy, baseball writer
 * Terry Oroszi, terrorism researcher and author
 * Clarence Page, journalist and syndicated columnist
 * Maulik Pancholy, author
 * Mike Peters, opinion cartoonist
 * Tim Waggoner, horror and fantasy writer
 * Roz Young, columnist

Entrepreneurs

 * Larry Augustin, member of the OpenSource community
 * Larry Connor, founder of The Connor Group
 * Edward A. Deeds, engineer, inventor, industrialist
 * Philip Haas, inventor, plumbing specialties manufacturer
 * George Huffman, founder of Huffy Corporation
 * Paul Iams, Iams founder
 * Charles Kettering, inventor of the automobile self-starter
 * Carl Lindner, Jr., businessman
 * Nancy Lynn, business owner, pilot, and public speaker
 * John H. Patterson, founder of National Cash Register
 * James Ritty, inventor of the cash register
 * Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, inventors of the airplane

Military

 * Charles G. Bickham, Medal of Honor recipient
 * Llewellyn Morris Chilson, United States Army career soldier who served during World War II
 * Richard E. Cole, Air Force pilot who took part in the Doolittle Raid in 1942
 * Sammy L. Davis, Medal of Honor recipient
 * Admiral Timothy J. Keating, Commander of the United States Pacific Command
 * Joseph G. Lapointe Jr, Medal of Honor recipient
 * Jack V. Mackmull, founded the United States Army Aviation Branch
 * Joe C. Paul, Medal of Honor recipient
 * Sidney Souers, first Director of the CIA
 * Tony Stein, Medal of Honor recipient

Musicians

 * Little Axe, blues musician
 * Leroy Bonner, musician/producer, The Ohio Players
 * Stevie Brock, pop singer
 * Kim Deal, rock musician, member of Pixies, The Amps, and The Breeders
 * Kelley Deal, rock musician, member of The Amps and The Breeders
 * Rick Derringer, rock musician
 * Jim Ferguson, classical/jazz guitarist, composer, author, educator, and music journalist
 * Tommy James, rock musician and singer of "Mony Mony"
 * Walter "Junie" Morrison, musician and producer
 * Vess Ossman, 5-string banjoist
 * Dottie Peoples, gospel singer
 * M Ross Perkins, songwriter
 * Robert Pollard, founder and singer of lo-fi rock band Guided By Voices and other aliases thereof
 * Harry Reser, banjoist and leader of the Clicquot Club Eskimos
 * Kim Richey, singer/songwriter
 * John Scofield, jazz guitarist
 * John Schmersal, guitarist/singer for Brainiac, who went on to form Enon
 * Bud Shank, jazz saxophonist
 * Margo Smith, country music singer, known for her yodeling
 * Tyler Smith, singer (The Word Alive)
 * Billy Strayhorn, jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger
 * Roger Troutman and Zapp, musicians/producers
 * Johnnie Wilder Jr., founder and lead singer, and Keith Wilder, founder, Heatwave, R&B group
 * Booty Wood, jazz trombonist
 * Snooky Young, jazz trumpeter

Politicians

 * James Middleton Cox, Congressman, Ohio governor, 1920 Democratic presidential candidate, founder of Cox Enterprises
 * Richard Clay Dixon, former mayor of Dayton
 * Dave Hall, former mayor of Dayton
 * Tony P. Hall, former US Congressman
 * William A. Halteman, member of the Washington House of Representatives in 1895–1897 and 1907–1909
 * Paul Leonard, former mayor of Dayton and lieutenant governor of Ohio
 * James H. McGee, former mayor of Dayton
 * C. J. McLin, former Ohio State Representative
 * Mike Rohrkaste, Wisconsin State Assemblyman and businessman
 * Mike Turner, US Congressman, former mayor of Dayton

Other

 * China P. Arnold, convicted murderer serving life without parole for murdering and cooking her daughter, Paris in a microwave
 * Jordan Anderson, former slave and author of "Letter from a Freedman to His Old Master"
 * Charles Bassett, astronaut
 * Jayananda Dasa, pioneer of ISKCON in San Francisco
 * Phil Donahue, talk-show host, began his eponymous show in Dayton, where he spent over a decade
 * Ronnie and Donnie Galyon (1951–2020), oldest set of conjoined twins in the world
 * Steve Gibson, computer programmer
 * George J. Graham, Jr., political theorist
 * Ahad Israfil, gunshot victim
 * Virginia Kettering (1907–2003), philanthropist
 * William H. Lough (1881–1940s), economist
 * W. S. McIntosh, civil rights activist
 * Jessica Moore, journalist
 * Robert R. Nathan, economist
 * Mike Nawrocki, co-creator of VeggieTales
 * Melvin Lorrel Nichols, emeritus professor of chemistry, Cornell University
 * Alice E. Heckler Peters (1845-1921), social reformer
 * Jane Reece, photographer
 * Amy Schneider, Jeopardy! champion, and the first openly transgender contestant to qualify for the Tournament of Champions
 * Constantine Scollen (1841-1902), renowned Irish missionary and "Whoop-Up Trail" priest among the native peoples of Canada and US.
 * Howard Dwight Smith, architect of Ohio Stadium
 * Dorothy Stang (1931–2005), Catholic nun of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and Amazonian activist
 * Norman Steenrod, mathematician
 * Strobe Talbott, writer and diplomat