List of people from Leeuwarden

This is a chronological list of the most notable people from Leeuwarden, who were either born and raised there or were long-term residents. For a more extensive, alphabetical list see People from Leeuwarden.


 * See also List of mayors of Leeuwarden

15th century

 * Wijerd Jelckama (c. 1490–1523), military commander
 * Hendrik Niehoff (1495–c. 1561), pipe organ maker

16th century

 * Obbe Philips (c. 1500–1568), anabaptist
 * Dirk Philips (1504–1568), anabaptist and theologian
 * Hans Vredeman de Vries (1527–c. 1607), architect, painter, and engineer
 * Johannes Basius (c. 1540–1596), lawyer
 * Dominicus Arumaeus (1579–1637), jurist
 * Pieter de Valck (1584–1624), painter
 * Wybrand de Geest (1592–1661), painter
 * Matthijs Harings (1593–1667), painter
 * Jeronimus Cornelisz (1598–1629), apothecary

17th century

 * Margaretha de Heer (1603–1665), painter
 * Douwe Juwes de Dowe (1608–1662), painter
 * Maerten Boelema de Stomme (1611–1644), painter
 * Saskia van Uylenburg (1612–1642), wife of the painter Rembrandt van Rijn
 * Abraham Lambertsz van den Tempel (1622–1672), painter
 * Wilhelmus à Brakel (1635–1711), minister
 * Wigerus Vitringa (1657–1725), painter
 * Campegius Vitringa (1659–1722), theologian
 * Siwart Haverkamp (1684–1742), classicist

18th century

 * Matthijs Accama (1702–1783), painter
 * Jacques-Georges Chauffepié (1702–1786), biographer, preacher
 * Douwe Sirtema van Grovestins (1710–1778), courtier and politician
 * Willem van Haren (1710–1768), poet
 * Princess Amalia of Nassau-Dietz (1710–1777), princess
 * William IV, Prince of Orange (1711–1751), stadtholder
 * Lodewijk Caspar Valckenaer (1715–1785), classical scholar
 * Rienk Jelgerhuis (1729–1806), painter
 * Joachim van Plettenberg (1739–1793), colonial governor
 * Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau (1743–1787), regent
 * Theodorus van Kooten (1749–1813), poet and politician
 * Johannes Jelgerhuis (1770–1836), painter and actor
 * Sybren Klazes Sybrandi (1772–1854), mennonite minister
 * Eelke Jelles Eelkema (1788–1839), painter
 * Wilhelmina van Idsinga (1788–1819), painter
 * Jacobus Schroeder van der Kolk (1797–1862), anatomist and physiologist

19th century

 * Charles William Meredith van de Velde (1818–1898), lieutenant-at-sea and painter
 * Julius Vitringa Coulon (1824–1878), politician
 * Christoffel Bisschop (1828-1904), painter
 * Willem Frederik Reinier Suringar (1832–1898), botanist
 * Piet Paaltjens (1835–1894), minister and romantic author
 * Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1836–1912), knighted painter
 * Sierk Coolsma (1840–1926), missionary and writer
 * George Arnold Escher (1843–1939), civil engineer
 * Klaas Plantinga (1846–1922), distiller
 * Richard Bisschop (1849–1926), painter
 * Cornelis Adriaan Lobry van Troostenburg de Bruyn (1857–1904), chemist
 * Pieter Jelles Troelstra (1860–1930), politician
 * Dirk van Erp (1860–1933), artisan and metalsmith
 * Johannes Henricus Gerardus Jansen (1868–1936), archbishop
 * Max Dwinger (1870–1939), fencer
 * Theo Molkenboer (1871–1920), painter
 * Theodoor Hendrik van de Velde (1873–1937), gynaecologist
 * Folkert Posthuma (1874–1943), politician
 * Mata Hari (1876–1917), exotic dancer and courtesan, possible double agent
 * Gerhard Westermann (1880–1971), artist
 * Richard Hageman (1881–1966), conductor, pianist, composer, and actor
 * Max Blokzijl (1884-1946), singer and journalist
 * Hendrik Wouda (1885–1946), architect
 * Jacob Baart de la Faille (1886–1959), art critic
 * Arie Bijvoet (1891–1976), footballer
 * Bert Sas (1892–1948), military attaché
 * Ate Faber (1894–1962), fencer
 * Jeanne Bieruma Oosting (1898–1994), sculptor, engraver and painter
 * Sijtse Jansma (1898–1977), tug of war competitor
 * Jan Jacob Slauerhoff (1898–1936), poet and novelist
 * M. C. Escher (1898–1972), graphic artist

1900s

 * Christine Buisman (1900–1936), phytopathologist
 * Koos Sinninghe Damsté (1902–1995), lawyer
 * Pieter Oosterhoff (1904–1978), astronomer
 * Havank (1904–1964), writer, journalist, and translator
 * Piet Zanstra (1905–2003), architect
 * Roeffie Vermeulen (1906–1963), sailor
 * Jan Graafland (born 1909), footballer
 * Petrus Wijtse Winkel (1909–2012), colonial administrator

1910s

 * Albert Winsemius (1910–1996), economist
 * Bernard Slicher van Bath (1910–2004), historian
 * Bert Bakker (1912–1969), writer
 * Nina Baanders-Kessler (1915–2002), sculptor
 * Haije Kramer (1917–2004), chess player

1920s

 * Folkert de Roos (1920–2000), economist
 * Ted Meines (1921–2016), army general and activist
 * Ruurd Dirk Hoogland (1922–1994), botanist and explorer
 * Jan de Vries (1924–2012), soldier
 * Jitse van der Veen (1928–1976), swimmer
 * Jaap Boersma (1929–2012), politician
 * Wim Cohen (1923–2000), mathematician

1930s

 * Eva and Abraham Beem (1932/1934–1944), young Jewish Holocaust victims
 * Jan Hettema (1933–2016), cyclist
 * Jan D. Achenbach (born 1935), engineer
 * Sieta Posthumus (born 1936), swimmer
 * Nikolai van der Heyde (born 1936), film director and screenwriter
 * Cor Boonstra (born 1938), chief executive
 * Cornelis Dirk Andriesse (born 1939), physicist

1940s

 * Johan Bleeker (born 1942), space technology scientist
 * Sytse Douma (born 1942), organizational theorist
 * Cisca Dresselhuys (born 1943), journalist and magazine editor
 * Femme Gaastra (born 1945), historian
 * Hans Monderman (1945–2008), traffic engineer
 * L. Bouke van der Meer (born 1945), archaeologist
 * Meindert Fennema (born 1946), political scientist
 * Piet Hoekstra (born 1947), cyclist
 * Theo de Jong (born 1947), footballer and football manager
 * Rudy Koopmans (born 1948), boxer
 * Tom Pitstra (born 1949), politician
 * Oeki Hoekema (born 1949), footballer

1950s

 * Peter den Oudsten (born 1951), mayor
 * Harm Wiersma (born 1953), draughts player and politician
 * Margreeth Smilde (born 1954), politician
 * Jan Hogendijk (born 1955), mathematician and historian
 * Henk van der Zwan (born 1956), diplomat
 * Koos Formsma (born 1957), businessman
 * Piet Wildschut (born 1957), footballer
 * Piter Wilkens (born 1959), musician

1960s

 * Hendrik Tolman (born 1961), civil engineer
 * Foeke Booy (born 1962), footballer and football manager
 * Annejet van der Zijl (born 1962), writer
 * Aukje de Vries (born 1964), politician
 * Jan Veenhof (born 1969), footballer

1970s

 * Tjitske Reidinga (born 1972), actress
 * Richard Schuil (born 1973), beach volleyball player
 * Jarich Bakker (born 1974), cyclist
 * Peter van der Vlag (born 1977), footballer

1980s

 * Rune Massing (born 1980), badminton player
 * Harm Zeinstra (born 1989), footballer

1990s

 * Sander Arends (born 1991), tennis player
 * Sanne Wevers (born 1991), gymnast
 * Lieke Wevers (born 1991), gymnast
 * Mark Diemers (born 1993), footballer
 * Itzhak de Laat (born 1994), short track speed skater
 * Joost Klein (born 1997), musician and rapper