List of sociologists

This list of sociologists includes people who have made notable contributions to sociological theory or to research in one or more areas of sociology.

A

 * Peter Abell, British sociologist
 * Andrew Abbott, American sociologist
 * Margaret Abraham, Indian-American sociologist
 * Mark Abrams (1906–1994), British sociologist, political scientist and pollster
 * Janet Abu-Lughod (1928–2013), American sociologist
 * Jane Addams (1860–1935), American social worker, sociologist, public philosopher and reformer
 * Theodor Adorno (1903–1969), German philosopher and cultural sociologist
 * Richard Alba, American sociologist
 * Francesco Alberoni, Italian sociologist
 * Martin Albrow, British sociologist
 * Jeffrey C. Alexander, American sociologist
 * David Altheide, American sociologist
 * Louis Althusser, French philosopher and sociologist
 * Edwin Amenta, American sociologist
 * Nancy Ammerman, American sociologist
 * Elijah Anderson, American sociologist
 * Eric Anderson, American-British sociologist
 * Kevin B. Anderson, American sociologist
 * Stanislav Andreski, Polish-British sociologist
 * Robert Cooley Angell, American sociologist
 * Aaron Antonovsky, Israeli sociologist
 * Arjun Appadurai, Indian sociologist
 * Andrew Arato, Hungarian-American sociologist
 * Margaret Archer, British sociologist
 * Hannah Arendt (1906–1975), German political theorist
 * Alcira Argumedo (1940–2021), Argentine sociologist
 * Aristoteles (384-322 BCE), Ancient Greek philosopher and sociologist
 * Signe Arnfred, Danish sociologist
 * Raymond Aron (1905–1983), French philosopher and sociologist
 * Stanley Aronowitz, American sociologist
 * Giovanni Arrighi, Italian sociologist
 * Johan Asplund (1937–2018), Swedish sociologist
 * Vilhelm Aubert (1922–1988), Norwegian sociologist
 * Francisco Ayala, Spanish sociologist and novelist

B

 * Élisabeth Badinter (born 1944), French philosopher and historian
 * Patrick Baert, British sociologist
 * Sergio Bagú, Argentinian sociologist
 * Kenneth D. Bailey, American sociologist
 * Georges Balandier, French sociologist
 * Emily Greene Balch, American professor of sociology and Nobel Peace laureate
 * Robert Balch, American sociologist
 * E. Digby Baltzell, American sociologist
 * Jack Barbalet, Australian sociologist
 * Teresita de Barbieri, Uruguayan-born Mexican feminist sociologist
 * Eileen Barker (born 1938), British sociologist and professor
 * Barry Barnes, British sociologist
 * Liberty Barnes, American sociologist
 * Roland Barthes (1915–1980), French literary critic, literary and social theorist, philosopher, and semiotician
 * Robert Bartholomew (born 1958), American medical sociologist living in New Zealand
 * Roger Bartra, Mexican sociologist
 * Roger Bastide, French sociologist
 * Georges Bataille, French philosopher and sociologist
 * Gregory Bateson (1904–1980), English/American cybernetician
 * Jean Baubérot (born 1941), French historian and sociologist
 * Christian Baudelot, French sociologist
 * Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007), French cultural theorist
 * Zygmunt Bauman (1925–2017), Polish/British sociologist
 * Frank Bean, American sociologist
 * Peter Bearman (born 1956), American sociologist
 * Ulrich Beck (1944–2015), German sociologist
 * Gary Becker, American economist
 * Howard P. Becker, American sociologist
 * Howard S. Becker (1928–2023), American sociologist
 * Jens Beckert, German sociologist
 * Richard F. Behrendt (1908–1973), German sociologist
 * Daniel Bell (1919–2011), American sociologist
 * Wendell Bell, American sociologist
 * Robert N. Bellah, American sociologist
 * Walden Bello, Filipino sociologist
 * Edvard Beneš, Czechoslovak sociologist and politician
 * Reinhard Bendix, German-American sociologist
 * Walter Benjamin (1892–1940), German cultural writer and sociologist
 * Albert Benschop (1949–2018), Dutch sociologist
 * Joseph Berger, American sociologist
 * Peter L. Berger (1929–2017), Austro-American sociologist
 * Solveig Bergman (born 1955), Finnish sociologist active in gender studies
 * Pierre L. van den Berghe, Belgian sociologist
 * Henri Bergson (1859–1941), French philosopher
 * Jessie Bernard, American feminist sociologist
 * Eduard Bernstein, German politician and intellectual
 * Jean-Michel Berthelot, French sociologist
 * Andre Beteille, Indian sociologist
 * Gurminder K. Bhambra, British sociologist
 * Krishna Bhattachan, Nepalese sociologist
 * Robert Bierstedt, American sociologist
 * Norman Birnbaum, American sociologist
 * Margunn Bjørnholt (born 1958), Norwegian sociologist and economist
 * Donald Black, American sociologist
 * Peter Blau (1918–2002), American sociologist
 * Kathleen M. Blee (born 1953), American sociologist
 * Gisela Bleibtreu-Ehrenberg (born 1929), German sociologist, ethnologist, and sexologist
 * Danielle Bleitrach (born 1938), French sociologist and journalist
 * Fred L. Block, American sociologist
 * David Bloor, British sociologist
 * Herbert Blumer (1900–1987), American sociologist
 * Olivier Bobineau (born 1972), French sociologist
 * Sophie Body-Gendrot (1942–2018), French sociologist
 * Luc Boltanski, French sociologist
 * Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, American sociologist
 * Scott Boorman (born 1949), American sociologist
 * Charles Booth, British social researcher
 * Ernst Borinski (1901–1983), German sociologist
 * Atilio Borón, Argentinian sociologist
 * Thomas Bottomore (1920–1992), British sociologist
 * Raymond Boudon, French sociologist
 * Pierre Bourdieu (1930–2002), French sociologist
 * Victor Branford (1863–1930), British sociologist
 * Ronald Breiger, American sociologist
 * John David Brewer (born 1951), British sociologist
 * Carl Brinkmann (1885–1954), German sociologist
 * David G. Bromley, American sociologist
 * Rogers Brubaker, American sociologist
 * Hauke Brunkhorst, German sociologist
 * José Joaquín Brunner, Chilean sociologist
 * Hans Henrik Reventlow Bruun, Danish sociologist
 * Walter F. Buckley, American sociologist
 * Michael Burawoy, American sociologist
 * Ernest Burgess (1886–1966), Canadian sociologist
 * Tom R. Burns, European-American sociologist
 * Ronald Burt, American sociologist
 * Judith Butler (born 1956), American gender theorist

C

 * Alain Caillé, French sociologist
 * Roger Caillois, French sociologist
 * Craig Calhoun, American sociologist
 * Michel Callon, French sociologist
 * Charles Camic, American sociologist
 * Elias Canetti, Bulgaria-born novelist and outsider sociologist
 * Georges Canguilhem, French intellectual
 * Fernando Henrique Cardoso (born 1931), Brazilian sociologist, former President of Brazil
 * Gabriel Careaga Medina, Mexican sociologist
 * Kathleen Carley, American computational sociologist
 * Antonio Caso, Mexican sociologist
 * Robert Castel, French sociologist
 * Julieta Castellanos (born 1952), Honduran sociologist
 * Manuel Castells (born 1942), Spanish sociologist and urban planner
 * Cornelius Castoriadis (1922–1997), Greek philosopher and political theorist
 * Santiago Castro-Gómez, Colombian philosopher and sociologist
 * Michel de Certeau, French cultural sociologist
 * Karen A. Cerulo, American sociologist
 * Francis Stuart Chapin (1888–1974), American sociologist
 * Christopher Chase-Dunn, American sociologist
 * Louis Chauvel (born 1967), French sociologist
 * Albert Chavannes, American sociologist
 * Andrew Cherlin, American sociologist
 * Nancy Chodorow (born 1944), American sociologist, psychoanalyst, and gender theorist
 * Nicholas A. Christakis, American sociologist
 * Ann-Dorte Christensen, Danish sociologist
 * Chua Beng Huat, Singaporean sociologist
 * Aaron Cicourel, American sociologist
 * Dieter Claessens (1921–1997), German sociologist
 * Lars Clausen (1935–2010), German sociologist
 * Marshall B. Clinard (1911–2010), American sociologist (criminology)
 * Clifford Clogg, American sociologist
 * Richard Cloward (1926–2001), American sociologist
 * Philip N. Cohen, American sociologist
 * Ronald L. Cohen, American social psychologist
 * Stanley Cohen, British sociologist (criminology)
 * James Samuel Coleman (1926–1995), American sociologist
 * Harry Collins, British sociologist
 * Patricia Hill Collins (born 1948), American sociologist
 * Randall Collins, American sociologist
 * Auguste Comte (1798–1857), French founder of sociology
 * Nicolas de Condorcet, French mathematician and early sociologist
 * Dalton Conley, American sociologist
 * R.W. Connell (born 1944), Australian sociologist
 * Paul Connerton, British sociologist
 * Karen Cook, American sociologist
 * Charles Cooley (1864–1929), American sociologist
 * Anna Julia Cooper, American sociologist
 * Lewis A. Coser (1913–2003), American sociologist
 * Carl J. Couch (1925–1994), American sociologist
 * Douglas E. Cowan, Canadian sociologist
 * Maxine Leeds Craig, American sociologist
 * Rosemary Crompton, British sociologist
 * Colin Crouch, British sociologist
 * Michel Crozier, French sociologist
 * Agustin Cueva, Ecuadorian sociologist
 * Stefan Czarnowski (1879–1937), Polish sociologist

D

 * Robert Dahl (1915–2014), American political scientist
 * Ralf Dahrendorf (1929–2009), German-British sociologist and politician
 * Dankwart Danckwerts (1933–2012), German sociologist
 * Randy David, Filipino sociologist
 * Leonore Davidoff (1932–2014), American-British sociologist and historian
 * Kingsley Davis (1908–1997), American sociologist
 * Georges Davy (1883–1976), French sociologist
 * François de Singly, French sociologist
 * Régis Debray, French mediologist
 * Alexander Deichsel (born 1935), German sociologist
 * Christine Delphy (born 1941), French sociologist, feminist, and theorist
 * Gilles Deleuze (1925–1995), French philosopher
 * Donatella della Porta, Italian sociologist and political scientist
 * Christine Delphy, French sociologist
 * Bogdan Denitch (1929–2016), American sociologist
 * Norman K. Denzin, American sociologist
 * Régis Dericquebourg (born 1947), French sociologist of religions
 * Jacques Derrida (1930–2004), French philosopher
 * Matthew Desmond, American sociologist
 * Heinz Dieterich, German-Mexican sociologist
 * Bulent Diken, Danish sociologist
 * Wilhelm Dilthey (1833–1911), German historian, psychologist and sociologist
 * Helen Dinerman (1920–1974), American public opinion researcher
 * Gail Dines, British-American sociologist
 * Paul DiMaggio, American cultural sociologist
 * Georgi Dimitrov Dimitrov, Bulgarian sociologist
 * Thomas A. DiPrete, American sociologist
 * Stuart C. Dodd (1900–1975), American sociologist
 * G. William Domhoff, American sociologist
 * Orna Donath, Israeli sociologist
 * Pierpaolo Donati, Italian sociologist
 * Ronald P. Dore, British sociologist
 * Theotônio dos Santos, Brazilian sociologist
 * Mary Douglas (1921–2007), British anthropologist and sociologist of perception
 * Tommy Douglas (1904–1986), Canadian politician
 * W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963), American sociologist and civil rights leader
 * Denis Duclos, French sociologist
 * Otis Dudley Duncan (1921–2004), American sociologist
 * Mitchell Duneier, American sociologist
 * Eric Dunning (1936–2019), British sociologist
 * Émile Durkheim (1858–1917), French sociologist
 * Troy Duster, American sociologist
 * Maurice Duverger (1917–2014), French sociologist
 * Jean Duvignaud (1921–2007), French sociologist

E

 * Gerald L. Eberlein (1930–2010), German sociologist
 * Alain Ehrenberg, French sociologist
 * Eugen Ehrlich, German sociologist
 * Shmuel Noah Eisenstadt (1923–2010), Israeli sociologist
 * Riane Eisler (born 1931), cultural historian, systems scientist, educator, and attorney
 * Glen Elder, American sociologist
 * Norbert Elias (1897–1990), German sociologist
 * Jacques Ellul (1912-1994), French sociologist
 * Jon Elster, Norwegian sociologist
 * Mustafa Emirbayer, American sociologist
 * Hugo O. Engelmann (1917–2002), American sociologist
 * Friedrich Engels (1820–1895), German socialist philosopher
 * Paula England, American sociologist
 * Ronald Enroth (born 1938), American sociologist
 * Kai T. Erikson (born 1931), American sociologist
 * Fernando Escalante Gonzalbo, Mexican sociologist
 * Gosta Esping-Andersen, Danish sociologist
 * Roger Establet, French sociologist
 * Amitai Etzioni (born 1929), American sociologist
 * Peter B. Evans, American sociologist

F

 * Orlando Fals Borda (1925–2008), Colombian sociologist
 * Frantz Fanon, Martinican intellectual and sociologist
 * Rick Fantasia, American sociologist
 * Thomas Fararo (1933–2020), American mathematical sociologist
 * Sara R. Farris, Italian sociologist of feminism and migration
 * Didier Fassin, French sociologist
 * Paul Fauconnet (1874–1938), French sociologist
 * Joe Feagin, American sociologist
 * Mike Featherstone, British sociologist
 * Fei Xiaotong (1910–2005), Chinese sociologist and anthropologist
 * Anuška Ferligoj, Slovenian mathematical sociologist
 * Florestan Fernandes (1920–1995), Brazilian sociologist
 * Myra Marx Ferree (born 1949), American sociologist
 * Enrico Ferri, Italian sociologist and criminologist
 * Mileva Filipović (1938-2020), Montenegrin sociologist and gender studies pioneer
 * Gary Alan Fine (born 1950), American sociologist
 * Claude Fischer (born 1948), American author of the subcultural theory of urbanism
 * George Fitzhugh (1806–1881), American social theorist
 * Crystal Marie Fleming (born 1981), American sociologist and author
 * Peter Flora, Austrian sociologist
 * Heinz von Foerster (1911–2002), Austrian/American cybernetician
 * Pim Fortuyn (1948–2002), Dutch sociologist author and politician
 * Daniel A. Foss (1940–2014), American sociologist
 * John Bellamy Foster, American sociologist and journalist
 * Michel Foucault (1926–1984), French philosopher
 * Alfred Jules Émile Fouillée, French philosopher and sociologist
 * Charles Fourier (1772–1837), French proto-sociologist
 * Renée Fox, American sociologist
 * Frances Fox Piven, American sociologist
 * Andre Gunder Frank (1929–2005), German economic historian and sociologist
 * Mary Frank Fox, American sociologist
 * Nancy Fraser, American social theorist
 * Hans Freyer (1887–1969), German sociologist and philosopher
 * Gilberto Freyre (1900–1987), Brazilian sociologist
 * Erhard Friedberg, Austrian sociologist
 * Georges Friedmann, French sociologist
 * Steve Fuller, American sociologist
 * Frank Furstenberg, American sociologist
 * Celso Furtado (1920–2004), Brazilian economist

G

 * Luciano Gallino, Italian sociologist
 * Francis Galton (1822–1911), English statistician
 * Johan Galtung, Norwegian sociologist, mathematician, and founder of peace studies
 * Diego Gambetta, Italian sociologist
 * Herbert Gans (born 1927), American sociologist
 * Néstor García Canclini, Argentinian-Mexican sociologist
 * Brígida García Guzmán, Dominican-Mexican sociologist
 * Delphine Gardey (born 1967), French sociologist
 * Harold Garfinkel (1917–2011), American sociologist
 * David W Garland, British sociologist
 * Manuel Antonio Garretón, Chilean sociologist
 * Marcel Gauchet, French sociologist
 * John Gaventa, American-British sociologist
 * Patrick Geddes, Scottish sociologist
 * Clifford Geertz, American anthropologist
 * Arnold Gehlen (1904–1976), German philosopher and sociologist
 * Theodor Geiger (1891–1952), German sociologist
 * Ernest Gellner (1925–1995), Czech-British philosopher and social anthropologist
 * Uta Gerhardt, German sociologist
 * Govind Sadashiv Ghurye (1893–1983), Indian sociologist
 * Anthony Giddens (born 1938), English sociologist
 * Franklin Henry Giddings, American sociologist
 * Nigel Gilbert, British sociologist
 * Charlotte Perkins Gilman, American sociologist
 * Paul Gilroy, British sociologist
 * Salvador Giner, Spanish sociologist
 * Corrado Gini (1884–1965), Italian statistician
 * Morris Ginsberg, British sociologist
 * Herbert Gintis, American behavioral scientist
 * Henry Giroux, American sociologist of education
 * Todd Gitlin, American sociologist
 * Barney Glaser, American sociologist
 * David Glass (1911–1978), British sociologist
 * Barry Glassner (born 1952), American sociologist
 * Nathan Glazer, American sociologist
 * Max Gluckman (1911–1975), South African/English social anthropologist
 * Erving Goffman (1922–1982), Canadian interactionistic sociologist
 * Steven J. Gold (born 1955), American sociologist
 * Lucien Goldmann, Romanian/French sociologist
 * Jack Goldstone, American sociologist
 * John H. Goldthorpe (born 1935), British sociologist
 * Yasunosuke Gonda, Japanese sociologist
 * Pablo González Casanova, Mexican sociologist
 * Jeff Goodwin, American sociologist
 * Alvin Gouldner, American sociologist
 * Ziya Gökalp (1876–1924), Turkish sociologist, writer, poet and political activist
 * Isacque Graeber (1905–1984), sociologist and Jewish historian
 * Antonio Gramsci (1891–1937), Italian Marxist and social theorist
 * Mark Granovetter, American sociologist
 * Richard Grathoff (1934–2013), German sociologist and phenomenologist
 * Andrew M. Greeley, American sociologist, priest, writer
 * Liah Greenfeld (born 1954), Russian/American sociologist
 * Leonid Grinin (born 1958), Russian sociologist
 * Wendy Griswold, American sociologist
 * Ramón Grosfoguel, Puerto Rican sociologist
 * Jaber F. Gubrium, American sociologist
 * Ludwig Gumplowicz (1838–1909), Polish sociologist, one of the founders of European sociology
 * Dipankar Gupta (born 1949), Indian sociologist
 * Georges Gurvitch, Russian/French sociologist
 * Dimitrie Gusti (1880–1955), Romanian sociologist, the creator of the sociological monographic method

H

 * Jürgen Habermas (born 1929), German social theorist
 * Jeffrey K. Hadden (1937–2003), American sociologist
 * Maurice Halbwachs (1877–1945), French philosopher and sociologist
 * Drew Halfmann (born 1967), American sociologist
 * Bente Halkier, Danish sociologist
 * John A. Hall (born 1949), British/Canadian sociologist
 * Stuart Hall (1932–2014), British cultural theorist
 * Jean Halley, American sociologist
 * Donna Haraway (born 1944), American gender and technology theorist
 * Eszter Hargittai, Hungarian sociologist
 * Marta Harnecker, Chilean sociologist
 * Chandrakala A. Hate (1903–1990), Indian sociologist, social worker, and author
 * Darnell Hawkins (born 1946), American sociologist, criminologist, and emeritus professor
 * Amos Hawley, American sociologist
 * Peter Hedström, Swedish sociologist
 * Samuel Heilman, American sociologist
 * Peter Heintz, Swiss sociologist
 * Wilhelm Heitmeyer, German sociologist
 * Dirk Helbing, Swiss sociologist
 * Horst Helle, German sociologist
 * Ágnes Heller, Hungarian philosopher and sociologist
 * Celia Stopnicka Heller (1922–2011), American sociologist
 * Will Herberg (1901–1977), American sociologist
 * John Heritage, American sociologist
 * Robert Hertz, French sociologist
 * Danièle Hervieu-Léger, French sociologist
 * Michael D. Higgins, Irish sociologist and current Irish president
 * Reuben Hill, American sociologist
 * Ulf Himmelstrand, Swedish sociologist
 * Travis Hirschi, American sociologist
 * Paul Hirst, British sociologist
 * Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679), British philosopher
 * Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse, pioneer British sociologist
 * Arlie Russell Hochschild, American sociologist
 * Richard Hoggart (1918–2014), British sociologist
 * John Holloway, Irish sociologist
 * Susanne Holmström, Danish sociologist
 * Robert J. Holton, British sociologist
 * George C. Homans (1910–1989), American behavioral sociologist
 * Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, American sociologist
 * Axel Honneth (born 1949), German social theorist
 * Ida R. Hoos (1912–2007), American sociologist
 * Max Horkheimer (1895–1973), German social theorist
 * Irving Louis Horowitz, American sociologist
 * Eugenio María de Hostos, Puerto Rican sociologist
 * François Houtart, Belgian sociologist
 * Philip N. Howard, Canadian-American sociologist
 * Spomenka Hribar (born 1941), Slovenian sociologist, philosopher politician, and public intellectual
 * Joan Huber, American sociologist
 * Everett Hughes, American sociologist
 * Stephen J. Hunt, British sociologist
 * James Davison Hunter, American sociologist
 * Herbert Hyman, American sociologist

I

 * Octavio Ianni (1926–2004), Brazilian sociologist
 * Ibn Khaldun (1332/ah732–1406/ah808), North African historian, forerunner of modern historiography, sociology, and economics
 * Kancha Ilaiah (born 1952), Indian political scientist and social activist
 * Eva Illouz, Moroccan sociologist
 * Jose Ingenieros, Argentinian sociologist
 * Harold Innis, Canadian sociologist who developed staples theory
 * John Keith Irwin (1929–2010), American sociologist known for his expertise on the American prison system
 * Larry Isaac, American sociologist

J

 * Jacquelyne Jackson (1932–2004), American sociologist and educator
 * Stevi Jackson (born 1951), British sociologist
 * Jane Jacobs, American theorist with wide influence on urban sociology
 * Janet L. Jacobs (born 1948), American sociologist
 * Michael Hviid Jacobsen, Danish sociologist
 * Eliezer Jaffe, Israeli-American sociologist
 * Marie Jahoda (1907–2001), Austrian-British sociologist and social psychologist
 * Marie Jaisson, French sociologist
 * Ayesha Jalal, Pakistani-American historian, sociologist, and professor
 * Fredric Jameson, American philosopher and social theorist
 * Morris Janowitz, American sociologist
 * James M. Jasper (born 1957), American sociologist
 * Guillermina Jasso, American sociologist
 * Gail Jefferson (1938–2008), American sociologist and conversation analyst
 * Yasmin Jiwani, feminist academic and activist
 * Hans Joas, German social theorist
 * Carole Joffe, American sociologist
 * Benton Johnson (born 1928), American sociologist
 * Guy Benton Johnson (1901–1991), American sociologist
 * Miriam M. Johnson (1928–2007), American sociologist
 * Rodrigo Jokisch (born 1946), German-Mexican sociologist and social theorist
 * Frank Lancaster Jones (born 1937), Australian sociologist
 * Lewis Wade Jones (1910–1979), African/American sociologist and educator
 * Danny Jorgensen, American sociologist
 * Paul Jorion, Belgian American sociologist and cognitive scientist
 * Mark Juergensmeyer, American sociologist

K

 * Dirk Kaesler (born 1944), German sociologist
 * Boris Kagarlitsky, Russian sociologist
 * Irawati Karve, Indian anthropologist and sociologist
 * Alexandr Kapto, Russian and Ukrainian scientist, sociologist, and political scientist; a diplomat, journalist, politician, and statesman
 * Elihu Katz, American sociologist
 * Nitasha Kaul, Indian Kashmiri sociologist, writer, and poet
 * Karl Kautsky, Czech Marxist theorist
 * Vytautas Kavolis, Lithuanian-American sociologist and literary critic
 * Frances Kellor (1873–1952), American sociologist, social reformer, and investigator
 * Stephen A. Kent, Canadian sociologist
 * Lane Kenworthy, American sociologist
 * Sherin Khankan, Danish sociologist
 * Abdelkebir Khatibi (1938–2009), Moroccan literary critic, novelist, philosopher, playwright, poet, and sociologist
 * Aquila Berlas Kiani (1921–2012), Indian sociologist and educator
 * Benjamin Kidd, British sociologist
 * Baruch Kimmerling, Israeli sociologist
 * Susan Myra Kingsbury (1870–1949), American sociologist
 * Julieta Kirkwood (1936–1985), Chilean sociologist, political scientist, and feminist activist
 * Evelyn M. Kitagawa (1920–2007), American sociologist, demographer, and educator
 * John Kitsuse, Japanese-American sociologist
 * Gabriele Klein (born 1957), sociologist, dance theorist, and educator
 * Bernardo Kliksberg, Argentinian sociologist
 * Eric Klinenberg, American sociologist
 * Karin Knorr Cetina (born 1944), Austrian sociologist
 * Antonina Kłoskowska (1919–2001), Polish sociologist
 * Karin Knorr Cetina (born 1944), Austrian sociologist
 * Katsuya Kodama (born 1959), Japanese sociologist and peace researcher
 * Martin Kohli, Swiss sociologist
 * Mirra Komarovsky (1905–1999), Russian-American sociologist
 * René König (1906–1992), German sociologist
 * Andrey Korotayev (born 1961), Russian sociologist
 * Reinhart Koselleck (1923–2006), German historian and social theorist
 * Maksim Kovalevsky (1851–1916), Russian sociologist
 * Siegfried Kracauer, German sociologist
 * Julia Kristeva, Bulgarian-French feminist sociologist
 * Alfred L. Kroeber (1876–1960), American anthropologist
 * Peter Kropotkin (1842–1921), Russian anarchist thinker
 * Thomas S. Kuhn (1922–1996), American science theorist
 * Eugene M. Kulischer (1891–1956), Russian/American sociologist
 * Charles Kurzman, American sociologist
 * Martin Kusch, Austrian philosopher and sociologist

L

 * William Labov (born 1927), American sociolinguist and dialectologist
 * Jacques Lacan (1901–1981), French psychoanalyst
 * Richard Lachmann, American sociologist, specialist in comparative historical sociology
 * Ernesto Laclau, Argentinian sociologist
 * Joyce Ladner, American sociologist and activist
 * Imre Lakatos, Hungarian philosopher
 * Janja Lalich (born 1945), American sociologist
 * Michele Lamont, American sociologist
 * Diane Lamoureux (born 1954), Canadian sociologist, professor, and writer
 * Edgardo Lander, Venezuelan sociologist
 * David C. Lane (born 1956), American sociologist
 * Silvia Lara Povedano, Costa Rican politician and sociologist
 * Annette Lareau, American sociologist
 * Ralph Larkin, American sociologist
 * Scott Lash, American sociologist
 * Harold Lasswell, American political sociologist
 * Bruno Latour (born 1947), French sociologist of science
 * Pat Lauderdale, American sociologist
 * Peter Lavrovich Lavrov, Russian sociologist
 * John Law, British sociologist
 * Paul F. Lazarsfeld (1901–1976), Austrian/American sociologist
 * Gustave Le Bon (1841–1931), French social psychologist
 * Frederic Le Play, early French sociologist
 * Anna Leander, Danish sociologist
 * Emil Lederer, German sociologist
 * Henri Lefebvre (1901–1991), French Marxist philosopher
 * Enrique Leff, Mexican sociologist
 * Charles Lemert (born 1937), American sociologist
 * Vladimir Lenin, Russian revolutionary and intellectual
 * Gerhard Lenski, American evolutionary sociologist
 * Magdalena León de Leal (born 1939), Colombian sociologist
 * Wolf Lepenies, German sociologist
 * Yuri Levada, Russian sociologist
 * John Levi Martin, American sociologist
 * Claude Lévi-Strauss (1908–2009), French anthropologist
 * Jack Levin (born 1941), American sociologist/criminologist
 * Barry B. Levine (1941–2020), American sociologist
 * Peggy Levitt, American sociologist
 * Ruth Levitas, British sociologist
 * Daniel Levy, German-American sociologist
 * Lucien Lévy-Bruhl (1857–1939), French philosopher, sociologist, and ethnographer
 * Kurt Lewin, German social psychologist
 * Loet Leydesdorff, Dutch sociologist
 * Li Yinhe (born 1952), Chinese sociologist, sexologist, and activist
 * Stanley Lieberson, American sociologist
 * Nan Lin, American sociologist
 * Alfred R. Lindesmith (1905–1991), American sociologist of drug policy
 * Frederick B. Lindstrom (1915–1998), American sociologist of the arts
 * Juan José Linz, Spanish sociologist
 * Gilles Lipovetsky, French philosopher
 * Seymour Martin Lipset (1922–2006), American comparativist sociologist
 * Allen Liska, American sociologist
 * Daniel Little, American philosopher and sociologist
 * Émile Littré, French philosopher and sociologist, disciple of Comte
 * Omar Lizardo, American sociologist
 * John Locke, English philosopher
 * David Lockwood, British sociologist
 * Joseph Lopreato, American sociologist
 * Martina Löw, German sociologist
 * Leo Löwenthal, German sociologist
 * Michael Löwy, Brazilian-French sociologist
 * Nathalie Luca (born 1966), French sociologist
 * Thomas Luckmann (1927–2016), German sociologist
 * Anthony Ludovici (1882–1971), British conservative sociologist and philosopher
 * Niklas Luhmann (1927–1998), German sociologist (systems theory)
 * György Lukács, Hungarian philosopher
 * Steven Lukes, British social theorist
 * George Lundberg (1895–1966), American sociologist (scientific)
 * Rosa Luxemburg (1870–1919), German socialist theoretician
 * Robert Staughton Lynd (1892–1970), American sociologist
 * David Lyon, British sociologist
 * Jean-François Lyotard (1924–1998), French philosopher

M

 * Amin Maalouf, Lebanese author with a degree in sociology
 * Richard Machalek (born 1946), American sociologist and sociobiologist
 * Robert Morrison MacIver (1882–1970), Scottish/American sociologist
 * Donald A. MacKenzie, British sociologist
 * Annie Marion MacLean (1869–1934), Canadian-American applied sociologist
 * Michel Maffesoli, French sociologist
 * Henry Maine (1822–1888), British jurist and legal historian
 * Sinisa Malesevic (born 1969), Irish political and historical sociologist
 * Bronisław Malinowski (1884–1942), Polish social anthropologist
 * Thomas Malthus (1766–1834), English demographer
 * Roberto Mangabeira Unger, Brazilian social theorist
 * Michael Mann (born 1942), British/American sociologist
 * Karl Mannheim (1893–1947), Hungarian/German sociologist
 * Peter K. Manning (born 1940), American sociologist
 * José María Maravall, Spanish sociologist
 * Herbert Marcuse (1898–1979), German/American sociologist (Frankfurt School)
 * Ruy Mauro Marini, Brazilian sociologist
 * Władysław Markiewicz (1920–2017), Polish sociologist
 * Catherine Marry, French sociologist
 * Dennis Marsden, British sociologist
 * Alfred Marshall, English economist
 * Thomas Humphrey Marshall, British sociologist
 * Everett Dean Martin, American sociologist
 * Jean Martin, Australian sociologist
 * John Levi Martin, American sociologist
 * Harriet Martineau (1802–1876), English writer described as 'first female sociologist'
 * Alberto Martinelli, Italian sociologist
 * Vladimir Martynenko (born 1957), Russian sociologist, economist, political scientist
 * Margaret Maruani (born 1954), Tunisian-French sociologist
 * Gary T. Marx, American sociologist
 * Karl Marx (1818–1883), German political philosopher, social theorist
 * Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, Czech sociologist
 * Douglas Massey, American sociologist
 * Brian Massumi, Canadian social theorist
 * Humberto Maturana, Chilean biologist and sociologist of knowledge
 * Marcel Mauss (1872–1950), French sociologist
 * Carl R May (born 1961), British medical sociologist
 * Claire Maxwell (born 1975), German-Australian sociologist
 * Renate Mayntz, German sociologist
 * Doug McAdam, American sociologist
 * Fayette Avery McKenzie (1872–1957), American sociologist
 * Robert McKenzie (1917–1981), Canadian Politics professor and psephologist
 * Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980), Canadian educator, philosopher, and scholar
 * George Herbert Mead (1863–1931), American philosopher and social psychologist
 * Margaret Mead (1901–1978), American cultural anthropologist
 * Cecilia Menjívar, Salvadoran-American sociologist
 * Stephen Mennell (born 1944), English sociologist
 * Fatema Mernissi (1940–2015), Moroccan feminist writer and sociologist
 * Robert K. Merton (1910–2003), American sociologist
 * Michael Messner (born 1952), American pro-feminist sociologist
 * John W. Meyer, American sociologist
 * Robert Michels (1876–1936), Italian-German political sociologist
 * Maria Mies, German sociologist
 * Ralph Miliband, British sociologist
 * C. Wright Mills (1916–1962), American sociologist
 * Andrew Milner (born 1950), British-Australian sociologist of literature
 * Ann Mische, American sociologist
 * Munesuke Mita, Japanese sociologist
 * J. Clyde Mitchell (1918–1995), British social anthropologist
 * Shinji Miyadai (born 1959), Japanese sociologist
 * Tariq Modood, British sociologist
 * Abraham Moles (1920–1992), French sociologist, psychologist, and engineer
 * Andres Molina Enriquez, Mexican sociologist
 * Montesquieu, French philosopher
 * James D. Montgomery, American economist and mathematical sociologist
 * Barrington Moore, Jr., American political sociologist
 * Jacob L. Moreno, Romanian-American psychosociologist, founder of sociometry
 * Edgar Morin, French sociologist
 * Aldon Morris, American sociologist
 * Gaetano Mosca (1858–1941), Italian political and social scientist
 * Serge Moscovici, French psychologist and major influence in the study of social representations and social movements
 * Chantal Mouffe, Belgian post-Marxist theorist
 * Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1927–2003), American sociologist, diplomat and politician
 * Radhakamal Mukerjee, Indian sociologist
 * Lewis Mumford, American sociologist
 * Peter A. Munch (1908–1984), Norwegian/American sociologist
 * Richard Münch, German sociologist
 * Charles Murray (born 1943), American sociologist
 * Alva Myrdal, Swedish sociologist
 * Gunnar Myrdal (1898–1987), Swedish economist, sociologist, and politician

N

 * Ashis Nandy, Indian sociologist
 * Vicenç Navarro, Spanish sociologist
 * Victor Nee, American sociologist
 * Antonio Negri, Italian political philosopher and critic of Luhmann
 * Oswald von Nell-Breuning (1890–1991), German Roman Catholic theologian, sociologist and social reformer
 * Otto Neurath (1882–1945), Austrian sociologist and political economist
 * Otto Newman (born Neumann 1922–2015), Austrian-British sociologist
 * Norman H. Nie (1943–2015), Inventor of SPSS
 * Robert Nisbet (1913–1996), American sociologist
 * Helga Nowotny (born 1937), Austrian sociologist

O

 * Ann Oakley, British sociologist
 * Claus Offe (born 1940), German sociologist
 * William F. Ogburn (1886–1959), American sociologist
 * Lloyd Ohlin (1918–2008), American sociologist
 * Orlandina de Oliveira, Brazilian-Mexican sociologist
 * Michael Omi, American sociologist
 * Gail Omvedt (1941–2021), American/Indian sociologist
 * T. K. Oommen, Indian sociologist
 * Franz Oppenheimer (1864–1943), German sociologist and political economist
 * José Ortega y Gasset (1883–1955), Spanish philosopher
 * Stanislaw Ossowski (1897–1963), Polish sociologist
 * Dag Østerberg, Norwegian sociologist
 * Moisey Ostrogorsky (1853–1921), Russian sociologist

P

 * Vilfredo Pareto (1848–1923), Italian economist and sociologist
 * Robert E. Park (1864–1944), American sociologist
 * Frank Parkin, British sociologist
 * Talcott Parsons (1902–1979), American sociologist
 * C.J. Pascoe, American sociologist
 * Jean-Claude Passeron, French sociologist
 * Bindeshwar Pathak (born 1943), Indian sociologist
 * Orlando Patterson, Jamaican-American sociologist
 * Karl Pearson (1857–1936), English statistician
 * Willie Pearson Jr, American sociologist
 * Jacqueline Peschard (1965), Mexican sociologist
 * James Petras, American sociologist
 * Jean Piaget (1896–1980), Swiss developmental psychologist
 * Andrew Pickering, British sociologist
 * Trevor Pinch, British sociologist
 * Alessandro Pizzorno, Italian sociologist
 * Michael Plekon, American sociologist
 * Helmuth Plessner, German sociologist
 * Geoffrey Pleyers, Belgian sociologist
 * Joel M. Podolny, American sociologist
 * Karl Polanyi, Hungarian economist
 * Friedrich Pollock, German social scientist
 * Heinrich Popitz, German sociologist
 * Karl Popper, Austrian philosopher
 * Juan Carlos Portantiero, Argentinian sociologist
 * John Porter (1921–1979), Canadian sociologist
 * Alejandro Portes, Cuban-American sociologist
 * Adam Possamai, Belgian Born Sociologist
 * Nicos Poulantzas (1936–1979), Greek political sociologist
 * Émile Poulat, French historian and sociologist
 * Walter W. Powell, American sociologist
 * Ricardo Pozas Arciniega, Mexican sociologist and anthropologist
 * Suzana Prates (1940-1988), Brazilian feminist sociologist and academic
 * Anette Prehn, Danish sociologist
 * Harriet B. Presser (died 2012), American sociologist and demographer
 * Samuel H. Preston, American demographer and sociologist
 * Ilya Prigogine, Belgian chemist, main contribution to sociology is dissipative structures theory
 * Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809–1865), French utopian socialist thinker
 * Adam Przeworski, Polish political sociologist
 * Jade Puget (born 1973), American musician
 * Robert Putnam (born 1941), American political scientist

Q

 * Sigrid Quack, German sociologist
 * Enrico Quarantelli (1924–2017), American sociologist
 * Adolphe Quetelet (1796–1874), French statistician and sociologist
 * Anibal Quijano (1930–2017), Peruvian sociologist
 * Richard Quinney (born 1934), American sociologist

R

 * Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown (1881–1955), British social anthropologist
 * Charles C. Ragin, American sociologist
 * Gustav Ratzenhofer, Austrian sociologist
 * Stephen Raudenbush, American sociologist and statistician
 * Aviad Raz (born 1968), Israeli sociologist and anthropologist
 * Mark Regnerus, American sociologist
 * Juliette Rennes (born 1976), French sociologist
 * Sal Restivo, American sociologist
 * John Rex (1925–2011), British sociologist
 * James Mahmud Rice (born 1972), Australian sociologist
 * Paul Ricoeur, French philosopher
 * Cecilia L. Ridgeway, American sociologist
 * David Riesman, American sociologist
 * George Ritzer (born 1940), American sociologist
 * Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui, Bolivian sociologist
 * Roland Robertson, British sociologist
 * William I. Robinson, American sociologist
 * Guy Rocher, Canadian sociologist
 * Terje Rød-Larsen (born 1947), Norwegian diplomat and sociologist
 * Jesús M. de Miguel Rodríguez (born 1947), Spanish sociologist
 * Stein Rokkan, Norwegian sociologist
 * Hartmut Rosa, German sociologist
 * Arnold Marshall Rose, American sociologist
 * Gillian Rose, British sociologist
 * Nikolas Rose, British sociologist
 * Paul Rosenfels (1909–1985), American psychologist and sociologist
 * Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy (1888–1973), German social philosopher
 * Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss philosopher
 * Peter H. Rossi, American sociologist
 * Guenther Roth, German-American sociologist
 * Rubén G. Rumbaut, Cuban-American sociologist
 * W. G. Runciman, British sociologist
 * Arne Runeberg (1912–1979), Finnish sociologist, anthropologist and linguist

S

 * Harvey Sacks (died 1975), American sociologist and ethnomethodologist
 * Renaud Sainsaulieu (1936–2002), French sociologist concerned with the sociology of organizations
 * Henri de Saint-Simon (1760–1825), French philosopher and social thinker
 * Patricia Salas O'Brien (born 1958), Peruvian sociologist and Minister of Education
 * Robert J. Sampson, American sociologist
 * Pierre Sansot, French sociologist
 * Abdelmalek Sayad, Egyptian-French sociologist
 * Andrew Sayer, British sociologist
 * Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Portuguese sociologist
 * Giovanni Sartori (1924–2017), Italian political scientist
 * Saskia Sassen (born 1949), American sociologist
 * Peter Saunders, Australian sociologist
 * Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913), Swiss linguist (structuralism)
 * Albert Schäffle, German sociologist
 * Thomas J. Scheff, American sociologist
 * Emanuel Schegloff, American sociologist
 * Max Scheler, German philosopher and founder of the sociology of knowledge
 * Helmut Schelsky (1912–1984), German sociologist
 * Juraj Schenk (born 1948), Slovak sociologist
 * Herbert Schiller, American sociologist
 * Kurt C. Schlichting, American sociologist
 * Wolfgang Schluchter, German sociologist
 * Sylvia Schmelkes, Mexican sociologist
 * Paul Schnabel, Dutch sociologist
 * Allan Schnaiberg (1939–2009), American environmental sociologist
 * Juliet Schor, American sociologist
 * Joseph Alois Schumpeter (1883–1950), Austrian economist
 * Alfred Schütz (1899–1959), Austrian philosopher and sociologist (phenomenology)
 * Michael Schwartz (born 1942), American sociologist
 * John Scott (born 1949), British sociologist
 * Sue Scott, British sociologist
 * Leonard Seabrooke, Australian sociologist
 * Jean Séguy, French sociologist of religions (1925–2007)
 * Steven Seidman, American sociologist
 * Pınar Selek, Turkish sociologist
 * Philip Selznick, American sociologist
 * Amartya Sen, Indian economist influential in the sociology of development
 * Richard Sennett (born 1943), American sociologist and public figure
 * Perla Serfaty (born 1944), Moroccan-born French and Canadian academic, sociologist, psychosociologist, writer
 * William H. Sewell, American sociologist
 * Steven Shapin, American sociologist
 * Jeremy J. Shapiro, American sociologist
 * Ali Shariati (1933–1977), Iranian sociologist and writer
 * Tamotsu Shibutani, Japanese-American sociologist
 * Bahija Ahmed Shihab (1932–2012), Iraqi sociologist and professor
 * Edward Shils, American sociologist
 * Anson Shupe, American sociologist
 * Volkmar Sigusch, German sociologist and sexuologe
 * Charles E. Silberman, American criminologist
 * Beverly J. Silver, American sociologist
 * François Simiand, French sociologist
 * Georg Simmel (1858–1918), German sociologist and philosopher
 * Herbert A. Simon, American social scientist
 * Theda Skocpol (born 1947), American sociologist and political scientist
 * Albion Woodbury Small (1854–1926), American sociologist
 * Neil Smelser, American sociologist
 * Adam Smith (1723–1790), Scottish economist and philosopher
 * Christian Smith (born 1960), American sociologist of religion
 * Dorothy E. Smith (born 1926), British/American sociologist and gender theorist
 * Stephen C. Smith (born 1968), American sociologist and 21st century trend researcher
 * Tom Snijders, Dutch mathematical sociologist
 * David A. Snow (born 1942), American sociologist
 * Werner Sombart (1863–1941), German economist and sociologist
 * Georges Sorel, French philosopher
 * Aage B. Sørensen, Danish-American sociologist
 * Bernardo Sorj (born 1948), Brazilian sociologist
 * Pitirim Sorokin (1889–1968), Russian sociologist
 * Herbert Spencer (1820–1903), English philosopher
 * Oswald Spengler (1880–1936), German philosopher
 * Lynette Spillman, American sociologist
 * Hasso Spode, German sociologist and historian
 * M N Srinivas (1916–1999), Indian sociologist
 * Susan Star, American sociologist
 * Carl Nicolai Starcke, Danish sociologist
 * David C. Stark, American sociologist
 * Rodney Stark, American sociologist
 * Paul Starr, American sociologist
 * Rodolfo Stavenhagen, Mexican anthropologist and sociologist
 * George Steinmetz, American sociologist
 * Ana María Díaz Stevens, Puerto Rican-American sociologist
 * Samuel A. Stouffer, American sociologist
 * Anselm L. Strauss (1916–1996), American sociologist
 * Wolfgang Streeck, German sociologist
 * Sheldon Stryker, American sociologist
 * Lucy Suchman, American sociologist
 * Mark Suchman, American sociologist
 * Thomas Sugrue, American historian and sociologist
 * William Graham Sumner (1840–1910), American sociologist
 * Eilert Sundt (1817–1875), Norwegian sociologist
 * Edwin Sutherland (1893–1950), American criminologist
 * Maristella Svampa, Argentinian sociologist
 * Ian Svenonius, American cultural sociologist
 * Richard Swedberg, Swedish sociologist
 * Ann Swidler, American sociologist
 * Jan Szczepanski (1913–2004), Polish sociologist
 * Iván Szelényi, Hungarian-American sociologist
 * Piotr Sztompka (born 1944), Polish sociologist

T

 * Hippolyte Taine (1828–1893), French positivist historian and critic
 * Yasuma Takada (1883–1972), Japanese sociologist
 * Salim Tamari, Palestinian historical sociologist
 * Lisa Taraki, Palestinian sociologist
 * Alexander Tarasov, Russian sociologist
 * Gabriel Tarde (1843–1904), French sociologist and social psychologist
 * Sidney Tarrow, American sociologist
 * R. H. Tawney (1880–1962), English ethical socialist
 * Dorceta Taylor, American environmental sociologist
 * Ian Taylor (1944–2001), English sociologist and criminologist
 * Laurie Taylor (born 1936), English sociologist and broadcaster
 * Göran Therborn, Swedish-British sociologist
 * W. I. Thomas (1863–1947), American social psychologist
 * E. P. Thompson (1924–1993), British socialist historian
 * John Thompson (1979–2021), British sociologist of culture and media
 * Sarah Thornton (born 1965), Canadian sociologist, writer, and ethnographer
 * Ole Thyssen, Danish sociologist
 * Marta Tienda, American sociologist
 * Charles Tilly (1929–2008), American sociologist
 * Nicholas Timasheff (1886–1970), Russian sociologist
 * Valery Tishkov (born 1941), Russian ethnologist and sociologist
 * Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859), French essayist and political analyst
 * Ferdinand Tönnies (1855–1936), German philosopher and founder of German sociology
 * Alain Touraine (1925–2023), French sociologist
 * Peter Townsend (1928–2009), British sociologist
 * Judith Treas, American sociologist
 * Renato Treves (1907–1992), Italian sociologist
 * Ernst Troeltsch (1865–1923), German sociologist and philosopher
 * Zeynep Tufekci, Turkish-American sociologist
 * Raimo Tuomela (1940–2020), Finnish philosopher and social theorist
 * Sherry Turkle, American sociologist
 * Bryan S. Turner, British sociologist
 * Jonathan H. Turner, American social theorist
 * Stephen Park Turner, American sociologist
 * France Winddance Twine (born 1960), American sociologist and ethnographer

U

 * John Urry (1946–2016), British sociologist

V

 * Mariana Valverde, Canadian sociologist
 * Francisco Varela (1946–2001), Chilean biologist and philosopher
 * Aninhalli Vasavi (born 1958), Indian sociologist
 * Diane Vaughan, American sociologist
 * Thorstein Veblen (1857–1929), American sociologist and economist
 * Ruut Veenhoven, Dutch sociologist
 * Calvin Veltman (born 1941), Canadian sociologist, demographer and sociolinguist
 * Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh, American sociologist
 * Eliseo Verón, Argentinian sociologist
 * Alfred Vierkandt (1867–1953), German sociologist
 * George Edgar Vincent (1864–1941), American sociologist
 * Paul Virilio (1932–2018), French philosopher and social theorist
 * Shiv Visvanathan, Indian sociologist and social scientist

W

 * Loïc Wacquant, French sociologist
 * Peter Wagner, German sociologist and social theorist
 * Judy Wajcman, British sociologist
 * Sylvia Walby, British sociologist
 * Immanuel Wallerstein (1930–2019), American sociologist and historian
 * Margit Warburg, Danish sociologist
 * Lester Frank Ward (1841–1913), founder of American sociology
 * Vron Ware, British educator and journalist
 * Mary C. Waters, American sociologist
 * Duncan Watts, American mathematical sociologist and network theorist
 * Emile Waxweiler (1867–1916), Belgian sociologist
 * Beatrice Webb (1858–1943), British socialist and social theorist
 * Sidney Webb (1859–1947), British socialist and social theorist
 * Alfred Weber (1868–1958), German sociologist
 * Marianne Weber (1870–1954), German sociologist
 * Max Weber (1864–1920), German sociologist
 * Frank Webster (born 1950), British sociologist
 * Margaret Weir, sociologist and political scientist
 * Barry Wellman (born 1942), Canadian/American sociologist
 * Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862–1931), American sociologist, journalist, social worker
 * John Westergaard (1931–2003), British sociologist
 * Edvard Westermarck (1862–1939), Finnish sociologist and philosopher
 * Nathan Whetten (1900–1984), American sociologist and academic administrator
 * Douglas R. White (1942–2021), American mathematical sociologist and anthropologist
 * Harrison White, American sociologist
 * William Foote Whyte (1914–2000), American sociologist
 * William H. Whyte (1917–1999), American sociologist, journalist and peoplewatcher
 * Saskia Wieringa (born in 1950), Dutch sociologist and professor
 * Leopold von Wiese (1876–1969), German sociologist
 * Michel Wieviorka (born 1946), French sociologist
 * Jean-Paul Willaime (born 1947), French sociologist of religions
 * Sidney M. Willhelm (1934–2018), American sociologist, author
 * Raymond Williams (1921–1988), British sociologist, novelist, and critic
 * Paul Willis (born 1945), British sociologist and social scientist
 * Helmut Willke, German sociologist
 * William Julius Wilson (born 1935), American sociologist
 * Howard Winant, American sociologist
 * Christopher Winship, American sociologist
 * Louis Wirth (1897–1952), German/American sociologist
 * Edmund Wnuk-Lipinski (1944–2015), Polish sociologist
 * José Woldenberg, Mexican sociologist
 * Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797), British social reformer
 * Steve Woolgar, British sociologist
 * Monroe Work (1866–1945), American sociologist
 * Erik Olin Wright (1947–2019), American sociologist
 * Robert Wuthnow, American sociologist

Y

 * Lewis Yablonsky (1924–2014), American sociologist
 * Kazuo Yamaguchi, Japanese sociologist, Department of Sociology, University of Chicago
 * Masahiro Yamada, Japanese sociologist
 * Hajar Yazdiha, American sociologist
 * John Milton Yinger (1916–2011), American sociologist, president of the American Sociological Association 1976–1977
 * Paul Yonnet (1948–2011), French sociologist
 * Michael Young (1915–2002), British sociologist and Labour politician

Z

 * Benjamin Zablocki (1941–2020), American sociologist and social psychologist
 * Mayer Zald (1931–2012), American sociologist
 * Tatyana Zaslavskaya (1927–2013), Russian sociologist
 * René Zavaleta Mercado (1935–1984), Bolivian sociologist
 * Hans Zeisel, Austrian-American sociologist
 * Viviana Zelizer, American sociologist
 * Eviatar Zerubavel, American cognitive sociologist
 * Jean Ziegler (born 1934), Swiss sociologist
 * Carle C. Zimmerman, American sociologist
 * Florian Znaniecki (1882–1958), Polish/American sociologist
 * Irving Zola (1935–1994), American medical sociologist and disability rights activist
 * Tukufu Zuberi, American sociologist
 * Harriet Zuckerman, American sociologist, specializes in science
 * Sharon Zukin, American sociologist
 * Phil Zuckerman, American sociologist