Engineers from United Kingdom

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary British Engineers of all time. This list of famous British Engineers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of British Engineers.

1. #1

   

   William John Macquorn Rankine

   1820 - 1872

   HPI 76.9859 langs

   William John Macquorn Rankine was a Scottish engineer who is most famous for his work in thermodynamics. He is credited with the invention...Read moreShow less

   William John Macquorn Rankine was a Scottish engineer who is most famous for his work in thermodynamics. He is credited with the invention of the Rankine scale.

2. #2

   

   Isambard Kingdom Brunel

   1806 - 1859

   HPI 69.1952 langs

   Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a famous engineer who is most famous for his work on the Great Western Railway, the Clifton Suspension Bridge,...Read moreShow less

   Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a famous engineer who is most famous for his work on the Great Western Railway, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, and the SS Great Britain.

3. #3

   

   Hertha Ayrton

   1854 - 1923

   HPI 68.9041 langs

   English engineer, mathematician and inventor

4. #4

   

   Godfrey Hounsfield

   1919 - 2004

   HPI 67.5052 langs

   Godfrey Hounsfield is most famous for inventing the CT scanner in the 1970s.

5. #5

   

   William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong

   1810 - 1900

   HPI 67.2824 langs

   English inventor, scientist, engineer, industrialist

6. #6

   

   John Ambrose Fleming

   1849 - 1945

   HPI 66.8335 langs

   John Ambrose Fleming was most famous for inventing the thermionic valve, a vacuum tube that is used in radios and other devices to amplify...Read moreShow less

   John Ambrose Fleming was most famous for inventing the thermionic valve, a vacuum tube that is used in radios and other devices to amplify signals.

7. #7

   

   Colin Chapman

   1928 - 1982

   HPI 66.4931 langs

   Colin Chapman was a British engineer and inventor. He is most famous for creating the Lotus cars.

8. #8

   

   Charles George Gordon

   1833 - 1885

   HPI 66.2341 langs

   British army officer and administrator

9. #9

   

   Adrian Newey

   b. 1958

   HPI 65.5531 langs

   British Formula One engineer

10. #10

    

    Henry Royce

    1863 - 1933

    HPI 65.2240 langs

    English engineer, car designer, co-founder of Rolls-Royce