The Most Famous
Physicists from Germany
This page contains a list of the greatest Germans Physicists. The pantheon dataset contains 851 Physicists, 108 of which were born in Germany. This makes Germany the birth place of the 2nd most number of Physicists.
Top 10
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Germans Physicists of all time. This list of famous Germans Physicists 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 Germans Physicists.
1. Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
With an HPI of 94.83, Albert Einstein is the most famous Germans Physicist. biography has been translated into 228 different languages on wikipedia.
2. Wilhelm Röntgen (1845 - 1923)
With an HPI of 87.15, Wilhelm Röntgen is the 2nd most famous Germans Physicist. biography has been translated into 139 different languages.
3. Max Planck (1858 - 1947)
With an HPI of 85.41, Max Planck is the 3rd most famous Germans Physicist. biography has been translated into 147 different languages.
4. Werner Heisenberg (1901 - 1976)
With an HPI of 83.50, Werner Heisenberg is the 4th most famous Germans Physicist. biography has been translated into 113 different languages.
5. Georg Ohm (1789 - 1854)
With an HPI of 83.08, Georg Ohm is the 5th most famous Germans Physicist. biography has been translated into 96 different languages.
6. Heinrich Hertz (1857 - 1894)
With an HPI of 82.34, Heinrich Hertz is the 6th most famous Germans Physicist. biography has been translated into 101 different languages.
7. Max Born (1882 - 1970)
With an HPI of 78.04, Max Born is the 7th most famous Germans Physicist. biography has been translated into 99 different languages.
8. Max von Laue (1879 - 1960)
With an HPI of 77.54, Max von Laue is the 8th most famous Germans Physicist. biography has been translated into 86 different languages.
9. Hermann von Helmholtz (1821 - 1894)
With an HPI of 77.32, Hermann von Helmholtz is the 9th most famous Germans Physicist. biography has been translated into 72 different languages.
10. Johannes Stark (1874 - 1957)
With an HPI of 76.77, Johannes Stark is the 10th most famous Germans Physicist. biography has been translated into 83 different languages.
People
Pantheon has 108 people classified as Germans physicists born between 1575 and 1976. Of these 108, 12 (11.11%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Germans physicists include Georg Bednorz, Gerd Binnig, and Horst Ludwig Störmer. The most famous deceased Germans physicists include Albert Einstein, Wilhelm Röntgen, and Max Planck. As of April 2024, 1 new Germans physicists have been added to Pantheon including Harald Lesch.
Living Germans Physicists
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Georg Bednorz
1950 - Present
HPI: 76.58
Gerd Binnig
1947 - Present
HPI: 73.15
Horst Ludwig Störmer
1949 - Present
HPI: 71.83
Theodor W. Hänsch
1941 - Present
HPI: 71.55
Klaus Hasselmann
1931 - Present
HPI: 67.74
Wolfgang Ketterle
1957 - Present
HPI: 64.61
Jürgen Kurths
1953 - Present
HPI: 54.52
Rolf-Dieter Heuer
1948 - Present
HPI: 53.55
Sabine Hossenfelder
1976 - Present
HPI: 48.55
Harald Lesch
1960 - Present
HPI: 48.46
Gabriele Hegerl
1962 - Present
HPI: 48.01
Katherine Freese
1957 - Present
HPI: 44.21
Deceased Germans Physicists
Go to all RankingsAlbert Einstein
1879 - 1955
HPI: 94.83
Wilhelm Röntgen
1845 - 1923
HPI: 87.15
Max Planck
1858 - 1947
HPI: 85.41
Werner Heisenberg
1901 - 1976
HPI: 83.50
Georg Ohm
1789 - 1854
HPI: 83.08
Heinrich Hertz
1857 - 1894
HPI: 82.34
Max Born
1882 - 1970
HPI: 78.04
Max von Laue
1879 - 1960
HPI: 77.54
Hermann von Helmholtz
1821 - 1894
HPI: 77.32
Johannes Stark
1874 - 1957
HPI: 76.77
Gustav Ludwig Hertz
1887 - 1975
HPI: 76.77
Otto von Guericke
1602 - 1686
HPI: 76.40
Newly Added Germans Physicists (2025)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Physicists were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 25 most globally memorable Physicists since 1700.
