London
London ranks 3rd in number of biographies on Pantheon, behind New York City, and Paris. The most famous people from London are Ada Lovelace, John Major, and Charles Babbage. The most famous people who died in London are Karl Marx, T. S. Eliot, and Jack the Ripper. London has been the birth place of many actors, and writers and the death place of many writers, and politicians. London is located in United Kingdom.
London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.1 million people in 2024. Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 15.1 million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) tidal estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years. Its ancient core and financial centre, the City of London, was founded by the Romans as Londinium and has retained its medieval boundaries. The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has been the centuries-long host of the national government and parliament. London grew rapidly in the 19th century, becoming the world's largest city at the time. Since the 19th century the name "London" has referred to the metropolis around the City of London, historically split between the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent and Hertfordshire, which since 1965 has largely comprised the administrative area of Greater London, governed by 33 local authorities and the Greater London Authority. Read more on Wikipedia
People
Between 0 and 2008, London was the birth place of 1,026 globally memorable people, including Ada Lovelace, John Major, and Charles Babbage. Additionaly, 1,017 globally memorable people have passed away in London including Karl Marx, T. S. Eliot, and Jack the Ripper.
People Born in London
Go to all RankingsAda Lovelace
MATHEMATICIAN
1815 - 1852
HPI: 87.83
Rank: 1
John Major
POLITICIAN
1943 - Present
HPI: 83.84
Rank: 2
Charles Babbage
INVENTOR
1791 - 1871
HPI: 81.59
Rank: 3
David Ricardo
ECONOMIST
1772 - 1823
HPI: 80.48
Rank: 4
Alan Rickman
ACTOR
1946 - 2016
HPI: 79.04
Rank: 5
Anna Wintour
WRITER
1949 - Present
HPI: 78.83
Rank: 6
Patrick Blackett
PHYSICIST
1897 - 1974
HPI: 78.48
Rank: 7
Geoffrey Chaucer
WRITER
1343 - 1400
HPI: 78.27
Rank: 8
Cat Stevens
MUSICIAN
1948 - Present
HPI: 77.66
Rank: 9
Anthony Giddens
SOCIOLOGIST
1938 - Present
HPI: 77.29
Rank: 10
Clementine Churchill
POLITICIAN
1885 - 1977
HPI: 76.67
Rank: 11
Cyril Norman Hinshelwood
CHEMIST
1897 - 1967
HPI: 76.52
Rank: 12
Newly Added People Born in London
Go to all RankingsKate Barry
ACTOR
1967 - 2013
HPI: 53.67
Rank: 524
Edd China
INVENTOR
1971 - Present
HPI: 52.45
Rank: 569
Christien Anholt
ACTOR
1971 - Present
HPI: 50.11
Rank: 663
Edward St Aubyn
WRITER
1960 - Present
HPI: 49.63
Rank: 677
Azela Robinson
ACTOR
1965 - Present
HPI: 49.14
Rank: 689
Stephen Norrington
FILM DIRECTOR
1964 - Present
HPI: 48.56
Rank: 707
Daphne Guinness
FILM DIRECTOR
1967 - Present
HPI: 48.43
Rank: 710
Robert Wells
BOXER
1961 - 2025
HPI: 47.71
Rank: 727
George Benjamin
COMPOSER
1960 - Present
HPI: 47.13
Rank: 737
Laetitia Meignan
MARTIAL ARTS
1960 - Present
HPI: 47.12
Rank: 738
Adam Tooze
HISTORIAN
1967 - Present
HPI: 46.93
Rank: 742
Siobhan Dowd
WRITER
1960 - 2007
HPI: 46.65
Rank: 752
People Deceased in London
Go to all RankingsKarl Marx
ECONOMIST
1818 - 1883
HPI: 92.24
Rank: 1
T. S. Eliot
WRITER
1888 - 1965
HPI: 87.25
Rank: 2
Jack the Ripper
EXTREMIST
1850 - Present
HPI: 87.14
Rank: 3
H. G. Wells
WRITER
1866 - 1946
HPI: 85.76
Rank: 4
Friedrich Engels
PHILOSOPHER
1820 - 1895
HPI: 85.72
Rank: 5
George Orwell
WRITER
1903 - 1950
HPI: 85.28
Rank: 6
Alexander Fleming
BIOLOGIST
1881 - 1955
HPI: 84.76
Rank: 7
Robert Hooke
PHYSICIST
1635 - 1703
HPI: 82.93
Rank: 8
Catherine of Valois
COMPANION
1401 - 1437
HPI: 80.98
Rank: 9
Robert Boyle
CHEMIST
1627 - 1691
HPI: 80.93
Rank: 10
William Gilbert
PHYSICIST
1544 - 1603
HPI: 80.32
Rank: 11
Anthony van Dyck
PAINTER
1599 - 1641
HPI: 80.23
Rank: 12
Newly Added People Deceased in London
Go to all RankingsRonny Jordan
MUSICIAN
1962 - 2014
HPI: 45.79
Rank: 1,003
Simon Fisher-Becker
ACTOR
1961 - 2025
HPI: 43.85
Rank: 1,011
Andrew Weatherall
MUSICIAN
1963 - 2020
HPI: 42.81
Rank: 1,013
Sophiya Haque
ACTOR
1971 - 2013
HPI: 34.93
Rank: 1,014
Mama Cax
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
1989 - 2019
HPI: 29.07
Rank: 1,017
Occupations
Most individuals born in present day London were actors (224), writers (117), politicians (104), musicians (54), and athletes (44), while most who died were writers (167), politicians (115), actors (108), painters (60), and musicians (55).
Occupational Trends
Over the past 100 years, actors have been the top profession of globally memorable people born in London, including Alan Rickman, Gary Oldman, and James Fox. Whereas, throughout history, actors have been the profession with the most memorable people born in present day London, including Alan Rickman, Gary Oldman, and James Fox.
Places
Overlapping Lives
Below is a visual represetation of the lifespans of the top 25 globally memorable people born in London since 1700.









































