List of people from Croatia
This is a list of more or less famous people with Croatian heritage, born in or associated with Croatia or of immediate Croatian ancestry, including both Croats and members of Croatia's national minorities.
The bottom sections also include some corner cases:
- people born in parts of Illyria/Illyricum before the Great migrations
- people with less direct or less certain Croatian ancestry.
Architecture
- Andrija Aleši - builder
- Antun Albini - architect
- Hermann Bollé - architect (ethnic German)
- Andrija Buvina - builder
- Juraj Dalmatinac - architect from Šibenik
- Victor Kovačić - architect
- Luciano Laurana - architect, builder
- Ivo Tatić - architect
- Radovan - sculptor, builder from Trogir
Business
- Stephen Boskovich - "Boskovich Farms"
- Victor Grinich - "Fairchild Semiconductor"
- Ilija Letica - "Letica Corporation"
- Antonio Lucich-Lucas - engineer, oil exploration
- Anthony Maglica - "Maglite"
- Boris Mikšić - "Cortec Coproration"
- Marko Narančić - "Nalley’s Potato Chips"
Education, language, lulture
- Ljudevit Gaj - linguist, reformer
- Vatroslav Jagić - philologist
- Franjo Kuhač - folklorist, ethnologist
- Mihovil Kombol - literary historian
- Zvonimir Kulundžić - philologist
- Henry Suzzallo - education worker
- Ante Topić-Mimara - art collector
- Vinko Žganec - folklorist, ethnomusicologist
Entertainment
- Eric Bana - actor, from Australia
- Relja Bašić - actor
- Branko Bauer - producer
- Arsen Dedić - composer
- Oliver Dragojević - singer
- Boris Dvornik - actor
- Sergio Endrigo - singer
- Mira Furlan - actress
- Fadil Hadžić - producer, playwright, Bosnian Muslim
- Branko Gavella - playwright
- Tereza Kesovija - singer
- Sylva Koscina - actress, model
- Branko Lustig - film producer
- Antun Nalis - actor
- Krist Novoselic - rock musician
- Ivo Robić - singer
- Zvonimir Rogoz - actor
- Rick Rossovich - actor, from United States
- Marija Ružička-Strozzi - actress
- Tito Strozzi - actor
- Ivica Šerfezi - singer
- Goran Višnjić - actor
Exploration
- Joža Horvat - adventurer, writer
- Ivica Frković - explorer
- Stjepan Glavač- explorer, geographer
- Ferdinand Konščak - explorer
- Dragutin Lerman - explorer
- Marco Polo - Venetian explorer born on Curzola
- Ivan Ratkaj - Jesuit, explorer
- Tibor Sekelj - explorer
- Mirko and Stjepan Seljan - explorers
- Ignacije Szentmartony - explorer, Jesuit, astronomer
- Ivan Visin - explorer
History
- Ivan Kukuljević - historian
- Ivan Lucić - historian
- Franjo Rački - historian
Invention
- Aleksandar Just - inventor
- Franjo Hanaman - inventor, engineer
- Ivan Lupis-Vukić - inventor, engineer
- Slavoljub Eduard Penkala - inventor, (naturalized Slovak)
- Josip Ressel - inventor
- David Schwarz - inventor
- Nikola Tesla - Serbian inventor born in Croatia, engineer
- Faust Vrančić - inventor
- Ivan Vučetić - inventor
Literature
- Ivo Andrić - novelist
- Ivan Aralica - writer
- Milan Begović - writer
- Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić - writer
- Mile Budak - writer
- Viktor Car Emin - writer
- Mak Dizdar - poet, Bosnian Muslim
- Marin Držić - writer
- Ksaver Šandor Gjalski - writer
- Ivan Dživo Gundulić - poet
- Josip Kozarac - writer
- Ante Kovačić - writer
- Miroslav Krleža - novelist
- Eugen Kumičić - writer
- Hanibal Lucić - writer
- Ranko Marinković - writer
- Marko Marulić - writer
- Antun Gustav Matoš - poet
- Ivan Mažuranić - poet
- Vjenceslav Novak - writer
- Petar Preradović - poet
- August Šenoa - writer
- Dragutin Tadijanović - poet
- Josip Eugen Tomić - writer
- Tin Ujević - poet
- Stanko Vraz - poet
- Nikola Zrinski (grandson) - poet, philosopher, soldier
Media
- Jerome Jurenovich - headline sports broadcaster
- Bill Kurtis - investigative reporter, author
- Mary Matalin - political commentator
Military
- Rahim Ademi - soldier, (ethnic Albanian)
- Rafael Boban - soldier
- Janko Bobetko - general
- Viktor Bubanj - general
- Jure Francetić - soldier
- Ante Gotovina - general
- Matija Gubec - rebel
- Mirko Norac - general
- Franjo Trenk - soldier, musician
- Petar Zrinski - soldier
- Lothar Rendulic - general
Music
- Blagoje Bersa - composer
- Zlatko Baloković - violinist
- Silvio Bombardelli - composer
- Jakov Gotovac - composer
- Antonio Janigro - cellist
- Josip Klima - violinist
- Franjo Krežma - violinist
- Vatroslav Lisinski - composer
- Lovro Matačić - conductor
- Zinka Kunc-Milanov - soprano
- Maja Strozzi-Pecić - soprano
- Ivo Pogorelić - pianist
- Ema Pukčec - opera singer
- Ruža Pospiš-Baldani - mezzosoprano
- Marijana Radev - soprano
- Vladimir Ružđak - baritone
- Luka Sorkočević - composer
- Josip Štolcer-Slavenski - composer
- Franz von Suppé - composer
- Ivo Tijardović - composer
- Milka Trnina - soprano
- Ivan Zajc - composer
Politics
- Nick Begich - US politician
- Michael Bilandic - US politician
- Mate Boban - politician
- Josip Jelačić - politician, soldier
- Dennis Kucinich - US politician
- John Kasich - US politician
- Frank Mahovlić - Canadian politician, hockey player
- Ante Pavelić - politician
- Rose Perica Mofford - US politician
- Rudy Perpich - US politician
- Ivica Račan - politician
- George Radanovich - US politician
- Stjepan Radić - politician
- Ivo Sanader - politician
- Ante Starčević - politician
- Milan Sufflay - politician, historian
- Gojko Šušak - politician
- Josip Broz Tito - politician
- Radomiro Tomic - Chile an politician
- Ante Trumbić - politician
- Franjo Tuđman - politician
- Josip Juraj Strossmayer - cleric, benefactor
Religion
- August Kažotić - archbishop
- Alojzije Stepinac - archbishop
- Matija Vlačić Ilirik - protestant reformer
- Marija Petković - a beatified nun
- Pope Sixtus V - pope
Science
- Gaja Alaga - physicist
- Đuro Armeno Baglivi - physician
- Danilo Blanuša - mathematician
- Ruđer Bošković - physicist, philosopher
- Fran Bošnjaković - physicist
- Spiridon Brusina - paleontologist
- Grgur Bučić - naturalist, climatologist
- Ramiro Bujas - psychologist
- Frane Bulić - archeologist
- Nikola Cindro - physicist
- Herman Dalmatin (Herman Dalmata) - philosopher, lecturer, scientist
- Milislav Demerec - biologist
- Vladimir Devide - mathematician, Japan ologist
- Marko Antun de Dominis - physicist, mathematician
- Andrija Dudić - naturalist, astronomer, physician
- Asaf Duraković - physician, poet
- Vinko Dvoržak - physicist
- Dragutin Gorjanović-Kramberger - archaeologist, anthropologist
- Stjepan Gradić - mathematician
- Frederik Grisogono - mathematician
- Dunja Grbić-Galić - microbiologist
- Mirko Grmek - physician, science writer and historian
- William Feller - mathematician
- Andrija Fuderer - chemist, chess player
- Artur Gavazzi - geographer
- Marin Getaldić - physicist, mathematician
- Branko Horvat - economist
- Vladimir Hudolin - psychiatrist
- Gustav Janeček - chemist
- Mijo Kišpatić - geologist
- Marijan Košiček - psychologist
- Đuro Kurepa - mathematician
- Oton Kučera - mathematician, physicist
- Asim Kurjak - physician
- Eduard Miloslavić - physician
- Andrija Mohorovičić - geophysicist
- Stjepan Mohorovičić - physicist
- Grga Novak - archaeologist, historian
- Josip Pančić - physician, botanist from Bribir
- Frane Petrić - philosopher, scientist, historian
- Vladimir Prelog - chemist
- Đuro Pilar - geologist
- Eduard Prugovečki - physicist, writer
- Lavoslav Ružička - chemist
- Miroslav Radman - biologist
- Zvonimir Šeparović - lawyer, (victimology)
- Ante Šercer - physician
- Andrija Štampar - physician, diplomat
- Ivan Supek - physicist, philosopher
- Mirko Vidaković - forester, botanist
- Robert Visiani - botanist
- Vladimir Vranić - mathematician
- Vladimir Žerjavić - statistician, economist
Sport
- Đurđica Bjedov - swimmer
- Mark Bosnich - football player from Australia
- Krešimir Ćosić - basketball player
- George Chuvalo - boxing champion
- Žarko Dolinar - table tennis player
- Gary Gabelich - experimental car driver
- Ico Hitrec - football player
- Hrvoje Horvat - handball player
- Goran Ivanišević - tennis player
- Vinko Jelovac - basketball player
- Janica Kostelić - skier
- Štefica Krištof - bowling champion
- Toni Kukoč - basketball player
- Matija Ljubek - kayakist
- Franjo Mihalić - athlete (marathon)
- Mate Parlov - boxing champion
- Dražen Petrović - basketball player (Serb father)
- Rabar Braslav - chess player
- Veljko Rogošić - (marathon) swimmer
- Joe Sakic - Canadian hockey player
- Davor Šuker - football player
- Luciano Sušanj - athlete
- Dragutin Šurbek - table tennis champion
- Artur Takač - athlete, diplomat
- Mark Viduka - Australian football player
- Bernard Vukas - football player
Visual arts
- Antun Augustinčić - sculptor
- Federiko Benković - painter
- Vlaho Bukovac - painter
- Ivan Duknovic - sculptor
- Dušan Džamonja - sculptor, painter
- Ivan Generalić - painter
- Oton Gliha - painter
- Zlatko Grgić - animated film producer
- Nives Kavurić-Kurtović - painter
- Juraj Julije Klović - painter, (miniature)
- Miroslav Kraljević - painter
- Kristijan Kreković - painter
- Fran Kršinić - sculptor
- Francesco Laurana - sculptor
- Ivan Lacković-Croata - painter
- Mike Luckovich - cartoonist
- Dora Maar (Theodora Markovitch) - photographer, painter, model
- Andrija Maurović - illustrator
- Mato Celestin Medović - painter
- Ivan Meštrović - sculptor
- Edo Murtić - painter
- Slava Raškaj - painter
- Otto Reisinger - cartoonist
- Maksimilijan Vanka - painter
- Mladen Veža - illustrator
- Dušan Vukotić - animated film producer
Other
- Miroslav Filipović-Majstorović - mass murderer
Corner cases
The following people were born in Illyria or the subsequent Roman provinces that are now Croatia, before the Great Migrations and the arrival of the Croats and other Slavs:
- Diocletian - Roman emperor from Dalmatia
- Jerome - born at Stridon, (Pannonia/Dalmatia)
- Saint Marinus - builder of San Marino, from Rab
- Valentinian I - Roman emperor from Pannonia
- Valens - Roman emperor from Pannonia
- Pope John IV - pope from Dalmatia
The following people have less direct Croatian ancestry:
- Diego Maradona - footbal player; great grandmother (name unknown) from Dalmatia
- John Malkovich - actor; grandparents
The following people have uncertain Croatian ancestry:
See also
- Croatian literature (includes a list of Croats in literature)
- List of rulers of Croatia
- List of Slavs
- Istrians