List of Polish people
This is a partial list of famous Polish, Polish-speaking/writing people, and people born in Poland.
Science
- Stefan Banach (1892-1945), mathematician
- Karol Borsuk (1905-1982), mathematician
- Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), astronomer
- Maria Curie-Skłodowska (1867-1934), scientist, Nobel Prize winner (twice), first female Nobel prize winner
- Jan Czekanowski (1882-1965), anthropologist
- Jan Czerski (1845-1892), geographer and geologist
- Samuel Dickstein (1851-1939), mathematician
- Ignacy Domeyko (1802-1889), geologist
- Samuel Eilenberg (1913-1998), mathematician
- Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736), physicist
- Kazimierz Funk (1884-1967), biochemist
- Rudolf Gundlach (1894-1957), inventor of tank periscope
- Mirosław Hermaszewski (b. 1941), the first polish astronaut
- Johannes Hevelius (Jan Heweliusz) (1611-1687), astronomer
- Jozef Hofman (1876-1957), pianist, inventor of windscreen wipers and car springs
- Witold Hurewicz (1904-1956), mathematician
- Roman Ingarden (1893-1970), philosopher
- Mark Kac (1914-1984), mathematician
- Antoni Kepinski (1918-1972), psychiatrist
- Janusz Korczak (1878-1942), pedagogist
- Jan Kubary (1846-1896), anthropologist
- Krystyna Kuperberg (1944-), mathematician
- Kazimierz Kuratowski (1896-1980), mathematician
- Ignacy Łukasiewicz (1822-1882), founder of the world petroleum industry
- Jan Łukasiewicz (1878-1956), mathematician
- Henryk Magnuski (1909-1978), engineer, inventor of the Walkie-talkie
- Bronisław Malinowski (1884-1942), anthropologue and ethnologue
- Benoit Mandelbrot (1924-), mathematician
- Józef Marcinkiewicz (1910-1940 ), mathematician
- Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski (Andreas Fricius Modrevius) (1503-1572), political theorist and philosopher
- Wladyslaw Orlicz (1903-1990), mathematician
- Emil Leon Post (1897-1954), mathematician
- Bohdan Paczyński (1940-) astronomer
- Bronisław Piłsudski (1866-1918), anthropologist
- Marian Rejewski (1905-1980), mathematician and cryptologist
- Stanislaw Saks (1897-1942), mathematician
- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 - 1860), philosopher
- Wacław Sierpiński (1882-1969), mathematician
- Marian Smoluchowski (1872-1917), physicist
- Hugo Steinhaus(1887-1972), mathematician.
- Pawel Strzelecki (1797-1873), explorer
- Alfred Tarski (1901-1983), mathematician
- Stanislaw Ulam (1909 - 1984), mathematician
- Rudolf Weigl (1883-1957), biologist and the inventor of the typhus vaccine
- Piotr Wilniewczyc (1887-1960), arms constructor
- Paweł Włodkowic (1370-1435), scholar and laywer
- Edmund Wnuk-Lipinski (1944-), sociologist
- Aleksander Wolszczan (1946-), astronomer
- Zygmunt Wróblewski (1845-1888), physicist
- Józef Hoene-Wroński (1778-1853), mathematician and philosopher
- Ludwik Zamenhof (1859-1917), linguist
- Kazimierz Zarankiewicz (1902-1959) mathematician
- Antoni Zygmund (1900 - 1992) mathematician
Music
- Fryderyk Chopin (1810–1849)
- Krzysztof Penderecki (1933–)
- Wojciech Kilar (1932–)
- Karol Lipiński (1790–1861)
- Witold Lutosławski (1913–1994)
- Zbigniew Preisner (1955–)
- Henryk Górecki (1933–)
- Arthur Rubinstein (1887–1982), pianist
- Karol Szymanowski (1882–1937)
- Władysław Szpilman (1911–2000), pianist
- Henryk Wieniawski (1835–1880)
- Wanda Landowska (1879–1959), harpsichordist
Literature
- Jan Brzechwa (1900–1966), poet
- Joseph Conrad (Teodor Józef Korzeniowski) (1857–1924), English writer
- Lucyna Cwierczakiewiczowa (1829–1901, the first Polish cook book author
- Johannes Dantiscus (Jan Dantyszek) (1485–1548), Latin poet and Prince-Bishop of Warmia
- Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz (1898–1939), novelist
- Jacek Dukaj (b. 1974), science-fiction writer
- Witold Gombrowicz (1904–1969), novelist and drama writer
- Zbigniew Herbert (1924–1998), poet
- Ryszard Kapuściński (b. 1932), writer and journalist
- Jan Kochanowski (1530–1584), poet
- Tadeusz Konwicki (b1926-)
- Jerzy Kosiński (1933–1991)
- Zofia Kossak-Szczucka (1890–1968)
- Stanisław Lem (b. 1921), science-fiction writer, essayist, philosopher
- Adam Mickiewicz (1798–1855), poet
- Czesław Miłosz, Polish poet, Nobel Prize in Literature in 1980 (June 30, 1911 – August 14, 2004)
- Cyprian Kamil Norwid (1821–1883), poet
- Krzysztof Piesiewicz (b. 1945), screenwriter and politician
- Władysław Reymont (1867–1925), writer, Nobel Prize in Literature in 1924
- Marcel Reich-Ranicki (b. June 2, 1920), literary critic
- Andrzej Sapkowski (b. 1948), fantasy writer
- Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846–1916), writer, Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905
- Wisława Szymborska (b. 1923), Polish poet, Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996
- Bruno Schulz (1892–1942), writer
- Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz (“Witkacy”) (1885–1939), writer and painter
- Stanisław Witkiewicz (1851–1915), writer, painter and art theoretician
- Stanisław Wyspiański, (1869–1907), painter and writer
- Franciszek Zabłocki (1754–1821), comic dramatist and satirist
- Janusz A. Zajdel (1938–1995), science-fiction writer
Arts
- Magdalena Abakanowicz (born 1930), sculptor
- Daniel Chodowiecki (1726-1801), painter
- Jerzy Grotowski (1933-1999), theatre reformer
- Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980), painter
- Zbigniew Lengren (1919 - 2003), cartoonist and illustrator
- Jan Matejko (1838-1893), painter
- Nikifor (1895-1968), painter
- Napoleon Orda (1807-1883), painter
Entertainment
- Agnieszka Holland (1948-), film director
- Kazimierz Kutz (1929-), film director
- Krzysztof Kieslowski (1941-1996), film director
- Roman Polanski (1933-), film director and actor
- Andrzej Wajda (1926-), film director
- Andrzej Zulawski (1940-), film director
- Józef Arkusz, (1921-1996), film director
- Eugeniusz Bodo (1899-1943), singer and actor
- Zbigniew Cybulski (1927-1967), actor
- Katarzyna Figura (1962-), actress
- Jan Kiepura (1902-1966), singer and actor
- Bogusław Linda (1952-), actor
- Helena Modrzejewska (1840-1909), actress
- Pola Negri (1894-1987), actress
- Joanna Pacula (1957-), actress
- Ewa Demarczyk, (1941-), actress, poetry singer
- Ludwika Paleta (1978-), actress famous in Mexico
- Wojciech Pszoniak (1942-), actor of Comedie Francaise
- Daniel Olbrychski (1945-), actor
- Izabella Scorupco (1970-) actress
- Jacek Kaczmarski, (1957-2004), protest songwriter and singer
Royalty
- Swiatoslawa (Gunhild) (967-1014), daughter of Mieszko I of Poland, mother of Canute the Great, king of England, Denmark and Norway
- Boleslaus the Brave (966/967-1025), first king of Poland
- Henry II the Pious (?-1241), senior duke of Poland, commander of Polish forces in Battle of Legnica
- Jadwiga of Poland (1374-1399), queen of Poland, canonised
- Casimir IV the Jagiellonian (1427-1494), king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania, victor in Thirteen Years' War (1454-1466)
- Ladislaus II of Poland (1456-1516), king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania, creator of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
- Jan III Sobieski (John III of Poland) (1629-1696), king of Poland and Great Duke of Lithuania, victor at the Battle of Vienna
- Stanislaw Leszczynski, (Stanislaus I of Poland) (1677-1766), king of Poland and prince of Lorraine
- Maria Leszczynska, wife of Louis XV king of France
- Ladislaus III, (Władysław III Warneńczyk, Ulászló I), 1424-1444, king of Poland and Hungary
- Aleksandra Lisowska (Khourrem) (~1510 - 1558), (wife of Suleiman the Magnificent)
Sports
- Waldemar Baszanowski (1935-), weightlifter
- Zbigniew Boniek (1956 -), soccer forward
- Mariusz Czerkawski (1972 -), ice hockey player
- Kazimierz Deyna (1947-1989), soccer player
- Jerzy Dudek (1973 -), soccer goalkeeper
- Wojtek Fibak (1952 -), tennis player
- Malgorzata Glinka (1978 -), volleyball player
- Robert Gadocha (1946 -), soccer player
- Tomasz Gollob (1971 -), speedway driver
- Andrew Golota (1968 -), boxer
- Jerzy Gorgon (1949 -), soccer player
- Andrzej Grubba (1958 -), table tennis player
- Zenon Jaskula (1962 -), cycler
- Henryk Kasperczak (1946 -), soccer player
- Robert Korzeniowski (1968 -), athlete
- Jerzy Kukuczka (1948 - 1989), climber
- Jerzy Kulej (1940 -), boxer
- Grzegorz Lato (1950 -), soccer player
- Wlodzimierz Lubanski (1947 -), soccer player
- Adam Malysz (1977 -), ski jumper
- Waldemar Marszalek (1942 -), powerboating racer
- Dariusz Michalczewski (1968 -), boxer
- Artur Partyka (1969 -), high jumper
- Mariusz Pudzianowski (1979 -), strongman
- Wanda Rutkiewicz (1943 - 1992), climber
- Andrzej Szarmach (1950 -) soccer player
- Irena Szewinska (1946 -), sprinter
- Jan Szurkowski (1946 -), cycler
- Jan Tomaszewski (1948 -), soccer goalkeeper
- Krzysztof Wielicki (1950 -), climber
- Sobieslaw Zasada (1930 -), rally driver
Military
- Józef Bem (1794-1850), military commander, commander-in-chief of Hungarian army (1849)
- Jan Karol Chodkiewicz (1560-1621), military commander, victor from Kircholm
- Jarosław Dąbrowski (1836-1871), military commander during the January Uprising and the Paris Commune
- Henryk Dembiński (1791-1864), military commander in the November Uprising and the Hungarian uprising of 1849
- Józef Haller (1873-1960), politician, commander of the Polish Army in France during WWI
- Tadeusz Komorowski (1895-1966), commander of the Home Army during the Warsaw Uprising
- Tadeusz Kosciuszko (1746-1817), commander and revolutionist
- Stanislaw Maczek (1892-1994), commander of the Polish Armoured Division, later C-i-C of the Polish forces in exile after WWII
- Stanislaw Sosabowski (1892-1967), commander of the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade, which saw action at Arnhem during Operation Market Garden
- Casimir Pulaski, military commander
- Stefan Rowecki (1895-1944?), military commander, commander-in-chief of the Home Army
- Edward Śmigły-Rydz (1886-1941), military commander, successful in the Polish-Bolshevik war, C-i-C of the Polish Army in the September Campaign
- Aleksander Lisowski (1575-1616), commander of Lisowczycy
- Stanislaus Zolkiewski (1547-1620), chancellor of Poland, military commander, conqueror of Moscow
Politics and diplomacy
- Zbigniew Brzezinski (1928-), political scientist, advisor of US president Jimmy Carter
- Krzysztof Grzymułtowski (1620-1687), diplomat and voivod of Poznań, author of the Eternal Peace Treaty with Russia
- Wojciech Korfanty (1873-1939), leader Silesians during Third Silesian Uprising
- Tadeusz Mazowiecki, politician
- Jozef Pilsudski (1867-1935), statesman, politician and marshall
- Lech Walesa (born 1943), trade unionist who started dismantling of the Soviet bloc
People who resisted Holocaust
- Mordechaj Anielewicz (1919 - 1943) Military Leader of Warszawa Ghetto Uprising
- Henryk Slawik (1894 - 1944) Polish diplomat
- Jan Karski
- Zofia Kossak-Szczucka
- Irena Sendlerowa
Religion
- John Paul II (born 1920), the Pope
- Jacob Frank, (1726-1791)
Others
- Benedict the Pole (Benedictus Polonus, Benedykt Polak), (1200-1280), explorer
- Florian Ceynowa
- Ryszard Kuklinski (1930-2004), CIA masterspy during the Cold War
- Miguel Najdorf (1910-1997), chess player
- Krystyna Skarbek (1915-1952), SOE heroine of WW II
- Janusz Zurakowski, WW II fighter pilot and Avro Arrow test pilot
Controversial persons
- Feliks Dzierzynski (1877-1926), Cheka founder
- Ignacy Hryniewiecki (1855-1881), murderer of Tsar Alexander II of Russia
Legendary persons
- John of Kolno (Jan z Kolna, Johannes Scolnus or Scolvus), (semi?)legendary explorer and discoverer of America before Columbus (1476)