List of Poles

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
J�zef 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 Wr�blewski (1845-1888), physicist
J�zef 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 G�recki (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 J�zef 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
J�zef 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
Casimir IV the Jagiellonian (1427-1494), king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania, victor in Thirteen Years' War (1454-1466)
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, Ul�szl� 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

J�zef 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
J�zef 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)

List of Poles

Science

Music

Literature

Arts

Entertainment

Royalty

Sports

Military

Politics and diplomacy

People who resisted Holocaust

Religion

Others

Controversial persons

Legendary persons

See also