Contents

List of Aberdonians

• Ninian Comper (1864–1960), architect
• Bill Gibb (1943–1988), fashion designer
• James Gibbs (1682–1754), architect
• Archibald Simpson (1790–1847), architect, responsible for many Aberdeen buildings
• W. Douglas Simpson (1896–1968), architectural scholar and archaeologist
• John Smith (1781–1852), architect

Armed forces[edit]

• David Baird (1757–1829), soldier
• James Brooke (1884–1914), recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Robert Grierson Combe (1880–1917), recipient of the Victoria Cross
• John Cruickshank (born 1920), recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Marion Patterson (1911–1993), recipient of the George Medal
• John Rennie (1920–1943), acting sergeant, recipient of a posthumous George Cross for gallantry while on training
• Archibald Bisset Smith (1878–1917), recipient of the Victoria Cross

Art and sculpture[edit]

• John Macdonald Aiken (1880–1961), painter and stained-glass artist
• Johanna Basford (born 1983), illustrator and textile designer^[1][2]
• Alexander Milne Calder (1846–1923), sculptor
• Berthe des Clayes (1877–1968), artist
• Gertrude des Clayes (1879–1949), portrait painter
• William Dyce (1806–1864), artist
• George Jamesone (c. 1587–1644), Scotland's first eminent artist
• William Keith (1838–1911), landscape artist
• Jennifer Lee (born 1956), Scottish ceramic artist
• Shona Macdonald, artist, University of Massachusetts Amherst professor
• Esther Blaikie MacKinnon (1885–1934), artist
• James McBey (1883–1959), artist
• Alberto Morrocco (1917–1998), artist and teacher
• Stephen Reid (1873–1948), illustrator and painter

Business[edit]

• William Black (1771–1866), Canadian shipper and merchant
• Alexander Blackwell (c. 1700–1747), adventurer
• Thomas Blake Glover (1838–1911), trader in Bakumatsu and Meiji era Japan
• Robert Gordon (1668–1731), philanthropist and merchant
• Stewart Milne (born 1950), businessman and former Aberdeen F.C. chairman
• George Smith (1806–1899), financier
• Ian Wood, businessman
• Sir Thomas Sutherland, (1834-1922) was a Scottish banker and politician, initially elected to represent the Liberal Party and then as a Liberal Unionist. He founded The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation which was the founder member of HSBC Group and directed the P&O Company.

Literature and journalism[edit]

• Lord Byron (1788–1824), poet (raised in Aberdeen aged 2–10)
• Alexander Chalmers (1759–1834), writer and editor
• Simon Farquhar (born 1972), writer
• Lewis Grassic Gibbon (1901–1935), author
• Richard Gordon (born 1960), BBC Radio Scotland presenter
• John Imlah (1799–1846), poet
• Angus Konstam (born 1960), writer and historian
• Iain Levison (born 1963), novelist and journalist
• Lachlan Mackinnon (born 1956), poet and critic
• David Masson (1822–1907), author
• Arthur Butler Phillips Mee (1860–1926), journalist, historian and astronomer
• Lorna Moon (1886–1930), author and screenwriter
• Janet Milne Rae (1844–1933), novelist and missionary, born in Willowbank^[3]
• Alexander Scott (1920–1989), poet in Braid Scots and English
• Nan Shepherd (1893–1981), author and poet
• Rachel Annand Taylor (1876–1960), poet and critic

Music[edit]

• Connor Ball (born 1996), bassist of The Vamps
• Yvie Burnett (born 1963), opera singer, vocal coach and TV personality
• Ian Campbell (1933–2012), folk musician
• Ronald Center (1913–1973), composer
• Finlay Dun (1795–1853), musician and collector of Scottish songs
• Iona Fyfe (born 1998), award-winning Scots singer and musician
• Mary Garden (1874–1967), opera singer
• Evelyn Glennie (born 1965), virtuoso percussionist
• Calvin Goldspink (born 1989), singer and US-based actor
• Jimmy Hastings (born 1938), rock and jazz instrumentalist
• Annie Lennox (born 1954), singer
• Neil Mackie (born 1946), tenor and professor at Royal College of Music
• Alasdair MacLean (born 1974), vocalist and songwriter
• Terry McDermott, singer
• John McLeod (born 1934), composer
• Jimmy Murrison (born 1964), lead guitarist
• Pallas (1980 – present), progressive rock band
• Stanley Robertson (1940–2009), ballad singer and storyteller
• Seb Rochford, drummer
• Emeli Sandé (born 1987), singer
• The Shamen, electronic dance music band
• The Xcerts, band

Politics[edit]

• Richard Alexander (1934–2008), former MP for Newark
• Sir John Anderson (1858–1915), Governor of Straits Settlements
• Sir John Arbuthnot, 1st Baronet (1912–1992), politician
• Norman Baker, MP for Lewes and former UK government minister
• Peter Bevan-Baker (1962–), Canadian politician, the current leader for the PEI Green Party (from 2012), MLA (from 2015), and official opposition leader for Prince Edward Island (from 2019)
• Kirsty Blackman, SNP MP for Aberdeen North (from 2015)
• William Mortimer Clark (1836–1917), Canadian politician
• James Cran, former MP for Beverley, PPS, Maastricht Rebel and Shadow Deputy Leader of the House
• Dan Crenshaw, U.S. politician
• Stuart Donaldson, SNP MP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (from 2015)
• James Moir Ferres (1813–1870), Upper Canadian politician and journalist
• Frank Findlay (1884–1945), New Zealand politician
• James Forrester (1937–2011), U.S. politician
• Sydney Gardner (1884–1965), Australian politician
• Michael Gove (born 1967), Conservative MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
• Rosemary Hall (1925–2011), Scottish Nationalist politician
• John Hope (1842–1926), Tasmanian politician
• Joseph Hunter (1839–1935), Canadian politician and surveyor
• William Alexander Hunter (1844–1898), politician and jurist
• James Hutchison (1859–1909), Australian politician
• Sir William MacGregor (1846–1919), Lieutenant-Governor of British New Guinea, Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador and Governor of Queensland
• Callum McCaig, former MP for Aberdeen South (from 2015 to 2017)
• Donald Melville (1829–1919), Australian politician
• Alexander Mitchell (1817–1887), U.S. politician
• Robert Morrison, 1st Baron Morrison (1881–1953), British politician and parliamentary private secretary
• John Paton (1886–1976), politician and British MP
• Douglas Ross (born 1983), leader of the Scottish Conservatives
• William Bain Scarth (1837–1902), Canadian politician
• Sir Richard Shepherd, MP for Aldridge-Brownhills
• Graham Simpson (living), Conservative MSP
• Thomas Smith (1745–1809), U.S. politician
• Nicol Stephen, Baron Stephen (born 1960), Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Leader of Scottish Liberal Democrats
• John Stevenson, MP for Carlisle
• John Strachan, U.S. politician
• Ross Thomson (born 1987), politician and former MSP, former Conservative MP for Aberdeen South
• Eilidh Whiteford, SNP MP for Banff and Buchan (from 2010)

Religion[edit]

• Oswald Chambers (1874–1917), seminarian
• Alexander Cruden (1699–1770), theologian
• Alexander Ewing (1814–1873), church leader
• Rev. John Ferguson (1852–1925), Presbyterian minister and Acting Principal of St Andrew's CollegeatUniversity of Sydney^[4]
• Alan Main (born 1936), minister and Moderator of the Church of Scotland
• Rev. Scott Rennie (born 1972), minister and theologian
• John Strachan (1778–1867), first Anglican Bishop of Toronto
• William Turner (1844–1914), Roman Catholic Bishop of Galloway (1893–1914)
• Alexander Young (died 1684), Bishop of Edinburgh, then of Ross

Scholarship[edit]

• William Barclay (1546–1608), jurist
• John Hill Burton (1809–1881), Historiographer Royal
• Nora Griffith (1870–1937), Egyptologist and conservator
• Gilbert Jack (c. 1578–1628), Aristotelian philosopher and polymath
• Michael Lynch (born 1946), historian
• George Croom Robertson (1842–1892), philosopher
• Kathleen Stock (born 1972), philosopher

Science and medicine[edit]

• Terence Cawthorne (1902–1970), ear, nose and throat surgeon, knighted
• Sir Andrew Clark, 1st Baronet (1826–1893), physician and pathologist
• Quentin Gibson FRS (1918–2011), physiologist and biochemist
• Sir David Gill (1843–1914), astronomer
• David Gregory (1659–1708), astronomer
• James Gregory (1638–1675), astronomer and mathematician
• James Charles Inglis (1851–1911), civil engineer, knighted
• Wilson Jameson (1885–1962), physician
• John MacGillivray (1821–1867), naturalist
• William MacGillivray (1796–1852), naturalist and ornithologist
• Francis Masson (1741–1805), botanist
• Robert Morison (1620–1683), botanist and taxonomist
• Mary Pirie (1822–1855), botanist, entomologist and teacher

Sports[edit]

• Russell Anderson (born 1978), footballer
• Tim Baillie (born 1979), slalom canoeist and 2012 Olympic gold medal winner
• Ian Black, (born 1941), swimmer
• George Buchan (born 1950), footballer
• Martin Buchan (born 1949), footballer
• David Carry (born 1981), swimmer and 2006 Commonwealth gold medal winner
• Louise Christie (born 2000), rhythmic gymnast and 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medal winner
• Neil Cochran (born 1965), swimmer and 1984 Olympic bronze medal winner
• Rachel Corsie (born 1989), footballer
• Peter Craigmyle (1894 – 1979), football referee
• Warren Cummings (born 1980), footballer
• Chris Cusiter (born 1982), rugby union player
• Alex Dawson (born 1940), footballer
• Paul Dixon (born 1986), footballer
• Neil Fachie (born 1984), athlete and 2012 Paralympic gold medal winner
• James Angus Gillan (1885–1981), Olympic rower
• John Hewitt (born 1963), footballer and scorer of winning goal in 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup
• Stuart Holden (born 1985), footballer who plays for USA
• Denis Law (born 1940), footballer
• Paul Lawrie (born 1969), golfer
• Graham Leggat (1934–2015), footballer and TV presenter
• Moray Low (born 1984), rugby union player
• Ken Malcolm (1926–2006), footballer
• Shaun Maloney (born 1983), footballer (raised in Aberdeen)
• Shona Marshall (born 1964), sport shooter^[5]
• Bobby McDonald (born 1955), footballer
• Hannah Miley (born 1989), swimmer and 2010 Commonwealth gold medal winner (raised in Aberdeen)
• Willie Moir (1922–1988), footballer
• Bill Murray (1901–1961), footballer
• John Murray (1873–1916), cricketer
• George Mutch (1912–2001), footballer and trainer
• David Ojabo (born 2000), American football linebacker (raised in Aberdeen)
• Gavin Rae (born 1977), footballer
• Richie Ramsay (born 1983), golfer
• John Rattray (born 1978), skateboarder
• Andy Reid, football player in the 1930s
• Robbie Renwick (born 1988), swimmer and 2010 Commonwealth gold medal winner (raised in Aberdeen)
• Barry Robson (born 1978), footballer
• Andrew Shinnie (born 1989), footballer
• Fred Smith (1926–2005), footballer
• Neil Simpson (born 1961), footballer (raised in Aberdeenshire)
• Jason White (born 1978), rugby union player (raised in Aberdeen)

Stage and screen[edit]

• Jane Beadon (1913–1999), actress and socialite
• John Henry Anderson (1814–1874), magician
• William Devlin (1911–1987), stage, film and TV actor
• James Donald (1917–1993), actor
• Tunji Kasim (living), actor
• Rose Leslie (born 1987), actress
• Laurie Macmillan (1947–2001), broadcaster
• Laura Main, actress
• Scotland the What?, comedy revue act
• Michael Sheard (1938–2005), actor
• Jeff Stewart (born 1955), actor
• Annie Wallace, actress

Others[edit]

• John Watt Beattie (1859–1930), Tasmanian photographer
• William Dove Paterson (1860–1916), entertainer, cinematographer
• Leslie Benzies, video game producer and President of Rockstar North, creators of the critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto series
• Tom Dalgliesh (born 1945), games designer
• Juliet-Jane Horne (born 1984), model, Miss Scotland 2000
• George Washington Wilson (1823–1892), photographer
• Mary Helen Young, (1883–1945), nurse, French Resistance^[6]

References[edit]