100 Notable alumni of University of Glasgow

Updated: June 23, 2026 EliteDegrees

University of Glasgow is ranked #94 in the world and #8 in United Kingdom by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from University of Glasgow sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with University of Glasgow won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.

William McIlvanney

1. William McIlvanney

1936-2015 (aged 79)
poet writer journalist
William Angus McIlvanney was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, and poet. He was known as Gus by friends and acquaintances. McIlvanney was a champion of gritty yet poetic literature; his works Laidlaw, The Papers of Tony Veitch, and Walking Wounded are all known for their portrayal of Glasgow in the 1970s. He is regarded as "the father of Tartan...
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Ken MacLeod

2. Ken MacLeod

1954-. (aged 72)
science fiction writer blogger writer
Kenneth Macrae MacLeod is a Scottish science fiction writer. His novels The Sky Road and The Night Sessions won the BSFA Award. MacLeod's novels have been nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke, Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Campbell Memorial awards for best novel on multiple occasions. In 2024 MacLeod was one of the Guests of Honour at the 82nd World Science...
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John Maclean

3. John Maclean

1800-1886 (aged 86)
language teacher
John Maclean was a Scottish schoolteacher and revolutionary socialist of the Red Clydeside era. He was notable for his outspoken opposition to World War I, which caused his arrest under the Defence of the Realm Act and loss of his teaching post, after which he became a full-time Marxist lecturer and organiser. In April 1918 he was arrested for sedition,...
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David Douglas

4. David Douglas

1799-1834 (aged 35)
botanical collector explorer gardener ornithologist botanist
David Douglas was a Scottish botanist, best known as the namesake of the Douglas fir. He worked as a gardener, and explored the Scottish Highlands, North America and Hawaii, where he died. The standard author abbreviation Douglas is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.
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John Nicolson

5. John Nicolson

1961-. (aged 65)
journalist politician
John MacKenzie Nicolson is a Scottish journalist, broadcaster and Scottish National Party (SNP) politician.
Paul Sweeney

6. Paul Sweeney

1989-. (aged 37)
politician economist
Paul John Sweeney FIES VR is a Scottish politician. A member of the Scottish Labour and Co-operative Party, he currently serves as Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Glasgow region in the 6th Scottish Parliament, elected in May 2021. He previously served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow North East from 2017 to 2019.
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Alberto Costa

7. Alberto Costa

1971-. (aged 55)
solicitor lawyer politician
Alberto Castrenze Costa is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for South Leicestershire since 2015. He served as Shadow Solicitor General from July to November 2024.
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John Grierson

8. John Grierson

1898-1972 (aged 74)
screenwriter director film director film editor film producer
John Grierson CBE was a Scottish filmmaker, film theorist, and critic, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. In 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" in a review of Robert J. Flaherty's Moana. In 1939, Grierson established the all-time Canadian film institutional production and distribution company The National Film Board of Canada controlled by the Government of...
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James McGill

9. James McGill

1744-1813 (aged 69)
merchant businessperson politician
James McGill was a Scottish-born businessman, politician, slaveholder, and philanthropist best known for being the founder of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada for Montreal West and appointed to the Executive Council of Lower Canada in 1792. He was an honorary lieutenant colonel of the 1st Battalion, Montreal Militia, a predecessor...
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Catherine Calderwood

10. Catherine Calderwood

1968-. (aged 58)
gynecologist
Catherine Jane Calderwood is a Scottish consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, who has served as the National Clinical Director for Sustainable Delivery at the Golden Jubilee University National Hospital since 2021. She previously served as the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland from 2015 to 2020, having advised the Scottish Government's initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland.
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Robert Stirling

11. Robert Stirling

1790-1878 (aged 88)
engineer inventor cleric
Robert Stirling was a Scottish clergyman and engineer. He invented the Stirling engine and was inducted into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame in 2014.
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Kazimierz Kuratowski

12. Kazimierz Kuratowski

1896-1980 (aged 84)
mathematician philosopher university teacher topologist
Kazimierz Kuratowski was a Polish mathematician and logician. He was one of the leading representatives of the Warsaw School of Mathematics. He worked as a professor at the University of Warsaw and at the Mathematical Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IM PAN). Between 1946 and 1953, he served as President of the Polish Mathematical Society.
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Charles Mackay

13. Charles Mackay

1814-1889 (aged 75)
poet writer journalist
Charles Mackay was a Scottish poet, journalist, author, anthologist, novelist, and songwriter, remembered mainly for his book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds.
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Gus O'Donnell, Baron O'Donnell

14. Gus O'Donnell, Baron O'Donnell

1952-. (aged 74)
diplomat economist
Augustine Thomas O'Donnell, Baron O'Donnell, GCB, FBA, FAcSS is a former British senior civil servant and economist, who between 2005 and 2011 (under three Prime Ministers) served as the Cabinet Secretary, the highest official in the British Civil Service.
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Shona Robison

15. Shona Robison

1966-. (aged 60)
politician
Shona McRory Robison is a Scottish politician who has served as Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government since 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she previously served as Deputy First Minister of Scotland from 2023 to 2024. Robison has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Dundee City East since 2003 and was an...
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James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce

16. James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce

1838-1922 (aged 84)
barrister university teacher historian diplomat writer
James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce, OM, GCVO, PC, FRS, FBA, was a British academic, jurist, historian, and Liberal politician. According to Keith Robbins, he was a widely traveled authority on law, government, and history whose expertise led to high political offices culminating with his successful role as ambassador to the United States, 1907–13. In that era, he represented the interests...
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Derek Mackay

17. Derek Mackay

1977-. (aged 49)
politician
Derek Mackay is a former Scottish politician who served as Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work from 2016 to 2020. A former member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he was Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Renfrewshire North and West from 2011 to 2021. Mackay served as a government minister from 2011 to 2020 under the...
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Jenny Gilruth

18. Jenny Gilruth

politician
Jennifer Madeleine Gilruth is a Scottish politician who has served as the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills since 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Mid Fife and Glenrothes since 2016.
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Sir Thomas Munro, 1st Baronet

19. Sir Thomas Munro, 1st Baronet

1761-1827 (aged 66)
military officer
Major-General Sir Thomas Munro, 1st Baronet KCB was a Scottish soldier and British colonial administrator. He served as an East India Company Army officer and statesman, in addition to also being the governor of Madras Presidency.
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Kevin Sneader

20. Kevin Sneader

1967-. (aged 59)
business consultant business executive
Kevin Sneader is a Canadian and British management consultant. He was McKinsey & Company's global managing partner from July 2018 to July 2021. He failed to secure a second term in that position in early 2021, becoming the first global managing partner since 1976 not to win such an election. He was hired by Goldman Sachs as co-president for the...
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John Toland

21. John Toland

1912-2004 (aged 92)
historian novelist writer
John Toland was an Irish rationalist philosopher and freethinker, and occasional satirist, who wrote numerous books and pamphlets on political philosophy and philosophy of religion, which are early expressions of the philosophy of the Age of Enlightenment. Born in Ireland, he was educated at the universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leiden and Oxford and was influenced by the philosophy of John...
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Robert Caldwell

22. Robert Caldwell

1814-1891 (aged 77)
Dravidologist missionary Indologist
Robert Caldwell was a British missionary and linguist.
William Cullen

23. William Cullen

1710-1790 (aged 80)
chemist psychiatrist university teacher farmer surgeon
William Cullen FRS FRSE FRCPE was a Scottish physician, chemist and agriculturalist from Hamilton, Scotland, who also served as a professor at the Edinburgh Medical School. Cullen was a central figure in the Scottish Enlightenment: He was David Hume's physician, and was friends with Joseph Black, Henry Home, Adam Ferguson, John Millar, and Adam Smith, among others.
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Scott Manley

24. Scott Manley

1972-. (aged 54)
astronomer YouTuber programmer science communicator
Scott Park Manley is a Scottish-American science communication YouTuber, gamer, astrophysicist, and programmer. On his YouTube channel, he makes videos discussing space-related topics and news, mainly concerning up-to-date rocket science developments. He also plays space-themed video games, most notably Kerbal Space Program, while using his physics background to teach science concepts.
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James McCune Smith

25. James McCune Smith

1813-1865 (aged 52)
physician writer pharmacist
James McCune Smith was an American physician, apothecary, abolitionist and author. He was the first African American to earn a medical degree. His M.D. was awarded by the University of Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland, where a building has been dedicated to him. After his return to the United States, he also became the first African American to run a pharmacy...
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Alan Sked

26. Alan Sked

1947-. (aged 79)
historian politician
Alan Sked FRHistS is a Scottish Eurosceptic academic. He founded the Anti-Federalist League (in order to oppose the Maastricht Treaty) and its successor the UK Independence Party (UKIP), he later founded New Deal and then Prosper UK in opposition of UKIP. He is Professor Emeritus of International History at the London School of Economics and has stood as a candidate...
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Gail Honeyman

27. Gail Honeyman

1972-. (aged 54)
writer
Gail Honeyman is a Scottish writer whose debut novel, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, won the 2017 Costa First Novel Award.
Thomas Campbell

28. Thomas Campbell

1777-1844 (aged 67)
writer musicologist poet journalist
Thomas Campbell was a Scottish poet. He was a founder and the first President of the Clarence Club and a co-founder of the Literary Association of the Friends of Poland; he was also one of the initiators of a plan to found what became University College London. In 1799 he wrote Pleasures of Hope, a traditional 18th-century didactic poem in...
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Ken McCallum

29. Ken McCallum

1974-. (aged 52)
civil servant intelligence officer
Sir Kenneth Douglas McCallum is a British intelligence officer who has been serving as the director general of MI5 since 2020.
John Niven

30. John Niven

1966-. (aged 60)
writer guitarist editing staff screenwriter
John Niven is a Scottish author and screenwriter. His books include Kill Your Friends, The Amateurs, The Second Coming and O Brother.
Francis Hutcheson

31. Francis Hutcheson

1694-1746 (aged 52)
university teacher theologian writer philosopher economist
Francis Hutcheson was an Irish philosopher of Scottish descent, widely regarded as one of the key figures of the early Scottish Enlightenment. He served as Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow and was a major advocate of moral sense theory, which holds that humans possess an innate sense that guides moral judgments. Hutcheson is best known for...
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Andrew Watson

32. Andrew Watson

1857-1921 (aged 64)
mathematician engineer physicist association football player
Andrew Watson was a Scottish footballer who is widely considered to be the first black person to play association football at international level. He played three matches for Scotland between 1881 and 1882. Arthur Wharton was previously commonly thought to be the first black player, as he was the first black professional footballer to play in the Football League, but...
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Takamine Jōkichi

33. Takamine Jōkichi

1854-1922 (aged 68)
chemist
Takamine Jōkichi was a Japanese chemist. He is known for being the first to isolate adrenaline in 1901.
Ewen MacAskill

34. Ewen MacAskill

1952-. (aged 74)
journalist
Ewen MacAskill is a Scottish journalist. He worked for 22 years on The Guardian, ending his career in September 2018 as the newspaper's defence and intelligence correspondent. MacAskill was involved in preparing the publication disclosures from Edward Snowden of the activities of the American National Security Agency (NSA).
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David MacMillan

35. David MacMillan

1968-. (aged 58)
university teacher chemist
Sir David William Cross MacMillan is a Scottish chemist and the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University, where he was also the chair of the Department of Chemistry from 2010 to 2015. He shared the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Benjamin List "for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis". MacMillan used his share of the...
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Colin MacLaurin

36. Colin MacLaurin

1698-1746 (aged 48)
mathematician astronomer physicist
Colin Maclaurin, FRS was a Scottish mathematician who made important contributions to geometry and algebra. He is also known for being a child prodigy and holding the record for being the youngest professor. The Maclaurin series, a special case of the Taylor series, is named after him.
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Cosmo Gordon Lang

37. Cosmo Gordon Lang

1864-1945 (aged 81)
politician Anglican priest
William Cosmo Gordon Lang, 1st Baron Lang of Lambeth, GCVO, GCStJ, PC was a Scottish Anglican clergyman who served as Archbishop of York (1908–1928) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1928–1942). His elevation to Archbishop of York, within 18 years of his ordination, was the most rapid in modern Church of England history. As Archbishop of Canterbury during the abdication crisis of...
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Albert John Mvumbi Luthuli

38. Albert John Mvumbi Luthuli

1898-1967 (aged 69)
autobiographer teacher anti-apartheid activist politician
Albert John Luthuli was a South African anti-apartheid activist, traditional leader, and politician who served as the President-General of the African National Congress from 1952 until his murder in 1967.
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Fazle Hasan Abed

39. Fazle Hasan Abed

1936-2019 (aged 83)
chartered accountant charity worker social worker
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed KCMG was the founder of BRAC, one of the world's largest non-governmental organizations.
Joseph Dalton Hooker

40. Joseph Dalton Hooker

1817-1911 (aged 94)
botanical collector scientific collector pteridologist writer surgeon
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For 20 years he served as director of the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, succeeding his father, William Jackson Hooker, and was awarded the highest honours of British science.
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Tobias Smollett

41. Tobias Smollett

1721-1771 (aged 50)
physician writer journalist writer surgeon translator
Tobias George Smollett was a Scottish writer and surgeon. He was best known for writing picaresque novels such as The Adventures of Roderick Random (1748), The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle (1751) and The Expedition of Humphry Clinker (1771), which influenced later generations of British novelists, including Charles Dickens. His novels were liberally altered by contemporary printers; an authoritative edition of...
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Fraser Nelson

42. Fraser Nelson

1973-. (aged 53)
journalist
Fraser Andrew Nelson is a British political journalist and columnist for the Times. He was editor of The Spectator magazine from 2009 to 2024.
Ron Donachie

43. Ron Donachie

1956-. (aged 70)
film actor actor television actor
Ronald Eaglesham Porter, known professionally as Ron Donachie, is a Scottish character actor. He has appeared in supporting roles in films The Jungle Book (1994), Titanic, and television series Game of Thrones, in which he recurred as Ser Rodrik Cassel. He is however perhaps best known for portraying DI John Rebus in the BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of Sir Ian...
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Donald Dewar

44. Donald Dewar

1937-2000 (aged 63)
lawyer politician
Donald Campbell Dewar was a Scottish statesman and politician who served as the inaugural first minister of Scotland from 1999 until his death in 2000 and leader of the Labour Party in Scotland from 1998 until his death in 2000. He was widely regarded as the "Father of the Nation" during his tenure as first minister, and the "Architect of...
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Michaela Tabb

45. Michaela Tabb

1967-. (aged 59)
snooker referee pool player
Michaela Tabb is a Scottish snooker and pool referee. She established significant milestones for female officials in professional cue sports, beginning in pool, where she officiated at top tournaments such as the WPA World Nine-ball Championship and the Mosconi Cup. She qualified in 2001 to referee on the World Snooker Tour and was the sport's highest profile female referee for...
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Peter Murrell

46. Peter Murrell

1964-. (aged 62)
politician
Peter Tierney Murrell is a Scottish former political worker who served as Chief Executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2001 to 2023. He is married to former party leader and First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, since 2010, they separated in January 2025.
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Joseph Black

47. Joseph Black

1728-1799 (aged 71)
university teacher chemist physicist
Joseph Black was a Scottish physicist and chemist, known for his discoveries of magnesium, latent heat, specific heat, and carbon dioxide. He was professor of anatomy and chemistry at the University of Glasgow for 10 years from 1756, and then professor of medicine and chemistry at the University of Edinburgh from 1766, teaching and lecturing there for more than 30...
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Menzies Campbell

48. Menzies Campbell

1941-2025 (aged 84)
sprinter lawyer politician
Walter Menzies "Ming" Campbell, Baron Campbell of Pittenweem, was a Scottish politician, advocate and athlete. A senior figure in the Liberal Democrats, he served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Fife from 1987 to 2015 and led the party from 2006 to 2007. He held prominent frontbench roles in foreign affairs and defence, and was deputy leader...
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Faia Younan

49. Faia Younan

1992-. (aged 34)
chanteuse
Faia Younan is a Syrian-Assyrian singer, considered the first Middle Eastern artist ever to crowdfund her debut.
Henry Campbell-Bannerman

50. Henry Campbell-Bannerman

1836-1908 (aged 72)
diplomat politician
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1905 to 1908 and Leader of the Liberal Party from 1899 to 1908. He also was Secretary of State for War twice, in the cabinets of Gladstone and Rosebery. He was the first First Lord of the Treasury to be...
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John Buchan

51. John Buchan

1875-1940 (aged 65)
journalist barrister diplomat novelist politician
John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir was a Scottish novelist, historian, British Army officer, and Unionist politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 15th since Canadian Confederation.
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Donald Ewen Cameron

52. Donald Ewen Cameron

1901-1967 (aged 66)
psychiatrist
Donald Ewen Cameron was a Scottish-born psychiatrist. He is largely known today for his central role in unethical medical experiments, and development of psychological and medical torture techniques for the Central Intelligence Agency. He served as president of the American Psychiatric Association (1952–1953), Canadian Psychiatric Association (1958–1959), American Psychopathological Association (1963), Society of Biological Psychiatry (1965) and the World Psychiatric...
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Hardeep Singh Kohli

53. Hardeep Singh Kohli

1969-. (aged 57)
entertainer television presenter
Hardeep Singh Kohli is a British presenter of Indian-Punjabi descent, born in London & moved to Glasgow when he was 4 years old. He is known as a comedian, writer and director who has appeared on various radio and television programmes. He was a finalist on Celebrity MasterChef in 2006 and a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.
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Shereen Nanjiani

54. Shereen Nanjiani

1961-. (aged 65)
journalist
Shereen Nanjiani is a Scottish radio presenter.
Lloyd Cole

55. Lloyd Cole

1961-. (aged 65)
singer composer singer-songwriter
Lloyd Cole is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He was lead vocalist of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions from 1984 to 1989 and subsequently worked solo.
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Anas Sarwar

56. Anas Sarwar

1983-. (aged 43)
dentist politician
Anas Sarwar is a Scottish Labour and Co-operative politician who has served as Leader of the Labour Party in Scotland since 2021. He has been a regional member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow since 2016, having been the member of Parliament (MP) for Glasgow Central from 2010 to 2015.
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James George Frazer

57. James George Frazer

1854-1941 (aged 87)
folklorist ethnologist historian theologian classical scholar
Sir James George Frazer OM FRS FRSE FBA was a Scottish social anthropologist and folklorist influential in the early stages of the modern studies of mythology and comparative religion.
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Charles Kennedy

58. Charles Kennedy

1959-2015 (aged 56)
journalist politician
Charles Peter Kennedy was a Scottish politician who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1999 to 2006, and was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ross, Skye and Lochaber from 1983 to 2015.
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Regina Ip

59. Regina Ip

1950-. (aged 76)
Hong Kong civil servant politician
Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee GBM GBS JP is a politician in Hong Kong. She is currently the Convenor of the Executive Council (ExCo) as well as the founder and current chairperson of the New People's Party. Ip served as a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (LegCo) from 2008 to 2025, representing Hong Kong Island and Hong Kong...
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Masataka Taketsuru

60. Masataka Taketsuru

1894-1979 (aged 85)
engineer businessperson politician
Masataka Taketsuru was a Japanese chemist and businessman who helped establish whisky production in Japan and founded Nikka Whisky Distilling.
Mhairi Black

61. Mhairi Black

1994-. (aged 32)
television actor politician
Mhairi Black is a Scottish politician who served as Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in the House of Commons from 2022 to 2024, and as a Member of Parliament for Paisley and Renfrewshire South from 2015 to 2024.
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Liam Fox

62. Liam Fox

1961-. (aged 65)
politician physician
Sir Liam Fox is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for International Trade from 2016 to 2019 and Secretary of State for Defence from 2010 to 2011. A member of the Conservative Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Somerset, formerly Woodspring, from 1992 to 2024.
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Vince Cable

63. Vince Cable

1943-. (aged 83)
politician economist
Sir John Vincent Cable is a British politician who was Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2017 to 2019. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Twickenham from 1997 to 2015 and from 2017 to 2019. He also served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and President of the Board of Trade from 2010...
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Jocelyn Bell Burnell

64. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

1943-. (aged 83)
astrophysicist astronomer physicist
Dame Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell is a Northern Irish physicist who, while conducting research for her doctorate, discovered the first radio pulsars in 1967. This discovery later earned the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1974, but she was not among the awardees.
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A. J. Cronin

65. A. J. Cronin

1896-1981 (aged 85)
physician writer autobiographer playwright author screenwriter
Archibald Joseph Cronin was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known novel is The Citadel (1937), about a Scottish physician who serves in a Welsh mining village before achieving success in London, where he becomes disillusioned about the venality and incompetence of some doctors. Cronin knew both areas, as a medical inspector of mines and as a physician in Harley...
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Bonar Law

66. Bonar Law

1858-1923 (aged 65)
chess player politician
Andrew Bonar Law was a British statesman and politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 1922 to May 1923.
Ruth Davidson

67. Ruth Davidson

1978-. (aged 48)
journalist politician
Ruth Elizabeth Davidson, Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links, PC, is a Scottish politician. A member of the House of Lords since 2021, she was Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party from 2011 to 2019 and Leader of the Scottish Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament from 2020 to 2021. She served as a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for...
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R. D. Laing

68. R. D. Laing

1927-1989 (aged 62)
military personnel physician writer non-fiction writer military physician psychoanalyst
Ronald David Laing, usually cited as R. D. Laing, was a British psychiatrist who wrote extensively on mental illness, particularly psychosis and schizophrenia.
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Nicholas Parsons

69. Nicholas Parsons

1923-2020 (aged 97)
comedian actor
Christopher Nicholas Parsons was an English actor, straight man and radio and television presenter. He was the long-running presenter of the comedy radio show Just a Minute and hosted the game show Sale of the Century during the 1970s and early 1980s.
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Neil Oliver

70. Neil Oliver

1967-. (aged 59)
television presenter writer archaeologist historian journalist
Neil Oliver is a Scottish television presenter and author. He has presented several documentary series on archaeology and history, including A History of Scotland, Vikings and Coast. He is also an author of popular history books and historical fiction.
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Armando Iannucci

71. Armando Iannucci

1963-. (aged 63)
television director television producer film producer film director librettist
Armando Giovanni Iannucci CBE is a Scottish satirist, writer, director, producer and performer.
Mark Millar

72. Mark Millar

1969-. (aged 57)
comics writer screenwriter
Mark Millar MBE is a Scottish comic book writer who first came to prominence with a run on the superhero series The Authority, published by DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. Millar has written extensively for Marvel Comics, including runs on The Ultimates, which has been called "the comic book of the decade" by Time magazine and described as a major inspiration...
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Andrew Neil

73. Andrew Neil

1949-. (aged 77)
business executive broadcaster journalist editor
Andrew Ferguson Neil FRSA is a Scottish journalist and broadcaster. He has presented various political programmes on the BBC and on Channel 4. Born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Neil attended Paisley Grammar School, before studying at the University of Glasgow. He entered journalism in 1973 as a correspondent for The Economist.
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Maxim Katz

74. Maxim Katz

1984-. (aged 42)
YouTuber poker player television producer activist Wikipedian
Maxim Yevgenyevich Katz is a Russian political opposition figure, urban planning activist, election campaign strategist, and popular YouTuber hosting his own daily political show.
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Susan Calman

75. Susan Calman

1974-. (aged 52)
television presenter stand-up comedian actor comedian
Susan Grace Calman is a Scottish comedian, television presenter and writer.
Cotton Mather

76. Cotton Mather

1663-1728 (aged 65)
theologian writer historian Christian minister pamphleteer
Cotton Mather FRS was a Puritan clergyman and author in colonial New England, who wrote extensively on theological, historical, and scientific subjects. After being educated at Harvard College, he joined his father Increase as minister of the Congregationalist Old North Meeting House in Boston, then part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he preached for the rest of his life....
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William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin

77. William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin

1824-1907 (aged 83)
physicist university teacher mathematician engineer politician
William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, was a British mathematician, mathematical physicist and engineer. Born in Belfast, he was for 53 years the professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow, where he undertook significant research on the mathematical analysis of electricity, was instrumental in the formulation of the first and second laws of thermodynamics, and contributed significantly to unifying...
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David Livingstone

78. David Livingstone

1813-1873 (aged 60)
explorer writer physician writer geographer missionary
David Livingstone was a Scottish doctor, Congregationalist, pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, and an explorer in Africa. Livingstone was married to Mary Moffat Livingstone, from the prominent 18th-century Moffat missionary family. Livingstone came to have a mythic status as a Protestant missionary martyr, working-class "rags-to-riches" inspirational story, scientific investigator and explorer, imperial reformer, anti-slavery crusader, and advocate...
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Nicola Sturgeon

79. Nicola Sturgeon

1970-. (aged 56)
lawyer politician
Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2014 to 2023. She has served as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since 1999, firstly as an additional member for the Glasgow electoral region, and then as the member for Glasgow Southside (formerly Glasgow Govan)...
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Peter Mullan

80. Peter Mullan

1959-. (aged 67)
actor television actor screenwriter film actor stage actor
Peter Mullan is a Scottish actor and filmmaker. His credits include Riff-Raff (1991), Shallow Grave (1994), Braveheart (1995), Trainspotting (1996), My Name Is Joe (1998), The Claim (2000), Neds (2010), War Horse (2011), The Fixer (2008), Top of the Lake (2013), Mum (2016–2019), Ozark (2017–2018), Westworld (2018–2020), Cursed (2020), The North Water (2021), The Underground Railroad (2021), The Lord of...
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Emeli Sandé

81. Emeli Sandé

1987-. (aged 39)
singer singer-songwriter lyricist composer musician
Adele Emily Sandé, known professionally as Emeli Sandé, is a Scottish singer and songwriter. Born in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England and raised in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Sandé rose to prominence after her guest appearance on Chipmunk's 2009 single "Diamond Rings", which peaked within the top ten of the UK Singles Chart. The following year, she guest appeared on Wiley's...
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Humza Yousaf

82. Humza Yousaf

1985-. (aged 41)
politician
Humza Haroon Yousaf is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from March 2023 to May 2024. He served under his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon as justice secretary from 2018 to 2021 and then as health secretary from 2021 to 2023. He has been Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP)...
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Steven Moffat

83. Steven Moffat

1961-. (aged 65)
executive producer teacher science fiction writer film director showrunner
Steven William Moffat is a Scottish television writer, television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as the second showrunner and head writer of the 2005 revival of the BBC sci-fi television series Doctor Who (2010–2017), and for co-creating and co-writing the BBC crime drama television series Sherlock (2010–2017). In the 2015 Birthday Honours, Moffat was appointed...
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Nikki Cross

84. Nikki Cross

1989-. (aged 37)
professional wrestler
Nicola Glencross is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nikki Cross, and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks faction.
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James Watt

85. James Watt

1736-1819 (aged 83)
chemist entrepreneur physicist technician mathematician
James Watt FRS FRSE was a Scottish inventor, engineer and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.
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James Wilson

86. James Wilson

1825-1867 (aged 42)
diplomat lawyer politician
James Wilson was a Scottish American Founding Father, legal scholar, jurist, and statesman who served as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1789 to 1798. Wilson was elected twice to the Continental Congress, and was a signatory of the Declaration of Independence. In 1787 he was a major participant in drafting the U.S. Constitution, and became...
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John Knox

87. John Knox

1514-1572 (aged 58)
writer Christian minister theologian politician
John Knox was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the reformer of the Church of Scotland.
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Denise Mina

88. Denise Mina

1966-. (aged 60)
playwright novelist comics writer university teacher criminologist
Denise Mina is a Scottish writer active since 1996. Her debut novel Garnethill was a bestseller and won the Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey Award for best debut. It was followed by Exile and Resolution, completing a trilogy of novels featuring Maureen O’Donnell, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.
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John Logie Baird

89. John Logie Baird

1888-1946 (aged 58)
writer entrepreneur physicist
John Logie Baird was a Scottish inventor, electrical engineer and innovator who demonstrated the world's first mechanical television system on 26 January 1926. He went on to invent the first publicly demonstrated colour television system and the first viable purely electronic colour television picture tube.
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Gerard Butler

90. Gerard Butler

1969-. (aged 57)
actor television actor lawyer film actor stage actor
Gerard James Butler is a Scottish actor and film producer. After studying law, he turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as Mrs Brown (1997), the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and Tale of the Mummy (1998). In 2000, he starred as Count Dracula in the gothic horror film Dracula 2000. He played...
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Adam Smith

91. Adam Smith

1965-. (aged 61)
lawyer politician
Adam Smith was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the field of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by many as the "father of economics" or the "father of capitalism", he is primarily known for two classic works: The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes...
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Hugh Grant

92. Hugh Grant

1958-. (aged 68)
entrepreneur
Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as a charming and vulnerable romantic leading man, and has since transitioned into a character actor. He has received several accolades including a British Academy Film Award and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. He received an Honorary...
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Katherine Grainger

93. Katherine Grainger

1975-. (aged 51)
rower
Dame Katherine Jane Grainger is a Scottish athlete. She is a 2012 Summer Olympics gold medallist, four-time Olympic silver medallist and six-time World Champion for Great Britain. She served as Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University between 2015 and 2020 and is currently Chancellor of the University of Glasgow.
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Lauri Love

94. Lauri Love

1984-. (aged 42)
security hacker
Lauri Love is a British activist who was previously charged by the United States for his alleged activities with the hacker collective Anonymous. Love's case has been cited as precedent in the Julian Assange extradition proceedings.
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Dawda Kairaba Jawara

95. Dawda Kairaba Jawara

1924-2019 (aged 95)
politician
Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara GCMG was a Gambian politician who served as prime minister from 1962 to 1970, and then as the first President of The Gambia from 1970 to 1994, when he was overthrown by Yahya Jammeh.
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Aamer Anwar

96. Aamer Anwar

1967-. (aged 59)
lawyer
Aamer Anwar is a British political activist and lawyer of Pakistani origin. He was an active participant in the Stop the War Coalition, and campaigned against the 31st G8 summit at Gleneagles. He has been a longstanding critic of the Dungavel Detention Centre for failed asylum seekers, and is a trustee of the Time for Inclusive Education charity for LGBT-inclusive...
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William Hunter

97. William Hunter

1718-1783 (aged 65)
gynecologist physiologist anatomist surgeon
William Hunter FRS was a Scottish anatomist and physician. He was a leading teacher of anatomy, and the outstanding obstetrician of his day. His guidance and training of his equally famous brother, John Hunter, was also of great importance.
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James Boswell

98. James Boswell

1740-1795 (aged 55)
writer lawyer biographer diarist
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck, was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of the English writer Samuel Johnson, Life of Samuel Johnson, which is commonly said to be the greatest biography written in the English language. A great mass of Boswell's diaries, letters, and private papers were recovered from...
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William Ramsay

99. William Ramsay

1852-1916 (aged 64)
historian professor archaeologist chemist
Sir William Ramsay KCB FRS FRSE was a Scottish chemist who discovered the noble gases and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904 "in recognition of his services in the discovery of the inert gaseous elements in air" along with his collaborator, John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics that same year for...
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William Boyd

100. William Boyd

1952-. (aged 74)
author screenwriter director writer novelist
William Andrew Murray Boyd CBE FRSL is a British novelist, short story writer screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his novels, which include A Good Man in Africa (1981), Any Human Heart (2002), and Restless (2006), many of which have received critical acclaim and literary awards. Boyd has also written screenplays for film and television, including Chaplin...
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