List of personalities from Aarau

This list contains personalities who were born in the Swiss city of Aarau in the canton of Aargau or who later lived here.

Born in Aarau

• Dieter Ammann (* 1962), musician, composer
• Hektor Ammann (1894–1967), historian, archivist
• Karl Ballmer (1891–1958), painter, philosopher
• Jan de Beijer (1703–1780), draftsman
• Ivan Benito (* 1976), football player
• Loris Benito (* 1992), football player
• Eugen Bircher (1882–1956), surgeon, military, politician
• Silvio Bircher (* 1945), National and Government Councilor
• Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner (1867–1939), doctor, nutritionist
• Sabine Boss (* 1966), director, author
• Marisa Brunner (* 1982), soccer player
• Erika Burkart (1922–2010), poet
• Robert Buser (1857–1931), botanist
• Hans Christoffel (1888–1959), psychiatrist, psychoanalyst
• Jean-Jacques Dünki (* 1948), pianist and composer
• Charles-Georges Duvanel (1906–1975), cameraman, film director
• Corina Eichenberger-Walther (* 1954), National Councilor
• August Ernst (1880–1959), federal judge
• Johannes Ernst (1683–1765), Protestant clergyman and supporter of the Moravian Brethren
• Urs Faes (* 1947), writer
• Eugen Fahrländer (1844–1917), engineer
• Karl Franz Sebastian Fahrländer (1836–1907), National and Government Councilor
• Karl Emanuel Fahrländer (1803–1857), National Councilor
• Konrad Falke (1880–1942), writer
• Emil Feer (1864–1955), pediatrician
• Rudolf Fisch (1856–1946), missionary doctor
• Guido Fischer (1901–1972), graphic artist, painter
• Hanspeter Fischer (1930–2009), National Councilor
• Fritz Fleiner (1867–1937), lawyer and university professor
• Sylvia Flückiger-Bäni (* 1952), National Councilor
• Adrian Frey (* 1958), jazz musician
• Michel Frey (* 1973), racing car driver, entrepreneur
• Noëlle Frey (* 1992), handball player
• Hans Fricker (1879–1956), National and Council of States
• Renata Friederich (* 1958), jazz musician
• Thomas Geissmann (* 1957), primatologist
• Marcel Guignard (* 1949), lawyer and politician (FDP)
• Alfred Gysi (1865–1957), dentist
• Michael Hammer (* 1982), drummer, composer, pianist
• Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler (1770–1843), Head of Coastal Surveying in the USA
• Robert Hegnauer (1919–2007), botanist
• Bea Heim (* 1946), National Councilor
• Hans Herzog (1819-1894), General
• Hans Peter Hoch (1924–2011), graphic designer, typographer, photographer and representative of concrete painting
• Emil Adolf Hoffmann (1879–1963), composer
• Felix Hoffmann (1911–1975), artist
• Urs Hofmann (* 1956), city councilor, national councilor, government councilor
• Hans Jörg Huber (1932–2008), Council of States (CVP)
• Corinne Nora Huber (* 1986), musician
• Paul Hubschmid (1917–2002), actor
• Otto Hunziker (1879–1940), National Councilor, judge
• Walter Hunziker (1935–2012), physicist and university professor
• Franz Ludwig Hürner (1778–1849), member of the government
• Gottlieb Jäger (1805–1891), National Councilor
• Yves Jansen (* 1952), theater director, actor and author
• Rösy von Känel (1895–1953), writer
• Robert Käslin (1871–1934), Federal Chancellor
• Max E. Keller (* 1947), composer
• Kniri Knaus (* 1945), jazz and blues musician
• Rudolf Knoblauch (* 1951), diplomat
• Cox Kocher (* 1942), entrepreneur, racing car driver
• Hermann Kummler (1863–1949), businessman, industrialist, inventor
• Erwin Kurz (1846–1901), lawyer and politician
• Simone Lappert (* 1985), writer
• Lorenz Lotmar (1945–1980), writer
• Virgilio Masciadri (1963–2014), poet, writer, editor
• Klaus Merz (* 1945), writer
• Michel Mettler (* 1966), dramaturge, musician, writer
• Annique Meyer (* 1999), floorball player
• Hieronymus Meyer (1769–1844), silk ribbon manufacturer, revolutionary, alpinist
• Johann Rudolf Meyer (1739–1813), silk ribbon manufacturer, philanthropist, patron, revolutionary
• Johann Rudolf Meyer (1768–1825), silk ribbon manufacturer, naturalist, alpinist, counterfeiter
• Johann Rudolf Meyer (1791–1833), natural scientist, writer, alpinist
• Max Mittler (1924-2004), author, publisher
• Jörg Müller (* 1961), racing cyclist
• Robert Nünlist (1911–1991), Commander of the Swiss Guard
• Eduard Oehler (1837–1909), industrialist
• Christian Reich (* 1967), bobsledder
• Linus Reichlin (* 1957), journalist, writer
• Lukas Reimann (* 1982), National Councilor
• Paul Riniker (* 1946), journalist
• Christian Rothacher (1944–2007), painter, conceptual artist
• Carl Rothpletz (1814–1885), architect
• Johann Heinrich Rothpletz (1766–1833), Minister of Finance of the Helvetic Republic, Councilor
• Johann Jakob Rychner (1803–1878), veterinarian and founder of Buiatrik
• Hans Christof Sauerländer (1943–2016), publisher
• Silvia Schenker (* 1954), National Councilor
• Johann Oskar Schibler (1862–1932), member of the government
• Susy Schmid (* 1964), writer
• Max Schmidt (1862–1951), government councilor, mayor
• Hansjörg Schneider (* 1938), writer, playwright
• Hans Senn (1918–2007), entrepreneur, officer
• Anna Sommer (* 1968), comic artist
• Stefan Stirnemann (* 1960), high school teacher
• Renato Steffen (* 1991), soccer player
• Monika Stocker (* 1948), National Councilor
• Paul Suter (1926–2009), sculptor
• Karl Rudolf Tanner (1794–1849), lawyer, poet, statesman
• Hans Trüb (1889–1949), doctor, psychotherapist
• Iwan Ursic (* 1976), handball player
• Erich Vock (* 1962), actor
• Florian Vogel (* 1982), mountain biker
• Ursus Wehrli (* 1969), comedian, cabaret artist
• Werner Wehrli (1892–1944), composer
• Friedrich Emil Welti (1857–1940), manager, patron, legal historian
• Daniel Wermelinger (* 1971), football referee
• Ernst Widmer (1927–1990), composer
• Friedrich Widmer (1870–1943), architect
• Silvan Widmer (* 1993), football player
• Erich Zimmerlin (1909–1999), mayor
• Emil Zschokke (1808–1889), pastor, writer
• Friedrich Zschokke (1860–1936), zoologist
• Olivier Zschokke (1826–1898), engineer, National Councilor
• David Zumbach (* 1984), athlete

Lived in Aarau

• Albert Alder (1888–1980), medic
• Patti Basler (* 1976), stage poet, author, cabaret artist and satirist
• Johann Christian Martin Bartels (1769–1836), mathematician
• Georg Boner (1908–1991), historian, archivist
• Franz Xaver Bronner (1758–1850), poet, physicist, archivist
• Peter Conrad (1850–1914), Councilor
• Leonhard Demmely (1739–1819), notary, Austrian spy
• Johann Rudolf Dolder (1753–1807), Landammann of the Helvetic Republic, District President
• Albert Einstein (1879–1955), physicist
• Ernst August Evers (1779–1823), educator, philologist
• Sebastian Fahrländer (1768–1841), doctor, politician
• Carl Feer-Herzog (1820–1880), politician, entrepreneur, railway pioneer
• Anna Felder (* 1937), writer
• Hans Ulrich Fisch (1583–1647), glass painter, book illustrator
• Adolf Fischer (1807-1893), politician
• Elisabeth Flühmann (1851–1929), educator, women's rights activist
• Jakob Frey (1824–1875), writer
• Friedrich Frey-Herosé (1801–1873), Federal Councilor
• Friedrich Theodor Fröhlich (1803–1836), composer
• Wilhelm Benjamin Gautzsch (1771–1835), educator
• Carl Greith (1828–1887), composer, church musician
• Imma Grolimund (1872–1944), writer, teacher
• Johann Samuel von Gruner (1766–1824), geologist
• Johann Haberstich (1824–1891), National and Council of States
• Nold Halder (1899–1967), librarian, archivist
• Franziska Romana von Hallwil (1758–1836), noblewoman of Austrian origin
• Johannes Herzog (1773–1840), Councilor
• Federico Hindermann (1921–2012), writer, translator, editor
• Elsa Margot Hinzelmann (1895–1969), writer
• Georg Franz Hofmann (1765–1838), educator, author
• Dietrich Holzach (1836–1905), brewer
• Bruno Hunziker (1930–2000), National and Government Councilor
• Peter Emil Isler (1851–1936), politician
• Gottfried Keller (1873–1945), Councilor of States
• Heinrich Kurz (1805–1873), literary historian, sinologist, translator
• Fridolin Laager (1883–1975), politician
• Totò Mazzara (* 1941), painter, object artist
• Walther Merz (1868–1938), lawyer, historian
• Peter Mieg (1906–1990), composer, painter
• Leopold Moosbrugger (1796–1864), mathematician
• Wendelin Moosbrugger (1760–1849), painter
• Andreas Moser (1766–1806), writer, educator
• Jakob Müller (1916–2003), entrepreneur
• Ernst Münch (1798–1841), writer
• Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746–1827), educator
• Erich Peter (1935–1996), jazz bassist
• Hans Pfistermeyer (before 1500–1548), Anabaptist missionary
• Marthi Pritzker-Ehrlich (1944–1998), historian
• Rudolf Rauchstein (1798–1879), philologist, educator, politician
• Albrecht Rengger (1764–1835), doctor, politician of the Helvetic Republic
• Johann Rudolf Rengger (1795–1832), zoologist
• Johann Anton Renner (1743–1800), administrator of the canton of Aargau
• Adolf Richner (1908–1982), politician
• Johann Kaspar Riesbeck (1754–1786), writer
• Ernst Ludwig Rochholz (1809–1892), Germanist, legend researcher
• Arnold Roth (1890–1970), engineer
• Pietro Scalia (* 1960), film editor, two-time Oscar winner
• Jakob Samuel Johann Scheuermann (1770–1844), engraver
• Johann Nepomuk von Schmiel (1774–1850), officer, politician
• Michael Schneider (* 1964), composer, musicologist
• Anita Siegfried (* 1948), writer
• Claudia Storz (* 1948), writer
• Otto Sutermeister (1832–1901), educator, fairy tale collector
• János Tamás (1936–1995), composer
• Hannes Taugwalder (1910–2007), writer
• Ignaz Paul Vitalis Troxler (1780–1866), doctor, politician, philosopher
• Charles Tschopp (1899–1982), writer, aphorist
• Joseph Fidel Wieland (1797–1852), doctor and politician
• Jost Winteler (1846–1929), philologist, canton school teacher, Albert Einstein's father
• Heinrich Zschokke (1771–1848), writer, educator
• Theodor Zschokke (1806–1866), doctor, natural scientist