List of personalities of the city of Bielefeld
The list of personalities in the city of Bielefeld includes people who were born in Bielefeld (including the places that have been incorporated into Bielefeld over the course of time), as well as those who have a special relationship with Bielefeld without having been born there.
Born in Bielefeld
13th to 18th centuries
- Bernhard IV (around 1230–1275), sovereign of the Lippe dominion
- Johannes Pollius (around 1490–1562), Protestant theologian and reformer
- Gerhard Kleinsorgen (1530–1591), historian
- Franz von Meinders (1630–1695), Kurbrandenburg minister and diplomat
- Hermann Werner von Bossart (1695–1762), priest and diplomat
- Arnold Gottfried Benser (1700–1760), German merchant and councilor of the Hanseatic city of Lübeck
- Heinrich Ernst Güte (1754–1805), Protestant theologian, pastor and professor of theology
- August Christian Wilmanns (1757–1839), lawyer
- Peter Florens Weddigen (1758–1809), publicist
- August Ferdinand Lueder (1760–1819), economist and political scientist
- Carl Lueder (1763 – after 1813), textile manufacturer and politician
- Franz Karl Mertens (1764–1831), botanist
- Johann Christoph Hoffbauer (1766–1827), philosopher
- Arnold Friedrich Crüwell (1772–1845), German entrepreneur and politician
- Daniel Heinrich Delius (1773–1832), Prussian District President
- Christian Friedrich Nasse (1778-1851), psychiatrist
- Friedrich von Aschoff (1789–1854), royal Prussian major general
- Carl von Carnap (1790–1869), royal Prussian major general and squire
- Gustav Delius (1794–1872), entrepreneur in the textile industry
- Friedrich Wilhelm Delkeskamp (1794–1872), painter and engraver
19th century
1801 to 1820
- Gottfried Delius (1802–1886), entrepreneur
- Friedrich Ludwig Niemann (1806–1889), industrialist
- August Klasing (publisher, 1809) , bookseller and publisher
- Wilhelm von Ditfurth (1810–1876), politician
- Carl Woermann (1813–1880), businessman and founder of the shipping company
- Bernhard Bessel (1814–1868), politician
- Rudolf Rempel (1815–1868), industrialist
- Hermann Dietrich Upmann (1816–1894), banker, merchant and cigar maker
- Hermann Delius (1819–1894), wholesaler and entrepreneur
1821 to 1840
- August Krönig (1822–1879), chemist and physicist
- Carl David Weber (1824–1907), textile entrepreneur
- Sophie Crüwell (1826–1907), opera singer
- Carl Albrecht Delius (1827–1915), silk goods manufacturer
- Friedrich Gustav Gauß (1829–1915), geodesist
- Eduard Graf (1829–1895), physician and politician
- August Junkermann (1832–1915), actor
- Max Weber senior (1836–1897), lawyer, municipal official and politician
- August Schreiber (1839–1903), Lutheran pastor and missionary
- Franz von Ditfurth (1840–1909), politician, district administrator
- Theodor von Möller (1840–1925), entrepreneur, politician and Prussian trade minister
1841 to 1860
- Lucie Bacmeister (1843–1904), writer and painter
- Johannes Klasing (1846–1927), publisher
- Bodo Borries von Ditfurth (1852–1915), major general
- Ernst von Bacmeister (1853–1938), officer
- Constantin Koenen (1854–1929), Provincial Roman archaeologist and archaeologist
- Wilhelm Heienbrok (1855–1949), missionary
- Alfred Bozi (1857–1938), lawyer
- Hermann Klasing (1859–1951), author, lawyer and notary
1861 to 1880
- Johannes Baltzer (1862–1940), architect, monument conservator and senior building director in Lübeck
- Bernhard Krönig (1863–1917), gynecologist
- Carl Ronning (1863–1949), businessman
- Paul Oertmann (1865–1938), civil lawyer
- Hermann Krieger (1866–1943), writer
- Josefa Metz (1871–1943), writer
- Gustav von Bodelschwingh (1872–1944), pastor and missionary
- Wilhelm Bertelsmann (1873–1950), technician and chemist
- Carl Schreck (1873–1956), politician
- Willy Katzenstein (1874–1951), German lawyer and politician (DDP), city councilor in Bielefeld
- Ernst Bacmeister (1874–1971), writer, poet and playwright
- Bernhard Mosberg (1874–1944), orthopedist
- Max Raebel (1874–1946), composer, painter, Scandinavian expert and polar researcher
- Erich Kuithan (1875–1917), painter
- Heinz Potthoff (1875–1945), politician
- Adolf Mahlmann (1876–1945), communist resistance fighter against National Socialism and victims of National Socialism
- Franz von Stephani (1876–1939), officer, Freikorps leader and politician
- August Beckhaus (1877–1945), government official and politician
- Friedrich von Bodelschwingh the Younger (1877–1946), Protestant theologian
- Karl Löwe (1878–1942), painter, glass painter, graphic artist and sculptor
- Gustav Borgner (1879–1959), member of the consumer cooperative and managing director of GEG
- Paul Zaunert (1879–1959), legend researcher
1881 to 1900
- Eduard Wolf (1885–1961), entrepreneur
- Georg Schenkel (1886–1954), politician
- Walter Klocke (1887–1965), painter and designer
- Albert Florath (1888–1957), actor
- Fritz Goebel (1888–1950), physician and university professor
- Richard Kaselowsky (1888–1944), industrialist
- Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (1888–1931), film director
- Anne Marie Heiler (1889–1979), politician
- Wilhelm Hünerhoff (1889–1944), victim of the Nazi regime
- Joseph Massolle (1889–1957), film sound engineer
- Heinz Esselmann (1890–1942), architect
- Hugo Fischer-Köppe (1890–1937), actor
- Fritz Doht (1891–1960), headmaster and politician
- Franz Specht (1891–1964), politician
- Hermann Stenner (1891–1914), painter and graphic artist
- Robert Walkenhorst (1891–1973), politician
- Richard Zahn (1891–1975), Evangelical Lutheran photographer and politician
- Otto Borgner (1892–1953), consumer cooperative and politician
- Anna Lindemann (1892–1959), communist, pedagogue, editor and university teacher
- Rainer Stahel (1892–1955), officer
- Viktoria Steinbiß (1892–1971), politician
- Victor Tuxhorn (1892–1964), painter
- Hans Bohnenkamp (1893–1977), pedagogue, university professor and university director
- Elisabet van Randenborgh (1893–1983), writer
- Kurt Blome (1894–1969), doctor, politician and member of the Reichstag for the NSDAP
- Adolf Tegtmeier (1894–1975), physician
- Karl Heidemann (1895–1975), politician
- Walter Seidensticker (1895–1969), manufacturer
- Walter Bolbrinker (1896–1981), politician
- Helmuth Osthoff (1896–1983), musicologist
- Alexander Holle (1898–1978), officer
- Richard Küchen (1898–1974), engineer
- Karl Lohmann (1898–1978), biochemist
- Emil Steffann (1899–1968), architect
- Emil Woermann (1899–1980), agricultural economist
- Friedrich Holzapfel (1900–1969), politician
- Martin Redeker (1900–1970), theologian and politician
- Heinrich Teitge (1900–1970), physician
20th century
1901 to 1910
- Willy Krause (1901–1990), actor
- Bernhard Poll (1901–1981), historian and city archivist in Aachen
- Erich Consemüller (1902–1957), architect and photographer at the Bauhaus
- Erich Deppermann (1902–1963), politician
- Kurt Baurichter (1902–1974), politician
- Herbert Ebersbach (1902–1984), painter
- Hermann Poll (1902–1990), painter
- Bernhard Temming (1902–1986), typesetter, printer and graphic artist
- Karl August Walther (* 1902), writer and publisher
- Georg Tuxhorn (1903–1941), painter
- Bruno Brockhoff (1903–1949), politician
- Hans Neumann (1903–1990), Germanist and philologist
- Wilhelm Bernsdorf (1904–1990), sociologist
- Emil Groß (1904–1967), publisher and politician
- Heinz Pauck (1904–1986), screenwriter
- Werner Peek (1904–1994), classical philologist and epigraphist
- Heinz Potthoff (1904–1974), manager, civil servant and politician
- Fritz Bohnenkamp (1905–1971), politician
- Heinz Klingenberg (1905–1959), actor
- Reinhard legs (1906–1990), civil servant and politician
- Ernst von Bodelschwingh (1906–1993), politician
- Liesel Kipp-Kaule (1906–1992), politician
- Hermann Kohlhase (1906–2002), lawyer and politician
- Horst Wessel (1907–1930), SA Storm Leader
- Gustav Eder (1907-1992), boxer
- Hermann Paul Müller (1909–1975), racing driver
- Fritz G. Waack (1909–1989), engineer and pioneer of stereo photography
- Werner Koch (1910–1994), pastor, reformed theologian, journalist and resistance fighter against National Socialism
1911 to 1920
- Hans Schneider (1914–1999), geologist and hydrogeologist
- Werner Vordtriede (1915–1985), emigrant, literary scholar and writer
- Helmut Glaszinski (1915–1981), politician
- Hermann Vogt (1915–1978), Major General of the National People's Army of the GDR
- Rudolf-August Oetker (1916–2007), entrepreneur
- Gisela Schwerdt (1917–1997), politician, President of Arminia Bielefeld
- Klaus Ruedenberg (* 1920), American theoretical chemist
1921 to 1930
- Elfriede Eilers (1921–2016), politician
- Werner Holthöfer (* 1922), racing cyclist
- Veronica Carstens (1923–2012), doctor and wife of Karl Carstens
- Paul Gerhard Klussmann (1923–2019), Germanist and university professor
- Friedhelm Korte (1923–2013), chemist
- Ulrich Conrads (1923–2013), architecture critic
- Hajo Meyer (1924–2014), German-Dutch physicist and author
- Werner Hellweg (1925–2008), football player
- Günther Pankoke (* 1925), racing cyclist
- WW Shols (1925-1981), author
- Kurt Vogelsang (1925–2015), politician
- Klaus Wust (1925–2003), author and historian
- Hans D. Voss (1926–1980), artist
- Martin Goldstein (1927–2012), doctor, psychotherapist and Protestant religion teacher
- Heinz Theo Branding (1928–2013), actor and voice actor
- Karl Ernst Strothmann (* 1928), politician
- Theodor Göllner (* 1929), musicologist
- Ernst-Ludwig Freisewinkel (1930–2017), journalist and television maker
1931 to 1940
- Werner Lueg (1931–2014), track and field athlete
- Erhard Mahne (* 1931), politician
- Eberhard Pohlmann (* 1931), lawyer and politician
- Klaus Schwickert (1931–2019), politician
- Klaus Peter Kisker (* 1932), Professor of Economics
- Reinhard Haseldiek (1933–2019), soccer player and coach
- Helmut Hesse (1934–2016), economist
- Gotthard Jasper (* 1934), historian and political scientist
- Hans A. Kastrup (* 1934), physicist
- Friedhelm Neidhardt (* 1934), sociologist and university professor
- Günter Topmann (* 1934), detective and politician
- Erwin Türk (* 1934), soccer player and coach
- Martin Uppenbrink (1934–2008), President of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation
- Hans Dieter Lüke (1935–2005), electrical engineer and university professor
- Rüdiger Nehberg (1935–2020), survival expert and activist for human rights
- Wilhelm Bulk (* 1936), track cyclist
- Dieter Heistermann (1936–2010), politician
- Walter Thimme (1936–2019), physician and publicist
- Dirk Ahlers (* 1937), founder, CEO and majority shareholder of Frosta AG
- Jan Peter Beckmann (* 1937), philosopher
- Bob Franco (1937–2016), actor, musical performer and pop singer
- Günter Frecksmeier (* 1937), artist, painter, graphic artist, draftsman
- Karl Dietrich Graewe (1937–2019), dramaturge
- Ludwig Huber (1937–2019), educational scientist and professor at Bielefeld University
- Dieter Kastrup (* 1937), lawyer and diplomat
- Elisabeth Roloff (1937–2008), organist
- Reiner Uthoff (* 1937), cabaret artist and writer
- Eva Stanienda (* 1937), politician
- Christian Tümpel (1937–2009), art historian
- Wilfried Westheide (* 1937), biologist and chemist
- Ulrich Wildgruber (1937–1999), actor
- Heinz Hunger (1938–2008), politician
- Christoph Kleßmann (* 1938), historian
- Renate Köhler (1938–2014), politician
- Jürgen Oberschelp (* 1938), conductor, choir director and teacher
- Klaus Pohlmeyer (1938–2008), physicist and university professor
- Nina Rauprich (* 1938), children's and youth author
- Renate Seelig (1938–2018), illustrator
- Erich Staude (* 1938), soccer goalkeeper
- Jürgen Zimmer (1938–2019), educationalist and educational journalist
- Ruben Baer (1939–1944), victim of the Nazi regime
- Reinhard Meyer zu Bentrup (* 1939), politician
- Heidi Kang (* 1939), Korean-German translator
- Jürgen Kellermeier (1939–2009), journalist
- Günter Rixe (* 1939), politician
- Dieter “Stopper” Schulz (1939–2018), football player
- Axel Seyler (* 1939), sculptor
- Wilhelm Schlink (1939–2018), art historian
- Rudolph Angermüller (* 1940), musicologist
- Hans Hansen (* 1940), photographer
- Manfred Horstkötter (* 1940), handball player
- Hans-Stefan Kruse (* 1940), ambassador
- Siegfried Müller (1940–2017), professor of educational science
1941 to 1950
- Klaus Hildebrand (* 1941), historian
- Klaus Kobusch (* 1941), racing cyclist
- Peter Noelke (* 1941), Provincial Roman archaeologist
- Tana Berghausen (1942–1943), victim of the Nazi regime
- Eberhard David (* 1942), politician
- Paul Ridder (* 1942), psychologist and sociologist
- Hans-Dieter Saretzki (1942–2014), singer and singing teacher
- Karl-Heinz Saretzki (1942–2019), trombone choir director and editor
- Hannes Wader (* 1942), musician and songwriter
- Bernd Brunemeier (* 1943), politician
- Christoph Ehmann (* 1943), political scientist, educational researcher and State Secretary
- Michael Klessmann (* 1943), practical theologian, pastoral psychologist, teaching supervisor and university professor
- Ulrich Pätzold (* 1943), journalism professor
- Rolf Gerhard Rutter (* 1943), politician
- Wolfgang Brinkmann (* 1944), managing director of Stadtwerke Bielefeld , politician and president of Arminia Bielefeld
- Peter Dammann (1944–2009), football player
- Bernd Kirchner (* 1944), football player
- August Oetker (* 1944), entrepreneur
- Bernhard Schlink (* 1944), professor of law and author
- Ralf Borttscheller (* 1945), lawyer and politician
- Paul in den Eicken (1945–2013), graphic artist and painter
- Wilm Herlyn (* 1945), journalist
- Hans-Peter Schwarz (* 1945), art historian
- Inge Wolff (* 1945), specialist book author
- Jörg Becker (* 1946), social scientist
- Angelika Dopheide (* 1946), politician
- Bernd Haake (* 1946), ice hockey coach
- Karlfried Knapp (* 1946), linguist
- Jürgen Ruwe (* 1946), Lieutenant General ret. D. of the army of the Bundeswehr
- Michael Schibilsky (1946–2005), Protestant theologian, university professor and journalist
- Ulrich Wessel (1946–1975), member of the Red Army faction
- Aleida Assmann (* 1947), English studies, Egyptologist and literary and cultural scientist
- Christian Dippel (* 1947), racing cyclist
- Irmgard Möller (* 1947), member of the Red Army faction
- Klaus Schomburg (* 1947), translator
- Hans-Hermann Schwick (* 1947), lawyer and president of the DSC Arminia Bielefeld
- Wilfried Wester-Ebbinghaus (1947–1993), professor of photogrammetry and cartography
- Rolf Dreyer (* 1948), non-fiction author
- Johannes Friedrich (* 1948), Evangelical Lutheran theologian
- Hans-Werner Sinn (* 1948), economist and President of the Ifo Institute for Economic Research from 1999 to 2016
- Barbara Sommer (* 1948), politician
- Angelika Gemkow (* 1949), politician
- Harald Kindermann (* 1949), diplomat
- Albrecht Konrad (* 1949), set designer and art director
- Thomas Meyer-Fiebig (* 1949), composer and concert organist
- Hannes Beckmann (1950–2016), jazz violinist, band leader and composer
- Detlef Helling (* 1950), politician
- Ortwin Hennig (* 1950), diplomat
- Rainer Mennicken (* 1950), dramaturge and theater director
- Angelika Schwabe-Kratochwil (* 1950), botanist and university professor
- Michael Stuhr (* 1950), writer
1951 to 1960
- Hans-Ludwig Kröber (* 1951), forensic psychiatrist
- Volker Linneweber (* 1951), President of Saarland University
- Ulrike Merten (* 1951), politician
- Richard Oetker (* 1951), entrepreneur
- Werner Sewing (1951–2011), architectural theorist
- Gilbert Bender (* 1952), artist and radiesthetist
- Detlef Berentzen (1952–2019), writer and journalist
- Hans Feuss (* 1952), politician (SPD) and member of the state parliament in North Rhine-Westphalia
- Wilhelm Ruprecht Frieling (* 1952), non-fiction author and publisher
- Friedrich Otto (* 1952), computer scientist
- Jürgen Fohrmann (* 1953), literary scholar and university professor
- Günter Kozlowski (* 1953), politician
- Heiner Meyer (* 1953), pop art artist and sculptor
- Wolfgang Mittendorf (* 1953), soccer player a. coach
- Volker Rodekamp (* 1953), folklorist and museum director
- Michael Wittenborn (* 1953), stage actor
- Michael Diekmann (* 1954), CEO of Allianz SE
- Hans-Hermann Gockel (* 1954), journalist and television presenter
- Annette Groth (* 1954), politician
- Volkhard Knigge (* 1954), historian and history educator
- Erich Marks (* 1954), educator
- Friedhelm Meyer auf der Heide (* 1954), computer scientist
- Merith Niehuss (* 1954) President of the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich.
- Werner Plumpe (* 1954), historian
- Ulrike Zerhau (* 1954), politician
- Christoph Grohmann (* 1955) church musician, organ lecturer and concert organist
- Michael Herbst (* 1955), Protestant theologian
- Peter-Alexander von der Marwitz (* 1955), politician
- Jürgen O. Olbrich (* 1955), visual artist, editor and curator
- Jens Petring (* 1955), politician
- Uwe Schimank (* 1955), sociologist
- Michael Löwe (1956–2019), computer scientist, professor at FHDW Hanover
- Til Mette (* 1956), cartoonist and painter
- Christina Rau (* 1956), political scientist and widow of Federal President Johannes Rau
- Achim Rohnke (* 1956), managing director of the film and TV production company Bavaria Film GmbH
- Christian Y. Schmidt (* 1956), journalist and author
- Detlef Schnier (* 1956), soccer player
- Susanne Sieker (* 1956), lawyer and university professor
- Klaus Tscheuschner (* 1956), Lord Mayor of the City of Flensburg
- Achim Wixforth (* 1956), physicist
- Gustav Peter Wöhler (* 1956), actor and singer
- Axel Ekkernkamp (* 1957), surgeon, university professor and politician
- Rolf Kanies (* 1957), film and theater actor
- Wolfgang Kruse (* 1957), historian and university professor
- Hera Lind (* 1957), singer, writer and television presenter
- Andreas Wiebe (* 1957), politician
- Hans Zippert (* 1957), publicist, satirist and columnist
- Richie Arndt (* 1958), blues and rock musician
- Ulrich Büscher (* 1958), soccer player
- Karoline Linnert (* 1958), politician
- Ingolf Lück (* 1958), actor, voice actor, presenter, comedian and director
- Andreas KW Meyer (* 1958), music dramaturge and journalist
- Hartmut Ostrowski (* 1958), CEO of Bertelsmann AG
- Wolfram Bäumer (1959–2017), railway engineer and journalist, museum railroad specialist
- Simone Dietz (* 1959), professor of philosophy
- Daniel Hoffmann (* 1959), literary scholar and writer
- Hellmuth Opitz (* 1959), writer
- Ralf Ehrenbrink (* 1960), eventing rider
- Jutta Mägdefrau (* 1960), school teacher
- Karl Olsberg (* 1960), writer
- Rena Tangens (* 1960), data protection activist and artist
- Thomas Terberger (* 1960), prehistoric
- Iris Vermillion (* 1960), singer
1961 to 1970
- Bärbel Dieckmann (* 1961), artist and sculptor
- Dietrich Hahne (* 1961), composer / media artist
- Hans-Jörg Klindt (* 1961), handball trainer, teacher and former handball player
- Veit Mette (* 1961), photographer and photojournalist
- Andreas Reichel (* 1961), politician
- Dietmar Bänsch (* 1962), doctor
- Matthias Brock (* 1962), painter
- Ralf Burnicki (* 1962), post-anarchist theorist and poet
- Kerstin Zillmer (* 1962), photographer
- Johannes Herrlich (* 1963), jazz musician
- Andreas Hoppert (* 1963), social judge and crime writer
- Justus Meyer (* 1963), lawyer and professor
- Frank Weber (* 1963), track cyclist and world champion
- Reinhard Baumhus (* 1964), chess player
- Michael Engel (* 1964), singer, guitarist, songwriter and harmonica player
- Susanne Ihsen (1964–2018), professor for gender studies in engineering
- Sebastian Sigler (* 1964), historian and journalist
- Hermann Bäumer (* 1965), conductor
- Olaf Hampel (* 1965), bobsledder
- Arnd Kerkhecker (* 1965), classical philologist
- Dirk Becker (* 1966), politician
- Bettina Böhm (* 1966), lawyer
- Anja Feldmann (* 1966), computer scientist
- Thomas Fuhrmann (* 1966), journalist
- Roland Rosenstock (* 1966), theologian
- Stefanie Vogelsang (* 1966), politician
- Oliver Welke (* 1966), author, comedian and presenter
- Claas Willeke (1966–2013), saxophonist, clarinetist and composer
- Patricia Schäfer (actress) (* 1967), actress
- Jochen Distelmeyer (* 1967), musician
- Stefanie Eifler (* 1967), sociologist
- Frank Geideck (* 1967), soccer player
- Sebastian Hellmann (* 1967), television presenter and commentator
- Andreas Pöschel (* 1967), cook
- Ralf Bruelheide (* 1967), handball player
- Darco Gellert (* 1968), German-French graffiti artist
- Rüdiger Heining (* 1968), expert in vocational training
- Karsten Mende (* 1968), ice hockey player
- Johannes F. Sievert (* 1968), film director, film producer and screenwriter
- Michael Wasian (* 1968), radio and television journalist
- Jan Distelmeyer (* 1969), film scholar and critic
- Holger Gehring (* 1969), organist
- Stefan Minner (* 1969), logistics scientist
- Ingo Niermann (* 1969), writer, journalist and artist
- Ingo Oschmann (* 1969), comedian, entertainer and magician
- Robin Hoffmann (* 1970), musician and composer
- Susanne Kablitz (1970–2017), politician
- Peter Keller (* 1970), musician, guitarist and songwriter
1971 to 1980
- Stefan Klare (* 1971), racing cyclist
- Jörn von Lucke (* 1971), scientist
- Jens P. Meyer (* 1971), politician (FDP), member of the Hamburg Parliament
- Meike Schlüter (* 1971), actress
- Philipp Sondermann (* 1971), politician
- Matthias Muche (* 1972), trombonist, media artist
- Ralph Ruthe (* 1972), cartoonist / comic artist, author, director and musician
- Henning Schulz (* 1972), Mayor of Gütersloh
- Mike Schürmann (1972-2019), soccer player
- Thorsten Thane (* 1972), cameraman, director and producer
- Susanne Wolff (* 1973), theater and film actress
- Ingo Börchers (* 1973), cabaret artist and actor
- Yve Fehring (* 1973), television presenter
- Nina George (* 1973), writer and journalist
- Josef Ivanović (* 1973), football player
- Thorolf Lipp (* 1973), ethnologist, university professor and documentary filmmaker
- Daniel Aichinger (* 1974), actor
- Martin Bretschneider (* 1974), actor
- Özgür Cebe (* 1974), actor, cabaret artist and stand-up comedian
- André Dippel (* 1974), racing cyclist
- Markus Kullig (* 1974), soccer player
- Giorgos Lillis (* 1974), German-Greek poet and essayist
- Lars Löllmann (* 1974), actor, director, voice actor and screenwriter
- Mike Reed (* 1974), American jazz musician and music organizer
- Bianca Shomburg (* 1974), singer, participant 1997 ESC
- Hendrik Dreekmann (* 1975), tennis player
- Sabine Ellerbrock (* 1975), wheelchair tennis player
- Stefan Hübner (* 1975), volleyball player
- Roman Köster (* 1975), historian
- Tilman Rammstedt (* 1975), writer and musician
- Marius Weiß (* 1975), politician
- Julia Abe (* 1976), tennis player
- Nuran David Calis (* 1976), playwright and film writer and director
- Kevin John Edusei (* 1976), conductor
- Hanno Olderdissen (* 1976), film director
- Florian Panzner (* 1976), actor
- Michael Schaefer (* 1976), writer for gay fiction
- Radisa Zdravković (* 1976), basketball coach and player
- Frederik Gößling (* 1977), soccer goalkeeper
- Jana Schulz (* 1977), theater and film actress
- Alexander Acht (* 1978), saber fencer
- Henning Heup (* 1978), actor and rock singer
- Daniel Jödemann (* 1978), author
- Annika Unterburg (* 1978), artist
- Dirk Stollberg (* 1979), voice actor, musical actor, singer and television presenter
- Elsa Sophie Gambard (* 1980), actress
- Lisa Middelhauve (* 1980), metal singer
- Patrick Neumann (* 1980), soccer player
- Jan Eric Schwarzer (* 1980), racing cyclist
1981 to 1990
- Abdelkarim (* 1981), German-Moroccan comedian
- Jan-Fiete Buschmann (* 1981), handball player
- Isabell Horn (* 1983), Serbian-German actress, musical artist and presenter
- Johannes Rose (* 1983), base jumper
- Can Fischer (* 1984), actor, director and author
- Nick Schneiders (* 1984), basketball player
- Maike Stöckel (* 1984), field hockey player
- Rob Vegas (b.1984), internet show host
- Lennert Brinkhoff (* 1984), sports reporter
- Matthias Bolte (* 1985), politician
- Christian Wieczorek (* 1985), soccer player
- Mehmet Akgün (* 1986), soccer player
- Lena Goeßling (* 1986), soccer player
- Nils Fischer (* 1987), soccer player
- Deniz Harbert (* 1987), soccer player
- Malte Schröder (* 1987), handball player
- Anne B. Scott (* 1987), actress
- Maxine Birker (* 1989), soccer player
- Nils Dresrüsse (* 1990), handball player
- Ersin Gül (* 1990), futsal and soccer player
- Jakob Helling (* 1990), jazz musician
- Robert Huelsewede (* 1990), basketball player
- Yannik Tiemann (* 1990), jazz musician
- Wolf Danny Homann (* 1990), actor
1991 to 2000
- Markus Fuchs (* 1991), handball player
- Dinah Pfizenmaier (* 1992), tennis player
- Mateusz Przybylko (* 1992), athlete (high jump)
- Luise Volkmann (* 1992), jazz and improvisation musician
- Moritz Fritz (* 1993), soccer player
- Hanni Liang (* 1993), pianist
- Kacper Przybyłko (* 1993), Polish football player
- Friederike Abt (* 1994), soccer goalkeeper
- Charalampos Chantzopoulos (* 1994), Greek football player
- Marvin Höner (* 1994), soccer player
- Muhammet Sözer (* 1994), futsal and soccer player
- Hakan Erdem (* 1995), futsal and soccer player
- Marco Hober (* 1995), soccer player
- Vidoje Matić (* 1996), national futsal player
- ConCrafter (* 1996), web video producer
- Serhat Kot (* 1997), soccer player
- Keanu Staude (* 1997), soccer player
- Berkant Güner (* 1998), soccer player
- Fabian Kunze (* 1998), soccer player
- Louis Weßels (* 1998), tennis player
- Nele Franz (* 1999), handball player
- Can Özkan (* 1999), football player
- Maren Tellenbröker (* 2000), soccer player
Since 2001
- Jomaine Consbruch (* 2002), soccer player
Well-known residents of Bielefeld
- Alessandro Pasqualini (1493–1559), architect, planned the ski jump at Sparrenburg, died in Bielefeld
- Carl Bozi (1809–1889), entrepreneur, founder of the Vorwärts spinning mill
- Philipp Galen (1813–1899), writer, worked as a medical officer in Bielefeld
- Friedrich von Bodelschwingh the Elder (1831–1910), pastor and theologian, head of the Von Bodelschwinghschen Anstalten Bethel
- Johannes Kuhlo (1856–1941), “Trumpet General”, pastor in Bethel, head of the Nazareth deaconry
- Hugo Riemann (1849–1919), music theorist, worked as a piano teacher and conductor in Bielefeld
- Georg Rothgießer (1858–1943), engineer, publisher, real estate agent and technology pioneer
- August Oetker (1862–1918), entrepreneur, developed the baking powder Backin here
- Hans Perathoner (1872–1946), sculptor and painter, creator of the Leineweber monument
- Johannes Warns (1874–1937), theologian, was vicar in Schildesche
- Carl Severing (1875–1952), politician (SPD) and minister, leading figure of the SPD in Bielefeld
- Karl Muggly (1884–1957), painter and glass painter, taught at the arts and crafts school, created numerous glass works
- Erich Lossie (1886–1944), sculptor, lived in Bielefeld from the age of 7
- Erna Sack (1898–1972), singer, coloratura soprano at the Stadttheater
- Hans Bernhard Reichow (1899–1974), architect and town planner, designed Sennestadt
- Julius Voos (1904–1944), cantor, rabbi and educator
- Erwine Esk (1905–?), Painter and draftsman
- Eduard Herterich (1905–1994), painter, lived in Bielefeld from early childhood
- Herbert Volwahsen (1906–1988), sculptor, worked at the Werkkunstschule, created the Mercury Fountain
- Heinz Marten (1908–1991), singer
- Marie Hüsing (1909–1995), poet, writer and deaconess of the Sarepta Sisterhood
- Karl Otto (1910–1998), stenographer and inventor of the shorthand system "Simple Stenography"
- Werner Maihofer (1918–2009), legal scholar, Federal Minister of the Interior, taught at Bielefeld University
- Reinhart Koselleck (1923–2006), historian, honorary senator of Bielefeld University
- Hartmut von Hentig (* 1925), pedagogue and publicist, head of the laboratory school and the high school
- Hans-Joachim Newiger (1925–2011), classical philologist
- Willy Potthoff (1925–2006), reform pedagogue, taught from 1950 to 1965 at the Petri School in Bielefeld
- Karl Peter Grotemeyer (1927–2007), mathematician, rector of Bielefeld University 1970–1992, honorary senator of the university
- Niklas Luhmann (1927–1998), sociologist, taught at Bielefeld University from 1968 to 1993
- Horst Kasner (1926–2011), a possible theologian, studied at the Bethel Church University
- Friedrich Nowottny (* 1929), journalist, worked as a local reporter in Bielefeld
- Hans-Ulrich Wehler (1931–2014), historian, taught at Bielefeld University
- Gerhard Rödding (* 1933), Protestant theologian and politician
- Dieter Baacke (1934–1999), educationalist and professor at Bielefeld University
- Heiner Bruns (1935–2019), theater director, director of the Bielefeld Theater 1975–1999
- Fritz Pleitgen (* 1938), director of the WDR, volunteered at the Free Press Bielefeld
- Friedhelm Waldhausen (* 1938), mathematician, taught at Bielefeld University from 1970 to 2004
- Kurt Bahlmann (* 1940), sculptor, painter and draftsman
- Eike von Savigny (* 1941), philosopher, taught at Bielefeld University, dean
- Hans-Jürgen Papier (* 1943), legal scholar, taught at the university, head of the Institute for Environmental Law
- Klaus Hurrelmann (* 1944), sociologist, dean at Bielefeld University and the School of Public Health
- Bärbel Meurer (* 1944), sociologist
- Gerhard Schröder (* 1944), former Federal Chancellor (SPD), graduated from high school in Bielefeld in 1966
- Jürgen Buchmann (* 1945), writer and philologist
- Ray Dorset (* 1946), musician, is married to a Bielefeld woman and lived in Bielefeld from 2000 to 2010
- Helga Anders later Helga Anders-Fritz (* 1948) German-Austrian actress and voice actress, grew up in Bielefeld.
- Thomas Middelhoff (* 1953), manager
- Ulrich Stein (* 1954), German soccer player
- Rainer Wend (* 1954), politician (SPD), Member of the Bundestag as a member of the Bielefeld constituency
- Annelie Buntenbach (* 1955), politician
- Christian Sackewitz (* 1955), soccer player
- Ralf Binnewies (* 1957), painter
- Andreas Liebold (* 1959), TV and radio presenter, member of the comedy group "Frühstyxradio"
- Kai Diekmann (* 1964), journalist, grew up in Bielefeld
- Gregor Zöllig (* 1965), dancer and choreographer at the (Städt.) Tanztheater Bielefeld
- Fatmir Vata (born 1971), football player
- Thomas Henke (* 1972), media artist
- Mischael-Sarim Verollet (* 1981), Slampoet and author from Gibraltar
- Casper aka Benjamin Griffey (born September 25, 1982), rapper
- Marco Huck (* 1984), boxer, has lived in Bielefeld since 1993
- Christian Teich (* 1984), orienteer and athlete