List of sons and daughters of the City of Bristol
The following is a list of Bristol- born personalities, listed chronologically by year of birth. It is irrelevant whether or not the people later had their sphere of activity in Bristol. Many have moved from Bristol in the course of their lives and become known elsewhere. The list does not claim to be complete.
Bristol-born personalities
Until 1850
- Martin Pring (1580–1626), navigator, explorer and commander
- Edward Colston (1637–1721), English slave trader, Member of Parliament
- Woodes Rogers (1679-1732), privateer
- (presumably) Edward Thatch (1680–1718), known as Blackbeard, pirate captain
- Jack Rackham (1682-1720), pirate captain
- Nicholas Pocock (1740-1821), painter
- Thomas Chatterton (1752-1770), poet
- Samuel Wesley (1766–1837), organist and composer
- Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830), painter
- John Hobhouse, 1st Baron Broughton (1786–1869), statesman
- Robert Southey (1774–1843), poet, historian and critic
- Henry Kater (1777–1835), physicist and astronomer
- Frances Trollope (1779–1863), novelist and travel writer
- Jem Belcher (1781-1811), boxer
- William George Horner (1786–1837), mathematician
- Edward Hodges Baily (1788–1867), sculptor
- Thomas Edward Bowdich (1791–1824), adventurer, author and zoologist
- Hartley Coleridge (1796-1849), writer
- Edward Hodges (1796–1867), composer and organist
- John Williams Wilson (1798–1857), frigate captain in the Chilean Navy
- William Edwards Staite (1809-1854), inventor
- Elijah Williams (1809-1854), chess player
- Samuel Plimsoll (1824–1898), inventor
- Emily Blackwell (1826–1910), gynecologist and suffragette
- George Gore (1826–1908), lecturer in chemistry
- William Wyatt Gill (1828–1898), missionary and ethnologist
- Edward William Godwin (1833–1886), architect and designer
- Ernest Giles (1835-1897), researcher
- John Addington Symonds (1840-1893), author, teacher and literary critic
- Thomas Bridges (1842–1898), missionary, linguist and large landowner
1851 to 1900
- Lionel de Nicéville (1852–1901), curator
- William Friese-Greene (1855–1921), photographer and inventor
- James Freer (1855–1933), Canadian pioneer filmmaker
- Frank Edward Brightman (1856–1932), priest and liturgical scholar
- Patrick Watson-Williams (1863-1938), physician
- Herbert William Pugsley (1868–1947), botanist and plant collector
- Fabian Ware (1869–1949), major general
- Percy Sargent (1873-1933), physician
- William D. Robbins (1874–1952), Mayor of Toronto
- Cyril Rootham (1875–1938), composer
- Frank Calder (1877–1943), sports journalist and sports official
- Edith Hannam (1878–1951), tennis player
- Montague Summers (1880–1948), literary scholar, demonologist and writer
- Arthur Richards, 1st Baron Milverton (1885–1978), Governor
- Archibald Vivian Hill (1886–1977), physiologist
- James Thompson (1889-1967), table tennis player
- Isaac Rosenberg (1890–1918), painter and poet
- Harry Thomas (1890–1941), ragtime pianist
- William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim (1891–1970), troop commander
- Clement M. Doke (1893-1980), linguist
- Herbert J. Sadler (1894–1955), Canadian organist, composer and music teacher
- Vivian Langrish (1894–1980), pianist and music teacher
- Hilary Saint George Saunders (1898–1951), writer
- Jimmy Brain (1900–1971), football player and coach
- Geoffrey Household (1900–1988), writer
1901 to 1950
- Paul Dirac (1902-1984), physicist
- Cary Grant (1904–1986), actor
- Gordon Welchman (1906–1985), code breaker
- John Redcliffe-Maud, Baron Redcliffe-Maud (1906–1982), civil servant, minister and diplomat
- Christopher Fry (1907-2005), writer and playwright
- Eddie Hapgood (1908–1973), football player and coach
- Michael Redgrave (1908–1985), actor
- Cliff Britton (1909-1975), football player and coach
- John Wintour Baldwin Barns (1912–1974), Egyptologist
- Basil Davidson (1914-2010), historian, writer and Africanist
- Douglas Feaver (1914–1997), Anglican theologian and bishop
- J. Lee Thompson (1914–2002), director, screenwriter and film producer
- John Witty (1915–1990), actor
- Michael Truman (1916–1972), film director, film producer and film editor
- Michael J. Seaton (1923–2007), mathematician, physicist and astronomer
- Roy Bentley (1924–2018), football player and coach
- Russ Conway (1925–2000), pianist, composer and singer
- Richard Lynn (* 1930), psychologist and university professor
- Mamy Rock (1931–2014), British DJ, actually Ruth Flowers
- Robert Stephens (1931–1995), film and stage actor
- Mike Hodges (born 1932), director
- Hazel Henderson (* 1933), futurologist
- David Prowse (* 1935), actor and fitness trainer
- CTC Wall (born 1936), mathematician
- Bill Smith (* 1938), jazz musician, publisher and music producer
- Alan Francis Chalmers (* 1939), professor of philosophy
- TJ Clark (* 1943), art historian
- Nigel Hall (* 1943), sculptor and draftsman
- Evan Parker (* 1944), saxophonist
- Dolly Read (born 1944), actress
- Richard Long (* 1945), land artist
- Nigel Terry (1945-2015), actor
- Robert Wyatt (* 1945), singer and drummer
- John Saxbee (* 1946), theologian
- Brian Jones (* 1947), aviation pioneer
- Keith Tippett (1947-2020), pianist
- Ian Hodder (born 1948), archaeologist
- Larry Lloyd (born 1948), football player
- Clive Stevens (1948–2019), jazz and fusion musician
- Veronica Cartwright (born 1949), actress
- Jeremy Mold (born 1949), astronomer
- Larry Stabbins (* 1949), tenor and soprano saxophonist
- Karenza Mathews (* 1950), table tennis player
1951 to 1970
- Peter Lord (* 1953), director and producer
- Kevin R. McNally (born 1956), actor
- Robin Cousins (born 1957), figure skater
- Nik Kershaw (* 1958), pop musician
- Shaun Woodward (born 1958), politician
- Wayne Hussey (* 1958), singer and guitarist with The Mission
- Sean French (born 1959), journalist and novelist
- Jo Durie (* 1960), tennis player
- Jon Klein (* 1960), guitarist
- Gary Mabbutt (born 1961), soccer player
- Neil Davidge (* 1962), composer and music producer
- Nellee Hooper (* 1963), music producer
- Vadim Jean (* 1963), film director and producer
- Kirk Jones (* 1963), film director and screenwriter
- James May (* 1963), television presenter and journalist
- Lee Evans (born 1964), comedian and actor
- Damien Hirst (* 1965), artist and curator
- Steve Box (* 1967), animator and film director
- Tim Carter (1967-2008), football player
- Adrian Nicholas Matthews Thaws aka Tricky (* 1968), musician and film artist
- Chris Mason (* 1969), darts player
- Roni Size (* 1969), drum and bass producer and DJ
- Paul Potts (* 1970), tenor
- Christopher Smith (* 1970), film director and screenwriter
From 1971
- Graham Sharman (* 1971), Australian track cyclist and trainer
- Hazel Barton (* 1972), speleologist
- Mark Regan (born 1972), rugby union player
- Hannah Davies (born 1973), actress
- Mark Dudbridge (* 1973), darts player
- Forbes March (* 1973), model and actor
- Banksy (born 1974), artist
- Stephen Merchant (* 1974), screenwriter, director and actor
- Jason Crump (* 1975), speedway driver
- Ben Green (* 1977), mathematician
- Andy Williams (born 1977), soccer player
- Jack Thorne (* 1978), screenwriter and playwright
- Ian Wilkinson (* 1979), mountain bike, cyclocross and road cyclist
- Matt Hill (born 1981), soccer player
- Kate Reed (* 1982), long-distance runner
- Jason Tahincioğlu (* 1983), racing car driver
- Kimberley Nixon (born 1985), actress
- Message to Bears (* 1985), musician
- Ed Smith (* 1986), skeleton pilot
- Mike Bailey (born 1988), actor
- Mitch Hewer (born 1989), actor
- Hannah Murray (* 1989), actress
- Judd Trump (* 1989), snooker player
- Dino Zamparelli (* 1992), automobile racing driver
- Jack Butland (born 1993), football player
- Lucy Bryan (* 1995), pole vaulter
- Maisie Williams (born 1997), actress
- Lando Norris (* 1999), racing car driver