List of people from Iowa
This is a list of notable people who were born in or closely associated with the American state of Iowa. People not born in Iowa are marked with §.
A
- Dudley W. Adams, horticulturalist
- John T. Adams, former Republican committee head
- Julie Adams, actress
- Kareem Al Allaf, American tennis player who has played for Syria and the US
- Trev Alberts, football player
- Bess Streeter Aldrich, author
- James Allen, engineer
- Fran Allison, television personality
- William B. Allison, politician
- Betty Baxter Anderson, author
- Lew Anderson, actor
- Rudolph Martin Anderson, explorer
- Marc Andreessen, software engineer
- Pat Angerer, football player
- Cap Anson, baseball player
- Brynild Anundsen, publisher
- Appanoose, 19th-century Meskwaki chief
- Lloyd Appleton, Olympic freestyle wrestler
- Samuel Z. Arkoff, film producer
- Herbert W. Armstrong, religious leader
- Tom Arnold, actor
- Matthew Ashford, actor
- Winifred Asprey, mathematician
- John Vincent Atanasoff, § inventor
- Jim Aton, jazz musician, composer, singer
B
- John Babcock, Olympic freestyle wrestler
- Michele Bachmann, politician
- Oliver Baez Bendorf, poet
- Stan Bahnsen, baseball player
- John O. Bailey, judge
- Bil Baird, puppeteer
- Betsy Baker, actress
- Nathaniel B. Baker, politician
- Alvin Baldus, politician
- Brad Banks, athlete
- Hal C. Banks, labor leader
- Jill Banner, actress
- Antonine Barada, folk hero
- Roger Barkley, broadcaster
- Harrison Barnes, athlete
- Bob Barr, politician
- Douglas Barr, actor, writer, and director
- David Barrett, football player
- Steve Bartkowski, football player
- Robert Bartley, editor of The Wall Street Journal
- Clint Barton, fictional character
- Theodore J. Bauer, scientist
- Lansing Hoskins Beach, Army officer
- Bennett Bean, artist
- Carl L. Becker, historian
- Bix Beiderbecke, jazz musician
- William W. Belknap
- Brian Bell, musician
- Alfred S. Bennett, Army general and U.S. Secretary of War
- Duane Benson, athlete
- Matt Bentley, professional wrestler
- Christian Beranek, writer, actor, and producer
- Leo Beranek, acoustician
- Bill Bergan, coach
- Eddie Berlin, athlete
- Dan Bern, musician
- Jennie Iowa Berry, clubwoman
- S. Torriano Berry, film producer, writer, director
- Jay Berwanger, football player
- Stanley Biber, physician
- Greg Biekert, football player
- Leo Binz, § Roman Catholic archbishop
- Joe Bisenius, athlete
- Richard Pike Bissell, author
- Nate Bjorkgren, basketball coach
- Black Hawk, § Native American chief
- Casey Blake, baseball player
- Gordon Blake, military general
- Donald G. Bloesch, theologian
- Isabel Bloom, artist
- Scott Bloomquist, auto racer
- Mike Blouin, politician
- Lisa Bluder, coach
- Mike Boddicker, baseball player
- Ike Boettger, American football player
- Bill Bogaard, politician
- Tommy Bolin, musician
- Norman Borlaug, agricultural scientist and Nobel laureate
- Rob Borsellino, writer
- Ryan Bowen, athlete
- Thomas M. Bowen, politician
- Charles Bowers, cartoonist and comic actor
- Lara Flynn Boyle, actress
- Eleanor Hoyt Brainerd, author
- Glen Brand, Olympic freestyle wrestler
- Neville Brand, actor
- Terry Brands, Olympic freestyle wrestler, wrestling coach
- Tom Brands, Olympic freestyle wrestler, wrestling coach
- Terry E. Branstad, politician
- Aaron Brant, athlete
- Charles Wesley Brashares, Methodist bishop
- Titus Bronson, founder of Kalamazoo, Michigan
- Greg Brown, folk musician
- Mace Brown, athlete
- Shannon Brown, country music singer
- Bruce Brubaker, pianist, record producer
- Rob Bruggeman, athlete
- Bill Bryson, author
- Oliver E. Buckley, electrical engineer
- Matt Bullard, athlete
- Ambrose Burke, priest, college president
- Jerry Burke, musician
- Tim Burke, football coach
- Joseph A. A. Burnquist, politician
- Martin Burns, athlete
- Joe Burrow, Heisman Trophy winner
- Jim Burt, sportscaster
- Marion LeRoy Burton, college president
- Harlan J. Bushfield, politician
- Mike Butcher, baseball player
- Frank M. Byrne, politician
- Robert Byrne, author
C
- Samuel Calvin, geologist
- Marjorie Cameron, actress and occultist
- Branden Campbell, bassist for Neon Trees
- Donald L. Campbell, chemist
- Macdonald Carey, actor
- Chris Carney, politician
- Wallace Carothers, chemist
- Allan Carpenter, author
- Sabin Carr, athlete
- Tommy Carroll, criminal
- Johnny Carson, television personality
- Jordan Carstens, athlete
- Louise Carver, actress
- Thomas Nixon Carver, economics professor
- Frank T. Cary, businessman
- Landon Cassill, auto racer
- Carrie Chapman Catt, suffragette
- Thomas Cech, chemist and Nobel laureate
- Matt Chatham, football player
- The Cherry Sisters, vaudevillians
- Norton P. Chipman, politician, judge
- Tom Churchill, broadcaster
- Bernard A. Clarey, admiral
- Caitlin Clark, WNBA player
- Dallas Clark, § football player
- Laurel Blair Salton Clark, astronaut
- Rush Clark, politician
- Fred Clarke, baseball Hall of Famer
- Frederick G. Clausen, architect
- Jeff Clement, athlete
- Ron Clements, director and producer
- Scott Clemmensen, athlete
- Buffalo Bill Cody, Wild West showman
- Samuel Cody, aviator
- Harris Coggeshall, athlete
- Danielle Colby, reality TV personality
- King Cole, athlete
- Ada Langworthy Collier, poet, writer
- Chris Collins, hockey player
- Max Allan Collins, mystery writer
- Stephen Collins, actor
- Nick Collison, basketball player
- John W. Colloton, healthcare executive
- Steven Colloton, federal judge
- Anders Colsefni, musician
- Martin Cone, college president
- Edwin H. Conger, diplomat
- Maurice Connolly, politician
- Paul Conrad, political cartoonist
- Ed Conroy, athlete
- George Cram Cook, author
- Marv Cook, football player
- Jack Coombs, athlete
- Eric Cooper, baseball umpire
- Barclay and Edwin Coppock, followers of John Brown
- Frank Cordaro, activist
- Sarah Corpstein, beauty queen
- John M. Corse, Army general
- Ernie Courtney, athlete
- Paul Coverdell, politician
- Thomas Jefferson Cowie, admiral
- Ryan Cownie, stand-up comedian
- Shawn Crahan, musician
- Roger Craig, football player
- Joe Crail, politician
- Coe I. Crawford, politician
- Francis X. Cretzmeyer, coach
- Joel Crisman, football player
- Jim Crotty, athlete
- Julee Cruise, singer and actress
- Frank Cuhel, athlete
- Mariclare Culver, political figure
- Henry J. B. Cummings, politician
- Billy Cundiff, athlete
- Jack Cunningham, screenwriter
D
- Janet Dailey, author
- Bill Daily, actor
- Dick Dale, musician
- Muriel Frances Dana, actress
- Jack Daniels, politician
- Diane D'Aquila, actress
- Sarah Darling, musician
- Geof Darrow, artist
- Dana Davis, actress
- Barry Davis, Olympic freestyle wrestler
- Rebecca Fjelland Davis, author
- Stuart Davis, musician
- Laura Dawn, activist, singer-songwriter, director/producer
- Bud Day, war hero
- Walter Day, businessman
- Darren Daye, athlete
- Lee De Forest, inventor
- Jordan De Jong, athlete
- Henry Clay Dean, preacher, lawyer
- Don DeFore, actor
- Cooper DeJean, athlete
- W. Edwards Deming, statistician
- Don Denkinger, baseball umpire
- Dave Despain, sports journalist
- Adam Devine, actor
- Aubrey Devine, athlete
- Lester J. Dickinson, politician
- Justin Diercks, auto racer
- Charles Hall Dillon, politician, judge
- Thomas Disch, author
- James Dixon, orchestra conductor
- David M. Dobson, game creator
- Claire Dodd, actress
- Tim Dodd, YouTuber
- Grenville M. Dodge, railroad executive
- Ralph Edward Dodge, religious leader
- Angela Dohrmann, actress
- Ellen Dolan, actress
- Steve Doocy, television journalist
- Russell S. Doughten, filmmaker
- Nicholas Downs, actor
- Joel Dreessen, football player
- Kevin Dresser, collegiate wrestling head coach
- Leanna Field Driftmier, radio personality
- Bobby Driscoll, actor
- Fred Duesenberg, automobile manufacturer
- Randy Duncan, football player
- Francis John Dunn, religious leader
- Lloyd Dunn
- Samuel Grace Dunn, journalist
- Kenneth W. Durant, decorated sailor
- John Durbin, actor
- Tim Dwight, football player
E
- Morgan Earp, Wild West lawman
- Warren Earp, brother of Wyatt Earp
- Abastenia St. Leger Eberle, sculptor
- Zales Ecton, politician
- Paul Eells, sportscaster
- Mamie Eisenhower, former First Lady of the United States
- Cal Eldred, athlete
- Jane Elliott, schoolteacher and activist
- James Ellison, actor
- Eugene Burton Ely, aviator
- Paul Emerick, International rugby player, and coach
- Hope Emerson, actress
- Michael Emerson, actor
- Femi Emiola, actress
- Norman A. Erbe, politician
- Joni Ernst, United States senator for Iowa
- Jane Espenson, TV producer and writer
- Simon Estes, opera singer
- Linda Evans, political activist
- Frank F. Everest, general
- Barton Warren Evermann, ichthyologist
F
- Randy Florke, writer/publisher of interior design book
- Urban Clarence "Red" Faber, baseball player
- Tom Fadden, actor
- Carole Farley, soprano singer
- Art Farmer, jazz musician
- Sharon Farrell, actress
- Terry Farrell, actress
- James Fee, photographer
- Victor Feguer, convicted murderer
- Chris Fehn, musician
- Margaret Feldner, university president
- Bob Feller, baseball player
- Mary Fels, philanthropist, suffragist, Georgist
- James Ferentz, football player
- Jeremy Ferguson, musician
- Susan Frances Nelson Ferree, journalist, activist, suffragist
- Susan Fessenden, activist, social reformer
- Al Feuerbach, track and field athlete
- Romaine Fielding, actor
- Margarita Fischer, actress
- Matt Fish, basketball player
- Freddie Fisher, musician
- Bill Fitch, basketball coach
- Joseph Fitz, naval veteran
- Bridget Flanery, actress
- John Flannagan, priest
- Jack Fleck, golfer
- Frank Jack Fletcher, admiral
- Robert Fletcher, costume designer
- Rich Folkers, baseball player
- Bradbury Foote, screenwriter
- Ben Foster, actor
- Jon Foster, musician
- Judith Ellen Foster, lawyer
- Farrah Franklin, singer
- William Frawley, actor
- John T. Frederick, scholar
- Tanna Frederick, actress
- Joan Freeman, actress
- Bruce French, actor
- George B. French, actor
- Joe Frisco, vaudeville performer
- Virgil Frye, actor, boxer