List of Latvians

• people who were born in the historical territory of what is now Latvia, regardless of ethnicity, citizenship, or time period; and
• people of Latvian descent regardless of their place of birth or citizenship.

A

• Valerians Abakovskis – inventor of a propeller-powered railcar, the aerowagon
• Rutanya Alda – actress
• Lidiia Alekseeva, Latvian poet and writer of short stories
• Viktor Alksnis – Soviet military officer and Russian communist politician known as "the Black Colonel"
• Juris Alunāns – writer and philologist
• Ingrīda Andriņa – actress
• Iveta Apkalna – organist
• Fricis Apšenieks – chess player
• Vija Artmane – actress
• Aspazija, pen-name of Elza Pliekšāne – poet and playwright
• Gunārs Astra – dissident, fighter for human rights
• Auseklis, pseudonym of Miķelis Krogzemis – poet, author and translator of German poets

B

• Ainars Bagatskis – basketball player
• Helmuts Balderis – ice hockey player, forward
• Jānis Balodis – army officer and politician
• Kārlis Balodis – economist, financist, statistician and demographist
• Krišjānis Barons – "the father of Latvian folk songs"; compiled and edited the first publication of Latvian folk-song texts, Latvju Dainas
• Mikhail Baryshnikov – ballet dancer
• Kārlis Baumanis – composer, author of the national anthem of the Republic of Latvia "Dievs, svētī Latviju!"
• Vizma Belševica – author, candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature
• Eduards Berklavs – politician, leader of Latvian national-communists
• Krišjānis Berķis – general
• Dairis Bertāns – basketball player
• Isaiah Berlin – philosopher
• Lilita Bērziņa – actress
• Eduards Bērziņš – soldier in the Red Army, later head of Dalstroy, the Kolyma forced-labour camps in North-Eastern Siberia
• Yan Karlovich Berzin – Soviet military intelligence officer
• Kaspars Bērziņš – basketball player
• Kārlis Bētiņš – chess player
• Andris Biedriņš – basketball player
• Gunārs Birkerts – architect
• Miervaldis Birze – writer
• Ernests Blanks – publicist, writer, historian, the first to publicly advocate for Latvia's independence
• Rūdolfs Blaumanis – writer and playwright
• Himans Blūms – painter
• Jānis Blūms – basketball player
• Ārons Bogoļubovs – Olympic medalist in judoka
• Mairis Briedis – world boxing champion
• Baiba Broka – actress
• Baiba Broka – lawyer and politician
• Ingūna Butāne – fashion model

C

• Frīdrihs Canders – pioneer of rocketry and spaceflight
• Valters Caps – designed first Minox 8 x 11 photo cameras
• Aleksandrs Cauņa – footballer
• Gustavs Celmiņš – fascist politician, leader of Pērkonkrusts movement
• Vija Celmins – American painter born in Latvia
• Tanhum Cohen-Mintz – Latvian-born Israeli basketball player

Č

• Māris Čaklais – poet
• Aleksandrs Čaks – poet
• Jānis Čakste – first President of Latvia

D

• Roberts Dambītis – general and politician
• Jānis Dāliņš – athlete, race walker
• Emīls Dārziņš – composer
• Volfgangs Dārziņš – composer, pianist, and music critic
• Kaspars Daugaviņš – ice hockey player
• Jacob Davis – inventor of denim
• Johans Aleksandrs Heinrihs Klapje de Kolongs – naval engineer
• Eliass Eliezers Desslers – Orthodox rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and Jewish philosopher
• Elīna Dikaioulaku – basketball player for Israeli team Elitzur Ramla
• Leor Dimant – DJ for the rap metal group Limp Bizkit
• Anatols Dinbergs – diplomat
• Aleksis Dreimanis – geologist
• Inga Drozdova – model and actress
• Domenique Dumont – music producer
• Oļģerts Dunkers – actor and film director
• Christine Dzidrums – author

E

• Mihails Eizenšteins – architect
• Sergejs Eizenšteins – film director
• Modris Eksteins – Canadian historian and writer
• Ēriks Ešenvalds – composer
• Andrievs Ezergailis – historian of the Holocaust

F

• Movša Feigins – chess player
• Gregors Fitelbergs – conductor, composer and violinist
• Vesels fon Freitāgs-Loringhofens – colonel and member of the German resistance against German dictator Adolf Hitler
• Laila Freivalds – former Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs

G

• Inese Galante – opera singer; soprano
• Gints Gabrāns – artist
• Elīna Garanča – opera singer; mezzo-soprano
• Zemgus Girgensons – ice hockey centre
• Kārlis Goppers – general; founder of Latvian Boy Scouts
• Andrejs Grants – photographer
• Kristers Gudļevskis – ice hockey goaltender
• Ernests Gulbis – tennis player
• Natālija Gulbis – Latvian-descent LPGA golfer
• Pāvels Gumennikovs – Latvian film director, actor, writer, and producer

Ģ

• Uldis Ģērmanis – historian; under the alias of Ulafs Jāņsons, a social commentator
• Aivars Ģipslis – chess player

H

• Moriss Halle – linguist
• Filips Halsmans – Latvian-American photographer
• Juris Hartmanis – computer scientist; Turing Award winner
• Uvis Helmanis – basketball player

I

• Artūrs Irbe – ice hockey player, goalkeeper
• Kārlis Irbītis – aviation inventor, engineer, designer

J

• Gatis Jahovičs – basketball player
• Mariss Jansons – conductor
• Inese Jaunzeme – athlete

K

• Aivars Kalējs – organist, composer
• Konrāds Kalējs – alleged war criminal
• Sandra Kalniete – politician, diplomat, former Latvia's EU commissioner
• Bruno Kalniņš – Saeima member, Red Army General
• Imants Kalniņš – composer, politician
• Oskars Kalpaks – colonel, first Commander of Latvian National Armed Forces
• Kaspars Kambala – basketball player
• Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš – politician; Prime Minister of Latvia
• Mārtiņš Karsums – ice hockey player
• Reinis Kaudzīte – writer and journalist
• Renārs Kaupers – musician
• Jēkabs Ketlers – Duke of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia
• Gustavs Klucis – painter and graphic designer
• Aleksandrs Koblencs – chess player
• Ābrams Izāks Kūks – chief rabbi, Jewish thinker, statesman, diplomat, mediator and scholar
• Aleksandrs Kovaļevskis – zoologist
• Ilsa Konrads – Olympic swimmer
• John Konrads – Olympic swimmer
• Gidons Krēmers – violinist and conductor
• Miķelis Krogzemis – poet, author and translator of German poets
• Juris Kronbergs – poet, writer, free-lance journalist, translator
• Atis Kronvalds – teacher and journalist; reformed the Latvian language; organized the first Latvian Song and Dance Festival
• Dainis Kūla – athlete
• Alberts Kviesis – President of Latvia

L

• Vilis Lācis – author and politician
• Aleksandrs Laime – explorer
• Ginta Lapiņa – fashion model
• Yan Larri Soviet children's and utopian fiction writer
• Natālija Lašenova – gymnastics Olympic champion
• Edvards Liedskalniņš – builder of Coral Castle in Florida; claimed to have discovered the ancient magnetic levitation secrets used to construct the Egyptian pyramids
• Jēkabs Mihaels Reinholds Lencs – author
• Marija Leiko – actress
• Vita Liberte – lawyer, art collector, patron and entrepreneur
• Māris Liepa – ballet dancer
• Peggy Lipton – Latvian-American actress
• Nikolajs Loskis – philosopher
• Jānis Lūsis – athlete; Olympic champion

Ļ

• Jevgēnija Ļisicina – organist

M

• Māris Martinsons – film director, producer, screenwriter and film editor
• Hermanis Matisons – chess player
• Zenta Mauriņa – writer, literary scholar, culture philosopher
• Juris Māters – author, lawyer and journalist; translated laws to Latvian and created the foundation for Latvian law
• Jānis Medenis – poet
• Arnis Mednis – singer
• Zigfrīds Anna Meierovics – first Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Mareks Mejeris – basketball player for Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Alan Melikdjanian – independent filmmaker, YouTuber
• Leo Mihelsons – artist
• Arnolds Mikelsons – artist
• Mikhail Tal – chess player Grandmaster
• Jevgēņijs Millers – tsarist Russian general
• Kārlis Mīlenbahs – linguist

N

• Arkādijs Naidičs – chess player; now resident in Germany
• Andris Nelsons – conductor, Boston Symphony Orchestra
• Andrievs Niedra – pastor, writer, prime minister of German puppet government
• Arons Nimcovičs – chess player
• Reinis Nitišs – World Rallycross driver
• Fred Norris – radio personality, ''The Howard Stern Show''

O

• Staņislavs Olijars – athlete
• Jeļena Ostapenko – tennis player
• Vilhelms Ostvalds – received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1909 for his work on catalysis, chemical equilibria and reaction velocities
• Elvīra Ozoliņa – athlete
• Sandis Ozoliņš – ice hockey player, defense
• Valdemārs Ozoliņš – composer, conductor
• Auseklis Ozols – artist

P

• Artis Pabriks – Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Ināra Petrusēviča – artist
• Kārlis Padegs – graphic artist, painter
• Marians Pahars – soccer player
• Raimonds Pauls – composer; widely known in Russia
• Lūcija Peka – artist of the Latvian diaspora
• Konstantīns Pēkšēns – Art nouveau architect
• Jēkabs Peterss – revolutionary and Soviet Cheka leader
• Kristīne Petrikina – footballer
• Kaspars Petrovs – serial killer
• Vladimirs Petrovs – chess player
• Oskars Perro – soldier and writer
• Andris Piebalgs – politician and diplomat; European Commissioner for Energy
• Jānis Pliekšāns – writer; author of a number of poetry collections
• Juris Podnieks – film director, producer
• Nikolajs Poļakovs – circus performer; creator of Coco the Clown
• Jānis Poruks – writer
• Kristaps Porziņģis – basketball player, Boston Celtics
• Rosa von Praunheim – German film director, author, painter and gay rights activist
• Sandis Prūsis – athlete, bobsleigh
• Uldis Pūcītis – actor, director
• Boris Pugo – Soviet communist politician
• Jānis Pujats – Roman Catholic cardinal
• Andrejs Pumpurs – poet; author of Latvian national epic ''Lāčplēsis''

R

• Rainis, pseudonym of Jānis Pliekšāns – poet and playwright
• Dan Rapoport – American financier and philanthropist
• Laura Rizzotto – Latvian-Brazilian singer
• Lauris Reiniks – singer-songwriter, actor and television personality
• Einars Repše – politician
• Jānis Rieksts – photographer
• Lolita Ritmanis – orchestrator, composer
• Iļja Ripss – inventor of the Bible code
• Fricis Rokpelnis – author
• Markuss Rotkovičs – abstract expressionist painter
• Elza Rozenberga – poet, playwright; married to Jānis Pliekšāns
• Margaret Romans, supercentenarian and oldest Latvian-born person in history
• Juris Rubenis – Lutheran pastor
• Mārtiņš Rubenis – athlete; bronze medalist at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin
• Brunis Rubess – businessman
• Inta Ruka – photographer
• Wolf Ruvinskis – versatile actor, a memorable face of the Cinema of Mexico

S

• Rudolfs Saule – ballet master; performer with the Latvian National Ballet
• Uļjana Semjonova – basketball player
• Haralds Silovs – short track and long track speed skater
• Kārlis Skalbe – poet
• Kārlis Skrastiņš – ice hockey player
• Baiba Skride – violinist
• Andrew Smith – American-Latvian basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Konstantīns Sokoļskis – romance and tango singer
• Ksenia Solo – Latvian-Canadian actress
• Serge Sorokko – art dealer and publisher
• Raimonds Staprans – Latvian-American painter
• Jānis Šteinhauers – industrialist, entrepreneur, and civil rights activist
• Gotthard Friedrich Stender – first Latvian grammarian
• Līna Šterna – biologist and social activist
• Roze Stiebra – animator
• Henrijs Stolovs – stamp dealer
• Jānis Streičs – film director, screenwriter, actor
• Jānis Strēlnieks – basketball player
• Pēteris Stučka – author, translator, editor, jurist and educator
• Jānis Sudrabkalns – poet and journalist
• Jevgēņijs Svešņikovs – chess player
• Staņislavs Svjanevičs – economist and historian

Š

• Viktors Ščerbatihs – athlete, weightlifter
• Pauls Šīmanis – Baltic German journalist, politician, activist defending and preserving European minority cultures
• Vestards Šimkus – pianist
• Aleksejs Širovs – chess player
• Andris Šķēle – politician; Prime Minister of Latvia
• Armands Šķēle – basketball player
• Ainārs Šlesers – politician, chairman of Latvia First
• Ernests Štālbergs – architect, ensemble of the Freedom Monument
• Īzaks Nahmans Šteinbergs – politician, lawyer and author
• Māris Štrombergs – BMX cyclist; gold medal winner at 2008 and 2012 Olympics

T

• Esther Takeuchi – materials scientist and chemical engineer
• Mihails Tāls – the 8th World Chess Champion
• Jānis Roberts Tilbergs – painter, sculptor

U

• Guntis Ulmanis – President of Latvia
• Kārlis Ulmanis – Prime Minister of Latvia; President of Latvia
• Juris Upatnieks – physicist and inventor; pioneer in the field of holography
• Andrejs Upīts – poet and writer

V

• Ojārs Vācietis – writer
• Romāns Vainšteins – cyclist, World Road Champion in 2000
• Krišjānis Valdemārs – public figure, writer, publicist and economist
• Pauls Valdens – chemist
• Miķelis Valters – state official, journalist, diplomat
• Valdis Valters – basketball player
• Aleksandrs Vanags – footballer
• Jānis Vanags – Lutheran archbishop
• Jūlijs Vanags – author and translator
• Deniss Vasiļjevs – figure skater
• Pēteris Vasks – contemporary composer
• Jukums Vācietis – first commander of the Soviet Army
• Ojārs Vācietis – poet
• Kaspars Vecvagars – basketball club BC Žalgiris player
• Eduards Veidenbaums – poet and translator
• Makss Veinreihs – linguist
• Ed Viesturs – mountaineer
• Igors Vihrovs – gymnast, gold medalist at Sydney Olympics in 2000
• Edvarts Virza – writer
• Alvis Vītoliņš – chess master
• Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga – former President of Latvia
• Jāzeps Vītols – composer
• Māris Verpakovskis – footballer
• Aleksandrs Voitkevičs – chess player

Z

• Kārlis Zāle – sculptor; author of the Freedom Monument in Riga
• Juris Zariņš – archaeologist and professor at Missouri State University
• Kārlis Zariņš – diplomat
• Rihards Zariņš – graphic artist
• Valdis Zatlers – former President of Latvia
• Elmārs Zemgalis – chess player
• Gustavs Zemgals – former President of Latvia
• Imants Zemzaris – contemporary composer
• Valdis Zeps – author and linguist; pseudonym Jānis Turbads
• Imants Ziedonis – poet and folklorist
• Mārtiņš Zīverts – playwright
• Kaspars Znotiņš – stage and film actor

Ž

• Sergejs Žoltoks – ice hockey player, forward