List of people from Boston
This is a list of people who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with the city of Boston, Massachusetts and its surrounding metropolitan statistical area.
0-9
- 7L & Esoteric – rap group
A
- Joel Abbot – naval officer
- Amos Abbott – born in Westford, member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts
- Austin Abbott – born in Boston; lawyer, novelist, and academic
- Benjamin Vaughan Abbott – born in Boston, lawyer and legal writer
- Joseph Carter Abbott – publisher of the Boston Bee
- Josiah Gardner Abbott – member of United States House of Representatives
- Abdul-Malik Abu – basketball player in the Israeli Premier Basketball League
- Edith Achilles – psychologist
- Abigail Adams – born in Weymouth, First Lady of the United States
- Abijah Adams – born in Boston, journalist, often embroiled in lawsuits against him
- Charles Francis Adams Sr. – born in Boston; son of Abigail Adams and John Adams; congressman; diplomat; writer
- Edwin Adams – born in Medford, 19th-century stage actor
- Eliphalet Adams – born in Medford, clergyman and missionary
- Hannah Adams – born in Medfield, famous Christian writer
- Henry Adams – born in Boston, journalist, historian, academic and novelist
- Jasper Adams – born in Medway, clergyman and college president
- Nehemiah Adams – clergyman and author
- Sammy Adams – musician
- Samuel Adams – American Revolution patriot, signer of the Declaration of Independence
- Aerosmith – band
- Ben Affleck – Academy Award-winning actor, screenwriter and director, brother of Casey
- Casey Affleck – Academy Award-winning actor, brother of Ben
- George Aiken – born in Boston, actor and playwright
- Amos T. Akerman – United States attorney general, born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Akrobatik – hip hop artist, member of The Perceptionists
- Al B. Sure – singer
- Harriet Ryan Albee – born and died in Boston; social reformer and philanthropist
- Mildred Albert – fashion show producer and radio and television personality
- Louisa May Alcott – 19th-century author of Little Women
- Horatio Alger Jr. – author
- Fred Allen – radio comedian
- Frederick Lewis Allen – writer
- Joseph Allen – born in Boston, United States congressman
- Nathaniel M. Allen – soldier in Civil War, awarded Congressional Medal of Honor
- The Almighty RSO – rap group
- Stanley Alves – soccer player
- John Amaechi – NBA player
- American Hi-Fi – band
- American Nightmare – hardcore band
- Amerie – R&B artist
- Ed Ames – actor and singer
- Rich Amiri – rapper
- Tony Amonte – NHL player
- Leroy Anderson – composer for Boston Pops Orchestra
- Arthur L. Andrews – Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
- Mary Antin – author
- Ashkanov Apollon – soccer player
- Apollo Sunshine – band
- Thomas Gold Appleton – writer
- Isabel Atkin – British–American skier and Olympic medalist for Great Britain
- Oliver F. Atkins – photographer who served as the Chief Official White House Photographer
- Crispus Attucks – American Revolution patriot
- Red Auerbach – Boston Celtics coach and president, Basketball Hall of Famer
- John Augustus – born in Boston, philanthropist and pioneer of probation
- James Trecothick Austin – born in Boston, member of Massachusetts General Court and Massachusetts attorney general
- Jonathan Loring Austin – born in Boston; officer in American Revolutionary War; Massachusetts state representative, senator, secretary, and treasurer
B
- Bad Rabbits – band
- Arthur Baker – rap DJ, music producer
- Bang Camaro – rock band
- Sasha Banks – WWE wrestler, former WWE Raw Women's Champion, former NXT Women's Champion
- Maria Barrett – US Army major general; older sister of US Army General Paula Lodi
- Dana Barros – former NBA player
- Zered Bassett – professional skateboarder
- Benjamin E. Bates – founder and namesake of Bates College
- Ruth Batson – civil rights and education activist
- Susan Batson – actress, author, and producer; daughter of Ruth Batson
- Peter D. Bear – Wisconsin State Senator
- Bell Biv DeVoe – music group
- Gaston Bell – stage and silent film actor
- Tobin Bell – actor
- Mark Bellhorn – MLB player
- Cora Agnes Benneson – attorney, lecturer, and writer
- Frank Weston Benson – impressionist artist
- Rick Berlin – musician
- Leonard Bernstein – New York Philharmonic conductor, composer and pianist
- Big D and the Kids Table – band
- Big Shug – rapper
- Traci Bingham – actress, model
- Mike Birbiglia – comedian
- Molly Birnbaum – writer
- William Blackstone – first European settler
- Arthur Blake – athlete
- Will Blalock – former NBA player
- David Blatt – Israeli-American basketball player and coach
- C. L. Blood – physician
- Matt Bloom – NFL player and professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
- Michael Bloomberg – former mayor of New York City
- Bob and Ray – comedy team
- Ernie Boch Jr. – president of Boch Enterprises
- Ray Bolger – actor and dancer, Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz
- Veda Ann Borg – film actress
- Boston – band
- Boys Like Girls – band
- Ron Brace – NFL player, New England Patriots
- Nathaniel Jeremiah Bradlee – architect
- William J. Bratton – chief of police for NYPD and LAPD
- Connie Britton – actress
- John Britton – abortion provider
- Edward W. Brooke – first African American elected by popular vote to United States Senate
- Bobby Brown – singer
- Carolyn Brown – dancer, writer, choreographer
- Earle Brown – composer
- Lexie Brown – basketball player for the Seattle Storm
- Sam Brown – comedian from IFC sketch comedy show The Whitest Kids U' Know
- Scott Brown – U.S. senator
- William B. Broydrick – Wisconsin state assemblyman
- Aimee Buchanan – American-born Olympic figure skater for Israel
- Buffalo Tom – band
- Charles Bulfinch – architect who designed Massachusetts State House, original United States Capitol dome and rotunda
- James "Whitey" Bulger – organized crime boss
- Ephraim Wales Bull – creator of the concord grape
- Chris Burden – sculptor/installation artist, performance artist
- Thomas Burke – sprinter
- Bill Burr – comedian
- Edwin C. Burt – shoemaker
- Bury Your Dead – band
- George H. W. Bush – 41st president of the United States
- Vannevar Bush – scientist
C
- C60 – band
- Louis C.K. – comedian and actor
- Will Calhoun – drummer for Living Colour
- Steve Carell – actor and comedian, The Office, The Daily Show, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Despicable Me
- The Cars – band
- Melnea Cass – community and civil rights activist
- Peggy Cass – actress and TV game show panelist
- John Cazale – actor, The Godfather, The Deer Hunter, Dog Day Afternoon
- John Cena – professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
- Nicholas Raymond Cerio – founder of Nick Cerio's Kenpo
- Kevin Chapman – actor
- Julius Caesar Chappelle – Massachusetts legislator
- Simone Charley – soccer player
- Ken Cheeseman – actor
- Gary Cherone – singer
- Michael Chiklis – actor, The Shield
- Neil Cicierega – Internet personality, created Potter Puppet Pals
- Lenny Clarke – comedian and actor
- The Click Five – band
- Alex Cobb – baseball pitcher
- J. A. Coburn – blackface minstrel performer, troupe owner and manager
- John A. Collins – chief of chaplains of the U.S. Air Force
- Misha Collins – actor
- Jerry Colonna – entertainer
- Greg Comella – NFL fullback
- James Bryant Conant – chemist, 23rd president of Harvard University
- Dane Cook – comedian and actor
- Calvin Coolidge – 30th president of the United States
- Harriet Abbott Lincoln Coolidge – author, philanthropist, reformer
- Jennifer Coolidge – actress, American Pie, A Mighty Wind, Legally Blonde
- Miriam O'Leary Collins – actress
- Gerry Connolly – U.S. representative for Virginia and president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
- John Singleton Copley – artist
- Chick Corea – Grammy Award-winning jazz musician and composer
- Jeff Corwin – TV personality
- Aisha Cousins – artist/performance art score writer
- Lynne Cox – professional swimmer
- Charlie Coyle – hockey player
- Zach Cregger – actor, comedian, star of the IFC sketch comedy series WKUK
- Norm Crosby – comedian
- Marcia Cross – actress, Desperate Housewives
- James Michael Curley – mayor of Boston, Massachusetts governor, and U.S. representative
- Jane Curtin – actress and comedian
- Johnny Curtis – professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
- Thomas Curtis – athlete
- Richard Cushing – archbishop of Boston and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
- Susan Webb Cushman – stage actress
- Jay Cutler – 4x IFBB Mr. Olympia, bodybuilder
D
- Joey Daccord – ice hockey goaltender
- Dick Dale – musician
- Matt Damon – actor and Oscar-winning screenwriter, Good Will Hunting, The Departed, Ocean's Eleven and Bourne Identity series
- Evan Dando – musician
- Duncan Daniels – Nigerian-American afropop and afrobeat musician, producer and songwriter
- Bette Davis – Academy Award-winning actress, Dark Victory, Jezebel, All About Eve
- Daniel Davis Jr. – nineteenth-century inventor
- Geena Davis – Academy Award-winning actress, The Accidental Tourist
- Henry Dearborn – physician, general, and politician
- Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn – lawyer, author, statesman, soldier, mayor of Roxbury; son of Henry Dearborn
- Death Before Dishonor – band
- Patrick DeCoste – musician
- Manny Delcarmen – MLB pitcher
- Becky DelosSantos – Playboy Playmate centerfold, April 1994
- Brad Delp – singer
- Tony DeMarco – boxer, welterweight champion, born 1932 in North End
- Paul Demayo – IFBB professional bodybuilder
- Joseph Dennie – writer
- Joe Derrane – accordion player
- Michael Dertouzos – computer scientist
- Albert DeSalvo – serial killer known as "The Boston Strangler"
- Jack DeSena – actor, played Sokka in Avatar: The Last Airbender
- P. T. Deutermann – author
- Diamante – rock singer
- Dinosaur Jr. – band
- Rick DiPietro – NHL goaltender
- Tony Dize – reggaeton singer
- Ken Doane – professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
- William P. Doyle – commissioner of the Federal Maritime Commission
- The Dresden Dolls – punk cabaret duo
- Robert Drinan – former U.S. congressman
- Drop Nineteens – band
- Dropkick Murphys – band
- Shem Drowne – America's first weathervane maker
- W. E. B. Du Bois – scholar, professor; first African American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard; founder of NAACP
- Joseph Dudley – colonial governor of Massachusetts
- Michael Dukakis – Massachusetts governor, US presidential candidate in 1988
- Neal Dunn – representative for Florida
- William C. Durant – founder of General Motors
- Adam Duritz – singer-songwriter for Counting Crows
- Eliza Dushku – actress
- Mary Dyer – Quaker martyr
E
- Ed O.G. – hip hop artist
- Ayo Edebiri – actress
- Ryan Edell – professional baseball player
- Adam Edelman – American-born four-time Israeli National Champion in skeleton event, and Israeli Olympian
- Richard J. Egan – founder and chairman of EMC Corporation
- Charles H. Eglee – television screenwriter
- Jeremy Elbertson – livestreamer, YouTuber, and internet comedian
- Charles C. Eldredge – art historian and educator
- Louis C. Elson – music critic, music historian, composer, and professor of music theory
- Ralph Waldo Emerson – essayist, lecturer, poet
- Ernie and the Automatics – band
- Mike Eruzione – captain of USA's 1980 Winter Olympics hockey team
- Julius Erving – Basketball Hall of Famer, UMass, New York Nets, Philadelphia 76ers
- William Eustis – early American statesman, governor of Massachusetts
- Chris Evans – actor, known for role as "Captain America"
- Patrick Ewing – Basketball Hall of Famer, NCAA champion, center for New York Knicks
- Patrick Ewing Jr. – NBA player, New York Knicks, New Orleans Hornets
- Extreme – band
F
- Louis Farrakhan – head of Nation of Islam
- Charles Farrell – actor
- Spike Feresten – screenwriter and television personality
- John Ferruggio – led evacuation of Pan Am Flight 93, hijacked in 1970
- Arthur Fiedler – Boston Pops orchestra conductor
- Charles L. Fletcher – architect and interior designer; owner of Charles Fletcher Design
- Doug Flutie – Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Boston College; AFL, CFL, and NFL player, television commentator
- Robert Bennet Forbes – sea captain, China trader
- Ben Foster – actor
- Dwight Foster – Massachusetts attorney general; associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
- Jon Foster – actor
- Toby Fox – composer and video game developer known best for creating Undertale
- Arlene Francis – actress, radio and TV personality
- Black Francis – of the band Pixies
- Benjamin Franklin – author, public servant, diplomat, signer of the Declaration of Independence
- Bettina Freeman – opera singer
- Robert Frost – iconic poet
G
- The G-Clefs – Top 40 soul group
- Tony Gaffney – basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Greg Gagne – MLB player
- Ryan Gallant – professional skateboarder
- Gang Green – band
- Gang Starr – rap group
- Erle Stanley Gardner – lawyer, author, creator of Perry Mason
- Kevin Garnett – retired professional basketball player
- Edmund H. Garrett – prolific 19th- and 20th-century book illustrator and artist
- Althea Garrison – politician and first known transgender member of a state legislature in the United States
- Peter Gerety – actor
- Tabitha St. Germain – voice actress
- Elbridge Gerry – signer of Declaration of Independence; governor of Massachusetts; vice president of the United States; gave his name to "gerrymandering"
- Kahlil George Gibran – sculptor
- Charles Dana Gibson – illustrator
- Joy Giovanni – professional wrestler, known for her time in WWE
- Paul Michael Glaser – actor and director, Starsky & Hutch
- Tom Glavine – Hall of Fame baseball pitcher for Atlanta Braves
- Sumner Jules Glimcher – professor, author and filmmaker
- Godsmack – band
- Jared Goldberg – Olympic skier
- Duff Goldman – star of Food Network TV show Ace of Cakes
- Ezekiel Goldthwait – prominent in town affairs in the years leading up to the American Revolution
- Benjamin Gould – astronomer
- Robert Goulet – Grammy Award-winning singer and Tony-winning actor
- Paul Graham – hacker, painter, essayist, tech startup guru
- Kaz Grala – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver, youngest ever to win a NASCAR Touring Series race
- Geoffrey Gray – American-Israeli professional basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Jane Loring Gray – editor
- Ari Graynor – actress
- Clark Gregg – actor
- Justine Greiner – Playboy Playmate centerfold, February 1984
- Mike Grier – NHL player
- Tammy Grimes – actress, singer
- Hattie Tyng Griswold – author, poet
- Loyd Grossman – author, broadcaster, musician and businessman
- Matt Grzelcyk – NHL player
- Bill Guerin – NHL player
- Louise Gunning – musical actress
- Guru – rapper, member of Gang Starr
- Guster – band
- Jasmine Guy – actress and singer
H
- Betsy Hager – farmer and blacksmith who produced weapons for the American Revolution
- Marvelous Marvin Hagler – middleweight boxing champion of the world
- Edward Everett Hale – author
- Jack Haley – actor, known as Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz
- Anthony Michael Hall – actor, The Breakfast Club, The Dead Zone
- Marc-André Hamelin – pianist, composer
- John Hancock – statesman, signer of Declaration of Independence
- Noah Hanifin – ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015
- Kay Hanley – musician
- G Hannelius – actress
- Bob Hansen – MLB player
- Hannah Hanson Kinney – alleged serial killer
- Beth Harrington – filmmaker and musician
- Maggie Hassan – U.S. senator for New Hampshire and governor of New Hampshire
- Matt Hasselbeck – NFL quarterback for the Tennessee Titans
- Tim Hasselbeck – NFL quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals
- Juliana Hatfield – musician
- Have Heart – hardcore band
- Kevin Hayes – NHL player
- Roy Haynes – jazz musician
- Heads of State – music group
- Ed Healey – NFL Hall of Fame player for Chicago Bears
- William Hooper – North Carolina signer of United States Declaration of Independence
- Armand Van Helden – DJ
- Andrew Mark Henry – scholar of religion and YouTuber
- Ed Herlihy – radio and television announcer
- John Michael Higgins – game show TV host/cartoon narrator
- Rich Hill – MLB pitcher
- Karl Hobbs – George Washington University basketball coach
- Oliver Wendell Holmes – physician and author
- Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. – U.S. Supreme Court justice
- Winslow Homer – artist
- Michelle Hoover – author
- The Hope Conspiracy – hardcore band
- Allen Hoskins – actor
- Joan Imogen Howard – educator
- Christine Hunschofsky – politician
I
- Dorothy Iannone – visual artist
- Ice Nine Kills – music group
- Isis – music group
J
- Shar Jackson – actress
- Jada – pop and R&B singing group signed to UniversalMotown
- Marie Jansen – musical actress
- Jerma – Twitch streamer, YouTuber
- Martin Johnson – lead singer of Boys Like Girls
- Thomas Johnston – engraver, organ builder, japanner, and heraldic painter
- JoJo – singer, actress
- John Pinette – actor, comedian
- Julia Jones – actress
- Sam Jones III – actor, Glory Road
- Darin Jordan – NFL player
- Rebecca Richardson Joslin – author, lecturer, benefactor, clubwoman
- Jujubee – drag queen
- Tom Jung – art director, graphic designer, illustrator, storyboard artist
K
- Madeline Kahn – actress, Blazing Saddles
- Mindy Kaling – actress, The Office
- Alex Karalexis – UFC, WEC fighter
- Karmin – musical group
- Robert Kelly – actor, comedian
- Edward "Ted" Kennedy – longtime Massachusetts senator
- John F. Kennedy – Massachusetts senator and 35th president of the United States
- Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. – ambassador; father of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Edward Kennedy
- Myles Kennedy – singer, songwriter
- Robert F. "Bobby" Kennedy – U.S. attorney general and New York senator
- Jack Kerouac – beat poet and writer
- Alex Kerr – soccer player
- Nancy Kerrigan – Olympic figure skating silver medalist
- John Kerry – U.S. secretary of state, longtime Massachusetts senator and presidential candidate in 2004
- Keytar Bear – keytarist in a bear costume who commonly performs at MBTA stations
- Killswitch Engage – metalcore band
- Andy Kim – U.S. senator for New Jersey
- John King – CNN chief political correspondent
- Kori King – drag queen
- Kofi Kingston – professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
- Jonathan Knight – singer, dancer
- Jordan Knight – singer, dancer
- Henry Knox – first U.S. Secretary of War, Founding Father, senior general in the Continental Army under Washington
- Yitzhak Aharon Korff – Grand Rabbi, diplomat, international consultant
- Lauren Koslow – soap opera actress
- Walter "Killer" Kowalski – professional wrestler, teacher, photographer
- Bob Kraft – owner of the New England Patriots
- John Krasinski – actor
- Sol Kumin – businessman, philanthropist and racehorse owner
L
- Philip Labonte – musician
- PJ Ladd – professional skateboarder
- Liz LaManche – public artist
- Jack Landrón – folk singer, songwriter
- Robert Lanza – medical doctor and scientist
- Lewis Howard Latimer – inventor
- Denis Leary – actor, comedian, writer and director
- Matt LeBlanc – actor, Friends
- Dennis Lehane – author
- Jack Lemmon – Academy Award-winning actor, Mister Roberts, Save the Tiger, The Odd Couple, Grumpy Old Men
- Jay Leno – comedian and television personality
- Letters to Cleo – rock band
- Elma Lewis – founder of National Center of Afro-American Artists and Elma Lewis School of Fine Arts
- Gary Russell Libby – art historian, museum director, curator
- Erica Lindbeck – voice actress
- William Linn – defender of the Alamo
- Henry Cabot Lodge – politician
- Paula Lodi – US Army brigadier general; younger sister of US Army General Maria Barrett
- Edward Lawrence Logan – military officer, jurist, politician
- Howie Long – NFL player
- Ted Kennedy – longtime Massachusetts senator
- Amy Lowell – Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
- Percival Lowell – established the Lowell Observatory in his search for what led to the discovery of the planet Pluto
- Robert Lowell – poet
- Joyner Lucas – rapper
- Stephen Lynch – U.S. congressman for Massachusetts
- Lyte Funky Ones – pop trio
M
- Aimee Mann – singer
- Jonathan Mann – HIV/AIDS researcher and World Health Organization administrator; killed on Swissair Flight 111
- Rob Mariano – Survivor contestant
- Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch – rap group
- Pedro Martínez – retired professional baseball player, member of National Baseball Hall of Fame
- Connie Martinson – talk show host
- Mike Matarazzo – professional bodybuilder
- Aaron Maund – Major League soccer player
- Masspike Miles – singer, songwriter, producer, Perfect Gentlemen
- Cotton Mather – Puritan minister and author
- Jonah Matranga – singer/songwriter
- Greg Mauldin – NHL player, Ottawa Senators
- John Mayer – singer-songwriter
- Charles Johnson Maynard – naturalist and ornithologist
- Christa McAuliffe – educator and astronaut
- Chris McCarron – jockey
- Tommy McCarthy – baseball player
- John P. McDonough – Chief of Chaplains of U.S. Air Force
- Neal McDonough – actor
- Sean McDonough – sports announcer
- Will McDonough – sportswriter
- Richard McGonagle – voice actor
- Joey McIntyre – singer, dancer, actor
- Amy Upham Thomson McKean – pianist, songwriter and composer
- Ed McMahon – television personality
- Peter McNeeley – boxer
- Michael McShane – actor
- Maria Menounos – actress, journalist, professional wrestler
- Nelson Merced – activist and politician, first Hispanic elected to Massachusetts General Court
- David Merkow – golfer
- The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – band
- Roger Miller – musician
- Wayne Millner – NFL Hall of Famer
- Mission of Burma – band
- Joe Moakley – congressman
- Leo Monahan – sports journalist
- William Monahan – screenwriter
- Morphine – band
- Van Morrison – singer, musician, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee in 1993
- Robert Morse – actor
- Samuel F. B. Morse – inventor and painter, inventor of electric telegraph and Morse code
- Eddie Mottau – guitarist
- Mr. Lif – hip-hop artist, member of The Perceptionists
- Mark Mulvoy – journalist and writer for The Boston Globe and Sports Illustrated
- Randall Munroe – engineer, writer, and cartoonist; author of xkcd and What If?
- Helen Messinger Murdoch – photographer; pioneered use of autochromes in travel photography
- Connor Murphy – professional ice hockey player
N
- Jack Nance – actor, title character in Eraserhead
- Jason Nash – actor
- Packy Naughton – Major League Baseball pitcher
- William Cooper Nell – abolitionist
- Betty Jo Nelsen – member of Wisconsin State Assembly
- Victor Folke Nelson – author, prison reform advocate, and sensational prison escapist
- New Edition – music group
- New Kids on the Block – band
- Nicky Jam – reggaeton singer and songwriter, Latin Grammy winner
- Terry Nihen – Playboy Playmate
- Leonard Nimoy – actor, known as Mr. Spock from Star Trek
- Zack Norman – actor, producer, financier
- Edward Norton – actor, American History X, Fight Club, The Italian Job
- B. J. Novak – actor, writer for NBC's The Office
- Christopher Nowinski – professional wrestler, known for his time in WWE
O
- Bill O'Brien – former head coach of Penn State football and the NFL's Houston Texans
- Conan O'Brien – television personality
- Mike O'Malley – actor
- On Broken Wings – band
- Patrice O'Neal – actor, comedian
- Thomas "Tip" O'Neill – U.S. congressman, speaker of the House
- James Otis Jr. – patriot
P
- Robert Treat Paine – signer of Declaration of Independence
- Amanda Palmer – songwriter and performer
- Cortlandt Parker – US Army major general
- Evelyn Parnell – opera singer
- George Patton IV – U.S. Army general; son of famed World War II General George S. Patton III
- Susan Paul – abolitionist
- John Peck – naval architect and merchant
- The Perceptionists – rap group
- Joel Perez – actor, singer, and dancer
- Esther Petrack – contestant on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 15
- Paul Pierce – professional basketball player
- John Pigeon – Massachusetts commissary general during Revolutionary War
- Albert Pike – C.S. Army general; author, poet, orator, jurist and prominent member of the Freemasons
- John Pinette – actor and comedian
- The Pixies – band
- Sylvia Plath – poet and author
- Edgar Allan Poe – poet and writer
- Amy Poehler – actress and comedian
- John Pollini – art historian
- Ellen Pompeo – actress
- Poppy – musician and YouTube personality
- Tom Poti – NHL player, Washington Capitals
- Powerman 5000 – metal band
- Ayanna Pressley – U.S. congresswoman, former Boston City Councilor
- Seth Putnam – musician
Q
- Dionne Quan – voice actress
- John Quinlan – pro wrestler
R
- Nicole Raczynski – pro wrestler known as Nikki Roxx, and as Roxxi in TNA Wrestling
- Aly Raisman – gymnast and Olympic gold medalist
- Lilly Reale – soccer player
- Sumner Redstone – chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Viacom
- Helen Leah Reed - writer
- Maia Reficco – actress and singer
- Arthur E. Reimer – two-time presidential candidate of Socialist Labor Party of America
- James Remar – actor, known for roles of Ajax in The Warriors and of Harry Morgan in Dexter
- Lee Remick – actress, Days of Wine and Roses, Anatomy of a Murder
- Jerry Remy – MLB player and sportscaster
- Patrick Renna – actor, known for role of Ham in The Sandlot
- Frank Renzulli – writer, actor
- Paul Revere – silversmith and American Revolution patriot
- Abbie Richards – TikToker
- Ellen Swallow Richards – "mother" of home economics and sewage treatment
- Jonathan Richman – musician
- Sam Rivers – jazz musician
- Alex Rocco – actor, known for role of Moe Greene in The Godfather
- Norman Rockwell – artist
- Jeremy Roenick – NHL player
- Jereme Rogers – professional skateboarder
- Mitt Romney – 70th governor of Massachusetts; 2012 U.S. presidential candidate
- Francis Rosa – sports journalist for The Boston Globe
- Eli Roth – director, writer, producer, actor
- Lillian Roth – actress, singer
- John Rowe – Boston resident merchant and diarist, original developer of Rowes Wharf
- Nathaniel Ruggles – U.S. representative
- Bill Russell – professional basketball player and coach, NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist
- Blanchard Ryan – actress
S
- Alicia Sacramone – gymnast, world champion and Olympic silver medalist
- Cosmo Sardo – actor
- Perry Saturn – pro wrestler
- Richard Scarry – author, illustrator
- Jeremy Scott – televangelist, nudist, poet
- Edward Seaga – former Jamaican politician and statesman; his parents returned to Jamaica with him when he was three months old
- Ebenezer Seaver – U.S. representative, chairman of Roxbury Board of Selectmen
- Anne Sexton – poet
- Dan Shaughnessy – Boston Globe sports columnist
- John H. Sherburne – U.S. Army brigadier general
- William E. Sheridan – actor
- Timothy Shriver – chairman of Special Olympic Committee
- Anthony T. Shtogren – U.S. Air Force general
- Fatima Siad – fashion model, third place on America's Next Top Model, Cycle 10
- Bill Simmons – sports columnist, "The Sports Guy" on ESPN.com
- Slaine – hip hop artist
- Slapshot – band
- Jenny Slate – actress, comedian, Saturday Night Live cast member
- Emily Goodrich Smith – newspaper correspondent
- Jean Kennedy Smith – sister of president John F. Kennedy; former United States Ambassador to Ireland
- Samuel Francis Smith – composer
- Edward Dexter Sohier – lawyer
- Joseph B. Soloveitchik – rabbi
- Thankful Southwick – abolitionist, women's rights activist
- James Spader – actor, Boston Legal, The Blacklist
- Clinton Sparks – hip hop DJ, producer
- Statik Selektah – record producer and DJ
- Special Teamz – rap group
- Billy Squier – rock musician
- Lesley Stahl – television journalist, 60 Minutes
- Staind – band
- Larry Stark – theater critic
- Maurice Starr – musician, producer
- Frederick Stevens – U.S. representative from Minnesota
- Jane Agnes Stewart – author, editor, and contributor to periodicals
- Sonny Stitt – jazz saxophonist
- Street Dogs – band
- John J. Sullivan – diplomat
- John L. Sullivan – first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing
- Louis Sullivan – architect
- Donna Summer – singer
- William H. Sumner – developer of East Boston
- John Sununu – junior U.S. senator from New Hampshire
- William H. Swanson – chairman and CEO of Raytheon Company
T
- Edmund C. Tarbell – painter
- Lofa Tatupu – NFL linebacker
- James Taylor – folk singer
- Ruth Carol Taylor – first African-American flight attendant in the United States
- That Handsome Devil – band
- John Thomas – first man to clear in high jump
- Thomas W. Thompson – United States representative and United States senator
- Henry David Thoreau – iconic poet, novelist
- Uma Thurman – actress, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill
- Maura Tierney – actress
- 'Til Tuesday – band
- Jimmy Tingle – stand-up comedian, actor
- Jane Toppan – serial killer and nurse
- Eve Torres – professional wrestler
- John Tortorella – NHL coach, head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets
- Touré – writer, TV host
- Eliza Townsend – poet
- Judy Traub – Minnesota state senator
- Ralph Tresvant – singer
- Kevin Trudeau – author, pocket billiards promoter, salesman
- Jen Trynin – musician
- Jonathan Tucker – actor
- John Tudor – MLB pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals
- Charles Tufts – founder of Tufts University
U
- Unearth – band
- Hezekiah Usher – first bookseller in the 13 colonies
V
- Sarah Van Patten – ballet dancer
- Steven Van Zandt – musician with Bruce Springsteen band and actor, The Sopranos
- Vanna – band
- Jimmy Vesey – ice hockey player
- Brian Viglione – musician
W
- Philip Waggenheim – gangster
- Ashley Wagner – figure skater
- Donnie Wahlberg – actor, singer, producer
- Mark Wahlberg – actor, rapper, producer, Boogie Nights, The Perfect Storm, The Departed, The Fighter
- David Walker – abolitionist
- Jimmy Walker – NBA All-Star
- Mike Wallace – television journalist
- Marty Walsh – mayor of Boston
- Barbara Walters – television journalist
- An Wang – computer engineer and inventor, co-founder of Wang Laboratories
- Fiske Warren – paper manufacturer and philanthropist
- Gretchen Osgood Warren – poet and muse
- Joseph Warren – founding father and Son of Liberty who died at the Battle of Bunker Hill
- Sam Waterston – actor
- Barrett Wilbert Weed – actress and singer
- Jack Welch – businessman, CEO of General Electric
- Westbound Train – band
- Phillis Wheatley – poet and former slave
- Colin White – ice hockey player
- Eli Whitney – inventor of the cotton gin
- Jermaine Wiggins – NFL player
- Alfred J. Wiggin – painter and society portraitist
- Tony Williams – jazz drummer
- Winter Williams, actress
- Alan Wilson – singer, guitarist
- Oren Elbridge Wilson – mayor of Albany, New York, born in Boston
- Robert Scott Wilson – actor, first male model on The Price Is Right
- Clara Winthrop – philanthropist, art collector
- Danny Wood – singer
- Gene Wood – game show announcer
- George Wood – baseball player
- Brian Woods – documentary filmmaker
- Benjamin Edward Woolf – British-born composer, playwright, journalist for Boston Saturday Evening Gazette and Boston Globe
- Steven Wright – Academy Award-winning comedian, actor and writer
X
- Malcolm X – civil rights activist, Muslim minister
Y
- Donnie Yen – Hong Kong actor, martial artist
Z
- Rob Zombie – musician, director, producer
- Yekaterina Petrovna Zamolodchikova - drag queen