List of people from Nagercoil
The following is a list of prominent people who were born in/lived in or around Nagercoil, or for whom Nagercoil is a significant part of their identity.
Kings, royals and princesses
Kings of Travancore
- Marthanda Varma Kulasekhara Perumal
- Balarama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal – Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal
- Balarama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal
- Gouri Laksmibhai Ranee
- Gouri Parvathibhai Ranee
- Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma Kulasekhara Perumal
- Uthram Thirunal Marthanda Varma Maharaja
- Ayilyam Thirunal Rama Varma Maharaja
- Visakham Thirunal Rama Varma Maharaja
- Shri Moolam Thirunal Maharajah
- Sethu Laksmibhai Ranee
- Shri Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma Maharajah – last King of Travancore; Rajpramukh of Thiru-Kochi
Government Service
Reserve Bank of India
- S. Venkitaramanan - 18th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
Navy
- Admiral Oscar Stanley Dawson - 12th Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy.
- Admiral Sushil Kumar - 16th Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy.
- Admiral Nilakanta Krishnan - Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Police
- F. V. Arul - 2nd Central Bureau of Investigation Director.
- Walter Devaram - Former Director general of police of Tamil Nadu.
- Christopher Nelson - Former Director general of police of Tamil Nadu.
- G. Nanchil Kumaran - Former Director general of police of Tamil Nadu.
- N. Paramasivan Nair - Former Director general of police of Kerala.
- Joel Davis - Director general of police, Hyderabad.
- Dr.C. Sylendra Babu - Former Director general of police of Tamil Nadu.
Chief Justice of State
- N. Paul Vasanthakumar - Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir.
Jurists
- Omana Kunjamma - First Indian Women Magistrate.
Diplomats
- Bijay Selvaraj - Indian Ambassador to UK, Egypt, and Bangladesh.
Government Secretaries
- Nilakanta Mahadeva AyyarCIE - Former Governor of Bengal and Chief Secretary to the Government of India.
- Y. S. Rajan - Secretary, Department of Space, Indian Space Research Organisation.
- Sheela Balakrishnan - Former Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu.
- Girija Vaidyanathan - Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu.
- M. G. Devashagayam - Former Chief Secretary of Haryana.
Scientists
- G.D.Boaz - First Indian psychologist.
- Raja Chelliah - Indian economist and recipient of Padma Vibushan.
- Ranjan Roy Daniel - Indian cosmic-physicist and former director of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Recipient of Padma Bhushan.
- Subbayya Sivasankaranarayana Pillai - Indian mathematician and inventor of Pillai's conjecture, Pillai's arithmetical function, Pillai prime, Pillai sequence.
- M.S.S. Pandian - Renowned social scientist and former Dean of Department of Social Science at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
- H. S. S. Lawrence - Special Envoy to Afghanistan.
- C. Livingstone - Indian plant taxonomist.
- Kolappa Kanakasabhapathy Pillay - Indian historian and former dean at University of Madras.
- Ajayan Vinu - Indian material scientist and professor University of Queensland.
[Defence [Research and Development Organisation]]
- A. Sivathanu Pillai - Former chairman of DRDO.
- S. Christopher - Chairman of DRDO.
[Indian Space Research Organisation]
- G. Madhavan Nair - 6th Chairman
- Kailasavadivoo Sivan - 10th Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation
- Nambi Narayanan - Aerospace Scientist and Founder of Cryogenic Engine in India.
Entertainment
Film, television, theater, and dance
- Azhagam Perumal - Indian Actor
- Sathyan - First Malayalam film superstar.
- Sukumari - Indian film actress.
- Manju Warrier - Malayalam film actress.
- Madhavan Nair - Malayalam film actor.
- J. C. Daniel - Father of Malayalam film industry.
- Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair - Malayalam film director.
- Nyla Usha - Malayalam film actress.
- Manu Ramesan - Indian film composer.
- M. Rajesh - Tamil film director.
- K. R. Ramsingh - Indian theater artist.
- M. R. Gopakumar - Renowned Indian theater artist.
- Deepti Omchery Bhalla - Indian Mohiniattam dance exponent.
- Padmesh - Indian cinematographer.
- Vijay Vasanth - Indian actor.
- Menaka Suresh - Indian actress.
- Bala Singh - Indian actor
- Aarav - Indian Actor
Comedians, humorists, and entertainers
- N. S. Krishnan - Tamil actor.
- Kanal Kannan - Renowned Indian action choreographer, stunt co-ordinator.
Musicians
- Vishwas Nicholas - Singer/Songwriter/Composer.
- Vijay Antony - Indian music composer, playback singer.
- K.V. Mahadevan - Composer; winner of the National Film Award for Best Music Direction.
- Neelakanta Sivan - Carnatic music composer.
- Nagercoil S. Ganesa Iyer - Prominent Carnatic musician and exponent.
- Leela Omchery - Indian classical singer, musicologist and writer.
- Nagercoil Harihara Iyer - Indian violinist.
- Bhoothapandi Arunachalam Chidambaranathan - Indian film composer and musician.
- Kamukara Purushothaman - Indian playback singer.
- R. Muttusamy - Sri lankan musician and singer.
- Neyyattinkara Vasudevan - Carnatic music vocalist.
- Poongani, Veteran villupaattu exponent.
Art, literature, journalism, and philosophy
- Kavimani Desigavinayagam Pillai - Tamil Renaissance poet.
- Thirunainar Kurichi Madhavan Nair - Renowned Indian poet, novelist and lyricist.
- T. V. Ramasubbaiyer - Founder of Indian Daily Newspaper Dinamalar.
- Amsi Narayanapilla - Renowned Malayalam Poet.
- T. N. Gopakumar - Editor in chief of Asianet News
- Aiyappan Pillai - Renowned Malayalam Author.
- Neela Padmanabhan - Indian writer and 2007 recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award.
- Nanjil Nadan - Indian writer and 2010 recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award.
- T. M. Chidambara Ragunathan - Indian writer and 1983 recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award.
- Thoppil Mohamed Meeran - Indian writer and 1997 recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award.
- Ponneelan - Indian writer and 1994 recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award.
- Rajasekharan Parameswaran - Indian painter.
- David Davidar - English novelist.
- B. Jeyamohan - Indian writer and literary critic.
- S. Ramesan Nair - Indian poet.
- Aravindan Neelakandan - Indian columnist at ''Swarajya''
Entrepreneurs and businessmen
- H. Vasanthakumar - Founder and director of Vasanth & Co.
Environmentalists
- Jivanayakam Cyril Daniel - Indian naturalist.
- A. J. T. Johnsingh - Former director of Wildlife Institute of India.
- S. S. Davidson - Indian environmentalist.
Sports
- Ramanathan Krishnan - Retired Indian tennis player and Wimbledon semifinalist in 1960 & 1961.
- Thalaivan Sargunam - Indian cricketer.
- Antony Dhas - Indian cricketer.