List of people from Edinburgh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Architecture
- James Adam (1732–1794), architect, son of William Adam
- John Adam (1721–1792), architect, eldest son of William Adam
- Robert Adam (1728–1792), architect of Charlotte Square and other notable buildings, son of William Adam
- William Adam (1689–1748), architect of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, and father of James, John, and Robert Adam
- Sir Robert Rowand Anderson (1834–1921), architect whose works include the Scottish National Portrait Gallery
- Isobel Hogg Kerr Beattie (1900–1970), possibly the first woman to practise architecture in Scotland
- Alexander Black (c. 1790–1858), architect, who acted as Superintendent of Works for George Heriot's School
- Hippolyte Blanc (1844–1917), architect
- Sir William Bruce (c. 1630–1710), designer of Holyrood Palace
- David Bryce (1803–1876), architect
- William Burn (1789–1870), architect
- Edward Calvert (c. 1847 – 1914), domestic architect
- Stewart Henbest Capper (1859–1925), architect of Ramsay Gardens
- John Alexander Carfrae (1868–1947)
- John Chesser (1819–1892), architect largely based in Edinburgh
- David Cousin (1809–1878), architect, landscape architect and planner, Edinburgh's City Superintendent of Works
- James Craig (1739–1795), designer of Edinburgh New Town
- Francis William Deas (1862–1951), Arts and Crafts architect and landscape designer
- Alexander Edward (1651–1708), Episcopalian clergyman, draughtsman, architect and landscape designer
- Archibald Elliot (1760–1823), works including the Regent Bridge, the Waterloo Hotel and Calton Prison
- Reginald Francis Joseph Fairlie (1883–1952), architect of the National Library of Scotland
- James Leslie Findlay (1868–1952), son of John Ritchie Findlay
- Malcolm Fraser (born 1959), architect of the Scottish Poetry Library
- Andrew Frazer (died 1792), soldier and engineer, architect of St Andrew's Church, George Street, Edinburgh
- Sir James Gowans (1821–1890), architect and builder
- James Gillespie Graham (1776–1855), architect
- Thomas Hamilton (1784–1858), architect
- Robert Hurd (1905–1963), conservation architect
- George Meikle Kemp (1795–1844), carpenter, draughtsman, and architect, best known for designing the Scott Monument
- John Lessels (1809–1883), architect[1]
- Ian Lindsay (1906–1966), architect
- Robert Lorimer (1864–1929), architect, whose works include the Scottish National War Memorial
- David MacGibbon (1831–1902), architect and president of the Edinburgh Architectural Association
- Ebenezer James MacRae (1881–1951), City Architect
- Sir Robert Matthew (1906–1975), a leading proponent of modernism
- Sir Frank Charles Mears (1880–1953), architect and planning consultant
- Sydney Mitchell (1856–1930), architect
- John Mylne, mason, particularly on George Heriot's Hospital
- Robert Mylne (1733–1811), architect and civil engineer, designer of Blackfriars Bridge in London
- John Paterson (died 1832), architect who assisted with the Old College, University of Edinburgh
- Robert Hamilton Paterson (1843–1911), partner in the architectural practice of Hamilton-Paterson and Rhind
- John Dick Peddie (1824–1891), architect and politician
- John More Dick Peddie (1853–1921), architect
- Frederick Thomas Pilkington (1832–1898), architect in the High Victorian Gothic style
- William Henry Playfair (1790–1857), architect of the National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy
- Benjamin Marcus Priteca (1889–1971), theatre architect
- Robert Reid (1774–1856), King's architect and surveyor for Scotland
- David Rhind (1808–1883), architect
- Sir Thomas Duncan Rhind (1871–1927), architect and military figure
- Witold Rybczynski (born 1943), architect
- James Smith (c. 1645–1731), architect
- Sir Basil Spence (1907–1976), architect, notably associated with Coventry Cathedral
- Thomas S Tait (1882–1954), prominent Modernist architect
- Sir Andrew Thomas Taylor (1850–1937), architect and Conservative Party municipal councillor
- William Wallace (died 1631), mason, particularly on George Heriot's Hospital
- William Weir (1865–1950), architect
- Patrick Wilson (1798–1871), school architect
- Robert Wilson (1834–1907), school architect
Arts
- John Brown Abercromby (1843–1929), artist varying from traditional to avant-garde modernist
- Robert Adamson (1821–1848), photographer
- Bay City Rollers, pop group of the 1970s
- Andrew Bell (1726–1809), engraver and printer, co-founder of Encyclopædia Britannica
- Jemima Blackburn, (1823–1909), painter and illustrator
- William Bonnar (1800–1863), painter of portraits, and history and genre paintings
- Ewen Bremner (born 1972), actor
- Rory Bremner (born 1961), impressionist and comedian
- Sandy Brown (1929–1975), jazz clarinetist
- Mary Cameron (1865–1921), artist who painted mainly Spanish scenes
- Nicky Campbell (born 1961), radio and television presenter[2]
- Ian Charleson (1949–1990), actor
- Sean Connery (1930–2020), actor[3]
- Ronnie Corbett (1930–2016), comedian and actor, one of The Two Ronnies[4]
- David Millar Craig (1878–1965), cellist and BBC personality
- William Crozier (1893–1930), landscape painter
- Finlay Jefferson Currie (1878–1968), actor of stage, screen and television
- Mark Daly (1887–1957), stage and film actor
- Richard Demarco (born 1930), artist and promoter of visual and performing arts
- Thomas Doherty (born 1995), actor, singer and dancer
- Daniel Dow (1732–1783), fiddler, composer, teacher and concert organiser
- Al Fairweather (1927–1993), jazz musician
- Bridget Forsyth (born 1940), actress, Thelma in Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads
- Kirsty Gallacher (born 1976), television presenter
- Henry Snell Gamley (1865–1928), sculptor specialising in war memorials and tomb sculpture
- Ncuti Gatwa (born 1992), actor
- Andrew Geddes (1783–1844), portrait painter and etcher
- William Geissler (1894–1963), artist known for watercolours of the natural world
- Sir William George Gillies (1898–1973), landscape and still life painter
- Iain Glen (born 1961), actor
- Isabella Glyn (1823–1889), actress
- Hannah Gordon (born 1941), actress
- Nathaniel Gow (1763–1831), musician and composer, fourth son of Niel Gow
- Mary Grant (1831–1908), sculptor
- Patrick Grant (born 1972), fashion designer and entrepreneur
- Stan Greig (1930–2012), jazz pianist, drummer and bandleader
- Amelia Robertson Hill (1820–1904), sculptor, wife of David Octavius Hill
- David Octavius Hill (1802–1870), painter and photography pioneer at Hill & Adamson, husband of Amelia Robertson Hill
- John Hutchison, (1832–1910), sculptor
- George Jamesone (or Jameson) (c. 1587–1644), Scotland's first eminent portrait painter
- Alexander Johnston (1815–1891), known for genre and history paintings
- Eugene Kelly (born 1965), member of The Vaselines
- Grant Kirkhope (born 1962), composer
- Sir Harry Lauder (1870–1950), vaudeville singer, entertainer and composer
- Robert Scott Lauder (1803–1869), artist and portrait painter
- John Leslie (born 1965), television presenter[5]
- William Home Lizars (1788–1859), painter and engraver
- Hew Lorimer (1907–1993), sculptor, son of Robert Lorimer
- John Henry Lorimer (1856–1936), portraitist and genre painter, brother of Robert Lorimer
- Jack Lowden (born 1990), actor
- Dr. James Pittendrigh MacGillivray (1856–1938), sculptor
- Robert Mackintosh (c. 1745–1807), "Red Rob", composer and violinist
- Sir William MacTaggart (1903–1981), painter known for landscapes
- Magnus Magnusson (1929–2007), television presenter and author
- Shirley Manson (born 1966), lead singer of the band Garbage
- John Maxwell (1905–1962), painter of landscapes and imaginative subjects
- Horatio McCulloch (1806–1867), landscape painter
- Sandy McDade (born 1964), actress
- Greg McHugh (born 1980), actor
- Frances McKee (born 1966), member of The Vaselines; namesake of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love's daughter
- William Miller, 19th-century engraver and watercolourist
- Jacob More (1740–1793), landscape painter
- Alexander Nasmyth (1758–1840), landscape and portrait painter
- Nina Nesbitt (born 1994), singer-songwriter
- Eduardo Paolozzi (1924–2005), sculptor and artist, born in Leith
- Emily Murray Paterson (1855–1934), artist connected with Glasgow School
- Robin Philipson (1916–1992), knight, Lancashire-born painter influential on Scottish art scene
- Pilot, pop group of the 1970s
- Gail Porter (born 1971), television presenter
- Finley Quaye (born 1974), singer-songwriter
- John Rae (born 1966), jazz musician and composer
- Sir Henry Raeburn (1756–1823), portrait artist
- Allan Ramsay (1713–1784), painter
- Anne Redpath (1895–1967), artist best known for domestic still lifes
- John Rhind (1828–1892), sculptor
- Ian Richardson, (1934–2007), actor
- David Roberts (1796–1864), painter and lithographer
- Alexander Runciman (1736–1785), painter of historical and mythological subjects
- John Runciman (1744–1768/9), painter known for Biblical and literary scenes, brother of Alexander
- Alastair Sim, (1900–1976), character actor
- Robert Archibald Smith (1780–1829), composer and musical conductor in St George's Church, Edinburgh
- Sir John Robert Steell (1804–1891), sculptor, statue of Sir Walter Scott at the Scott Monument
- Iain Stirling (born 1988), comedian, voice-over actor and television presenter
- Alexander Stoddart (born 1959), neoclassical sculptor
- Ken Stott, (born 1954), film and television actor
- Julian Wagstaff (born 1970), composer
- Ottilie Maclaren Wallace (1875–1947), sculptor
- George Watson (1767–1837), painter
- Louis Whirter (1873–1932), artist, etcher, illustrator and inventor
- John Muir Wood (1805–1892), musician, piano manufacturer, music publisher and early amateur photographer
- John Michael Wright (1617–1694), portrait painter in the Baroque style
- Grace Harriet Warrack (1855–1932), editor, translator and artist
Authors
- Patrick Abercromby (1656–c. 1716), physician and antiquarian
- H. B. Acton (1908–1974), academic in field of political philosophy
- Alexander Adam (1741–1809), teacher and writer on classical literature
- Thomas Aird (1802–1876), poet and editor of the Edinburgh Weekly Journal
- Archibald Alison (1757–1839), Episcopal priest and essayist
- Sir Archibald Alison, 1st Baronet (1792–1867), advocate and historian
- Adam Anderson (c. 1692–1765), economist
- Alan Orr Anderson (1879–1958), historian and compiler
- James Anderson (1662–1728), antiquary and historian
- James Robertson Anderson (1811–1895), stage actor and dramatist
- Joseph Anderson, antiquarian, museum keeper and author (1832–1916)[6]
- Lin Anderson (living), crime novelist and screenwriter
- Hugo Arnot of Balcormo (1749–1786), advocate, writer and campaigner, History of Edinburgh (1779)
- Kate Atkinson (born 1951), novelist
- William Edmondstoune Aytoun (1813–1865), poet
- R. M. Ballantyne (1825–1894), author of The Coral Island and other books for boys
- Iain Banks (1954–2013), novelist
- Anne Bannerman (1765–1829), poet
- J. M. Barrie (1860–1937), author and dramatist
- Meg Bateman (born 1959), academic, poet and short story writer
- John Stuart Blackie (1809–1895), scholar and man of letters
- William Garden Blaikie (1820–1899), divine, writer, biographer and temperance reformer
- Alan Bold (1943–1998), poet, biographer and journalist
- Alexander Bower (fl. 1804–1830), biographer
- George Mackay Brown (1921–1996), poet and storyteller
- John Brown (1784–1858), minister and theologian
- John Brown (1810–1882), physician and essayist
- Peter Hume Brown (1849–1918), historian; first Edinburgh University professor of Scottish history
- Georgina Bruce (living), horror writer
- George Buchanan (1506–1582), historian and humanist scholar
- Gilbert Burnet (1643–1715), theologian, historian and Bishop of Salisbury
- John Burnet (1863–1928), classicist
- John Hill Burton (1809–1881), advocate, historian and economist
- Angus Calder (1942–2008), academic, writer, historian, poet and literary editor
- Jenni Calder (née Daiches) (born 1941), literary historian
- Peter Ritchie Calder, Baron Ritchie-Calder of Balmashanner (1906–1982), socialist author, journalist and academic
- Henry Calderwood (1830–1897), minister of religion and philosopher
- Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881), philosopher, satirist, historian and University of Edinburgh rector
- Thomas Chalmers (1780–1847), minister of religion, professor of theology, political economist and a leader of the Church of Scotland and the Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900)
- Robert Chambers (1802–1871), publisher, geologist, evolutionary thinker and journal editor
- Reverend Professor Alexander Campbell Cheyne (1924–2006), scholar of church history
- Vere Gordon Childe (1892–1957), Australian archaeologist and philologist, academic at University of Edinburgh
- Henry Thomas, Lord Cockburn (1779–1854), author of Memorials of His Time
- Stewart Conn (born 1936), poet and Edinburgh Makar (2002–2005)
- Anne Ross Cousin (1824–1906), poet, musician and songwriter
- Helen Cruickshank (1886–1975), poet and suffragette
- Anne Jane Cupples (1839–1896), writer and populariser of science
- David Daiches (1912–2005), literary historian and literary scholar and writer
- David Dalrymple, Lord Hailes (1726–1792), advocate, judge and historian
- Sir John Graham Dalyell (1775–1851), antiquary and naturalist
- Christine De Luca (born 1947), poet, writing in English and Shetland dialect
- Tom Devine (born 1945), historian of Scotland
- William Croft Dickinson (1897–1963), English historian and professor at University of Edinburgh
- Gordon Donaldson (1913–1993), historian
- Gavin Douglas (1474–1522), medieval poet
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930), creator of Sherlock Holmes
- William Drummond of Hawthornden (1585–1649), poet
- William Dunbar (c. 1460 – c. 1520), medieval poet
- Dorothy Dunnett (1923–2001), historical novelist
- John Fardell (born 1967), cartoonist, author and illustrator
- Adam Ferguson (1723–1816), philosopher and historian
- Robert Fergusson (1750–1774), poet
- James Frederick Ferrier (1808–1864), metaphysical writer, introduced the term epistemology
- Susan Edmonstone Ferrier (1782–1854), novelist
- Ian Hamilton Finlay, (1925–2006), poet, writer, artist and gardener
- John Fleming (1785–1857), minister of religion, naturalist, zoologist and geologist
- William Fowler (c. 1560–1612), poet, writer, courtier and translator
- Sir William Fraser (1816–1898), solicitor and specialist in ancient Scottish history, palaeography and genealogy
- Iain Gale (born 1959), journalist and author of military novels
- Robert Garioch (1909–1981), poet
- Lesley Glaister (born 1956), novelist and playwright, Writer in Residence at University of Edinburgh
- Reverend Dr Robert Gordon (1786–1853), minister of religion and writer
- Kenneth Grahame (1859–1932), author of The Wind in the Willows
- James Grant (1822–1887), novelist and historian, Old And New Edinburgh
- Sir Alexander Gray (1882–1968), civil servant, economist, academic, translator and poet
- James Gregory (1753–1821), physician and classicist
- John Gregory (1724–1773), physician, medical writer and moralist
- Andrew Greig (born 1951), novelist, poet and writer on climbing
- David Greig (born 1969), playwright and theatre director
- Sir William Hamilton, 9th Baronet (1788–1856), metaphysician
- James Hannay (1827–1873), novelist, journalist and diplomat
- Janet Harden (1776–c.1837), diarist
- William Hardie (1862–1916), classical scholar, Professor of Humanity at University of Edinburgh
- Zinnie Harris (born 1972), playwright, theatre director and professor at Saint Andrew's University
- George Campbell Hay (1915–1984), multi-lingual poet and translator
- Hamish Henderson (1919–2002), poet, songwriter, soldier and catalyst for Scotland's folk revival
- Robert Henry (1718–1790), minister of religion and historian
- Peter Hoffmann (born 1956), author and sportsman
- Alexander Taylor Innes (1833–1912), lawyer, biographer and church historian
- Cosmo Nelson Innes (1798–1874), advocate, judge historian and antiquary
- Alan Jackson (born 1938), poet
- Kathleen Jamie (born 1962), poet
- John Jamieson (1759–1838), minister of religion, lexicographer, philologist and antiquary
- Robert Alan Jamieson (born 1958), Shetland poet and novelist who grew up in the crofting community of Sandness
- Francis Jeffrey, Lord Jeffrey (1773–1850), judge, literary critic and editor of the Edinburgh Review
- Arthur Berriedale Keith (1879–1944), constitutional lawyer, Sanskrit scholar, Indologist and professor at University of Edinburgh
- Sir Ludovic Kennedy (1919–2009), journalist, broadcaster and author
- Philip Kerr (born 1956), novelist
- Sir Thomas Dick Lauder (1784–1848), academic, novelist, writer
- John Parker Lawson (died 1852), clergyman of Episcopal Church of Scotland and historian
- Frances Leviston (born 1982), poet[7]
- Frederic Lindsay (1933–2013), crime writer
- John Logan (1748–1788), minister of religion, dramatist and historian
- Michael Lynch (born 1946), historian
- Mary Lyschinska (1849–1937), educator and author
- Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800–1859), poet and Edinburgh MP
- Norman MacCaig (1910–1996), poet
- Alexander R. MacEwen (1851–1916), writer, professor and Moderator of United Free Church of Scotland
- Duncan Ban MacIntyre (1724–1812), Gaelic poet and a constable of Edinburgh City Guard
- Angus Mackay (born 1939), historian and Hispanist specialising in Later Medieval Spain
- Sir Compton Mackenzie (1883–1972), author
- Sir George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh ("Bluidy Mackenzie", 1636/1638–1691), lawyer, Lord Advocate, essayist and legal writer
- Henry Mackenzie (1745–1831), lawyer, novelist and miscellanist
- Donald MacKinnon (1839–1914), Celtic scholar, first Professor of Celtic Studies at University of Edinburgh
- Sorley MacLean (1911–1996), Gaelic poet
- Hector Macneill (1746–1818), poet and songwriter
- Hector Macpherson (1851–1924), prolific writer and journalist
- David MacRitchie (1851–1925), folklorist and antiquarian
- Magnus Magnusson (1929–2007), television presenter and author
- James Maidment (1793–1879), antiquary and collector, advocate in disputed peerage cases
- Bruce Marshall (1899–1987), author of Father Malachy's Miracle
- Sir Theodore Martin (1816–1909), poet, biographer and translator
- James David Marwick (1826–1908), lawyer, historian and town clerk
- David Masson (1822–1907), literary critic and historian
- David I. Masson (1915–2007), science-fiction writer and librarian
- Brian McCabe (born 1951), poet
- William Topaz McGonagall (1825–1902), renowned as one of worst poets in the English language
- Thomas M'Crie (1772–1835), Scottish historian, writer and minister of religion
- Candia McWilliam (born 1955), novelist
- Colin McWilliam (1928–1989), architecture academic and author
- John Mein (fl. 18th century), newspaper and almanac publisher and bookseller
- Hugh Miller (1802–1856), writer, geologist, folklorist and evangelical Christian
- Naomi Mitchison (1897–1999), novelist and poet
- Rosalind Mitchison (1919–2002), historian of Scotland specialising in social history
- Alexander Montgomerie (c. 1550 – 1598), Jacobean courtier and makar
- Helen and Morna Mulgray (born 1939), identical twins, authors of crime novels
- Robert Mylne (c. 1643 – 1747), writer of pasquils (lampoons), antiquary and engraver
- Macvey Napier (1776–1847), solicitor, legal scholar and editor of Encyclopædia Britannica
- Mark Napier (1798–1879), lawyer, biographer and historical author
- Charles Neaves, Lord Neaves (1800–1876), advocate, judge, theologian and writer
- Patrick Neill (1776–1851), printer, horticulturalist and naturalist
- John Oswald (c. 1760–1793), philosopher, writer, poet and social critic
- Aileen Paterson (1934–2018), children's author, Maisie Comes to Morningside
- John Playfair (1748–1819), scientist and professor
- Andrew Seth Pringle-Pattison (1856–1931), philosopher
- Finley Quaye (born 1974), singer/songwriter
- Allan Ramsay (1686–1758), poet and father of eponymous painter
- Edward Bannerman Ramsay (1793–1872), clergyman of Scottish Episcopal Church, Dean of Edinburgh, Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character
- Ian Rankin (born 1960), author of Inspector Rebus crime thrillers, attended University of Edinburgh[8]
- Tessa Ransford, poet and founder of Scottish Poetry Library
- William Robertson (1721–1793), historian, minister of religion and Principal of University of Edinburgh
- Dilys Rose (born 1954), poet
- J. K. Rowling (born 1965), Harry Potter author,[9] wrote first book in Edinburgh coffee-shop, Nicholson's[10][11]
- Thomas Ruddiman (1674–1757), classical scholar and printer
- Christopher Rush (born 1944), writer and teacher of literature in Edinburgh
- Janet Schaw (c. 1740–1800), travel writer
- Alexander Scott (c. 1520–1582/1583), poet
- Tom Scott (1918–1995), poet
- Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832), novelist, born in Edinburgh
- James Seth (1860–1925), philosopher
- Sara Sheridan (born 1968), novelist, predominately writing historical fiction
- Catherine Sinclair, Victorian novelist and children's author
- William Henry Oliphant Smeaton (1856–1914), writer, journalist, editor, historian and educator
- Alexander Smith (1829–1867), poet, one of the "Spasmodic School"
- Alexander McCall Smith (born 1948), author of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books and of children's novels, Professor of Medical Law at University of Edinburgh
- Sydney Goodsir Smith (1915–1975), poet
- Sydney Smith (1771–1845), English wit, writer and Anglican cleric, first editor of Edinburgh Review
- Christopher Smout (born 1933), academic, historian, author and Historiographer Royal in Scotland
- Muriel Spark (1918–2006), novelist, author of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie[12]
- Adam Stark (1784–1867), antiquary
- Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894), novelist.[13]
- Dugald Stewart (1753–1828), Scottish Enlightenment philosopher and mathematician
- Matthew Stewart (c. 1717/1719–1785), mathematician and minister of religion
- Annie Shepherd Swan (1859–1943), journalist, novelist and story writer
- James Thomson (1700–1748), poet
- Thomas Thomson (1768–1852), advocate, antiquarian and archivist
- Ruthven Todd (1914–1978), poet, artist, novelist and children's writer
- Nigel Tranter (1909–2000), historical novelist and historian
- William Barclay Turnbull (1811–1863), antiquary
- Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord Woodhouselee (1747–1813), advocate, judge, write, historian and friend of Robert Burns
- Patrick Fraser Tytler (1791–1849), Scottish historian
- William H C Watson (1931–2005), author, playwright and newspaper editor
- William J. Watson (1865–1948), toponymist, first scholar to place Scottish place-name studies on linguistic basis
- William Montgomery Watt (1909–2006), historian, Emeritus Professor in Arabic and Islamic Studies at University of Edinburgh
- Irvine Welsh (born 1958), novelist, playwright and short story writer, Trainspotting
- Robert Willis (1799–1878), physician, librarian and medical historian
- John Wilson of Ellerey (1785–1854), advocate, literary critic and author
- Sean Michael Wilson (born 1969), graphic novel/comic book writer
- John Philip Wood (died 1838), antiquary and biographer
- Andrew John Young (1885–1971), poet and clergyman
Medicine, science and engineering
- James Ormiston Affleck (1840–1922), physician and medical author
- Alexander Aitken (1895–1967), mathematician
- William Alison (1790–1859), physician, social reformer and philanthropist
- Sir Andrew Balfour (1630–1694), botanist and co-founder of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
- Sir Andrew Balfour (1873–1931), specialist in tropical medicine
- Benjamin Blyth (1819–1866), civil engineer
- Benjamin Blyth II (1849–1917), civil engineer
- Major General William Burney Bannerman (1858–1924), military surgeon
- John Barlow (veterinary scientist) (1815–1856), professor at Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
- Alexander Graham Bell (1847–1922), telephone pioneer
- Charles Bell (1774–1842), anatomist, surgeon, physiologist and natural theologian
- Max Born (1882–1970), German-British physicist and mathematician
- Sir Thomas Bouch (1822–1880), railway engineer, designer of the original Tay Rail Bridge
- Robert Henry Bow (1827–1909), civil engineer and photographer
- Alexander Crum Brown (1838–1922), organic chemist
- Alexander Buchan (1829–1907), meteorologist, oceanographer and botanist
- Bill Buchanan (computer scientist) OBE, computer scientist
- Eustace Chesser (1902–1973), psychiatrist
- Thomas Clouston (1840–1915), psychiatrist and Superintendent of Royal Edinburgh Asylum
- Fergus I. M. Craik (born 1935), cognitive psychologist, studied at University of Edinburgh
- Sir James Crichton-Browne (1840–1938), psychiatrist and medical psychologist
- Charles Darwin (1809–1882), biologist, studied at University of Edinburgh, On the Origin of Species
- Andrew Duncan (1744–1828), physician and professor at University of Edinburgh
- William Ronald Dodds Fairbairn (1889–1964), psychiatrist and central figure in developing the object relations theory of psychoanalysis
- Sir William Tennant Gairdner (1824–1907), Professor of Medicine in University of Glasgow
- Sir Archibald Geikie (1835–1924), geologist
- James Geikie, (1839–1915), geologist
- James Gregory (1638–1675), mathematician and astronomer
- William Gregory (1803–1858), physician and chemist
- Alexander Henry (rifle maker) (1818–1894), inventor of Henry rifling and barrel of the Martini Henry rifle
- Peter Higgs (1929–2024), theoretical physicist, emeritus professor at University of Edinburgh
- John Hope (1725–1786), physician and botanist, first Regius Keeper of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
- James Hutton, geologist, born in Edinburgh
- Elsie Inglis, doctor and suffragist, founder of maternity hospital for working-class women
- Sophia Jex-Blake, campaigner for medical education for women
- Alexander Keith Johnston (1804–1871), geographer
- Alexander Keith Johnston (1844–1879), geographer and explorer
- James Kennedy (1797–1886), locomotive and marine engineer born in Gilmerton
- Robert Knox, anatomist and purchaser of bodies
- Dr Thomas Latta (1796–1837), pioneer of saline drip
- Arthur Pillans Laurie (1861–1949), chemist and pioneer in scientific analysis of paintings
- Malcolm Laurie (1866–1932), zoologist
- James Lind (1716–1794), physician, pioneer of naval hygiene, developed theory that citrus fruits obviate scurvy
- Joseph Lister (1827–1912), pioneer of antiseptic surgery
- Jessie Macgregor (1863–1906), doctor and among first women to gain a medical degree from University of Edinburgh
- Agnes McLaren (1837–1913), doctor, missionary and first doctor to give medical assistance to women in India
- Colin Maclaurin (1698–1746), mathematician who made contributions to geometry and algebra
- James Clerk Maxwell, physicist
- Alexander Monro primus (1697–1767), founder of Edinburgh Medical School
- Alexander Monro secundus (1733–1817), anatomist, physician and medical educator
- Alexander Monro tertius (1773–1859), surgeon, anatomist and medical educator
- Duncan Napier (1831–1921), Victorian botanist and medical herbalist
- John Napier (1550–1617), mathematician and inventor of logarithms
- James Nasmyth, inventor of steam hammer
- Stan Paterson (1924–2013), glaciologist
- John Paulitious (died 1645), Edinburgh's first plague doctor
- Marion Ross (1903–1994), physicist
- Daniel Rutherford (1749–1819), physician, chemist and botanist, who isolated nitrogen in 1772
- Robert Sibbald (1641–1722), physician, antiquary and co-founder of Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
- James Young Simpson (1811–1870), obstetrician who first used chloroform for anaesthesia
- David Skae (1814–1873), specialist physician in psychological medicine
- Frederick William Adolphus Skae, (1842–1881), psychiatrist and health administrator
- Charles Piazzi Smyth (1819–1900), Astronomer Royal for Scotland 1846 to 1888
- Mary Fairfax Somerville (1780–1872), science writer and polymath
- Charles Spalding (1738–1783), improver of diving bell
- Archibald Spencer (1698–1760), associated with Benjamin Franklin and electricity
- Fraser Stoddart (1942–2024), chemist working in the area of supramolecular chemistry and nanotechnology
- Peter Guthrie Tait (1831–1901), mathematical physicist
- D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson (1860–1948), zoologist, mathematician and author of On Growth and Form
- Professor Ian Wilmut (born 1944), contributor to Dolly the Sheep project, world's first cloned mammal
- Lesley Jane Yellowlees (born 1953), inorganic chemist and first female president of Royal Society of Chemistry
Military
- Sir James Abercrombie, 1st Baronet of Edinburgh (died 1724), British Army officer and politician
- Adam Archibald (1879–1957), recipient of Victoria Cross
- William Bloomfield (1873–1954), recipient of Victoria Cross
- Walter Lorrain Brodie (1885–1918), recipient of Victoria Cross
- William Bruce (1890–1915), recipient of Victoria Cross
- John Cook (1843–1879), recipient of Victoria Cross
- Arthur Edward Cumming (1896–1971), recipient of Victoria Cross
- James Davis (1835–1893), recipient of Victoria Cross
- William Dick-Cunyngham (1851–1900), recipient of Victoria Cross
- Robert Digby-Jones (1876–1900), recipient of Victoria Cross
- James Dundas (1842–1879), recipient of Victoria Cross
- Captain Douglas Ford (1918–1943), recipient of George Cross
- Major John Alexander Fraser (1896–1943), recipient of Military Cross and George Cross
- James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose (1612–1650), nobleman and general in Wars of the Three Kingdoms, executed in Edinburgh
- Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig (1861–1928), born in Edinburgh
- Captain Alexander Mitchell ("Sandy") Hodge (1916–1997), recipient of Empire Gallantry Medal, later exchanged for George Cross
- William Hope (1834–1909), recipient of Victoria Cross
- William Henry Johnston (1879–1915), recipient of Victoria Cross
- Charles Thomas Kennedy (1873–1907), recipient of Victoria Cross
- Allan Ker (1883–1958), recipient of Victoria Cross
- Alexander Gordon Laing (1793–1826), army major and explorer, first European to reach Timbuktu by north/south route
- John Frederick MacKay (1873–1930), recipient of Victoria Cross
- David Stuart McGregor (1895–1918), recipient of Victoria Cross
- James McPhie (1894–1918), recipient of Victoria Cross
- Gary John O'Donnell (1968–2008), British Army bomb disposal expert awarded George Medal twice
- Captain John Porteous (c. 1695–1736), captain of city guard, lynched during Porteous Riots of 1736
- Henry Ramage (1827–1859), recipient of Victoria Cross
- William Reynolds (1827–1869), recipient of Victoria Cross
- Henry Ritchie (1876–1958), recipient of Victoria Cross
- John Simpson (1826–1884), recipient of Victoria Cross
- Alexander Thompson (1824–1880), recipient of Victoria Cross
- George Wilson (1886–1926), recipient of Victoria Cross
- Mark William Wright (1979–2006), corporal, recipient of George Cross
- David Younger (1871–1900), recipient of Victoria Cross
Religion
- David Laird Adams (1837–1892), academic, professor of Hebrew and oriental languages at University of Edinburgh
- John Baillie (1886–1960), theologian and Church of Scotland minister
- James Bannerman, (1807–1868), Free Church of Scotland theologian
- Jenny Geddes (c. 1600 – c. 1660), market trader, threw stool at Dean of Edinburgh in protest at new prayer book
- Thomas Guthrie (1803–1873), divine and philanthropist, preacher associated with temperance and Ragged Schools
- James Haldane (1768–1851), theologian and missionary
- Thomas Hardy (1747–1798), minister of religion, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and Professor of Ecclesiastical History at University of Edinburgh
- Alexander Henderson (c. 1583–1646), theologian
- Robert Keith (1681–1757), Episcopal bishop and historian
- John Knox (c. 1513–1572), Protestant reformer, whose John Knox's House is preserved in the High Street
- Robert Murray M'Cheyne (1813–1843), minister in Church of Scotland
- Keith O'Brien (1938–2018), disgraced cardinal
- William Pettigrew (1869–1943), Christian missionary to Tangkhul Naga
- Jane Smeal (1801–1888), Quaker, leading campaigner for abolition of slavery
- John Witherspoon (1723–1794), only clergyman to sign American Declaration of Independence, president of Princeton University
Royalty
- Charles X of France (1757–1836), in Holyrood Palace during his exile
- Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1545–1567), King consort of Scotland
- Madeleine of Valois (1520–1537), first spouse of King James V of Scotland
- Saint Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045–1093), wife of King Malcolm III of Scotland
- Mary of Guise (1515–1560), regent of Scotland, and mother of Mary, Queen of Scots
- Mary, Queen of Scots (1542–1587), lived in Holyrood Palace
- Mynyddog Mwynfawr, Brittonic ruler of kingdom of Gododdin in Hen Ogledd (in reading of Y Gododdin accepted by most scholars), perhaps with his court at Din Eidyn
Scottish Enlightenment
- James Anderson of Hermiston (1739–1808), agronomist, lawyer, amateur scientist and economist
- Joseph Black (1728–1799), physicist and first chemist to isolate carbon dioxide
- Hugh Blair (1718–1800), minister of religion and author
- James Boswell (1740–1795), lawyer and biographer of Samuel Johnson
- Thomas Brown (1778–1820), moral philosopher and philosopher of mind; joint holder of Chair of Moral Philosophy at University of Edinburgh
- James Burnett, Lord Monboddo (1714–1799), philosopher, judge and founder of modern comparative historical linguistics
- William Cleghorn (1718–1754), philosopher and holder of Chair of Pneumatics and Moral Philosophy at University of Edinburgh
- John Clerk of Eldin (1728–1812), knight, artist and author of An Essay on Naval Tactics
- Alison Cockburn (1728–1812), poet, wit and socialite
- William Cullen (1710–1790), physician, chemist, early medical researcher and professor at Edinburgh Medical School
- Adam Ferguson (1723–1816), considered founder of sociology
- Sir James Hall, 4th Baronet (1761–1832), geologist and geophysicist
- Henry Home, Lord Kames (1696–1782), philosopher, judge and historian
- David Hume (1711–1776), philosopher, historian and essayist
- James Hutton (1726–1797), founder of modern geology
- Sir John Leslie (1766–1832), mathematician, physicist and investigator of heat
- Thomas Muir of Huntershill (1765–1799), political reformer, leader of Scottish "Friends of the People Society"
- John Playfair (1748–1819), mathematician, "Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth"
- William Robertson (1721–1793), one of founders of modern historical research
- Sir John Sinclair, 1st Baronet (1754–1835), politician, writer and first user of the word "statistics" in English
- William Smellie (1740–1795), editor of first edition of Encyclopædia Britannica
- Adam Smith (1723–1790), economist, The Wealth of Nations
- Dugald Stewart (1753–1828), moral philosopher
- John Walker (1730–1803), professor of natural history
Sports
- Neil Alexander (born 1978), football goalkeeper for Hearts
- Alex Arthur (born 1978), professional super featherweight boxer
- Mark Beaumont (born 1983), holds Guinness World Record for "Fastest True Circumnavigation of the World by Bicycle"
- Christophe Berra (born 1985), footballer for Hearts
- Ian Black (born 1985), footballer
- Stewart Bruce (born 1969), cricketer
- Ken Buchanan (born 1945), world lightweight champion boxer (1965)
- Lewis Christie, ice hockey player
- Karteek Clarke, swimmer and ultra distance runner[14]
- Bob Connors, ice hockey player
- Eartha Cumings, football goalkeeper for the Scotland national team
- Simon Danielli (born 1979), international rugby union player
- William Dippie (1907–1997), cricketer
- Jennifer Dodds (born 1991), curler[15]
- George Farm (1924–2004), Scotland, Blackpool and Queen of the South F.C. goalkeeper and Scottish Cup winning manager with Dunfermline Athletic
- Adam Kelso Fulton (1929–1994), international rugby union player
- Charlie Gardiner (1904–1934), ice hockey player
- Craig Gordon (born 1982), football goalkeeper for Celtic and Scotland
- James Alexander Gordon (1936–2014), football results broadcaster
- George Grigor, ice hockey player
- Paul Hampshire (born 1981), professional footballer
- Tony Hand (born 1967), ice hockey player and coach
- Gavin Hastings (born 1962), rugby union captain
- Scott Hastings (born 1964), rugby player and commentator
- Johnny Haynes (1934–2005), England footballer who retired to Edinburgh
- Joe Hendry (born 1988), professional wrestler
- John Horrocks (1816–1881), founder and innovator of modern European fly fishing
- Chris Hoy (born 1976), track cyclist, Olympic Games gold and silver medal winner and 2015 European Le Mans Series winner in the LMP3 class[16]
- Iain Hume, professional footballer
- Andy Irvine (born 1951), international rugby union player
- Hugh Kelsey (1926–1995), international bridge player and writer
- Josh Kerr[17] (born 1997), middle-distance runner
- Lawrence Lovell, ice hockey player
- Alan MacDonald (born 1985), international rugby union player
- Dave Mackay (1934–2015), footballer
- Steven MacLean (born 1982), footballer currently with Hearts
- Ricky Marlowe (born 1950), former professional footballer
- Allan McGregor (born 1982), Scotland footballer
- Michael McIndoe (born 1979), Scotland footballer
- Kenny Miller (born 1979), Scotland footballer
- Bruce Mouat (born 1994), Scotland curler
- Scott Neil, ice hockey player
- Garry O'Connor (born 1983), professional footballer
- Chris Paterson (born 1978), rugby coach
- Jack Pratt, ice hockey player
- Don Revie (1927–1989), footballer and football manager
- Jim Ross, ice hockey player
- Nicholas Ross (born 1947), first-class cricketer
- Gordon Shedden (born 1979), BTCC racing car driver, born in Edinburgh
- Graeme Souness (born 1953), football manager
- Jimmy Spence, ice hockey player
- Gordon Strachan (born 1957), footballer and coach
- Frederick Guthrie Tait (1870–1900), amateur golfer and soldier
- Lee Wallace (born 1987), footballer
- Emma Watson (born 2006), footballer for the Scotland national team
- Doddie Weir (1970–2022), rugby union player[18]
- David Wilkie (born 1954), MBE, Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games champion swimmer
- Archie Craig (1912–2000), endurance cyclist
Miscellaneous
- Sir Edward Stafford (1819–1901), New Zealand politician; served as Prime Minister three times in the latter half of the 1800s
- Sir Andrew Agnew, 7th Baronet (1793–1849), politician and prominent promoter of Sunday Sabbatarianism
- Charles Umpherston Aitchison (1832–1896), Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab
- Sir Kenneth John Wilson Alexander (1922–2001), economist and university administrator
- Alexander Arbuthnot (died 1585), early printer
- John Bartholomew Sr. (1805–1861), cartographer and engraver
- John Bartholomew Jr. (1831–1893), cartographer
- John George Bartholomew (1860–1920), cartographer and geographer
- John Christopher Bartholomew (1923–2008), cartographer and geographer
- John (Ian) Bartholomew (1890–1962), cartographer and geographer
- Sir Robert Duncan Bell (1878–1953), colonial administrator in India, Acting Governor of Bombay
- Ian Blackford (born 1961), Scottish National Party leader in the UK House of Commons since 2017
- Tony Blair (born 1953), British prime minister 1997–2007
- John Richardson Boyd (1925–2018), milliner based in London
- James Braidwood (1800–1861), founder of world's first municipal fire service in Edinburgh in 1824 and first director of the London Fire Engine Establishment
- Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux (1778–1868), statesman, a founder of the Edinburgh Review and Lord Chancellor
- David Brown, first recorded Jew in Edinburgh (1693)
- William Burke and William Hare, serial killers who sold bodies for dissection
- Duncan Cameron, inventor of the Waverley nib pen
- William Chambers (1800–1883), publisher and politician, brother of Robert Chambers
- Archibald Cleghorn (1835–1910), married into royal family of the Kingdom of Hawaii
- James Connolly (1868–1916), Irish republican and socialist leader in the 1916 Easter Rising, executed in Dublin
- Archibald Constable (1774–1827), publisher, bookseller, stationer, and publisher of the Edinburgh Review
- Helen Crummy, community activist and principal founder of Craigmillar Festival Society
- Elaine Davidson, Guinness World Record holder for "Most Pierced Woman"
- Alexander Donaldson, publisher
- James Donaldson, publisher and founder of Donaldson's Hospital
- George Drummond, Lord Provost and supporter of the New Town, Edinburgh
- Helen Duncan (1897–1956), medium and last person imprisoned under the Witchcraft Act 1735
- Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742–1811), Home Secretary and Tory politician
- John Ritchie Findlay (1824–1898), owner of The Scotsman newspaper, philanthropist and donor of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
- Thomas Foulis (died 1628), goldsmith and financier
- Lord Fountainhall (1646–1722), jurist
- Sir Patrick Geddes (1854–1932), biologist, sociologist, geographer, philanthropist and town planner
- James Gillespie (1726–1797), snuff-maker and philanthropist
- Robert Gourlay (fl. 1570–1630), merchant
- Alasdair George Hay, first and current chief fire officer of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
- George Heriot, goldsmith and philanthropist
- Alexander Hunter (1729–1809), physician, writer and editor
- Sir John Ritchie Inch (1911–1993), police officer, Chief Constable of Edinburgh City Police
- Archibald Johnston, Lord Warriston (1611–1663), judge, statesman
- Sir Duncan Alexander Johnston (1847–1931), Royal Engineers officer, Director General of the Ordnance Survey, and first-class cricketer
- Robert Jousie (died 1626), merchant and courtier
- Mary King fl. 1629, Burgess of Edinburgh and namesake of Mary King's Close
- David Laing (1793–1878), antiquary and editor
- Simon Somerville Laurie (1829–1909), educator
- Lily Laverock (1880–1969), journalist, impresario and suffragist
- John Law (c. 1671–1729), economist, Controller General of Finances under Louis XV of France
- James Lorimer (1818–1890), advocate and father of Robert and James Henry
- Flora Macaulay, editor of The Oban Times newspaper
- John Mackintosh (1929–1978), Scottish Labour Party politician and Edinburgh University lecturer
- John MacMorran (died 1595), Scottish merchant killed by High School students
- Mary Cranston Mason (1846–1932), social reformer and temperance leader
- William McEwan (1827–1913), politician and brewer who funded construction of the McEwan Hall at University of Edinburgh
- Duncan McLaren (1800–1886), politician and political writer, Lord Provost and MP
- John McLaren, Lord McLaren (1831–1910), politician, Lord Advocate and judge
- Priscilla Bright McLaren (1815–1906), abolitionist and suffragist, President of Edinburgh Women's Suffrage Society
- James McLevy (1796–1875), detective and author of popular crime mysteries
- Sir David Monro (1813–1877), New Zealand politician, Speaker of New Zealand House of Representatives
- Alice Morrison (born 1963), adventurer and explorer
- Angus Morrison QC, Mayor of Toronto
- James Pillans (1778–1864), classical scholar and educational reformer
- John Ritchie (1778–1870), co-founder and later sole owner of The Scotsman newspaper
- George Small (1782–1861), partner in piano manufacturing firm of Muir, Wood and Company, magistrate and philanthropist
- D. Alan Stevenson (1891–1971), philatelist and architect
- Jock Stewart (1918–1989), executioner
- John Guthrie Tait (1861–1945), educator and rugby internationalist
- Sir Charles Tupper, one of the Fathers of the Confederation forming the Dominion of Canada in 1867 and later sixth Prime Minister of Canada
- James Tytler (1745–1804), apothecary, editor of second edition of Encyclopædia Britannica and first person in Britain to fly, in a hot air balloon)
- Andrew Usher (1826–1898), whisky distiller and blender, gifted the Usher Hall to Edinburgh
- Eliza Wigham (1820–1899), abolitionist and women's rights campaigner
