#1Famous people · Rock Island
Scientists and doctors stand out among the 47 famous people born in Rock Island
Most widely known is Madison Keys, the US American tennis player, with articles in 49 languages. Second and third on the list are Eddie Albert and Gabriel Almond. 20 of them were born in the age of mills and railroads, more than in any other period. Half or more of the towns in Illinois have no one on record, but this one has 13 for every 10,000 residents.
Born here
47
notable people
Best known
Madison Keys
in 49 Wikipedia languages
First
1852
Charles Graham
Youngest
1995
C.J. Carr
Most common field
Sports
16 people
What stands out about Rock Island’s famous people
★ What stands out · Known for
What Rock Island is known for
Compared with the usual town, scientists and doctors are the most over-represented field, at 2.5 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
The best known
Born in Rock Island
Madison Keys has articles in 49 languages, Eddie Albert in 41 and Gabriel Almond in 24.
#1
#2GA#3
Science & Medicine
Gabriel Almond
1911–2002American political scientist
24 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Through the years
When Rock Island’s famous people were born
More were born in the 1910s than in any other decade: 6.
SportsScience & MedicineMusicPolitics & LawFilm, TV & StageWriting & ArtsNotableBusinessMilitary
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Rock Island
Another 44, the earliest born in 1852.
Kari Lake
born 1969American journalist and politician, head of Voice of America
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Susann McDonald
1935–2025American-born classical harpist, both recording and live-performing; chair of the harp department at Indiana University-Bloomington
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
The town’s pick
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Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Around it, Moline has the most people on record, 61 of them.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Rock Island and whose English Wikipedia article agrees, ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. People known mainly for crimes, and adult performers, aren’t listed. “The usual town” = everyone born in the towns gathered so far.
Photo credits (11)
- Madison Keys: Hameltion, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Eddie Albert: Film screenshot, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- June Haver: 20th Century-Fox Production, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Helen Mack: film screenshot, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Kari Lake: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pete Mickeal: Mangass, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gary Payton: NASA, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Lane Evans: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ken Berry: ABC Television, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ethan Happ: Alexander Jonesi, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Marcus Ward Lyon, Jr.: Washington Biologists' Field Club, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons