#1Sports
Old Tom Morris
1821–1908Scottish professional golfer (1821–1908)
20 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · St Andrews, Fife
Scientists and doctors stand out among the 98 famous people born in St Andrews
The best known is the Scottish professional golfer Old Tom Morris, with articles in 20 languages. The next two names are Jane Fraser and Young Tom Morris. In the 20th century, 42 were born, the most of any period. St Andrews ranks 3rd of the 21 towns in Fife with anyone listed.
Born here
98
notable people
Best known
Old Tom Morris
in 20 Wikipedia languages
First
1540
James, Duke of Rothesay
Youngest
1976
Ronald Brewster
Most common field
Sports
51 people
What stands out about St Andrews’ famous people
★ What stands out · Known for
What St Andrews is known for
Scientists and doctors stand out most, at 2.1 times the usual share.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
The best known
Born in St Andrews
Athletes take two of the three places.
#1
#2Business
Jane Fraser
born 1967British-American banking executive, Chief Executive Officer of Citi
16 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
#3Sports
Young Tom Morris
1851–1875Scottish professional golfer (1851-1875)
16 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Through the years
When St Andrews’s famous people were born
No decade has more births than the 1960s, at 13.
SportsScience & MedicineWriting & ArtsPolitics & LawFilm, TV & StageMilitaryBusinessMusicNotable
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in St Andrews
95 more, 49 of them athletes.
Alexander Wilson
1714–1786Scottish surgeon, astronomer, mathematician and meteorologist (1714-1786)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Hugh Edward Richardson
1905–2000British diplomat and Tibetologist (1905–2000)
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
William McIntosh
1838–1931Scottish physician and marine zoologist (1838-1931)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
John Adamson
1809–1870Scottish physician, photographer, physicist, lecturer and museum curator (1809-1870)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Robert Wallace
1831–1899British classics teacher, minister, professor, editor, barrister and politician (1831–1899)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Roger Gifford
1955–2021London banker and the 685th Lord Mayor of London (1955-2021)
BusinessWikipedia ↗
Thomas Wharton Jones
1808–1891Ophthalmologist and physiologist (1808–1891)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Iain William Mattaj
born 1952Director General, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, 2005 - 2018
Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
John Bell (British Army officer)
1782–187619th century British army officer, born 1782
MilitaryWikipedia ↗
Lilias Maitland
One of the first women graduates from a Scottish University, in 1893
NotableWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Of the towns around it, Dundee has the most on record: 627.
Questions about famous people from St Andrews
Who is the most famous person from St Andrews?
Old Tom Morris (Scottish professional golfer (1821–1908)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 20 languages. Next come Jane Fraser and Young Tom Morris.
How many famous people were born in St Andrews?
98 people born in St Andrews have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 111 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is St Andrews known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 51 of the 98. That is 52% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from St Andrews?
James, Duke of Rothesay, born in 1540. The youngest on the list was born in 1976.
Who counts as from St Andrews?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside St Andrews’ locality (the NRS 2022 locality boundary), a hospital or district within it included, whose English Wikipedia article agrees. People who only lived here, adult performers and people known mainly for crimes aren’t listed.
Why is someone missing?
Their Wikidata birthplace may be a bigger area (“London”), another town, or missing, or their article may give no birthplace. We only list people both sources agree on; editing Wikidata or Wikipedia changes this page at the next refresh.
From Wikidata (CC0: birthplaces, descriptions, years, occupations) and English Wikipedia (each person’s article confirms the birthplace; linked, not quoted). Birthplaces are placed in the town by National Records of Scotland’s Census 2022 locality boundaries (Open Government Licence v3.0). Ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. Fields are read from Wikidata’s description and occupations. “The usual town”: everyone listed across UK towns. Portraits: each person’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (46)
- Old Tom Morris: Thomas Rodger, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jane Fraser: LowneyJen, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Young Tom Morris: James Hardie, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Alexander Wilson: Unknown artist, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Tom Brewster: Bob Cowan, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jo Grimond: Abbie Rowe. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Adamson: Hill & Adamson, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Hugh Edward Richardson: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William McIntosh: Elliott & Fry, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Allan Robertson: Thomas Rodger, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Andrew Strath: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jamie Anderson: Robatthesportshqcom, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jock Hutchison: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Wilhelmina Barns-Graham: Ross Irving on behalf of the Barns-Graham Trust, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Andrew Kirkaldy: Emil Kirschner from Le Mans, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Thomas Riddell-Webster: War Office official photographer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Saunders: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Rab Noakes: PKimage, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Willie Fernie: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Bunny Christie: The Tony Awards, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fred Herd: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- James Foulis: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Adamson: Thomas Rodger, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Laurie Auchterlonie: Stuyvesant Company, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Wallace: Ajsinclair, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Sandy Herd: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Smoult Playfair: Susanne von Nathusius, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Bob Kirk: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Hazel Irvine: BennyOnTheLoose, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Roger Gifford: Chatham House, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- David Foulis: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Davie Strath: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- George Strath: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Gordon Manson: Pvt pauline, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hugh Kirkaldy: Thomas Hodge, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Iain William Mattaj: European Southern Observatory, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Bell (British Army officer): Henry Cousins / After John Lucas, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Fletcher: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Catherine Eve Poole: Nathan Percival, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert MacAndrew: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Brian Cox: Amy Martin Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alexander Wood: Barraud & Jerrard, Photographers, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Thomas Chalmers: Stephencdickson, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ian McDiarmid: Miguel Discart, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Richard Gadd: Soccer Aid for UNICEF, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Agnes Husband: w:Alec Grieve, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.