#1Film, TV & Stage
Karen Gillan
born 1987Scottish actress and filmmaker (born 1987)
67 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Inverness, Highland
Inverness leads Highland with 210 famous people
At the top of the list is the Scottish actress and filmmaker Karen Gillan, covered in 67 languages. Second and third on the list are Ali Smith and Yvette Cooper. The list has 1.8 times the usual share of soldiers and sailors, 14 in all. The largest group, 72, was born since 1970.
Born here
210
notable people
Best known
Karen Gillan
in 67 Wikipedia languages
First
1644
Duncan Forbes
Youngest
2002
Lewis Hyde
Most common field
Sports
110 people
What stands out about Inverness’ famous people
Known worldwideKaren Gillan is written about in 67 languages.A town of soldiers and sailorsSoldiers and sailors make up 14 of the 210, 1.8 times the usual share.Still making names102 were born since 1950, the youngest in 2002.210 notable peopleWith 210 notable people, the list is longer than most towns’.
★ What stands out · The best known
Born in Inverness
The three are covered in 67, 40 and 35 languages: Karen Gillan, Ali Smith and Yvette Cooper.
#1
#2YC#3
Known for
What Inverness is known for
The field furthest above the usual share is soldiers and sailors, at 1.8 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Through the years
When Inverness’s famous people were born
The 1990s saw the most births of any decade: 25.
SportsPolitics & LawWriting & ArtsMilitaryFilm, TV & StageMusicScience & MedicineNotableBusinessFaith
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Inverness
207 more; the 197 best known are listed here.
Jane Elizabeth Waterston
1843–1932Scottish teacher and doctor in South Africa
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Derry Irvine, Baron Irvine of Lairg
born 1940British politician and baron (born 1940)
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Ian Black
born 1941British swimmer, Olympic athlete, Commonwealth Games gold medallist
SportsWikipedia ↗
Donald Grant
1888–1970Agitator and politician, Senator for New South Wales, Australia (1888–1970)
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
John Alexander Mackay
1889–1983Presbyterian theologian, missionary, and educator (1889-1983)
FaithWikipedia ↗
John Doyle
born 1953British stage director for musicals and plays, as well as operas
Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Robert Menli Lyon
1789–1874Advocate of Indigenous Australian rights and welfare
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
James Makittrick Adair
1728–1802British army officer, tax collector, surgeon, physician and slavery anti-aboltionist pamphleteer associated with Antigua (1728-1802)
MilitaryWikipedia ↗
Alexander Fraser
1824–1883Canadian businessman and political figure in Ontario (1824–1883)
BusinessWikipedia ↗
John Smith
1831–1909Scottish-born Ontario businessman and political figure (1831-1909)
BusinessWikipedia ↗
Alec Sutherland
1922–2014British World War II veteran, swimming coach and mountaineer
SportsWikipedia ↗
Alexander Jardine
1874–1949United States Navy Medal of Honor recipient (1874–1949)
MilitaryWikipedia ↗
Henry MacDonald
1823–1893Scottish military officer (1823–1893); recipient of the Victoria Cross
MilitaryWikipedia ↗
James Gordon
1786–1865Merchant and political figure in Upper Canada and Canada West
BusinessWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
1 towns around it have someone on record.
Questions about famous people from Inverness
Who is the most famous person from Inverness?
Karen Gillan (Scottish actress and filmmaker (born 1987)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 67 languages. Next come Ali Smith and Yvette Cooper.
How many famous people were born in Inverness?
210 people born in Inverness have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 247 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Inverness known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 110 of the 210. That is 52% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Inverness?
Duncan Forbes, born in 1644. The youngest on the list was born in 2002.
Who counts as from Inverness?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Inverness’ 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 (69)
- Karen Gillan: Pedro Heshike for Galaxy Con, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ali Smith: TimDuncan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ryan Christie: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Laura Muir: Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stuart Armstrong: Анна Джалалян, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Charles Kennedy: catch21productions from UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lorne Balfe: International Labour Organization, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- James Mackintosh: Thomas Lawrence, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Stephen Crabb: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- George Cornet: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Don Cowie: Jon Candy from Cardiff, Wales, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Erik Thomson: Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kevin MacDonald: Jonesy702, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Marion Wallace Dunlop: Marion Wallace Dunlop (22 December 1864 – 12 September 1942), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jane Elizabeth Waterston: unknown (she died 1932), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Alan Sinclair: Gregor Rom. Derivative work of File:Ruder-EM 2016 24.JPG, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ann Coffey: UK Parliament, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ken Macintosh: SPTV, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sue Black: TimDuncan, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- William E. Smith: Acme Publishing Co, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Tavish Scott: Keith Edkins, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Andy Harries: Stefano Petroni at https://www.flickr.com/photos/airforceone/, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Douglas Wimberley: Mr Lockyear, War Office official photographer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Isabelle Wallace: Tatiana from Moscow, Russia, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mark Ridgers: Blethering Scot, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- David Stewart: Scottish Labour, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Peter McWilliam: Romashkowi, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Suzanne Grant: Alasdair Middleton from Rothesay, Scotland, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- William Campbell: неизвестен. The original uploader was Corwin of Amber at Russian Wikipedia., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- David Lewis Macpherson: William James Topley, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Sheila Bird: Graywiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alan Clyne: Dacoucou, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bob McDonald: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Donald Grant: Australian Government, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Eleanor Scott: Edinburgh Greens, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fraser Cartmell: Thomas Kriese, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jamie Dobie: Stefano Delfrate, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Alexander Mackay: AnonymousUnknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Smith Archibald: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Julia Ralph Scott: Clavdia chauchat, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- William Fraser Tolmie: Joseph Gaston, George H. Himes, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Aeneas Chisholm: John Henry Lorimer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Andrew Paterson: Andrew Paterson, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Duncan Chisholm: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Evan Wisdom: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Greg Lobban: England Squash Masters, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- James Alexander Grant: William James Topley, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- James H. MacDonald: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Mackay: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Kathryn Joseph: Paul Hudson from United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lewis Hyde: Shoot1957, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Murray Grigor: Tibetibe, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Findlay: Wm. Notman & Son, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Tom Parratt: Tpeezy333, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tom Roebuck: Stefano Delfrate, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Anthony Miers: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- James E. Hyslop: Eli.buckenhofer, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- James MacCallum Smith: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Grant Malcolmson: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John T. Morton: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Department of Homeland Security), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Reginald Archibald Cammell: Unknown 1911, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Roderick N. Matheson: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William McBean: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Alec Sutherland: UK government, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Henry MacDonald: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Hugh Mackenzie: Allen, E E (Lt), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Barr: Craggie, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Cameron: Fritzelblitz, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kate Forbes: Scottish Government, CC BY 2.0, 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.