#1Sports
Bryan Gunn
born 1963Scottish association football player and manager (born 1963)
24 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Thurso, Highland
Scientists and doctors stand out among the 20 famous people born in Thurso
Bryan Gunn is the best known, with articles in 24 languages. The next two names are Arthur St. Clair and William David Ross. Only 2 towns in Highland list more. Born in 1737, Arthur St. Clair is the first name on record, and Gary Mackay-Steven, born in 1990, the most recent.
Born here
20
notable people
Best known
Bryan Gunn
in 24 Wikipedia languages
First
1737
Arthur St. Clair
Youngest
1990
Gary Mackay-Steven
Most common field
Science & Medicine
5 people
What stands out about Thurso’s famous people
★ What stands out · Known for
What Thurso is known for
Set against the usual town, scientists and doctors come out 3.4 times as common.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Through the years
When Thurso’s famous people were born
No decade has more births than the 1960s, at 2.
Science & MedicinePolitics & LawSportsMilitaryWriting & ArtsBusinessMusic
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
The best known
Born in Thurso
Languages with an article: 24 for Bryan Gunn, 21 for Arthur St. Clair, 21 for William David Ross.
#1
#2Military
Arthur St. Clair
1737–1818American soldier and politician (1737-1818)
21 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
#3Writing & Arts
William David Ross
1877–1971Scottish philosopher and translator (1877–1971)
21 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Everyone
Everyone else born in Thurso
17 more, 5 of them scientists and doctors.
Sir John Sinclair, 1st Baronet
1754–1835Scottish politician, writer on finance and agriculture (1754–1835)
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Andrew Geddes Bain
1797–1864South African scientist and engineer (1797–1864)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
George Finlayson
1790–1823Scottish naturalist, traveller and writer (1790-1823)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Stewart Ryrie, Junior
1812–1882Scottish-born Australian pastoralist and surveyor
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Tommy McGee
born 1979Scottish rugby league footballer, and rugby union footballer and coach
SportsWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Questions about famous people from Thurso
Who is the most famous person from Thurso?
Bryan Gunn (Scottish association football player and manager (born 1963)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 24 languages. Next come Arthur St. Clair and William David Ross.
How many famous people were born in Thurso?
20 people born in Thurso have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 24 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Thurso known for?
Among its famous people, scientists and doctors: 5 of the 20. That is 25% of the town’s list, against 7% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Thurso?
Arthur St. Clair, born in 1737. The youngest on the list was born in 1990.
Who counts as from Thurso?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Thurso’s 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 (14)
- Bryan Gunn: Dweller at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Arthur St. Clair: Charles Willson Peale, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William David Ross: Writersfinger, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gary Mackay-Steven: Ailura, CC BY-SA 3.0 at, Wikimedia Commons
- Sir John Sinclair, 1st Baronet: Henry Raeburn, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Andrew Geddes Bain: The original uploader was Paul venter at English Wikipedia., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Alexander Smith: Alexander Ignatius Roche, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Martin Rennie: Christopher Whitecaps, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Robin Harper: GullibleKit at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jock Campbell: Keating G (Capt) No 1 Army Film & Photographic Unit, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Thurso: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Finlay Wild: Paul dobson from ENGLAND, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Peter Gunn: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Stewart Ryrie, Junior: 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.