This is a list of notable Germans. Persons of mixed heritage have their respective ancestries credited.
Architects
Walter Gropius (1883–1969), architect Carl Ludvig Engel (1778–1840), architect Leo von Klenze (1784–1864), architect Balthasar Neumann (1687–1753), architect and engineer Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann (1662–1736), architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969), architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781–1841), architect and painter Johann Conrad Schlaun (1695–1773), architect Gottfried Semper (1803–1879), architect Albert Speer (1905–1981), architect Wilhelm Kreis (1873–1955), architect
Artists
A–M
Hans von Aachen (1552–1615), mannerist painter Albrecht Altdorfer (1480–1538), painter Gertrud Arndt (1903–2000), photographer; pioneering self-portraiture Thomas Anders (born 1963), singer, songwriter and producer Ernst Barlach (1870–1938), sculptor and writer Günther Behnisch (1922–2010), architect Peter Behrens (1868–1940), architect Sibylle Bergemann (1941–2010), photographer Joseph Beuys (1921–1986), artist Hermann Biow (1804–1850), photographer Elisabeth Böhm (1921–2012), architect Gottfried Böhm (1920–2021), architect Erwin Bowien (1899-1972), painter Arno Breker (1900–1991), sculptor Lovis Corinth (1858–1925), painter Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472–1553), painter Lucas Cranach the Younger (1515–1586), painter Yitzhak Danziger (1916–1977), Berlin-born Israeli sculptor Otto Dix (1891–1969), painter Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), painter Egon Eiermann (1904–1970), architect and designer Max Ernst (1891–1976), surrealist painter Carl Eytel (1862–1925), painter of desert landscapes in the American Southwest Caspar David Friedrich (1774–1840), painter Dörte Gatermann (born 1956), architect Willi Glasauer (born 1938), artist Walter Gropius (1883–1969), architect George Grosz (1893–1959), artist Matthias Grünewald (c. 1470 – 1528), German Renaissance painter Johann Gottlieb Hantzsch (1794–1848), painter (genre works) Bettina Heinen-Ayech (1937–2020), painter Hannah Höch (1889–1978), artist Hans Holbein the Elder (c. 1465 – 1524), painter Hans Holbein the Younger (c. 1497 – 1543), illustrator and painter Jörg Immendorff (1945–2007), painter Helmut Jahn (1940–2021), architect and designer Horst Janssen (1929–1995), draftsman, graphic artist, woodcutter, watercolour painter, writer Ulli Kampelmann (born 1952), sculptor and painter Anselm Kiefer (born 1945), painter Martin Kippenberger (1953–1997), painter Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880–1938), painter Leo von Klenze (1784–1864), architect Hans Kollhoff (born 1946), architect Käthe Kollwitz (1867–1945), painter Christian Lemmerz (born 1959), sculptor and scenographer Max Liebermann (1847–1935), painter Markus Lüpertz (born 1941), painter and sculptor August Macke (1887–1914), painter Harro Magnussen (1861–1908), sculptor Franz Marc (1880–1916), painter Hans Memling (c. 1430 – 1494), painter Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969), architect and designer Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876–1907), painter Georg Muche (1895–1987), painter, printmaker, architect, author and teacher Bill Kaulitz (born 1989), songwriter, composer, singer-songwriter, voice actor, film producer, and lyricist Tom Kaulitz (born 1989), songwriter, singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist, voice actor, film producer, and lyricist Georg Listing (born 1987), bassist and pianist Gustav Schäfer (born 1988), musician and drummer
N–Z
Helmut Newton (1920–2004), photographer Frei Otto (1925–2015), architect and research scientist Max Pechstein (1881–1955), painter Sigmar Polke (1941–2010), painter Gerhard Richter (born 1932), painter Julius Runge (1843–1922), marine painter Karl Friedrich Schinkel, architect and painter Oskar Schlemmer (1888–1943), choreographer, painter, sculptor and stage designer Eberhard Schlotter (1921–2014), painter Karl Schmidt-Rottluff (1884–1976), painter Kurt Schwitters, painter and poet Fritz Schumacher (1869–1947), architect and urban designer Max Slevogt, painter Carl Spitzweg (1808–1885), painter Birgit Stauch (born 1961), sculptor Fritz Stoltenberg (1855–1921), landscape artist and marine painter Franz Stuck (1863–1928), painter Yigal Tumarkin (1933–2021), Israeli painter and sculptor Wolf Vostell (1932–1998), artist Bertha Wehnert-Beckmann (1815–1901), pioneering female photographer Emilie Winkelmann (1875–1951), architect
Company founders
A–M
Karl Albrecht (1920–2014) and Theo Albrecht (1922–2010), founder of Aldi Ludwig Bamberger (1823–1899), co-founder of Deutsche Bank John Jacob Bausch (1830–1926), co-founder of Bausch & Lomb, makers of contact lenses and Ray-Ban sunglasses Friedrich Bayer (1825–1880), founder of what would become Bayer, chemical and pharmaceutical company Hans Beck (1929–2009), founder of Playmobil Paul Beiersdorf (1836–1896), founded Beiersdorf AG, manufacturers of Nivea, Eucerin Melitta Bentz (1873–1950), invented the coffee filter and started Melitta, manufacturers of coffee, paper coffee filters and coffee makers Karl Benz (1844–1929), inventor of the gasoline-powered automobile; co-founder of the automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz Maximilian Delphinius Berlitz (1852–1921), founder of Berlitz Language Schools Carl Bertelsmann (1791–1850), founder of Bertelsmann AG, subsidiaries include Random House and BMG Johann Adam Birkenstock, in 1774 founded Birkenstock shoe company Hermann Blohm (1848–1930), in 1877, co-founder of Blohm+Voss, manufacturer of ships Carl F. W. Borgward (1890–1963), founder of Borgward August Borsig (1804–1854), founder of Borsig Werke Robert Bosch (1861–1942), industrialist, engineer and inventor; founder of Robert Bosch GmbH Hugo Boss (1885–1948), fashion designer, founder of Hugo Boss Max Braun, founder of Braun GmbH, makers of personal care appliances, coffee makers and other home appliances Adolphus Busch (1839–1913), co-founder of Anheuser-Busch brewing company Adolph Coors (1847–1929), founder of the Adolph Coors Company brewery, now part of MillerCoors Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900), inventor and engineer; founder of Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft, now Daimler-Benz AG Adolf Dassler (1900–1978), founder of sportswear company Adidas Rudolf Dassler (1898–1974), founder of sportwear company Puma Adelbert Delbrück (1822–1899), co-founder of Deutsche Bank Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck (1830–1916), founder of company Schlesische AG für Bergbau und Zinkhüttenbetrieb Claude Dornier (1884–1969), founder of Dornier Flugzeugwerke Friedrich Engelhorn (1821–1902), founder of the chemical company BASF Kaspar Faber (1730–1784), founder of Faber-Castell, manufacturers of office supplies, art supplies, writing instruments and leather goods Günther Fielmann (1939–2024), founder of Fielmann Wilhelm von Finck (1848–1924), co-founder of Munich Re and Allianz Eduard Fresenius (1874–1946), founder of Fresenius Jakob Fugger the Elder (1368–1469), founder of Fugger bank Marcus Goldman (1821–1904), co-founder of Goldman Sachs Max Grundig (1908–1989), founder of Grundig Max Herz (1905–1965), co-founder of Tchibo Ernst Heinkel (1888–1958), founder of Heinkel, manufacturer of airplanes Richard Hellmann (1876–1971), founder of Hellmann's Mayonnaise Friedrich Karl Henkel (1848–1930), founder of Henkel J.A. Henckels, manufacturers of kitchen knives, scissors, cookware and flatware August Horch (1868–1951), founder of Audi automobile company in 1909 Helmut Horten (1909–1987), founder of Horten AG August Howaldt (1809–1883), founder of Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in 1835 Hugo Junkers (1859–1935), founder of Junkers, manufacturer of airplanes in 1895 Rudolph Karstadt (1856–1944), founder of Karstadt Ernst Keil (1816–1878), founder and publisher of Die Gartenlaube Carl Kellner (1826–1855), founder of Ernst Leitz GmbH, which later became Leica Camera AG, Leica Geosystems AG, and Leica Microsystems AG, producing cameras, geosurvey equipment and microscopes Peter Klöckner (1863–1940), founder of Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz AG and Klöckner & Co Carl Heinrich Theodor Knorr (1800–1875) founder of Knorr Friedrich Krupp (1787–1826), steel manufacturer and founder of the steel producers ThyssenKrupp Heinrich Lanz (1838–1905), founder of Heinrich Lanz AG Henry Lehman (1822–1855), Emanuel Lehman (1827–1907) and Mayer Lehman (1830–1897), German-born bankers, co-founders of Lehman Brothers Carl von Linde (1842–1934), founder of The Linde Group Henry Lomb (1828–1908), co-founder of Bausch & Lomb Friedrich Lürssen (1851–1916), founder of Lürssen in 1875, manufacturers of ships Oscar Ferdinand Mayer (1859–1955), founder of the processed-meat firm Oscar Mayer Joseph Mendelssohn (1770–1848), founder of former bank Mendelssohn & Co. Friedrich Jacob Merck (1621–1678), founder of Merck KGaA (Engel-Apotheke in Darmstadt) George Merck (1867–1926), founder of Merck & Co. Willy Messerschmitt (1875–1978), founder of Messerschmitt, airplane manufacturer Heinrich Meyerfreund, founder of Garoto, chocolate company in Brazil Carl Miele (1869–1938), founder of Miele, manufacturer of domestic appliances Frederick Miller (born as Friedrich Eduard Johannes Müller) (1824–1888), founder of the Miller Brewing Company in 1855
N–Z
Josef Neckermann (1912–1992), founder of the company Neckermann August Oetker (1862–1918), founder of the company Dr Oetker Adam Opel (1837–1895), founder of the automobile company Opel Salomon Oppenheim (1772–1828), founder of bank Sal. Oppenheim Ernest Oppenheimer (1880–1957), diamond and gold mining entrepreneur, financier and philanthropist, who controlled De Beers and founded the Anglo American Corporation of South Africa Werner Otto (1909–2011), founder of Otto GmbH, now Otto Group, a mail order company Ferdinand Porsche (1875–1951), designer and founder of Porsche Günther Quandt (1881–1954), industrial, entrepreneur of different companies (today includes BMW and Altana) Karl Friedrich Rapp (1882–1962), co-founder of Rapp Motorenwerke GmbH, which later became BMW Emil Rathenau (1838–1915), founder of AEG Paul Reuter (1816–1899), pioneer of telegraphy and news reporting; founder of Reuters news agency Hans Riegel, Sr. (1893–1945), founder of Haribo, manufacturer of gummy and jelly sweets Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777–1836), founder of British company N M Rothschild & Sons Hugo Sack (1860–1909), cofounder of Sack & Kiesselbach and founder of Sack, GmbH Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering (1824–1889), founder of the pharmaceutical company Schering AG Gustav Schickedanz (1895–1977), founder of Quelle Anton Schlecker (born 1944), founder of Schlecker Ernst Schmidt and Wilhelm Schmidt-Ruthenbeck (1906–1988), founders of Metro AG Fritz Sennheiser (1912–2010), founder of Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co. KG, specializing in high fidelity products Georg von Siemens (1839–1901), co-founder of Deutsche Bank Werner von Siemens (1816–1892), inventor, founder of Siemens, electronics and electrical engineering company Axel Springer (1912–1985), publisher, founder of Axel Springer SE J.S. Staedtler, in 1835 founded Staedtler Mars GmbH & Co. KG, suppliers of writing, artist, and engineering drawing instruments Bruno Steinhoff (born 1937), founder of Steinhoff Henry E. Steinway (1797–1871), founder of the piano company Steinway & Sons Hugo Stinnes (1870–1924), co-founder of Rheinisch-Westfälisches Elektrizitätswerk AG August Storck-Oberwelland, in 1903 founder of Werther's Sugar Confectionery Factory, now August Storck AG Franz Ströher (born c. 1854–1936), in 1880 founded cosmetics company Wella Carl Tchilinghiryan (1910–1987), co-founder of Tchibo Carl von Thieme (1844–1924), founder of Allianz, financial services company August Thyssen (1842–1926), founder of Walzwerk Thyssen & Co. in Mülheim an der Ruhr Friedrich Thyssen (1804–1877), founder of Draht-Fabrik-Compagnie in Aachen Hermann Tietz (1837–1907), founder of Hertie, department store