The following is a list of notable Ann Arborites (people born in or associated with the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan). Note that it does not include people associated with Ann Arbor only as students or alumni of the University of Michigan.
Activists and advocates Keith Hefner, activist
Artists
Virgil Exner, automobile designer Fred Gallagher, cartoonist Gerome Kamrowski, abstract painter Terry LaBan, cartoonist Benjamin McCready, portrait painter Antony Natsoulas, sculptor and contemporary artist Irving Kane Pond, architect Susan Skarsgard, graphic designer and calligrapher Anna Sui, fashion designer Timothy Van Laar, painter Leo Zulueta, tattoo artist
Athletes and sports figures
Kole Ayi, NFL player Aaron Bailey, NFL wide receiver Charles A. Baird (c. 1870–1944), first UM athletic director Rich Balchan, soccer player Chris Ballingall, baseball player Evan Bates, figure skater Keith Bostic, NFL defensive back Rebecca Bross, artistic gymnast Sam Brown, soccer player Ian Cole, NHL hockey player Andrew Copp, NHL hockey player Fritz Crisler (1899–1982), football coach Ali Curtis, professional soccer player Ken Dyer, NFL player Bunny Fabrique, professional baseball player who played shortstop for the 1916–1917 Brooklyn Robins Francie Kraker Goodridge, track and field, first Michigan-born woman on U.S. Olympic team Alison Gregorka, water polo player, Olympic silver medalist Eliot Halverson, figure skater Jim Harbaugh, NFL quarterback and coach John Harbaugh, NFL coach Danielle Hartsell, pair skater, sister of Steve Hartsell Steve Hartsell, pair skater, brother of Danielle Hartsell Howdy Holmes, race driver Keiffer Hubbell, figure skater Madison Hubbell, figure skater Zeke Jones, wrestling coach, Olympic silver medalist Steven Kampfer, professional hockey player Hobbs Kessler, professional runner for Adidas Bruce Kimball, Olympic diver Aaron Krickstein (born 1967), tennis player, world #6 Steve Morrison, NFL linebacker, college football coach Gabe Muoneke, professional basketball player Veronica Pershina, figure skater, coach Jeff Petry, NHL hockey player Emily Samuelson, figure skater Jennifer Song, professional golfer James Toney, world champion professional boxer Austin Watson, professional ice hockey player Alan Webb, professional track athlete Charlie White, ice dancer, figure skater, 2014 Olympic gold medalist Fielding H. Yost (1871–1946), football coach Jason Zucker (born 1992), NHL hockey player
Authors
Katherine Applegate, young adult and children's fiction writer Clara Doty Bates, author Charles Baxter, novelist T. Casey Brennan, comic book author Joseph Brodsky (1940-1996), Russian-American poet, Nobel Laureate Emily Colas, novelist Nicholas Delbanco, novelist Dorothy Marie Donnelly, poet Donald Dunbar, poet Loren D. Estleman, mystery and western novelist Elizabeth Farrand, author and librarian James Hynes, novelist Jane Juska, author George Kao, author, translator Laura Kasischke, novelist, poet Jane Kenyon, poet Elizabeth Kostova, novelist Lillian Li, author Bruce McConkie (1915–1985), Mormon theologian, poet Elizabeth Meriwether, writer, producer Angel Nafis, poet Davi Napoleon, drama critic, theatre historian Andrea Phillips, author, game designer John Pollack, author, presidential speechwriter Ann Purmell, children's book author Davy Rothbart, author, filmmaker, journalist Mike Rother, author on industrial management Allan Seager (1906–1968), novelist, short story writer Alfred Slote, children's author Sarah Weeks, children's author Nancy Willard, children's author
Educators
Henry Carter Adams (1851–1921), economist Akhil Amar, legal scholar James Burrill Angell (1829–1916), journalist, diplomat, University of Michigan president Gwendolyn Calvert Baker (1931–2019), educator, activist, and nonprofit executive Allen Britton (1914–2003), music educator, dean, UM School of Music Theodore V. Buttrey (1929–2018), classicist Carl Cohen, philosopher, activist Charles Cooley (1864–1929), sociologist Richard Crawford, music historian John H. D'Arms (1934–2002), classicist John Dewey (1859–1952), educational philosopher, reformer Dag Øistein Endsjø, Norwegian scholar of religion Sidney Fine (1920–2009), historian Ben Finegold, chess Grandmaster Robben Fleming (1916–2010), UM president David Noel Freedman (1922–2008), biblical scholar Harlan Hatcher (1898–1998), UM president H. Wiley Hitchcock (1923–2007), musicologist Catharine MacKinnon, feminist legal scholar Mary Beth Norton, historian Kenneth Lee Pike (1912–2000), linguist Alvin Plantinga (born 1932), philosopher Shael Polakow-Suransky, deputy chancellor, New York City Public Schools Michael Porter (born 1947), economist Michelle Rhee (born 1969), educator, activist Martha Farnsworth Riche, economist Wilfrid Sellars (1912–1989), philosopher Harold Shapiro, economist, UM president Henry Philip Tappan (1805–1881), first UM president Claude H. Van Tyne (1869–1930), historian Robert M. Warner (1927–2007), archivist of the United States, dean, UM School of Library Science Glenn Watkins, musicologist Leslie White (1900–1975), anthropologist Letty M. Wickliffe (1902–2001), special education director in Indianapolis Raymond Louis Wilder (1896–1982), mathematician
Entertainment
Robert Ashley, composer of television operas Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker Ric Burns, documentary filmmaker Areeya Chumsai, model, filmmaker Andrew Cohn, documentary filmmaker Jack Falahee, actor, How To Get Away With Murder Nicole Forester, actress Megan Ganz, comedy writer, producer David S. Goyer, filmmaker Zach Grenier, actor Grace Henderson (1860–1944), stage and silent film actress Gary Hutzel, visual effects supervisor Michael Kosta, stand-up comedian and correspondent on The Daily Show Lisa Kron, actress, playwright Anna Rose Kessler Moore, singer-songwriter Austin Nichols, actor Michael Schur, television producer, writer, and actor Kristina and Karissa Shannon, Playboy models Martha Vickers (1925–1971), actress; wife of Mickey Rooney Grace Lee Whitney (1930–2015), actress, Star Trek
Entrepreneurs and business figures
Tom and Louis Borders, founders of BordersWhere are they now? Borders brothers long gone from Ann Arbor as chain nears bankruptcy Jim Buckmaster, CEO of Craigslist Bill Hewlett (1913–2001), engineer, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard Bruce Iglauer, founder of Alligator Records John and Thomas Knoll, creators of Adobe Photoshop Tom Monaghan (born 1937), founder of Domino's Pizza, former Detroit Tigers owner Eugene Power (1905–1988), microfilming and micropublishing pioneer Jeff Shell (born 1965), CEO of NBCUniversal
Journalists and media figures
Jill Carroll, journalist, kidnapped in Iraq Keith Gave, journalist, sportswriter Charles J. Guiteau, writer and lawyer; responsible for the assassination of James A. Garfield Reed Hundt, Federal Communications Commission chair Ken Kelley, journalist, editor, and publisher Jay Nordlinger, conservative political columnist John Pollack, journalist, speech writer Monika Samtani, broadcast journalist Mike Tirico, sportscaster, Monday Night Football Neda Ulaby, public radio correspondent David Westin, media CEO
Luthiers
Gregg Alf, violin maker Joseph Curtin, violin maker
Musicians and music groups
William Albright (1944–1998), composer, pianist Katherine Anderson, singer Ron Asheton (1948–2009), guitarist, bassist and songwriter Scott Asheton (1949–2014), drummer and co-songwriter Robert Ashley (1930–2014), composer, audio synthesis pioneer Ayo & Teo, music duo Leslie Bassett (1923–2016), composer Chris Bathgate, singer-songwriter Eve Beglarian, composer William Bolcom, pianist, composer Muruga Booker, percussionist Brownsville Station, rock group Chenille Sisters, folk group Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, formed in Ann Arbor Lewis Hugh Cooper (1920–2007), bassoonist Max Crook, rock musician Dabrye (Tadd Mullinix), electronic dance musician Damien Done, post-punk / gothic rock band, formed in Florida, relocated to Ann Arbor in 2006 James Dapogny, pianist, jazz scholar Bryan Devendorf, drummer for The National Disco D (1980–2007), record producer, composer Elephante (Tim Wu), DJ, musician, producer Ross Lee Finney (1906–1997), composer Tony Fontane (1925–1974), gospel singer-songwriter, actor Frontier Ruckus, indie folk, alt-country band Sameer Gadhia, singer, Young the Giant Robert Glasgow (1925–2008), organist Laurel Halo, electronic musician, composer Mayer Hawthorne, singer-songwriter and musician Deon Jackson, soul singer-songwriter Eva Jessye (1895–1992), choral director, composer James Kibbie, organist Lyndon Lawless, conductor, music educator Eva Likova (1919–2004), operatic soprano Marilyn Mason (1925–2019), organist Roger, Ben, and Larry Miller Scott Morgan, rock musician Joan Morris, vocalist Damien Moyal, singer and musician Randy Napoleon, jazz guitarist Nicholas Phan, opera singer Pity Sex, indie rock band Iggy Pop, front man, artist, and actor William Revelli (1902–1994), band director H. Robert Reynolds, band director Samiyam, hip-hop producer Bob Seger, rock and roll singer-songwriter Shigeto, electronic musician Dick Siegel, singer-songwriter, guitarist, and visual artist Donald Sinta, saxophonist Tom Smith, filk musician Kate Soper, composer Steven Springer, guitarist, songwriter SRC, rock band Colin Stetson, musician, composer Tally Hall, indie rock band Taproot, nu metal band Deniz Tek, guitarist with Australian rock band Radio Birdman Vulfpeck, funk group Andrew W.K., singing-songwriter, television host We Are the Union, ska punk band Ben Wilson, keyboard player in Blues Traveler George Balch Wilson, composer Wolf Eyes, industrial rock band "Shakey Jake" Woods (1925–2007), street musicianShakey Jake – Ann Arbor – ArborWiki Jeff Young, guitarist in Megadeth
Politicians
John Allen (died 1851), co-founder of Ann Arbor, attorney, state senator Bruce Bartlett, historian, political adviser Louis D. Belcher, mayor Elizabeth Brater, state senator Barbara Everitt Bryant (1926–2023), first woman to lead the US Census Bureau Jane L. Campbell, mayor of Cleveland, Ohio Pia Cayetano, senator of the Philippines Thomas M. Cooley (1824–1898), chief justice, Michigan Supreme Court Debbie Dingell, congresswoman Samuel J. Eldersveld (1917–2010), political scientist, mayor Abdul El-Sayed, physician and candidate for Governor of Michigan in 2018 and United States Senate in 2026 Marilyn L. Huff, judge James Kingsley (1797–1878), attorney, state legislator, mayor Chris Kolb, state legislator, first openly gay member of the Michigan legislature Edwin Lawrence (1808–1885), Michigan jurist and state representative William S. Maynard (1802–1866), merchant, land developer, mayor Mike Nahan, Australian politician Robert D. Orr (1917–2004), governor of Indiana Edward C. Pierce (1930–2002), physician, mayor of Ann Arbor Elisha Rumsey (1785–1827), co-founder of Ann Arbor Brian Schatz, U.S. senator for Hawaii Patricia Secrest, state representative Ingrid Sheldon, mayor, 1993–2000 Benjamin Sherman, Wisconsin state assemblyman and senator Neil Staebler (1905–2000), congressman, Democratic politician L. D. Taylor (1857–1946), mayor of Vancouver Albert H. Wheeler (1915–1994), microbiologist, first African-American mayor of Ann Arbor
Scientists
Eric Betzig, physicist, Nobel laureate Richard Crandall, physicist, computer scientist Kazimierz Fajans (1887–1975), physical chemist John H. Hubbell (1925–2007), radiation physicist Emmett Leith (1927–2005), electrical engineer, co-inventor of holography Deirdre McCloskey, economist Anne McNeil, microplastics scientist, L.S.A member James V. Neel (1915–2000), geneticist Anatol Rapoport (1911–2007), mathematical psychologist Elizabeth S. Russell, biologist Annette Salmeen, biochemist, Rhodes Scholar, Olympic gold medalist John Martin Schaeberle (1853–1924), astronomer Gene Sperling, economic advisor Jean Tatlock, psychiatrist, physician Samuel Ting, physicist, Nobel laureate