List of Swiss people

This is a list of notable Swiss people.

See also: Swiss (people)

Contents 1 Archaeology 2 Architecture 3 Actors 4 Art 5 Aviation 6 Business 7 Filmmakers 8 Linguistics 9 Mathematics 10 Military 11 Music 12 Philosophy 13 Psychology and Pedagogy 14 Politics 15 Religion 16 Science 16.1 A-F 16.2 G-O 16.3 P-Z 17 Sports 18 Writers 19 Others 20 Not included

Archaeology

• Eric Breuer, archaeologist
• Ferdinand Keller (1800-1881), archaeologist
• Heinrich Menu von Minutoli (1772-1846), archaeologist
• Jean-Marc Moret (born 1942), archaeologist and art historian
• Fritz Puempin (1901-1972), archeologist and painter
• Karl Schefold (1905-1999), classical archaeologist
• Emile Vouga (1840-1908), archaeologist and painter

Architecture

• Hans Benno Bernoulli (1876-1959), architect
• Melchior Berri (1801-1854), architect
• Francesco Borromini (1599-1667), architect in Italy
• Mario Botta (born 1943), architect
• Le Corbusier (Charles-Edouard Jeanneret), (1887-1965), architect
• Albert Frey (1903-1998), architect
• Jacques Herzog (born 1950), architect
• Pierre Jeanneret (1896-1967), architect
• William Lescaze (1896-1969)
• Carlo Maderno (1556-1629), architect in Italy
• Pierre de Meuron (born 1950), architect
• Hannes Meyer (1889-1954), architect, director of the Bauhaus Dessau
• Domenico Trezzini (1670-1734) architect in Saint Petersburg

Actors

• Ursula Andress (born 1936), actress
• Bruno Ganz (born 1941), actor
• Mathias Gnädinger (born 1941), actor
• Grock (1880-1959), clown
• Irène Jacob (born 1966), actress
• Mathis Künzler (born 1978), film, television and stage actor.
• Liselotte Pulver (born 1929)
• Emil Steinberger (born 1933), comedian
• Yul Brynner (1920-1985), actor

Art

• Jacques-Laurent Agasse (1767-1849), painter
• Cuno Peter Amiet (1868-1961)
• Thomas Ammann (1950-1993), artdealer and collector
• Albert Anker (1831-1910)
• Jean Arp (1886-1966), sculptor, painter and poet
• René Auberjonois (1872-1957), painter
• François Bocion (1828-1890), painter
• Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901), painter
• Karl Bodmer (1809-1893), painter of the American West
• Mark Staff Brandl (born 1955), painter, installation artist, and critic
• Frank Buchser (1828-1890), painter
• Alexandre Calame (1810-1864), painter
• Jean Crotti (1878-1958), painter
• Jean Dunand (1877-1942), decorative artist, sculptor
• Hans Erni (born 1909)
• Fischli & Weiss (born 1946 & 1952), artist duo
• Johann Caspar Füssli (1706-1782), portrait painter
• Henry Fuseli (Johann Heinrich Füssli) (1741-1825), painter
• Johann Kaspar Füssli (1743-1786), entomologist
• Karl Gerstner (born 1930), graphic designer and painter
• Salomon Gessner (1730-1788)
• Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966), sculptor, painter
• H. R. Giger (born 1940), illustrator
• Anton Graff (1736-1813), painter
• Eugène Grasset (1845-1917), decorative artist
• Willi Gutmann (born 1927), sculptor
• Ferdinand Hodler (1853-1918), painter
• Max Huber (1919-1992), graphic designer
• Nicolas N Hunziker (born 1974), automotive fine artist
• [[Patrick Múllerson Ántonio Ónváanó (1901-1999), painter , wildlife artist and illustrator
• Angelica Kauffmann (1741-1807), painter
• Jorg Khun (1940-1964), wildlife artist and illustrator
• Paul Klee (1879-1940), painter
• Rudolf Koller (1828-1905), painter
• Albert "Lindi" Lindegger (1904-1991), illustrator and painter
• Niklaus Manuel (1484-1530), painter
• Auguste de Niederhausern-Rodo (1863–1913), sculptor
• Roger Pfund (born 1943), painter, graphic designer
• James Pradier (1790-1852), sculptor
• Oskar Reinhart (1885-1965), collector
• Iris von Roten-Meyer (1917-1990), lawyer and artist
• Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002), sculptor, became Swiss in 1971
• Théophile Steinlen (1859-1923), painter and printmaker
• Niklaus Stoecklin (1896-1982), painter and graphic designer
• Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889-1943), painter, sculptor
• Jean Tinguely (1925-1991), kinetic artist
• Rodolphe Toepffer (1799-1846)
• Félix Vallotton (1865-1925), painter
• Emile Vouga (1840-1908), painter
• Marianne von Werefkin (1860-1938), painter
• Fabian Bürgy (born 1980), designer and sculptor

Aviation

• Oskar Bider (1891-1919)
• Henri Dufaux (1879-1980)
• Armand Dufaux (1883-1941)
• Walter Mittelholzer (1894-1937), pilot, director Ad Astra, Swissair
• Claude Nicollier (born 1944), pilot, astronaut
• Bertrand Piccard (born 1958), psychiatrist and balloonist
• Yves Rossy (born 1959), pilot, "jet-man"
• Eduard Spelterini (1852-1931), balloonist

Business

• Carl Franz Bally (1821-1899), founder of the Bally Shoe company
• Abraham Louis Breguet (1747-1823), watchmaker
• François-Louis Cailler (1796-1852), chocolatier
• Louis Chevrolet (1878-1941), automobile engineer
• Alfred Escher (1819-1882), statesman, businessman and railway constructor
• Hans Conrad Escher von der Linth (1767-1823), architect of the Lint melioration
• Louis Favre (1826-1879), engineer of the Gotthard tunnel
• Nicolas Hayek (born 1928), entrepreneur, chairman, Swatch Group
• Jürg Marquard (born 1945), magazine publisher
• Henri Nestlé (1814-1890), founder of Nestlé S.A.
• Georges Edouard Piaget (1855-1931), watchmaker
• Beat Fischer von Reichenbach (1641-1698), held postal monopoly in Berne
• Werner Reinhart (1884-1951), industrialist, philanthropist, music and literature patron
• Daniel Jean-Richard (1665-1741), watchmaker
• Philippe Suchard (1797-1884), chocolatier
• Ernst Thomke (born 1940 in Biel/Bienne, turnaround manager, e.g. Swatch
• William de Vigier (1912-2003), entrepreneur

Filmmakers

• Claude Goretta (born 1929), director
• Markus Imhoof (born 1941), director
• Xavier Koller (born 1944), director
• Daniel Schmid (1941-2006), director
• Alain Tanner (born 1929), director
• Marc Forster (born 1969), director of such movies as: Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, or the James Bond movie Quantum of Solace
• Arthur Cohn (born 1927), film producer, received six Oscars

Linguistics

• Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913), linguist

Mathematics

• Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782), mathematician and physicist
• Jakob Bernoulli (1654-1705), Swiss mathematician
• Johann Bernoulli (1667-1748), Swiss mathematician
• Armand Borel (1923-2003), mathematician
• Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), mathematician and geometer
• Michel Plancherel (1885-1967), mathematician
• Georges de Rham (1903-1990), mathematician
• Ludwig Schläfli (1814-1895), mathematician
• Jakob Steiner (1796-1863), mathematician and physicist
• Edward Kofler (1911-2007), mathematician

Military

• Pierre Victor Besenval de Bronstatt (1721-1791)
• Guillaume-Henri Dufour (1787-1875), General, geographer
• Joachim Forrer (1782-1833)
• Henri Guisan (1874-1960), General during WWII
• Hans Herzog (1819-1894), General 1870-1871
• Antoine-Henri Jomini (1779-1869), General, military writer
• Christophe Keckeis (born 1945), Chief of the Armed Forces (since 2004)
• Elmar Mäder, commander of the Swiss Guard (2002-)
• Franz Ludwig Pfyffer von Wyher (1716-1802)
• Pius Segmüller (born 1952), commander of the Swiss Guard (1998-2002)
• Theophil Sprecher von Bernegg (1850-1927)
• Ulrich Wille (1848-1925), General during WWI

Music

• Mia Aegerter (born 1976), pop musician
• Martin Eric Ain, Celtic Frost bassist
• Ernest Ansermet (1883-1969), conductor
• Lys Assia (born 1926), singer
• Chiara Banchini (born 1946), violinist, conductor
• Rene Baumann (born 1968), musician, dancer, known as DJ Bobo
• Urs Bühler (born 1971), tenor, member of Il Divo
• Dominik Burkhalter (born 1975), bandleader, composer, drummer
• Michel Corboz (born 1934), conductor
• Claudia D'Addio, pop musician, Eurovision Song Contest 2006 and MusicStars contestant
• Emile Jaques-Dalcroze (1865-1950), musician, educator, developer of Eurhythmics
• Philippe Decourroux (born 1962), Christian singer and drummer.
• Edwin Fischer (1886-1960), pianist and conductor
• Thomas Gabriel Fischer, Celtic Frost guitarist/singer
• Andreas Giger (born 1965), musicologist
• Peter Giger (born 1939), percussionist and bandleader
• Peter-Lukas Graf (born 1929), conductor
• Ernst Haefliger (1919-2007), tenor
• Heinz Holliger (born 1939), oboe
• Arthur Honegger (1892-1955), composer
• Philippe Huttenlocher (born 1942), bass
• Christian Jacob (born 1958), jazz pianist
• Michael Jarrell (born 1958), composer
• Daniel Kandlbauer, pop musician and MusicStars contestant
• Kuno Lauener (born 1961), leadsinger of Bernese rock band Züri West
• Pepe Lienhard (born 1939), band leader and saxophone player
• Frank Martin (1890-1974), composer
• Jojo Mayer (born 1963), drummer
• Dieter Meier (born 1945) singer of electronica band Yello, which head such hits as "Oh Yeah" and "The Race".
• Mandy Meyer (born 1960) guitarist, played in bands as Asia, Gotthard and Krokus
• Patrick Moraz (born 1948) keyboardist with Yes and Moody Blues
• Paolo Pandolfo, violist (viola da gamba).
• Zlatko Perica (born 1969), better known as "Slädu", played guitar in bands as Tangerine Dream or Gölä
• Werner Reinhart (1884-1951), industrialist, philanthropist, music and literature patron
• Othmar Schoeck (1886-1957), composer
• Ludwig Senfl (1486-1542/3), Renaissance composer
• Marc Storace (born 1951) Maltese-Swiss rock vocalist and songwriter. Best known as singer of hard rock band Krokus
• Eric Tappy (born 1931), tenor
• Martin Tillman (born 1964), film music composer
• Silvio Varviso (1924-2006), conductor, especially of opera
• Andreas Vollenweider (born 1953), grammy award winning harpist
• Chris Von Rohr (born 1951), musician and producer. Best known as bassist of hard rock band Krokus
• August Wenzinger (1905-1996), cellist, violist (viola da gamba), pioneer of early music performance.
• Andreas Wettstein (born 1971), violinist, son of Niels Kaj Jerne
• Alberich Zwyssig (1808-1854), priest, composer of the Swiss Psalm
• Roland Zoss (born 1951), rockpoetry musician

Philosophy

• Peter Bieri (born 1944), philosopher, author
• Benjamin Constant (1767-1830)
• Jeanne Hersch (1910-2000), philosopher
• Henri Lauener (1933-2002), philosopher
• Dominik Perler (born 1965), philosopher
• Hans A. Pestalozzi (1929-2004), social critic
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), philosopher, author
• Hans Saner (born 1934), philosopher

Psychology and Pedagogy

• Ludwig Binswanger (1881-1966), psychologist
• Eugen Bleuler (1857-1940), psychiatrist
• Gustav Hans Graber (1893-1983), psychologist and psychoanalyst
• Hans-Werner Hunziker (1934), psychologist
• C.G. Jung (1875-1961), psychiatrist
• Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827), pedagogue
• Oskar Pfister (1873-1956), psychologist and pastor
• Jean Piaget (1896-1980), psychologist
• Hermann Rorschach (1884-1922),

Politics

• Étienne Clavière (1735-1793)
• Élie Ducommun (1833-1906), 1902 Nobel Peace Prize
• Henri Dunant (1828-1910), Founder of the Red Cross 1901 Nobel Peace Prize
• Nicholas of Flüe (1417-1487), diplomat, hermit, Catholic saint
• Albert Gallatin (1761-1849), US Secretary of the Treasury, diplomat
• Albert Gobat (1843-1914), 1902 Nobel Peace Prize
• Jörg Jenatsch (1596-1639), pastor, Protestant politician
• Josef Leu (1800-1845), Catholic politician from Lucerne
• Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793), revolutionary
• Napoleon III (1808-1873) (naturalized in 1832)
• Jacques Necker (1732-1804), statesman and finance minister of Louis XVI
• Charles Pictet de Rochemont (1755-1824), statesman, diplomat
• Pompejus von Planta-Wildenberg (1569-1621)
• Rudolf von Planta (died 1640), judge in lower Engadin
• Rudolf von Planta-Wildenberg (1603-1641)
• Fritz Platten (1883-1942), Communist
• Nelly Wicky (born 1923), former member of the National Council

See also:

• List of members of the Swiss Federal Council (since 1848)
• List of members of the Swiss National Council (current)
• List of members of the Swiss Council of States (current)
• List of Presidents of the Swiss Confederation (since 1848)
• List of Presidents of the Swiss National Council (since 1848)
• List of Presidents of the Swiss Council of States (since 1848)
• List of Federal Chancellors of Switzerland (since 1803)
• List of Presidents of the Swiss Diet (before 1848)
• List of mayors of Baden, Berne, Fribourg
• List of mayors of Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne
• List of mayors of Lugano, Schaffhausen, St. Gallen
• List of mayors of Uster, Winterthur, Zofingen, Zurich
• List of 2005 office-holders in Switzerland
• List of the first female holders of political offices: Switzerland

Religion

• John Calvin (10 July 1509 – 27 May 1564) Protestant Reformer, founder of Calvinism or reformed theology.
• Jakob Abbadie (1654-1727), Protestant preacher
• Gilberto Agustoni (born 1922), cardinal
• Jacob Amman (17th century)
• Karl Barth (1886-1968), theologian
• Theodore Beza (1519-1605), reformer in Geneva
• Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1575), reformer in Zurich
• Georges Cardinal Cottier (born 1922), former professor of theology
• Niklaus Manuel Deutsch (1484-1530) painter, dramatician, politician and reformer in Berne
• Johann Augustanus Faber (c.1470-c.1530), theolgian and historian
• William Farel (1489-1565), reformer in Geneva
• Theodosius Florentini (1808-1865)
• Gaston Frommel (1862-1906)
• Berchtold Haller (1492-1536), reformer in Berne
• Karl Rudolf Hagenbach (1801-1874)
• Johann Jakob Herzog (1805-1882)
• Hans Küng (born 1928), theologian
• Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801), pastor and physiognomist
• Oswald Myconius (1488-1552)
• Johannes Oecolampadius (1482-1531), reformer in Basel
• Frère Roger (1915-2005), founder of Taizé
• Philip Schaff (1819-1893)
• Henri Cardinal Schwery (born 1932), former Bishop of Sion
• Guichard Tavelli (died 1375), Bishop of Sion
• Alexandre Rodolphe Vinet (1797-1847), theologian and critic
• Pierre Viret (1511-1571), reformer in Vaud Canton
• Lukas Vischer (1926-2008), theologian and writer
• Johann Jakob Wettstein (1693-1754), theologian
• John Joachim Zubly (Hans Joachim Züblin), (1724-1781), pastor, delegate to the Continental Congress
• Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531), reformer in Zurich

Science

A-F

• Firmin Abauzit (1679-1767), scientist
• Alexander Emanuel Agassiz (1835-1910), American man of science
• Louis Agassiz (1807-1873), work on ice ages, glaciers
• Jacob Amsler (1823-1912), mathematician and inventor of measuring instruments
• Werner Arber (born 1929), 1978 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Johann Georg Baiter (1801-1877), philologist
• Adolph Francis Alphonse Bandelier (1840-1914) archaeologist
• Jean-François Bergier (born 1931), historian
• Eugene Bleuler (1857-1940), psychiatrist
• Felix Bloch (born 1905), 1952 Nobel Prize in Physics
• Charles Bonnet (1720-1793), botanist
• Daniel Bovet (born 1907), 1957 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Joost Bürgi (1552-1632), mathematician and watchmaker
• Johann Büttikofer (1850-1929), zoologist
• Jean-André Deluc (1727-1817), geologist
• Albert Einstein (1879-1955), 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics
• Richard R. Ernst (born 1933), 1991 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Edmond H. Fischer (born 1920), 1992 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Auguste Forel (1848-1931), myrmecologist, psychiatrist, neurologist
• François-Alphonse Forel (1841-1912), pioneer in the study of lakes
• Johann Kaspar Füssli (1743-1786), entomologist

G-O

• Conrad Gessner (1516-1565)
• Ursula Geiger (born 1957)
• Jules Gonin (1870-1935), ophthalmologist
• André Guignard (1942-), engineer
• Charles-Edouard Guillaume (1861-1938), 1920 Nobel Prize in Physics
• Albrecht von Haller (1708-1777)
• Anna Heer (1863-1918), physician
• Walter Hess (1881-1973), 1949 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Carl Hilty (1833-1909), jurist
• Albert Hofmann (1906-2008), chemist, discoverer of d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
• Eugen Huber (1849-1923), jurist
• François Huber (1750-1831), naturalist
• Otto Frederick Hunziker (1873–1959), dairy professor and technical innovator
• Paul Karrer (1889-1971), 1937 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Emil Theodor Kocher (1841-1917), 1909 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac (1817-1894), chemist
• Michel Mayor (born 1942), astronomer
• Johannes von Müller (1752-1809), historian
• K. Alex Müller (born 1927), 1987 Nobel Prize in Physics
• Paul Müller (1899-1965), 1948 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Jean-Daniel Nicoud, computer scientist and researcher
• Johann Caspar von Orelli (1787-1849)

P-Z

• Paracelsus (1493-1541), (Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), alchemist
• Wolfgang Pauli (1900-1958), 1945 Nobel Prize in Physics
• Jean Piaget (1896-1980), psychologist
• Auguste Piccard (1884-1962), physicist and balloonist
• Bertrand Piccard (born 1958), psychiatrist and balloonist
• Jacques Piccard (born 1922), engineer and underwater explorer
• Jean Piccard (1884-1963), balloonist
• François-Jules Pictet de la Rive (1809-1872), zoologist and paleontologist
• Raoul Pictet (1846-1929), physicist
• Adolf Portmann (1897-1982), zoologist
• Vladimir Prelog (1906-1998), 1975 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Didier Queloz (born 1966), astronomer
• Tadeus Reichstein (1897-1996), chemist, 1950 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Eugene Renevier (1831-1906), geologist
• Heinrich Rohrer (born 1933), 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics
• Leopold Ruzicka (1887-1976), 1939 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Horace-Bénédict de Saussure (1740-1799), botanist
• Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (1672-1733), Swiss savant
• Louis Secretan (1758-1839), mycologist
• Jack Steinberger (born 1921), 1988 Nobel Prize in Physics
• Alfred Werner (1866-1919), 1913 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Niklaus Wirth (born 1934), computer scientist, ACM Turing Award winner, inventor of the Pascal programming language
• Kurt Wüthrich (born 1938), 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
• Daniel Albert Wyttenbach (1746-1820)
• Alexandre Yersin (1894-1943), physician, isolates the Yersinia pestis
• Rolf M. Zinkernagel (born 1944), 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
• Fritz Zwicky (1898-1974), astronomer
• Theodor Zwinger (1533-1588), scholar

Sports

• Paul Accola (born 1967), skiing champion
• David Aebischer (born 1978), NHL goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens
• Daniel Albrecht (born 1983), Alpine skier
• Simon Ammann (born 1981), gold medallist in Ski jumping at the 2002 Winter Olympics
• Madeleine Berthod (born 1931), 1956 gold medallist in Downhill skiing
• Denise Biellmann (born 1962), World champion figure skater
• Sepp Blatter (born 1935), FIFA president
• Ursula Bruhin (born 1970), snowboarder
• Claudio Castagnoli (born 1980), pro wrestler
• Stéphane Chapuisat (born 1969), footballer
• Johan Djourou (born 1987), footballer
• Oscar Egg (born 1890), cyclist
• Roger Federer (born 1981), tennis champion: 15-time Grand Slam singles champion
• Michela Figini (born 1966), Alpine skiing champion
• Marcel Fischer (born 1978), Fencing champion, gold medallist in Athens Olympics
• Alexander Frei (born 1979), footballer
• Tanja Frieden (born 1976), snowboarder
• Martin Gerber (born 1974), NHL goaltender for the Ottawa Senators
• Arnold Gerschwiler (born c. 1914), skater
• Hans Gerschwiler (born c. 1921), World champion figure skater
• Jack Gerschwiler (1898-2000), coach
• Franz Heinzer (born 1962), Alpine skier
• Stéphane Henchoz (born 1974), footballer
• Erika Hess (born 1962), Alpine skiing champion
• Martina Hingis (born 1980), tennis champion: 5-time Grand Slam singles champion
• Jakob Hlasek (born 1964), tennis player
• Ambrosi Hoffmann (born 1977), Alpine skiing medalist
• Shihan Andy Hug (1964-2000), Karate and Kickboxing champion
• Benjamin Huggel (born 1977), professional footballer
• Patrick Hürlimann (born 1963), Olympic curling champion
• Bruno Kernen (born 1972), Alpine skier, Bronze medalist and former World Champion in downhill
• Bruno Kernen (born 1961), Alpine skier, winner of the 1983 Kitzbühel downhill race
• Hugo Koblet (1925-1964), cycling champion
• Franz Krienbühl (1929-2002), speed skater
• Andreas Küttel (born 1979), ski jumper
• Peter Lüscher (born 1956), Alpine skiing champion
• Stéphane Lambiel (born 1985), figure skater, Olympic silver medalist
• Daniela Meuli (born 1981), snowboarder
• Nicolas Müller (born 1982), snowboarder
• Peter Müller (born 1957), Alpine skiing champion
• Lise-Marie Morerod (born 1956), Alpine skiing champion
• Marie-Theres Nadig (born 1954), Alpine skiing champion
• Maya Pedersen (born 1972), skeleton athlete
• Manuela Pesko (born 1978), snowboarder
• Walter Prager (1910-1984), Alpine skiing champion
• Tony Rominger (born 1961), cyclist who won major tours four times in his career
• Marc Rosset (born 1970), tennis player, gold medallist in Barcelona Olympics
• Bernhard Russi (born 1948), Alpine skiing champion
• Martina Schild (born 1981), Downhill skiing champion
• Hedy Schlunegger (1923-2003), downhill Olympic champion of 1948
• Vreni Schneider (born 1964), Alpine skiing champion
• Patty Schnyder (born 1978), professional tennis player
• Thabo Sefolosha (born 1984), NBA player for the Chicago Bulls
• Philippe Senderos (born 1985), footballer
• Mark Streit (born 1977), NHL defenceman for the New York Islanders
• Alain Sutter (born 1968), footballer
• Kubilay Türkyilmaz (born 1967), footballer
• Maria Walliser (born 1963), Alpine skiing champion
• Stanislas Wawrinka (born 1985), professional tennis player
• Jean Wicki (born 1933), gold medallist in bobsleigh
• Hakan Yakın (born 1977), footballer
• Murat Yakin (born 1974), footballer
• Heidi Zurbriggen (born 1967), skier
• Matthias Zurbriggen (1856-1917), mountain guide and Alpinist
• Pirmin Zurbriggen (born 1963), Alpine skiing champion
• Silvan Zurbriggen (born 1981), skier

Writers

• Théophile Agustoni (born 1930)

• Peter Bichsel (born 1935)
• S. Corinna Bille (1912-1979), author, poet
• Ida Bindschedler (1854-1919), childbook author
• Silvio Blatter (born 1946)
• Hans Boesch (born 1926)
• Hermann Burger (1942-1989), author, poet, literary scholar, editor
• Charles Victor de Bonstetten (1745-1832)
• Nicolas Bouvier (1929-1998)
• Elias Canetti (1905-1994), 1981 Nobel Prize in Literature, Swiss resident
• Brett Michael Campbell (born 1967), author
• Blaise Cendrars (Frédéric Louis Sauser) (1887-1961), author
• Victor Cherbuliez (1829-1899), member of the Académie française
• Jacques Chessex (1934-2009)
• Anne Cuneo (born 1936)
• Erich von Däniken (born 1935), Ancient Astronauts writer
• Martin R. Dean (born 1955), writer
• Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921-1990), author and dramatist
• Werner J. Egli (born 1943)
• Felix Epper (born 1967)
• Heinrich Federer (1866-1928)
• Jürg Federspiel (1931-2007)
• Martin Frank (born 1950)
• Max Frisch (1911-1991), author and architect
• Salomon Gessner (1730-1788)
• Friedrich Glauser (1896-1938)
• Jeremias Gotthelf (Albert Bitzius) (1797-1854), author and pastor
• Roger Graf (born 1958)
• Jyoti Guptara and Suresh Guptara (born 1988), twin authors (Calaspia and sequels), Swiss residents
• Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature, Swiss resident
• Franz Hohler (born 1943), author and comedian
• Meinrad Inglin (1893-1971)
• Zoë Jenny (born 1974)
• Gottfried Keller (1819-1890), author
• Christian Kracht (born 1966), author
• Hugo Loetscher (born 1929), author
• Ella Maillart (1903-1997)
• Niklaus Meienberg (1940-1993)
• Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825-1898)
• Adolf Muschg (born 1934)
• Suzanne Necker, née Suzanne Curchod (1739-1794)
• Juste Olivier (1807-1876)
• Daniele Pantano (born 1976), poet, translator, editor
• Erica Pedretti (born 1930), author and artist
• Eugène Rambert (1830-1886)
• Charles Ferdinand Ramuz (1878-1947), writer
• Grisélidis Réal (1929-2005)
• Urs Richle (born 1965)
• Jakob Schaffner (1875-1944)
• Margrit Schriber (born 1939)
• Josias Simmler (1530-1576), theologian, historian
• Carl Spitteler (1845-1924), 1919 Nobel Prize in Literature
• Johanna Spyri (1827-1901), author of Heidi
• Anne Louise Germaine de Staël (Madame de Staël) (1766-1817)
• Martin Suter (born 1948), columnist and novelist
• Otto F. Walter (1928-1994)
• Robert Walser (1878-1956)
• Silja Walter (born 1919) sister of Otto F. Walter, Benedictinian nun and writer
• Markus Werner (born 1944)
• Urs Widmer (born 1938)
• Johann David Wyss (1743-1818), author of The Swiss Family Robinson
• Yvette Z'Graggen (born 1920)
• Albin Zollinger (1885-1941)
• Emil Zopfi (born 1943)
• Fritz Zorn (Fritz Angst) (1944-1976), author of Mars
• Roland Zoss (born 1951)
• Johann Heinrich Daniel Zschokke (1771-1848)
• Manfred Züfle (1936-2007), writer

Others

• Crown Princess of Brunei Pengiran Minizack Renaldi Anak Hitchtafi Sarah (born 1987), wife of Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, half Swiss and half Bruneian.
• Othmar Ammann (1879-1965), civil engineer, bridge engineer to the New York Port Authority
• Nick Auf der Maur (1942-1998), Canadian journalist, Swiss parents
• Maximilian Bircher-Benner (1867-1939), physician and Muesli inventor
• Johann Georg Bodmer (1786-1864), inventor
• Johann Jakob Bodmer (1698-1783)
• Jacob Burckhardt (1818-1897), art historian
• Johann Ludwig Burckhardt (1784-1814), traveller and orientalist
• Arthur Cohn (born 1927), film producer, received six Oscars
• Philipp Emanuel von Fellenberg (1771-1844)
• Marie Grossholtz (1761-1850), known as Madame Tussaud
• Paul Grueninger (1891-1972), commander of police and humanitarian
• Michelle Hunziker (born 1977), TV presenter previously married to the Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti
• Ingvar Kamprad (born 1926), founder of IKEA, Swiss resident since 1976
• Carl Lutz (1895-1975), diplomat and humanitarian
• Robert Maillart (1872-1940), Civil Engineer, inventor of many concrete bridge techniques
• Christoph Meili (born 1968), whistleblower
• Christian Menn (born 1927), Civil Engineer
• Max Miedinger (1910-1980), typeface designer, inventor of Helvetica
• Susanna Orelli (1845-1939), humanitarian
• Archibald Reiss (1876-1929), criminologist
• Werner Reinhart (1884-1951), philanthropist, music and literature patron
• Beat Richner (born 1947), pediatrician, founder of children's hospitals in Cambodia
• Niklaus Riggenbach (1817-1899), engineer
• Anna Ringier (1896-2006), oldest living Swiss (as of 2006^[update])
• Frithjof Schuon (1907-1998), Sufi writer, born in Basel
• John Sutter (1803-1880), California settler
• Alain Tanner (born 1929), film director
• Lukas Vischer (1780-1840), collector, traveler, artist

See also: Swiss longevity recordholders

Not included

• Betty Bossi, fictional cook and writer of cookbooks
• Victor Frankenstein and Family, from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, book and movie
• Globi, Swiss cartoon character
• Papa Moll, Swiss Children's Book Character
• Heidi, protagonist of the book by Johanna Spyri
• Helvetia, personification ("mother") of Switzerland
• Swiss Family Robinson, from the book by Johann David Wyss
• Ueli Rotach, legendary hero of the 1405 battle at Stoss
• Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965), from Alsace, not Switzerland
• Guy Secretan, character of Swiss origin in the British sitcom Green Wing
• William Tell, legendary 14th century hero
• Arnold von Winkelried, legendary hero of the 1386 battle of Sempach

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See list of people by nationality  for other lists of people by nationality, ethnicity, citizenship, language, or location.