17 Famous Mathematicians in History

From Ancient Greece to Modern Day, Who are the Top 17 Most Famous Mathematicians?

While the study of mathematics is typically focused on learning how to apply mathematical operations and formulas, it is important to also learn about the history of mathematics to truly appreciate the beauty of the subject.

As the famous Isaac Newton Quote goes:

If I have seen further than others, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.

The giants he is referring to are all of the incredible mathematicians who came before him. Without their contributions to the field of mathematics, he would not have been able to make so many breakthroughs. The field of mathematics as we know it today would not be what it is without countless contributions from various talented mathematicians of various cultural and religious backgrounds, cultures, and genders, who existed during all periods of history.

The stories of famous mathematicians, their discoveries, innovations, and perseverance through adversity serves as an inspiration to math students and enthusiasts around the world, some of whom may seek to make significant contributions of their own.

In this post, we will take a look at the lives and accomplishments of 17 different famous mathematicians from around the world, including famous women mathematicians and famous black mathematicians.

17 Famous Mathematicians in History

1.) Pythagoras (570 - 490 BC)

The ancient Greek, Pythagoras, is one of the most famous and well-known mathematicians in all of history. He is best known for the Pythagorean Theorem, which continues to serve as one of the cornerstones of the field of geometry. His contributions forever changed the way that mathematicians think about and understand triangular relationships.

Fun Fact: In addition to his works as a mathematicians, Pythagoras also founded a school in Croton (the modern day Crotone region of Southern Italy). The attendees of his school were followers of Pythagoras’ teachings and were known as Pythagoreans. They believed that numbers had mystical properties and that the Earth was actually a sphere that revolved around the sun, way before the heliocentric model was introduced.

2.) Euclid (325 - 265 BC)

As a mathematician in ancient Alexandria, Euclid's foundational textbook, 'Elements', unified and expanded the theories and understandings of mathematics and geometry from his time. He is regarded as the Father of Geometry and many of his theorems are still used today.

Fun Fact: Since there is very little information known about Euclid’s personal life from writings or first-hand accounts, many modern scholars speculate that Euclid may not have been just one person, but rather a school or group of mathematicians publishing their work under one common name.

3.) Hypatia (355 - 415 AD)

As the first female mathematician whose life and workings are well-recorded, Hypatia is known for making significant contributions to the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy. She lived in Alexandria, which was an epicenter of learning and knowledge during the 4th Century, but mathematics was still an incredible male-dominated field. However, despite this adversity, she is remembered for having remarkable perseverance, intellect and courage.

Interesting Fact: In addition to her accomplishments in the fields of math and astronomy, Hypatia is also known for having a tragic death (she was murdered in cold blood by a mob of Christian religious fanatics for being both a pagan and a female intellectual in 415 AD).

4.) Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi (780 - 850 AD)

The famous Persian scholar, Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi, made countless profound and lasting contributions to mathematical thought, especially in the field of algebra. His work in the formation of algorithms forms the foundation of algebra as we know it today.

Fun Fact: The word algorithm is derived from Al-Khwarizmi’s name as he is credited with introducing algebraic concepts to the Western world. His name in Latin translated to Algorithmi, which became the title of the algebraic procedures featured in his writings.

5.) Fibonacci (1170 - 1240)

Also known as Leonardo of Pisa, little is known about the life of the great Italian mathematician known as Fibonacci. However, his mathematical contributions live on in a tremendous way as his famous Fibonacci sequence continues to illuminate the mathematical structures of nature and the natural world.

Fun Fact: Fibonacci is credited with introducing the Hindu-Arabic numeral system to Europe, which eventually led to its widespread acceptance, simplifying and unifying mathematical formulas, equations, and computations.

6.) Sophie Germain (1776-1831)

Despite facing incredible adversity as a female mathematician in Paris during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Germain persisted and became one of the most famous mathematicians of all time. Her greatest contributions came in the fields of number theory and elasticity theory.

Fun Fact: Despite living during an era when girls were never encouraged to pursue the field of mathematics, Germain taught herself using her father’s math textbooks. Using a fake male name, she wrote letters about mathematics to famous Germain mathematician (and #7 on our list) Carl Friedrich Gauss, who would not discover the true identity of his pen-pal colleague until years later.

7.) Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777 - 1855)

Often referred to as the Prince of Mathematicians, Carl Friedrich Gauss is one of the most famous mathematicians in history as he made many significant contributions to the study of mathematics including the fields of statistics, differential equations, and number theory.

Fun Fact: Gauss was considered an incredibly talented mathematician from a very young age. When he was only 3 years old, he successfully spotted and corrected an error his father had made while calculating payrolls!

8.) Srinivasa Ramanujan (1887 - 1920)

Despite having no formal math education or training, Ramanujan, an Indian mathematician, taught himself complex mathematics and became one of the most influential mathematicians who ever lived. Despite his short life, he is well known for his incredible contributions to the fields of number theory, analysis, and continued fractions.

Fun Fact: Ramanujan believed that his mathematical abilities were inspired by the divine and claimed the Hindu goddess Namagiri would share mathematical formulas and equations with him while he was dreaming.

9.) Emmy Noether (1882 - 1935)

Emmy Noether, a prominent 20th-century German mathematician, is famous for her revolutionary work in the fields of theoretical physics and abstract algebra.

Fun Fact: One of Noether’s greatest contributions to the field of mathematics was Noether’s Theorem, which links the properties of symmetry with the laws of conservation. Although she would face tremendous opposition to her pursuit of mathematics because of her gender, she is known today as a true trailblazer for women in STEM.

10.) Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

The famous genius, Albert Einstein, is best known for his contributions to the field of theoretical physics, but he made significant contributions to the field of mathematical physics as well, including his groundbreaking theory of relativity, which would forever change the way we think about reality.

Fun Fact: Einstein was a late bloomer in terms of his cognitive abilities. In fact, he did not learn how to properly speak until he was three years old, leading his teachers to believe that he was slow.

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11.) Katherine Johnson (1918 - 2020)

Katherine Johnson was a true trailblazer for women and people of color in STEM. Her mathematical talents and calculations played a crucial role in NASA’s success for several decades, making her one of the most well known and famous mathematicians in history.

Fun Fact: Johnson’s work so well respected and trusted that famous astronaut John Glenn personally requested for her to double-check and verify all computer calculations related to his historic ride into orbit around Earth in 1962.

12.) Alan Turing (1912 - 1954)

Alan Turing is known as the Father of Modern Computing and his work blazed a trail for modern computers as we know them today. Turing introduced the concept of a universal machine, also known as a Turing machine, that could perform thousands of calculations based on predetermine rules/instructions. Also, Turing is credited with helping the Allies to defeat the Nazis in World Word II, when he helped to decode the German Enigma code.

Fun Fact: Turing developed a test for artificial intelligence, known as the Turing Test, which evaluates whether or not a machine can trick a human into thinking it is human as well.

13.) Shakuntala Devi (1929 - 2013 AD)

Devi, an Indian mathematician and mental calculator, is known as the Human Computer. She belongs on our list of famous mathematicians due to her incredible mental math abilities, which have earned her a place in the Guinness Book of World Records!

Fun Fact: Known for being able to perform incredibly complex mathematical calculations mentally in mere seconds, Devi famously multiplied two randomly chosen 13-digit numbers in her head in under 30 seconds, which was a world record in 1982.

14.) Grigori Perelman (1966 - Present)

Perelman, an accomplished Russian mathematician, is famous for solving the Poincaré conjecture, which was one of the 7 Millennium Prize Problems in 2002. The conjecture essentially states that any finite 3D space that has no boundary is the topical equivalent of a 3D sphere.

Fun Fact: After Perelman’s solution to the Poincaré conjecture was confirmed in 2002, he was awarded a one million dollar prize in addition to the prestigious Fields Medal. However, he declined to accept either award stating that he did not care about money or fame.

15.) Maryam Mirzakhani (1977 - 2017 AD)

Mirzakhani, an decorated and celebrated Iranian mathematician, is the first and only woman to ever win the prestigious Fields Medal for her work in mathematics, namely in the fields of Riemann surfaces and hyperbolic geometry.

Fun Fact: Mirzakhani becoming the first female to win the Fields Medal in 2014 was no small feat, as the award is often considered the Nobel Prize of mathematics.

16.) Terence Tao (1975 - Present)

Arguably the most famous modern famous mathematician on our list, Terence Tao is known for his substantial breakthroughs and research on the topics of representation theory, harmonic analysis, combinatorics, and partial differential equations.

Fun Fact: Tao, an Australian-American mathematician, won a gold medal in the International Mathematical Olympiad when he was just 13 years old. He would go on to be awarded the Fields Medal for his mathematical contributions in 2006.

17.) Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727)

Did you really think we weren’t going to include Sir Isaac Newton? Widely considered one of the most influential and famous mathematicians and scientists of all time for his revolutionary contributions to the fields of calculus and astronomy, Newton is most famous for developing the laws of gravity and motion. He is often credited with the development of calculus and is celebrated to this day for paving the way for modern mathematics and physics as we know it today, making him arguably the most famous mathematician in history!

Fun Fact: In addition to his studies in physics and math, Newton also devoted his time to studying alchemy—the ancient practice of trying to turn common medals into gold—and he wrote often on the subject. While the exact cause of his death remains unknown, many believe that it was due to mercury poisoning he incurred while working on an alchemy experiment.

Conclusion

These famous mathematicians and their inspirational stories remind us that mathematics is field of study that has been shaped by the brilliance and perseverance of a diverse and courageous group of thinkers from all walks of life. While this list only featured a small handful of history’s prominent mathematicians, the true history of math includes a rich and forever-growing collection of individuals who have made incredible and lasting contributions to the field of mathematics and STEM as a whole.

Continue your celebration of Math History with following free resources:

• Who Invented Math? A Quick Explanation of the History of Math for Students

• 11 Famous Women Mathematicians and Their Contributions!

• 11 Famous African American Mathematicians and Their Contributions!

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