List of German Americans

German Americans (German: Deutschamerikaner) are citizens of the United States of German ancestry; they form the largest ethnic ancestry group in the United States, accounting for 17% of U.S. population.^[1] The first significant numbers arrived in the 1680s in New York and Pennsylvania. Some eight million German immigrants have entered the United States since that point. Immigration continued in substantial numbers during the 19th century; the largest number of arrivals came 1840–1900, when Germans formed the largest group of immigrants coming to the U.S., outnumbering the Irish and English.^[2] Some arrived seeking religious or political freedom, others for economic opportunities greater than those in Europe, and others for the chance to start afresh in the New World. California and Pennsylvania have the largest populations of German origin, with more than six million German Americans residing in the two states alone.^[3] More than 50 million people in the United States identify German as their ancestry; it is often mixed with other Northern European ethnicities.^[4] This list also includes people of German Jewish descent.

Americans of German descent live in nearly every American county, from the East Coast, where the first German settlers arrived in the 17th century, to the West Coast and in all the states in between. German Americans and those Germans who settled in the U.S. have been influential in almost every field, from science, to architecture, to entertainment, and to commercial industry.

Art and literature

Artists

Elisabet Ney

Charles Schulz of Charlie Brown fame

Political cartoonist Thomas Nast

• Anni Albers – printmaker, textile artist^[21]
• Josef Albers – painter and graphic artist
• Earl W. Bascom – painter, printmaker, sculptor, "Cowboy of Cowboy Artists"
• Robert Benecke – early photographer^[22]
• Albert Bierstadt – painter, known for his large landscapes of the American West^[23]
• Charles Dellschau – one of America's earliest known outsider artists, draftsman engineer, creating drawings, collages and watercolors of airplanes and airships.
• Rudolph Dirks – comic strip artist who created The Katzenjammer Kids^[24]
• Alfred Eisenstaedt – photographer and photojournalist best remembered for his photograph capturing the celebration of V-J Day^[25]
• Carl Eytel – German-born artist of desert landscapes living in early 20th-century Palm Springs, California^[26]
• Claire Falkenstein – sculptor, painter, print-maker and jewelry designer known for her large-scale abstract metal and glass sculptures.
• Andreas Feininger – photographer and writer on photographic technique^[27]
• Lyonel Feininger – painter and caricaturist^[27][28]
• Steven Fischer – film producer, cartoonist^[27]
• Carl Giers – early photographer^[29]
• George Grosz – member of the Berlin Dada and New Objectivity group, known especially for his savagely caricatural drawings of Berlin life in the 1920s^[30]
• Uli Herzner – fashion designer^[31]
• Hans Hofmann – abstract expressionist painter^[32]
• Ubbe Ert Iwwerks – Academy Award-winning animator, cartoonist and special effects technician, famous for his work for Walt Disney
• Klaus Janson – comic book artist (inker), working regularly for Marvel Comics and DC Comics and sporadically for independent companies
• Ulli Kampelmann – painter and filmmaker
• Kenya (Robinson) – multimedia artist whose work includes performance, sculpture and installation^[33]
• Charles Kleibacker – fashion designer who earned the nickname "Master of the Bias"^[34]
• Franz Jozef Kline – Abstract Expressionist painter
• Harold Knerr – illustrator of The Katzenjammer Kids until 1949^[35]
• John Lewis Krimmel – America's first genre painter^[36]
• Emanuel Leutze – history painter best known for his painting Washington Crossing the Delaware^[37]
• Cornelius Krieghoff – painter^[38]
• Nicola Marschall – artist, designed the first Confederate flag and the Confederate uniform^[39]
• Louis Maurer – lithographer^[40]
• Charles Christian Nahl – painter who is called California's first significant artist^[41]
• Thomas Nast – political cartoonist^[42]
• Elisabet Ney – sculptor
• Erwin Panofsky – art historian, of Jewish descent^[43]
• Julian Ritter – Classical Realist painter best known for his paintings of nudes, clowns and portraits and his ill-fated voyage of the South Pacific^[44]
• Severin Roesen – still life painter^[45]
• Paulus Roetter – landscape and botanical painter^[46]
• Christopher Sauer – earliest type founder in America, published the first German Bible, 1743, and the first religious magazine in America, 1764^[47]
• Christian Schwartz – type designer^[48]
• Gustavus Sohon – artist^[49][50][51]
• Henry William Stiegel – glassmaker and ironmaster^[27]
• Alfred Stieglitz – photographer instrumental in making photography an acceptable art form alongside painting and sculpture^[52]
• Ruth VanSickle Ford – painter, art teacher, and owner of the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts^[27]
• Richard Veenfliet – artist known for illustration-figure, genre and landscape.
• Patrizia von Brandenstein – production designer
• Kat Von D (Katherine von Drachenberg) – tattoo artist^[53][54]
• Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven – avant-garde, Dadaist artist and poet
• Baroness Hilla von Rebay – abstract painter, helped establish the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City^[55]
• Karl Ferdinand Wimar – painter^[56]

Authors and writers

John Steinbeck

L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz writer

H. L. Mencken, satirist, social critic, cynic, freethinker

• Kathy Acker – author^[57]
• Sade Baderinwa – news reporter-journalist
• Matthias Bartgis – printer and publisher^[58]
• L. Frank Baum – author, actor, and independent filmmaker best known as the creator of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz^[59]
• Vicki Baum – writer^[60]
• Richard Bock – sculptor and associate of Frank Lloyd Wright
• Salvador Brau – journalist, poet, writer^[61]
• Gene Brewer – author of the K-PAX series of novels
• Charles Bukowski – poet and novelist^[62]
• George DiCaprio – writer, editor, and major west coast underground comic book distributor^[63]
• Theodore Dreiser – author of the naturalist school, known for dealing with the gritty reality of life^[64]
• Gottfried Duden – travel author^[65]
• Roger Ebert – Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic, journalist, and screenwriter^[66]
• Martin Ebon – author of non-fiction books from the paranormal to politics^[67]
• Charles Follen – poet and patriot^[68]
• Cornelia Funke – author
• Bob Gretz – award-winning sportswriter and broadcaster^[69]
• Geoffrey Hartman – literary theorist^[70]
• Ursula Hegi – novelist^[71]
• Patricia Highsmith – novelist known for her psychological thrillers^[72]
• Friedrich Hirth – sinologue^[73]
• Stephen King – author^[74]
• Chuck Klosterman – writer
• Siegfried Kracauer – film historian, sociologist and author^[75]
• Herbert Arthur Krause – historian
• Fritz Leiber – science fiction writer
• Walter Lippman – writer, journalist, and political commentator
• H. L. Mencken – journalist^[76]
• Henry Miller – writer and painter^[77]
• Anna Balmer Myers – author of Mennonite (Pennsylvania Dutch) novels^[78]
• Oswald Ottendorfer – journalist associated with the development of the German-language New Yorker Staats-Zeitung into a major newspaper^[79][80]
• Sylvia Plath – poet, novelist, and short story writer^[81]
• Erich Maria Remarque – German-born author, naturalized U.S. citizen^[82]
• Conrad Richter – Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist
• Mary Roberts Rinehart – author^[83]
• Hope Rockefeller Aldrich – journalist
• Irma S. Rombauer – author of The Joy of Cooking^[84]
• Diane Sawyer – journalist^[85]
• Jack Schaefer – author of Shane
• Maria Shriver – journalist and author.
• Peter Schweizer – author of Do as I Say (Not as I Do): Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy and Clinton Cash
• Ernest Schwiebert – angling writer
• Charles Sealsfield – pseudonym of Austrian American author of novels and travelogues Carl (or Karl) Anton Postl^[86]
• Mona Simpson – novelist and university professor, biological younger sister of the late Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs^[87][88]
• Curt Siodmak – screenwriter^[89]
• Nicholas Sparks – author and screenwriter
• Gertrude Stein – author, of Jewish descent^[90][91]
• John Steinbeck – Nobel prize-winning author, one of the best-known and most widely read American writers of the 20th century^[92][93]
• Dr. Seuss (born Theodor Seuss Geisel) – writer and cartoonist^[94]
• Henry F. Urban – journalist, author
• Henry Villard – journalist^[95]
• Kurt Vonnegut – novelist^[96]
• Tessa Gräfin von Walderdorff – writer, socialite^[97]
• George Weigel – author; political and social activist^[98]

Entertainment

Actors and actresses

Clark Gable, actor

Fred Astaire, dancer

Leonardo DiCaprio, actor

Marlene Dietrich, actress, singer, and entertainer

Mitzi Gaynor, actress, singer, and dancer

Jon Voight, actor

Grace Kelly, actress who became Princess of Monaco

Marg Helgenberger, actress

• Ben Affleck – actor
• Casey Affleck – actor
• Eddie Albert – born Edward Albert Heimberger; Oscar- and Emmy Award-nominated American stage, film, character actor, gardener, humanitarian activist, and World War II hero
• Woody Allen – born as Allan Stewart Konigsberg - filmmaker, writer, actor, comedian, and musician, of Jewish descent
• Mädchen Amick – actress
• Fred Astaire – dancer, singer, actor, choreographer and television presenter^[99][100]
• Catherine Bach – actress^[101]
• Diedrich Bader – actor, of part German descent
• Sasha Banks – WWE wrestler^[102]
• John Banner – actor
• Earl W. Bascom – film actor^[103]
• Kim Basinger – actress, small amount of German ancestry^[104][105]
• Ingrid Bergman – actress, mother was an immigrant from Germany
• Halle Berry – actress, mother is of partial German descent^[106]
• Carl Betz – actor and World War II veteran
• Michael Biehn – actor^[107]
• Jessica Biel – actress, small amount of German ancestry^[108]
• Karen Black – actress with German American father
• Curt Bois – actor^[109]
• Johnny Yong Bosch – actor, of partial paternal German descent
• Julie Bowen – actress, of part German ancestry^[110]
• Eric Braeden – actor^[111][112]
• Marlon Brando – actor; father was of partial German ancestry^[113]
• Benjamin Bratt – actor; father is of mostly German ancestry^[114]
• Hermann Braun – motion picture actor^[115]
• Felix Bressart – actor^[116]
• Agnes Bruckner – actress, of part German descent^[117]
• Sandra Bullock – actress; mother was an immigrant from Germany, father had some German ancestry^[118]
• Ty Burrell – actor
• Sarah Chalke – actress; mother is an immigrant from Germany^[119]
• Carol Channing – actor, of 3/4 German and 1/4 African-American ancestry^[120]
• Claudia Christian – actress; mother is a German immigrant^[121][122]
• Mae Clarke – born Violet Mary Klotz, actress^[123]
• George Clooney – actor, director, producer, screenwriter, activist, businessman, and philanthropist^[124]
• Kevin Costner – actor, of part German descent^[125]
• Tom Cruise – actor; parents both of part German ancestry^[126]
• Tony Curtis – actor, born as Bernard Schwartz - German Jewish descent
• Willem Dafoe – actor, mother was of half German descent
• Helmut Dantine – actor^[127]
• Doris Day – actress, singer^[128][129]
• Robert De Niro – actor, mother was of half German descent^[130]
• James Dean – actor, small amount of German ancestry
• Johnny Depp – actor, small amount of German ancestry^[131]
• Cameron Diaz – actress, mother of German descent^[132][133]
• Leonardo DiCaprio – actor, paternal grandmother was of German descent, and mother is an immigrant from Germany^{[134][135][136]}
• Angie Dickinson – actress^[137]
• Marlene Dietrich – actress; an immigrant from Germany^[138]
• Peter Dinklage – Emmy Award-winning actor; of part German descent^[139]
• Patty Duke – actress; mother of Mackenzie Astin and Sean Astin; she's of one quarter German descent^[140]
• Kirsten Dunst – film actress and former model; German father, and maternal grandfather of German descent^[141]
• Aaron Eckhart – actor; father is of German ancestry, mother also has some German roots
• Nicole Eggert – actress; father is a German immigrant^[142]
• Erika Eleniak – actress; mother is of Estonian and German ancestry^[143]
• Noah Emmerich – actor; father a German Jewish immigrant, mother of Eastern European Jewish descent
• Chris Evans – actor, father of half German ancestry^[144]
• Dakota Fanning – actress, of part German descent^[145]
• Elle Fanning – actress; younger sister of Dakota Fanning, of part German descent
• Tina Fey – writer, comedian and a Prime Time Emmy-nominated actress; father is of half German ancestry^[146]
• Jodie Foster – actress, mother is of part German ancestry^[147]
• Dennis Franz – born Dennis Franz Schlachta, Emmy-, Screen Actors Guild-, and Golden Globe Award-winning actor, father was a German immigrant, mother was of German descent^[148][149]
• Brendan Fraser – actor^[150]
• Princess Tatiana von Fürstenberg – rock singer and filmmaker; daughter of fashion designers Diane and Prince Egon von Fürstenberg
• James Garner – actor, born as James Scott Bumgarner - father is of German descent
• Clark Gable – actor^[151]
• Mitzi Gaynor – born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber; actress, singer, and dancer^[152]
• Lillian Gish – actress^[153]
• Summer Glau – actress, of part German descent^[154]
• Crispin Glover – actor
• Betty Grable – actress, dancer, and singer
• Joel Gretsch – actor
• Harry Groener – three-time Tony Award nominee
• Lukas Haas – actor, father is a German immigrant
• Gene Hackman – actor; part German
• Thomas J. Hageboeck (1945–1996) – actor
• Uta Hagen – actress, an immigrant from Germany^[155]
• Jon Hamm – actor^[156]
• Chelsea Handler – comedian and actress; mother was German^[157]
• Daryl Hannah – actress
• David Hasselhoff – actor, of one quarter German descent^[158]
• Anne Hathaway – actress, small amount of German ancestry^[159]
• Cole Hauser – film and television actor, father of part German descent
• Dwight Hauser – actor and film producer, of part German descent
• Wings Hauser – actor, director and film writer, of part German descent
• James Haven – actor, of part German descent^[160][161]
• Eileen Heckart – actress
• Katherine Heigl – actress, of mostly German descent^[162]
• Marg Helgenberger – actress, of mostly German descent^[163]
• Paul Henreid – born Paul Georg Julius Hernried Freiherr von Wassel-Waldingau
• Richard Henzel – film, TV, and voice-over actor
• Edward Herrmann – television and film actor, of part German descent^[164]
• Emile Hirsch – actor, mother is of partial German ancestry
• Katie Holmes – actress, of part German ancestry^[165]
• Rock Hudson – actor, of half German/Swiss-German descent
• Tab Hunter – film actor and singer, father was a German Jewish immigrant, mother a German Lutheran immigrant
• Martha Hyer – Oscar-nominated actress^[166]
• Gillian Jacobs – film, theater and television actress, of part German descent
• Emil Jannings – first actor to receive the Academy Award for Best Actor^[167]
• Van Johnson – film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II, of part German descent^[168]
• Angelina Jolie – actress, born Angelina Jolie Voight, of part German descent
• Leatrice Joy – born Leatrice Joy Zeidler; silent film era actress^[169]
• Victoria Justice – actress, father of part German descent
• Grace Kelly – actress, mother was of German ancestry^[170]
• Richard Kiel – actor
• Q'orianka Kilcher – actress and singer, of part Swiss-German descent^[171]
• Val Kilmer – actor
• Chris Klein – actor, both parents of part German descent
• Werner Klemperer – actor^[172]
• Kevin Kline – actor, father was of German Jewish descent^[173]
• Boris Kodjoe – actor, mother of German and German-Jewish descent
• David Koechner – actor, comedian and musician, of part German descent^[174]
• Lynne Koplitz – actor, comedian
• Fran Kranz – actor, of part German descent
• Kurt Kreuger – actor^[175]
• Diane Kruger – actress
• Mickey Kuhn – actor
• Ashton Kutcher – actor
• Cheryl Ladd – actress and model, of part German descent
• Veronica Lake – actress and pin-up model^[176]
• Jessica Lange – actress, paternal grandfather was of German descent^[177]
• Cyndi Lauper – singer, actress, of part German descent^[178]
• Ed Lauter – actor, of part German descent^[179]
• Taylor Lautner – actor/martial artist, of part German descent^[180]
• Bruce Lee – actor; father of Brandon Lee and Shannon Lee; Bruce's mother was of Chinese and German ancestry^[181]
• Janine Lindemulder – exotic dancer and adult film actress^[182]
• Clara Lipman – actress and playwright; sister of Lieder singer Mattie Lipman Marum^[183]
• Kristanna Loken – actress
• Carole Lombard – actress
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus – actress, HBO's VEEP, Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine; partly of German descent
• Kellan Lutz – fashion model and actor for television and films; of mostly German descent
• John Malkovich – actor; of part German ancestry on his mother's side
• Jayne Mansfield – actress.
• William Mapother – actor, Lost; Tom Cruise's cousin; of part German descent
• Marx Brothers – actors, of German Jewish descent
• Candice Michelle – model, actress, WWE wrestler^[184]
• Jason Momoa – actor, mother of part German descent
• Michelle Monaghan – actress^[185]
• Jack Nicholson – actor and filmmaker^[186]
• Nick Nolte – actor, of part German descent^[187]
• Bob Odenkirk – actor
• Chris O'Donnell – actor who played Robin in two Batman movies; mother is of part German ancestry^[188]
• Heather O'Rourke – child actress, of part German descent
• Chord Overstreet – of part German descent
• Lilli Palmer – born Lillie Marie Peiser; actress, German Jewish^[189]
• Gwyneth Paltrow – actress; daughter of Blythe Danner, who is of mostly German descent
• Sarah Jessica Parker – actress, mother of mostly German descent^[190][191]
• Penny Pax – adult film actress^[192]
• William Petersen – actor and producer, of mostly German descent^[193]
• Michelle Pfeiffer – actress, father was of half German ancestry^[194]
• Amy Poehler – actress, comedian, producer and writer, of 1/8th German descent
• Erich Pommer – actor and film producer^[195]
• Laura Prepon – actress, mother is part German
• Jürgen Prochnow – German actor
• George Raft – born George Ranft; actor; father was an immigrant from Germany and mother was of German descent^[196]
• Luise Rainer – actress, Jewish immigrant from Germany^[197]
• John Ratzenberger – actor with part German American father
• Donna Reed – actress, of part German descent^[198]
• Jeremy Renner – actor and musician, father is of part German ancestry^[199][200]
• Denise Richards – actress
• Naya Rivera – actress and singer (a quarter German descent)
• Julia Roberts – actress and producer^[201]
• Isabella Rossellini – actress, daughter of Ingrid Bergman; maternal grandmother was German
• Andrew Rothenberg – television actor
• Mercedes Ruehl – theater, television and film actor, father was of part German descent^[202]
• Katee Sackhoff – actress, of part German descent
• Yvonne Maria Schaefer – actress and producer
• Roy Scheider – actor, father was of German descent
• August Schellenberg – actor^[203]
• Kendall Schmidt – actor and singer – well known for his part in Big Time Rush
• Danielle Schneider – actress, comedian, and writer
• Helen Schneider – actress and singer
• John Schneider – actor and singer
• Liev Schreiber – actor
• Pablo Schreiber – actor
• Ricky Schroder – actor and film director
• Carly Schroeder – actress and model
• Brooke Shields – actress with distant German ancestors.
• Tom Selleck – actor
• Amanda Seyfried – actress, of heavily German descent
• Sherri Saum – actress with German mother
• Elke Sommer – actress
• Josef Sommer – actor, immigrant from Germany^[204]
• Shannyn Sossamon – actress, dancer, model, and musician, of part German descent^[205]
• Nick Stahl – actor, of part German descent
• Frances Sternhagen – actress
• Michael Strahan – retired football player, actor, and television personality; lived in Germany
• Meryl Streep – actress, father was of German/Swiss-German descent, mother was of part German ancestry
• Jeremy Sumpter – actor, of part German descent
• Carl Switzer – "Alfalfa", actor, professional dog breeder and hunting guide^[206]
• Ralph Taeger – actor
• Channing Tatum – actor, distant German ancestry^[207]
• Shirley Temple – actress, part German
• Alexis Texas – pornographic actress
• Charlize Theron – actress, mother has German ancestry^[208]
• Jonathan Taylor Thomas – born Jonathan Taylor Weiss; actor, best known for Home Improvement
• Uma Thurman – actress; mother is model Nena von Schlebrügge, of half German descent
• Liv Tyler – actress, of part German descent
• Alida Valli – actress, born Alida Maria Laura von Altenburger
• Mario Van Peebles – actor and director; mother is German^[209]
• Mike Vogel – actor^[210]
• Jon Voight – actor; maternal grandparents were immigrants from Germany^[211]
• Erik von Detten – actor; father is German^[212]
• Jenna von Oÿ – actress and singer^[213]
• Christopher Walken – actor; father was an immigrant from Germany^[214]
• Paul Walker – actor, of part German descent^[215]
• Erin Wasson – actress/model^[216]
• Johnny Weissmuller – Olympic swimmer, actor, best known as Tarzan^[217]
• George Wendt – actor, of part German descent
• Mae West – actress, playwright, screenwriter, and sex symbol; mother was an immigrant from Germany^[218]
• Bruce Willis – actor, mother was German^[219]
• Frank Wolff – actor
• Elijah Wood – actor, father of half German descent; mother has one quarter German ancestry
• Kari Wuhrer – actress and singer, of part German descent
• Wolfgang Zilzer – actor^[220]

Celebrities

Keith Olbermann

Willie Geist

• Glenn Beck – political commentator
• Benjamin C. Bradlee – editor-in-chief of the Washington Post during the Watergate scandal; maternal great-grandfather was Dr. Ernst Bruno von Gersdorff
• Samantha Brown – television host of several Travel Channel shows
• Pat Buchanan – political commentator
• Kristin Cavallari – television personality, fashion designer, and actress^[221]
• Walter Cronkite – broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years (1962–1981)^[222]
• Siegfried Fischbacher – magician^[223]
• Willie Geist – television personality, journalist and humorist^[224]
• Nicky Hilton – member of the former Hotel owners family^[225]
• Paris Hilton – member of the former Hotel owners family^[226]
• Roy Horn – magician^[227]
• Jimmy Kimmel – comedian, writer, talk show host, game show host, and producer^[228]
• Bridget Marquardt – model and TV personality (maiden name Sandmeier)^[229]
• Jenny McCarthy – model and television personality^[230]
• Keith Olbermann – news anchor, commentator and radio sportscaster^[231]
• Stassi Schroeder – television personality, podcast host, fashion blogger, and model^[232]
• Ed Schultz – television and radio host, liberal political commentator, former sports broadcaster
• Alex Wagner – journalist

Models

Cindy Crawford

• Cindy Crawford – model^[258]
• Rande Gerber – male model and entrepreneur
• Heidi Klum – model^[259]
• Nena von Schlebrügge – former fashion model in the 1950s and 1960s; of German and Swedish descent;^[260] mother of actress Uma Thurman

Composers and musicians

Lawrence Welk

Bix Beiderbecke

John Denver

Dave Grohl

• George Antheil – avant-garde composer, pianist, author and inventor whose modernist musical compositions explored the modern sounds – musical, industrial, mechanical – of the early 20th century^[261]
• Bix Beiderbecke – jazz cornet player and a classical and jazz pianist
• Jon Bon Jovi – singer and musician^[262]
• Eva Cassidy – singer^[263]
• Patrick Dahlheimer – bassist for the band Live^[264]
• Walter Johannes Damrosch – conductor^[265]
• John Denver – born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., musician^[266]
• David Ellefson – co-founder of thrash metal band Megadeth
• Lukas Foss – conductor^[267]
• Chris Frantz – musician and record producer; the drummer for both Talking Heads and the Tom Tom Club
• Norman Frauenheim – acclaimed pianist and music teacher^[268]
• Ace Frehley – band member of Kiss^[269]
• Hugo Friedhofer – film music composer^[270]
• Louis F. Gottschalk – composer
• Dave Grohl – musician
• Jeff Hanneman – guitarist of Slayer
• Reinhold Heil – film and television composer^[271]
• Otto K. E. Heinemann – manager for the U.S. branch of German-owned Odeon Records
• James Hetfield – vocalist, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of Metallica
• Elbert Joseph Higgins – songwriter^[272]
• Paul Hindemith – composer, violinist and teacher^[273]
• Hanya Holm – choreographer^[274]
• Horst P. Horst – photographer^[275]
• Terry Kath – first guitarist of the rock band Chicago, 1966-1978; German mother
• Josh Kaufman – singer-songwriter and season 6 winner of NBC's The Voice
• John Kiffmeyer – first drummer of the punk rock band Green Day
• Otto Klemperer – conductor^[276]
• Alison Krauss – bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and musician
• Nick Lachey – pop singer^[277]
• Armando Lichtenberger Jr. – Member of musical band La Mafia
• Charles Martin Loeffler – composer^[278]
• Courtney Love – actress and frontwoman of Hole^[279]
• Marilyn Manson – front man of rock band Marilyn Manson; father is of German descent
• Melissa Auf der Maur – rock singer
• Alyson Michalka – actress, singer-songwriter, and guitarist^[280]
• Amanda Michalka – actress, singer-songwriter, and guitarist^[280]
• Sanford A. Moeller – rudimental drummer, national champion, educator, author and Spanish–American War veteran
• Tomo in der Mühlen – producer and guitar player, known for work with Harold Perrineau, Masta Ace, Styles P, Ekatarina Velika
• Dave Mustaine – co-founder of thrash metal band Megadeth and first lead guitarist for thrash metal band Metallica
• James Pankow – trombone player for the rock band Chicago
• Jaco Pastorius – musician and songwriter widely acknowledged for his virtuosity with the fretless bass^[281]
• Jaan Patterson – founder of the Surrism-Phonoethics label, also known as Undress Béton
• Pink/P!nk (Alecia Beth Moore) – singer, songwriter, dancer and actress^[282]
• Jimmy Pop – musician, composer, comedian and lead singer of the Bloodhound Gang
• Elvis Presley – singer, songwriter, actor^[283]
• Dee Dee Ramone – bassist for The Ramones^[284]
• Trent Reznor – musician, film score composer and founder of Nine Inch Nails^[285]
• Heinz Eric Roemheld – composer, in 1942 he won the Academy Award for Best Original Music Score for Yankee Doodle Dandy^[286][287]
• Linda Ronstadt – singer, songwriter^[288][289]
• Nate Ruess – singer-songwriter and musician, best known as the lead vocalist of indie rock band Fun
• Felix Salten – composed scores for some 150 Hollywood movies^[290]
• Arnold Schoenberg – expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School^[291]
• Wesley Schultz – guitarist and lead vocalist for the American folk rock band The Lumineers
• Pete Seeger – folk singer
• John Philip Sousa – composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches^[292]
• Paul Stanley – musician from the band KISS, of Jewish descent, his mother was born in Berlin
• Frederick Stock – composer and conductor with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
• Mark Stoermer – musician, producer and singer-songwriter; bassist for alternative rock band the Killers^[293]
• Joel Stroetzel – guitarist from the metalcore band Killswitch Engage
• Taylor Swift – singer-songwriter^[294][295]
• Theodore Thomas – conductor^[296]
• Steven Tyler – lead singer of Aerosmith
• Eddie Vedder – lead vocalist of Pearl Jam
• Kurt Weill – composer^[297]
• Lawrence Welk – bandleader^[298]
• Pete Wentz – bassist for Fall Out Boy; of partial paternal German descent^[299]
• Hans Zimmer – Oscar-winning film composer, German immigrant

Businesspeople and entrepreneurs

Businessman John Jacob Astor, IV

Henry J. Heinz, ketchup founder and businessman

John D. Rockefeller, industrialist

Washington Augustus Roebling, civil engineer

Levi Strauss, blue jeans

• John Jacob Astor – business magnate, merchant and investor and the first multi-millionaire in the United States^{[300][301][302]}
• John Jacob Astor IV – millionaire businessman, real estate developer, inventor, writer and a lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War^[300]
• William Waldorf Astor, 1st Viscount Astor – financier and statesman
• George Frederick Baer – lawyer, Social Darwinist railroad baron (former President of the Reading Railroad)^[303]
• Ralph Baer – father of the home video game console, of Jewish descent^[304]
• John Jacob Bausch – optician who co-founded Bausch & Lomb^[305]
• Andy von Bechtolsheim – co-founder of Sun Microsystems and one of the first investors in Google^[306]
• Maximilian Berlitz – Berlitz Language School^[307]
• Isaac Wolfe Bernheim – businessman notable for starting the I. W. Harper brand of premium bourbon whiskey^[308]
• Bernard Baruch – financier, stock-market speculator, statesman, and political consultant^[309]
• William Edward Boeing – aviation pioneer who founded The Boeing Company^[310]
• Paul Bonwit – founder of Bonwit Teller department store in New York City^[311]
• Clyde Cessna - aircraft designer, aviator, and founder of the Cessna Aircraft Corporation^[312]
• Walter Chrysler – Chrysler automobile developer^[307][313]
• George A. Dickel – whiskey distributor; born in Grünberg, Hesse^[314]
• Chris Deering – businessman and marketer best known for his role as president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe^[315]
• Noah Dietrich – CEO of the Howard Hughes empire^[316]
• Walt Disney – film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, and philanthropist^[317]
• John Doerr – venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
• Richard Driehaus – chairman of Driehaus Capital Management LLC^[318]
• August Duesenberg – automobile pioneer manufacturer^{[319][320][321]}
• Fred Duesenberg – automobile pioneer designer, manufacturer and sportsman^{[319][320][321]}
• Edward Filene – businessman, social entrepreneur and philanthropist^[322]
• Harvey Firestone – founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company^[323]
• Nicholas C. Forstmann – one of the founding partners of Forstmann Little & Company, a private equity firm^[324]
• Theodore J. Forstmann – one of the founding partners of Forstmann Little & Company, a private equity firm, and chairman and CEO of IMG, a leading global sports and media company^[324]
• Bill Gates – software magnate and investor, founder and former chairman of Microsoft
• Henry Giessenbier – banker and founder of the Young Men's Progressive Civic Association in 1915 and the United States Junior Chamber in 1920^[325]
• Theodor August Heintzman – piano manufacturer (Heintzman & Co.) and inventor
• Henry J. Heinz – H. J. Heinz Company ketchup founder^[326]
• H. J. Heinz II – best known as Jack Heinz, a business executive and CEO of the H. J. Heinz Company
• H. Robert Heller – President and CEO of VISA U.S.A. and Federal Reserve Board of Governors
• Milton S. Hershey – Hershey chocolate founder^[326][327]
• Barron Hilton – chairman of the Hilton Hotel chain and grandfather of Paris Hilton
• Conrad Hilton – founder of the Hilton Hotel chain and great grandfather of Paris Hilton and Nicky Hilton^[225][328]
• Richard Hilton – hotelier and real estate entrepreneur, father of Paris Hilton
• George A. Hormel – founder of Hormel Foods Corporation^[329]
• Steve Jobs – software tycoon, co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc.^[330]
• Max Kade – pharmaceutical tycoon, endowed the Max Kade foundation^[331]
• Otto Hermann Kahn – investment banker^[332][333]
• Jawed Karim – co-founder of YouTube and designer of key parts of PayPal.
• Edgar J. Kaufmann – department store entrepreneur
• William Myron Keck – oil entrepreneur and philanthropist who is now best known for giving his name to the W. M. Keck Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic foundations^[334]
• Peter Kern – confectioner and mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee^[335]
• John W. Kieckhefer – pioneer in the use of fibre shipping containers and one of the wealthiest men in America in 1957
• John Kluge – television industry mogul^[336]
• Klaus Kleinfeld – business executive^[337]
• William Knabe – industrialist and piano-manufacturer^[338]
• Lynne Koplitz – comedian^[339]
• James L. Kraft – first to patent processed cheese; founder of Kraft Foods^[340]
• Bernard Kroger – chain grocer founder of the Kroger chain^[341][342]
• Louis Kurz – major publisher of chromolithographs in the late 19th century
• Henry Emanuel Lutterloh – Quartermaster General under George Washington^[343]
• Johan Adam Lemp – father of modern brewing in St. Louis, started the William J. Lemp Brewing Company^[344]
• James E. Lentz III – president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.
• Alfred Lion – co-founder of Blue Note Records^[345]
• Solomon Loeb – banker, co-founder of Kuhn, Loeb & Co., of Jewish descent
• Grover Loening – aircraft manufacturer^[346]
• Henry Lomb – co-founded Bausch & Lomb^[347][348]
• William H. Luden – developer of the menthol cough drop, the first ever, Luden's Menthol Cough Drops^[349]
• Adolph Luetgert – Chicago businessman of A.L. Luetgert Sausage & Packing Company
• Peter Luger – steak restaurateur^[350]
• Abby Rockefeller Mauzé – philanthropist^[351]
• Oscar Mayer – meat entrepreneur^[352]
• F. L. Maytag – founder of the Maytag Company
• George W. Merck – scientist and former president of Merck & Co.
• Fred G. Meyer – founder of Fred Meyer
• Maxey Dell Moody, Jr. – founder of MOBRO Marine, Inc. and CEO of M. D. Moody & Sons, Inc.
• Elon Musk – co-founder of PayPal Inc.; founder of SolarCity, SpaceX, Hyperloop, and Tesla Motors
• Carrie Marcus Neiman – co-founder of the Neiman-Marcus department store^[353]
• Adolph Ochs-Sulzberger – newspaper publisher and former owner of The New York Times and The Chattanooga Times (now the Chattanooga Times Free Press)
• Hermann Oelrichs – shipping magnate and owner of Norddeutsche Lloyd Shipping^[354]
• Fabian Pascal – consultant to large software vendors^[355]
• Charles Pfizer – founded the Pfizer Inc. pharmaceutical company^[356]
• John J. Raskob – builder of the Empire State Building
• Francis Joseph Reitz – banker, civic leader, and philanthropist^[357]
• John Augustus Reitz – known as the "Lumber Baron", an entrepreneur, industrialist, banker, civic leader, and philanthropist^[358]
• George Remus – famous Cincinnati lawyer and bootlegger during the Prohibition era
• Adolph Rickenbacher – created the electric guitar manufacturer, Rickenbacher Manufacturing Company
• William Rittenhouse – built the first paper mill in America^[359]
• David Rockefeller – banker, philanthropist, world statesman, and the current patriarch of the Rockefeller family
• John D. Rockefeller – oil magnate and philanthropist
• John D. Rockefeller, Jr. – industrialist and philanthropist
• John D. Rockefeller III – industrialist and philanthropist
• Laurance Rockefeller – venture capitalist, financier, philanthropist and major conservationist
• John Augustus Roebling – civil engineer, one of the pioneers in the construction of suspension bridges^[360]
• Washington Augustus Roebling – civil engineer best known for his work on the Brooklyn Bridge
• Jim Rohr – chairman and CEO of PNC Financial Services Group (PNC Bank)
• Jacob Ruppert – brewer, businessman, National Guard colonel and United States Congressman, owner of New York Yankees from 1915 until 1939^[361][362]
• August Schell – founded The August Schell Brewing Company in 1860, the second oldest family-owned brewery in America
• Jacob Schiff – banker and philanthropist
• Julius Schmid – creator of the Sheik condom and the Ramses condom^[363][364]
• Eric Schmidt – executive chairman and former CEO of Alphabet Inc. (the parent company of Google) and a former member of the Board of Directors of Apple Inc., and 136th-wealthiest person in the world in 2011
• Charles M. Schwab – steel magnate (Bethlehem Steel)^[365]
• Charles R. Schwab – businessman and investor; founder of the Charles Schwab Corporation
• Steve Schwarzman – private equity mogul, financier and founder of Blackstone Group
• Frank Seiberling – inventor and founder of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Seiberling Rubber Company, Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens
• John Seiberling – founder and inventor of one of the first reaping machines
• Isaac Singer – inventor, actor, and sewing machine entrepreneur^[366]
• Evan Spiegel – Internet entrepreneur who is the co-founder and CEO of the mobile application Snapchat^[367]
• Joseph Spiegel – founder of Spiegel catalog^[368]
• Claus Spreckels – industrialist^[369]
• George Steinbrenner – shipping and sports franchise entrepreneur and late owner of the New York Yankees
• Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg – Steinway pianos manufacturer^[370]
• Henry William Stiegel – glassmaker and ironmaster and an active lay Lutheran and associate of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg
• Chris Strachwitz – founder and president of Arhoolie Records^[371]
• Levi Strauss – creator of the first company to manufacture blue jeans;^[372] of German-Jewish descent
• Clement Studebaker – founded Studebaker, a wagon, carriage and car manufacturer^[373]
• Arthur Hays Sulzberger – publisher of The New York Times, 1935–1961^[374]
• John Sutter – pioneer settler/colonizer^[375]
• Peter Thiel – co-founder of PayPal Inc. and the first outside investor in Facebook, Inc.
• Otto Timm – aircraft manufacturer
• William Utz – snack food entrepreneur
• Charles Von der Ahe – co-founder of the Vons Supermarket chain^[376]
• Wilfred Von der Ahe – co-founder of the Vons Supermarket chain^[376]
• The Warburg Family – bankers
• John Wanamaker – founder of Wanamaker's department store
• George Westinghouse – engineer and electricity pioneer^[377]
• Friedrich Weyerhäuser – timber mogul and founder of the Weyerhaeuser^[378]
• Francis Wolff – co-founder of Blue Note Records^[345]
• Rudolph Wurlitzer – musical instrument entrepreneur^[379]
• William Zeckendorf – real estate developer

Brewers

Adolphus Busch, Brewer

• Eberhard Anheuser – soap and candle maker, president and CEO of Eberhard Anheuser and Company, which eventually became Anheuser-Busch^[380]
• Valentin Blatz – beer baron, started the Valentin Blatz Brewing Company^[381]
• Adolphus Busch – Anheuser-Busch brewing company founder^[382]
• Adolphus Busch III – brewing magnate who was the President and CEO of Anheuser-Busch, 1934–1946
• August Anheuser Busch, Sr. – brewing magnate who served as the President and CEO of Anheuser-Busch, 1913–1934
• August Busch IV – president and CEO of Anheuser-Busch
• Gussie Busch – brewing magnate who built the Anheuser-Busch Companies into the largest brewery in the world as company chairman, 1946–1975, and became a prominent sportsman as owner of the St. Louis Cardinals franchise in MLB
• Adolph Coors – Coors beer empire founder^[383]
• Matthias Haffen – New York City brewer, formerly located at the Haffen Building in the Bronx^[384]
• Theodore Hamm – founder of Hamm's Brewery
• Frederick Miller – Miller beer creator^[385]
• Frederick Pabst – founder of Pabst Brewery (with Philip Best)
• Tom Pastorius – founded Penn Brewery (Pennsylvania Brewing Co.)^[386]
• Frederick Schaefer – beer baron, started F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company^[387][388]
• Joseph Schlitz – beer baron, founded Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company^[389]
• Kosmas Spoetzl – brewer, Shiner Brewery^[390][391]
• Peter P. Straub – founder of Straub Brewery^[392]
• Herman Weiss – first brewmaster in Shiner, Texas; hired in 1909 by the Shiner Brewing Association to start the brewery; later took the same position at the San Antonio Brewing Association

Historical figures

Neil Armstrong, astronaut

Laura Bullion, Old West outlaw

Pat Nixon, first lady

The Rockefeller brothers

John Davison Rockefeller Sr.

William Avery Rockefeller Jr.

Hermann Raster

George Atzerodt

• Buzz Aldrin – astronaut, first human to speak on the Moon^[393]
• Neil Armstrong – astronaut, first human to set foot on the Moon^[394]
• George Atzerodt – assassin, conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln^[395]
• Laura Bullion (1876–1961) – female Old West outlaw
• Warren E. Burger (1907–1995) – Chief Justice of the United States, 1969–1986^[396]
• Harold Hitz Burton – politician and lawyer, served as the 45th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, as a U.S. senator from Ohio, and as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States^[397]
• Willard Erastus Christianson aka Matt Warner – Old West outlaw, deputy sheriff^[398]
• John Dillinger – bank robber in the Depression
• Dr. Carl Adolph Douai – educational reformer, abolitionist, newspaper editor, and labor leader^[399]
• Amelia Earhart – aviation pioneer and author, the first woman to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross^[400]
• Johann Friedrich Ernst – "Father of German Immigration to Texas", arriving in 1831^[401][402]
• Bobby Fischer – chess prodigy, grandmaster, and the eleventh World Chess Champion^[403][404]
• Henry Francis Fisher – German Texan in Houston, Texas, where he was consul for the Hanseatic League, became acting treasurer of the San Saba Company^[405]
• Gerhard Gesell – United States federal judge
• Meyer Guggenheim (1828–1905) – statesman, patriarch of what became known as the Guggenheim family^[406]
• Frank Gusenburg – gangster and a victim of the Saint Valentine's Day massacre in Chicago^[407]
• Peter Gusenberg – member of Chicago's North Side Gang, the main rival to the Chicago Outfit^[407]
• Bruno Hauptmann – Lindbergh kidnapper^[408]
• Friedrich Hecker – revolutionary^[409]
• Michael Hillegas – first Treasurer of the United States^[410]
• Prince Alexander of Hohenzollern – successor as Head of the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen^[411]
• Jimmy Hoffa – labor union leader and author^[412]
• J. Edgar Hoover – first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• Lena Kleinschmidt – jewel thief
• Fritz Kuhn – German American Bund leader^[413]
• Maria Kraus-Boelté – pioneer of Fröbel education in the United States, and helped promote kindergarten training as suitable for study at university level
• Herman Lamm – considered the "father of modern bank robbery"
• Johann Lederer – explorer^[414][415]
• Jacob Leisler – colonist^[416]
• Frank J. Loesch – law enforcement official, reformer and a founder of the Chicago Crime Commission
• Kurt Frederick Ludwig – head of the "Joe K" spy ring in the United States in 1940–41
• Paul Machemehl – German-Texan, rancher and civic leader
• Fredericka Mandelbaum – entrepreneur and criminal
• Nicola Marschall – designer of the first national flag and uniform of the Confederacy^[417]
• Christene Mayer – aka "Kid Glove Rosey", famous thief and associate of "Black" Lena Kleinschmidt
• Benjamin Kurtz Miller – philanthropist^[418]
• Burchard Miller – Texas land pioneer
• Peter Minuit – Director-General of the Dutch colony of New Netherland^[419]
• Charles Mohr – pharmacist^[420]
• Pat Nixon – former First Lady of the United States^[421]
• Duncan Niederauer – CEO of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)^[422][423]
• Madge Oberholtzer – schoolteacher who worked for the state of Indiana on adult literacy
• Bonnie Parker – outlaw, robber, and criminal^[424]
• Franz Daniel Pastorius – pioneer and founder of Germantown, Pennsylvania^[425]
• Molly Pitcher – born Mary Ludwig, American Revolutionary War hero^[347]
• Robert Prager – Illinois coal miner lynched during World War I because of anti-German sentiment
• Hermann Raster – Chicago politician, editor, and abolitionist
• Charles Reiser – safecracker
• Walter Reuther – labor leader^[426]
• Rockefeller family – industrial and political family that made one of the world's largest fortunes in the oil business during the late 19th and early 20th centuries
• Reinhold O. Schmidt – 1950s UFO "contactee"
• August Schrader – engineer and mechanic^[427]
• Carl Schurz – politician, newspaper editor, Civil War general^[428]
• Norman Schwarzkopf, Sr. – Lindbergh kidnapping investigator^[429]
• Dutch Schultz – born Arthur Flegenheimer, New York City-area gangster^[430][431]
• Margarethe Schurz – established the kindergarten system in the United States
• Frank "The German" Schweihs – alleged hitman who had been known to work for The Outfit, the organized crime family in Chicago^[432]
• Prince Carl of Solms-Braunfels – "Texas-Carl" was an Austro-Hungarian Lieutenant General and founder of the town New Braunfels, Texas
• Jacob Sternberger – historian and one of the original Forty-Eighters
• Ida Straus – victim of the sinking of the RMS Titanic
• Isidor Straus – former co-owner of Macy's and victim of the sinking of the RMS Titanic
• Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss – prolific contract killer for Murder, Inc.
• Chesley Sullenberger – commercial airline pilot, safety expert, and accident investigator; piloted US Airways Flight 1549 to a safe ditching in the Hudson River in New York City
• John Sutter – settler/colonizer^[433]
• Jack Swigert – NASA astronaut, one of the 24 persons who have flown to the Moon
• Count Ludwig Joseph von Boos-Waldeck – German noble descended from a line of Rhenish Knights and nobles dating back to the 13th century, organized the Adelsverein, to promote German emigration to Texas^[434]
• Andrew Von Etter – Boston mobster^[435]
• Paul Warburg – banker^[436]
• Louis J. Weichmann – chief witnesses for the prosecution in the conspiracy trial of the Abraham Lincoln assassination
• Conrad Weiser – pioneer, farmer, monk, tanner, judge, and soldier
• Lewis Wetzel – frontiersman and Indian fighter^[437]
• Gus Winkler – St. Louis mobster^[438]
• Adam Worth – gentleman criminal
• Joe Wurzelbacher – employee of Newell Plumbing & Heating, "the most famous plumber in the nation", rose to national attention when he was mentioned by Republican United States Senator John McCain and Democratic Senator Barack Obama at least 23 times, during the third and final presidential debate on October 15, 2008^[439]
• John Peter Zenger – printer, publisher, editor and journalist in New York City^[440]
• David Ziegler – first mayor of Cincinnati; Revolutionary War Veteran and aide to president George Washington

Military

George Armstrong Custer, U.S. cavalry commander

Baron von Steuben, Continental Army

Lt. Aleda E. Lutz

• Rosemarie Aquilina – Judge, Michigan Army National Guardswoman, Michigan's first female member of the Judge Advocate General's Corps^[441]
• Otto Boehler – United States Army private awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during the Moro Rebellion during the Philippine–American War
• Johann August Heinrich Heros von Borcke – Major in the Confederate army^[442]
• George Armstrong Custer (1839–1876) – United States Army cavalry commander^{[443][444][445]}
• Thomas Custer – United States Army officer and two-time recipient of the Medal of Honor for bravery during the American Civil War; a younger brother of George Armstrong Custer, perishing with him at Little Bighorn in the Montana Territory^{[444][445][446]}
• Konrad Dannenberg – rocket pioneer and member of the German Rocket Team, brought to the U.S. under Operation Paperclip
• Dieter Dengler – German born United States Navy Naval aviator during the Vietnam War
• Hubert Dilger – decorated artillerist in the Union Army during the American Civil War^[447][448]
• Walter Dornberger – leader of Germany's V-2 rocket program and other projects at the Peenemünde Army Research Center, brought to the U.S. under Operation Paperclip
• Johann de Kalb – Major General in the American Revolution^[449]
• Frank Finkel – claimed to be the only white survivor of the Battle of Little Big Horn^[450]
• Alfred Maximilian Gruenther – senior United States Army officer, Red Cross president, and bridge player.^[451]
• Thomas W. Hartmann – Brigadier General, lawyer and officer in the United States Air Force Reserve
• Friedrich Hecker – lawyer, politician, revolutionary and Civil War colonel
• Lewis Heermann – commissioned Surgeon's Mate in the United States Navy 8 February 1802; in 1942, the destroyer USS Heermann was named in his honor
• Nicholas Herkimer – commanding general at Battle of Oriskany, American Revolutionary War
• Daniel Hiester – political and military leader from the Revolutionary War period to the early 19th century
• John Hiester – military leader from the Revolutionary War period to the early 19th century
• Ralph Ignatowski – soldier, of Polish descent, World War II veteran, best friend of John Bradley
• Herman Kahn – military strategist and systems theorist
• August Kautz – Brigadier General /Union Army officer^[452]
• Eugene H. C. Leutze – Admiral of the United States Navy, appointed to the United States Naval Academy by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863
• Jerry M. Linenger – captain, Medical Corps, U.S. Navy and a former NASA astronaut
• Marc Mitscher – Vice Admiral in the U.S. Navy; served as commander of the Fast Carrier Task Force in the Pacific in the latter half of World War II
• Aleda E. Lutz – American Army flight nurse during World War II, second-most decorated woman in American military history.
• Peter Muhlenberg – clergyman, soldier and a politician of the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Post-Revolutionary eras in Pennsylvania^[453]
• Chester W. Nimitz – Commander in Chief of Pacific Forces for the United States and Allied forces during World War II^[454]
• John J. Pershing – officer in the United States Army, rose to the highest rank ever held in the U.S. Army – General of the Armies^[455]
• Molly Pitcher (Mary Ludwig Hays) – American Revolutionary soldier
• Friedrich Adolf Riedesel – regiment commander of the Duchy of Brunswick (Braunschweig) unit hired by the British during the American Revolution
• Edward S. Salomon – Union brigadier general in the American Civil War
• Frederick C. Salomon – Union brigadier general in the American Civil War
• Alexander Schimmelfennig – American Civil War general in the Union Army
• Harry Schmidt – U.S. Marine Corps general
• Tony F. Schneider – World War II pilot who served as Associate Professor of Naval Science at University of Louisville and as Professor of Naval Science at the University of New Mexico
• James Martinus Schoonmaker – Colonel in the Union Army in the American Civil War and a vice-president of the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad^[456]
• Harold G. Schrier – officer in the United States Marine Corps, recipient of the Navy Cross, the nation's second highest award for valor, and a combat veteran of World War II and the Korean War; one of the six Marines who raised the first American flag on Mount Suribachi, during the Battle of Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945
• Theodore Schwan – officer who served with distinction during the American Civil War, Spanish–American War and the Philippine–American War
• Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. – United States Army General
• Albert Sieber – Chief of Scouts for much of the Apache Wars and tracked Geronimo
• Franz Sigel – teacher, newspaperman, politician, and served as a Union general in the American Civil War^[457]
• Clem Sohn – airshow dare-devil in the 1930s; perfected a way of gliding through the air with a home-made wingsuit^[458]
• Carl Andrew Spaatz – general in World War II^[459]
• Adolph von Steinwehr – served as a Union general in the American Civil War
• Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin von Steuben – German–Prussian General; served with George Washington in the American Revolutionary War; credited with teaching the Continental Army the essentials of military drill and discipline^[460]
• Michael Strobl – retired United States Marine Corps officer
• Gustav Tafel – colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War
• Stephen J. Townsend – U.S. Army general, served with the 10th Mountain Division during the war in Afghanistan; born in (West) Germany^[461]
• Max Weber – Brigadier General in the Union army during the American Civil War
• Lewis Wetzel – frontiersman and Indian fighter who roamed the hills of western Virginia and Ohio; Wetzel County, West Virginia, is named for him
• Godfrey Weitzel – Major General in the Union army during the American Civil War^[462]
• August Willich – general in the Union Army during the American Civil War^[463]
• Jurgen Wilson – Union Army officer during the American Civil War
• Henry Wirz – born Heinrich Hartmann Wirz; Confederate officer tried and executed in the aftermath of the American Civil War^[464]
• Elmo Zumwalt – Admiral and later the 19th Chief of Naval Operations in the U.S. Navy, playing a major part in the Vietnam War^[465]

Philosophers

• Felix Adler – rationalist intellectual^[466]
• Hannah Arendt – political theorist^[467]
• Ernst Bloch – Marxist philosopher^[468]
• Rudolf Carnap – philosopher^[469]
• Adolf Grünbaum – philosopher
• Francis Lieber – jurist/political philosopher^[470]
• Herbert Marcuse – philosopher (1898–1979)
• Nicholas Rescher – philosopher

Politicians

Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the U.S.

Henry Kissinger, 56th U.S. Secretary of State

Christopher Gustavus Memminger, First C.S. Secretary of the Treasury

Carl Schurz, 13th U.S. Secretary of the Interior

Lorenz Brentano, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois

Current President of the United States, Donald Trump

• John Peter Altgeld – former Union troop, Illinois governor and leading figure of the Progressive Era movement
• Edward L. Bader – politician who served as mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey
• William B. Bader – Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs 1999–2001
• Gary Bauer – politician
• Martin Baum – former Mayor of Cincinnati, fought with General Anthony Wayne at the Battle of Fallen Timbers^[471][472]
• John Boehner – Republican House Majority Leader in the 109th Congress, and a U.S. representative from Ohio's 8th congressional district^[473]
• William C. Bouck – Governor of the New York, 1843–1844^[474]
• Philip Becker – Mayor of Buffalo, New York, serving 1876–1877 and 1886–1889
• Martin Grove Brumbaugh – Pennsylvania's 25th Governor (Republican)
• Warren E. Burger – former Chief Justice of the United States^[396]
• Henry Burk – former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
• George W. Bush – American President (2001–2009)^[475]
• Earl Lauer Butz – Secretary of Agriculture under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford
• Hiester Clymer – former political leader from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Kent Conrad – U.S. Senator from North Dakota
• William Q. Dallmeyer – Missouri politician
• Tom Daschle – U.S. Senator from South Dakota, 1987–2005, former Senate Majority Leader
• William J. Diehl – served as Mayor of Pittsburgh, 1899–1901, a thirty-third degree mason
• George Anthony Dondero – U.S. Representative from Michigan.
• Sean Duffy – U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 7th congressional district
• Gerhard Anton (Anthony) Eickhoff – journalist, editor, author, lawyer, United States Congress representative of New York City, United States Treasury auditor and New York City Fire Commissioner
• Dwight D. Eisenhower – Five-star Army general and U.S. president^[476]
• Jesse E. Eschbach – judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana and a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
• Timothy Geithner – U.S. Secretary of the Treasury^[477]
• Dick Gephardt – U.S. Congressman, 1977–2005^[478][479]
• James Lawrence Getz – member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
• William Goebel – controversial politician who served as Governor of Kentucky for a few days in 1900 before being assassinated
• Richard W. Guenther – 19th-century politician and pharmacist from Wisconsin
• Charles Godfrey Gunther – Mayor of New York, 1864–1866
• Chuck Hagel – U.S. Senator and Secretary of Defense^[480]
• Louis M. Haffen – two-time Bronx, New York Borough President, 1898–1909^[481]
• John Paul Hammerschmidt – served for 13 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas^[482]
• William Havemeyer – served three times as the Mayor of New York City: 1845–1846, 1848–1849 and 1873–1874
• Julius Heil – Governor of Wisconsin, 1939–1943
• H. Robert Heller – Governor, Federal Reserve System, 1986–1989 and President of VISA U.S.A.
• Isaac Ellmaker Hiester – political leader in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Joseph Hiester – Governor of Pennsylvania, 1820–1823^[483]
• William Muhlenberg Hiester – political and military leader in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• H. John Heinz III – member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania (1971–1977) and the United States Senate (1977–1991) and son of H. J. Heinz II (heir to the H. J. Heinz Company)
• Gustav A. Hoff (1852 – 1930) = German-born American politician and businessman active in Arizona Territory^[484]
• Herbert Hoover – U.S. President^[485]
• Arthur W. Hummel, Jr. – U.S. ambassador
• Don Hummel – businessman and politician
• Darrell Issa – businessman and U.S. Representative from California
• Philip Mayer Kaiser – former U.S. diplomat
• Vera Katz – 45th mayor of Portland, Oregon
• Steve King – U.S. Representative
• Henry Kissinger – former Secretary of State^[486]
• Matt Koehl leader of the American Nazi Party, which in 1983, influenced by esoteric Nazism, he renamed as the New Order
• Gustav Koerner – Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, 1853–1857, U.S. ambassador to Spain, and one of the original Dreissiger^[487]
• Louis Kuehnle – politician; considered a pioneer in the growing resort town of Atlantic City in the late 1880s
• John Christian Kunkel – former Whig and Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
• Tom Loeffler – former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from central Texas
• Richard Lugar – U.S. Senator from Indiana
• Judy Martz – 22nd Governor of Montana
• Christopher Gustavus Memminger – first Confederate States Secretary of the Treasury, 1861–1864^[488]
• Baron Otfried Hans von Meusebach – Prussian bureaucrat, later an American farmer, politician, and member of the Texas Senate
• Frederick Muhlenberg – minister and politician who was the first Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
• Peter Muhlenberg – clergyman, a soldier and a politician of the Colonial, Revolutionary, and Post-Revolutionary eras in Pennsylvania*
• Karl E. Mundt - U.S. Senator and Congressman
• Paul Henry Nitze – Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient^[489]
• Richard Nixon – American President; of English, Irish and German ancestries
• Barack Obama – American President; mother, Ann Dunham, has German ancestors who arrived in America in 1750^[490]
• Sarah Palin – former Governor of Alaska; Republican nominee for Vice President in 2008; both parents are of partial German ancestry
• Ron Paul – former U.S. Congressman from Texas
• Henry Paulson – United States Secretary of the Treasury
• Tim Pawlenty – former Governor of Minnesota; mother was of German descent
• Horace Porter – decorated Union soldier and diplomat; son of David Rittenhouse Porter, a wealthy ironmaster who later served as Governor of Pennsylvania
• Reince Priebus – chairman of the Republican National Committee and also a previous chair of the Republican Party of Wisconsin^[491][492]
• Luke Ravenstahl – Pittsburgh mayor^[493][494]
• Denny Rehberg – Lieutenant Governor of Montana, 1991–1997 and U.S. representative for Montana's at-large congressional district, 2001–2013
• Jim Risch – former Governor of Idaho
• Nelson Rockefeller – Governor of New York and forty-first Vice President of the United States
• Winthrop Rockefeller – politician and philanthropist who served as the first Republican Governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction
• Brian Roehrkasse – spokesman at the United States Justice Department under the administration of George W. Bush^[495]
• Dana Rohrabacher – Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1989, currently representing California's 46th congressional district^[495]
• Mitt Romney - Governor of Massachusetts
• Theodore Roosevelt – U.S. President^[496]
• Donald Rumsfeld – former Secretary of Defense
• Edward Salomon – Governor of Wisconsin during the Civil War
• Edward S. Salomon – Union brigadier general in the Civil War, later became governor of Washington Territory and a California legislator
• George E. Sangmeister – Senator and Congressman from Illinois; served in various elected public offices, 1972–1994
• Harry Sauthoff – lawyer, Wisconsin State Senator, also served in the United States House of Representatives
• Gustav Schleicher – U.S. Representative from Texas, serving briefly in Texas legislature and veteran of the Confederate Army^[497]
• Solomon Scheu – mayor of Buffalo, New York, in office 1878–1880
• Steve Schmidt – campaign strategist
• Gustav A. Schneebeli – former U.S. Representative from the state of Pennsylvania
• Frederick A. Schroeder – industrialist and politician^[498][499]
• Terry Schrunk – politician who served as the mayor for the city of Portland, Oregon, 1957–1973
• Mark S. Schweiker – 44th Governor of the Pennsylvania
• Richard Schultz Schweiker – former U.S. Congressman and Senator representing the state of Pennsylvania, later the Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Cabinet of President Ronald Reagan
• Carl Schurz – statesman and reformer, and Union Army general in the American Civil War^[500]
• John Andrew Shulze – Pennsylvania political leader and 6th Governor of Pennsylvania, a member of the Muhlenberg family political dynasty
• Emil Seidel – Mayor of Milwaukee, 1910–1912; the first Socialist mayor of a major city in the United States, and ran as the Vice Presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America in the 1912 presidential election^[501]
• August Siemering – writer, political leader and Forty-Eighter
• Al Smith - Governor of New York
• Jackie Speier – U.S. Representative, California's 12th and 14th districts, serving since 2008; father was a German immigrant^[502]
• Harold Edward Stassen^{[503][504][505][506]} was the 25th Governor of Minnesota, 1939–1943
• Richard Fred Suhrheinrich – judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit^[495]
• Brian Schweitzer – served as the 23rd Governor of Montana
• Strom Thurmond - United States Senator
• Donald Trump – 45th President of the United States.
• Jesse Ventura – former Governor of Minnesota (1999–2003), his mother is of Hungarian-German descent
• Ferdinand E. Volz – Mayor of Pittsburgh, 1854–1856
• Robert F. Wagner – U.S. Senator from New York, 1927–1949^[507]
• Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. – politician who has served as a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and Governor of Connecticut
• Wendell Willkie – lawyer and the Republican nominee for the 1940 presidential election
• Robert Zoellick – eleventh president of the World Bank, former United States Deputy Secretary of State and U.S. Trade Representative

Religious

• Joseph Breuer – leader of the Orthodox Jewish community of Washington Heights, Manhattan; very well known for his involvement in setting up an Orthodox Jewish infrastructure in post-World War II America
• Conrad Beissel – religious leader who in 1732 founded the Ephrata Community in Pennsylvania^[508]
• Raymond Philip Etteldorf – Roman Catholic Archbishop and author
• George J. Geis – Baptist missionary in Kachin State, Burma^[509]
• Robert Graetz – Lutheran clergyman^[510]
• Barbara Heck – 1768 – founder of the first Methodist church in New York^[511]
• Samuel Hirsch – philosopher and rabbi
• Arthur W. Hummel, Sr. – Christian missionary to China and Sinologist
• Johannes Kelpius – pietist, mystic, musician, and writer, interested in the occult, botany, and astronomy, came to believe with his followers in the "Society of the Woman in the Wilderness"
• Kathryn Kuhlman – 20th-century faith healer and Pentecostal arm of Protestant Christianity^[512]
• Barbara Heinemann Landmann – spiritual leader of the Amana Colonies
• Alexander Mack – Germantown, Pennsylvania New World religious leader^[513]
• Christian Metz – inspirationalist^[514]
• Albert Gregory Meyer – Roman Catholic Archbishop of Chicago
• Henry Moeller – Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cincinnati
• Heinrich Melchior Muhlenberg – Lutheran clergyman^[515]
• Richard John Neuhaus – clergyman (first a Lutheran pastor and then a Roman Catholic priest), theologian, and ethicist
• St. John Neumann – Bishop of Philadelphia (1852–60) and the first American bishop to be canonized
• Reinhold Niebuhr – Protestant theologian best known for his work relating the Christian faith to the realities of modern politics and diplomacy
• William Passavant – Lutheran minister noted for bringing the Lutheran Deaconess movement to the United States^[516]
• George Rapp – founder of the religious sect called Harmonists, Harmonites, Rappites, or the Harmony Society^[517]
• George Erik Rupp – educator and theologian, the former President of Rice University and later of Columbia University, and president of the International Rescue Committee
• Theodore Emanuel Schmauk – Lutheran minister, educator, author and Church theologian, one of the organizers of the Pennsylvania Dutch Society (1891)
• Theodore Schneider – second bishop of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C., synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Francis Xavier Seelos – Roman Catholic missionary priest beatified in 2000^[518]
• Joseph Strub – founder of what is today Duquesne University, which was called the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost until 1911^[519]
• Billy Sunday – evangelist
• Paul Tillich – Protestant theologian and Christian existentialist philosopher
• C. F. W. Walther – Lutheran clergyman, professor, seminary president, editor, and first president of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod
• Donald Wuerl – prelate of the Roman Catholic Church^[520]
• Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf – founded the town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where his daughter Benigna organized the school that would become Moravian College^[521]
• Dieter F. Uchtdorf – apostle and current second counselor in the First Presidency within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; born in the Czech Republic to German parents, Uchtdorf immigrated to the United States as a retired pilot to serve full-time as a general authority for his Church and became an American citizen shortly after joining the First Presidency in 2008.

Scientists and inventors

Wernher von Braun, rockets and spaceships

• David Alter – inventor, physicist and doctor^[522]
• Reinhold Aman – chemical engineer and publisher of Maledicta^[523]
• Othmar Ammann – civil engineer^[524]
• Rudolf Arnheim – author, art and film theorist, and perceptual psychologist; learned Gestalt psychology from studying under Max Wertheimer and Wolfgang Köhler at the University of Berlin and applied it to art^[525]
• Walter Baade – astronomer^[526]
• Earl W. Bascom – inventor of rodeo equipment^[527]
• Max Bentele – pioneer in the field of jet aircraft turbines and mechanical engineering^[528]
• Hans Albrecht Bethe – nuclear physicist who won a Nobel Prize in physics for his work on the nuclear energy sources of stars (1967)
• Franz Boas – anthropologist and ethnologist best known for his work with the Kwakiutl Indians in British Columbia, Canada
• Karl Brandt – economist^[529]
• Magnus von Braun – chemical engineer, Luftwaffe aviator, and rocket scientist at Peenemünde, the Mittelwerk, and after emigrating to the United States via Operation Paperclip, at Fort Bliss; brother of Wernher von Braun^[530]
• Wernher von Braun – rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect^[531]
• Florian Cajori – mathematician^[532]
• Werner Dahm – NASA rocket scientist^[533][534]
• Hans Georg Dehmelt – physicist^[535]
• Max Delbrück – biophysicist^[536][537]
• Krafft Arnold Ehricke – rocket-propulsion engineer^[538]
• Ernst R. G. Eckert – scientist^[539]
• Otto Eckstein – economist^[540]
• Albert Einstein – theoretical physicist, philosopher and author, of Jewish descent^[541]
• George Engelmann – botanist^[542]
• Katherine Esau – botanist^[543]
• Edmond H. Fischer – biochemist^[544]
• James Franck – physicist^[545]
• Frieda Fromm-Reichmann – psychoanalyst, founded William Alanson White Institute^[546]
• Ernst Geissler – NASA aerospace engineer^[547]
• William Paul Gerhard – sanitary engineer
• Ivan A. Getting – physicist and electrical engineer, credited (along with Roger L. Easton and Bradford Parkinson) with the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS)
• Edward Glaeser – economist and Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics at Harvard University^[548]
• Heinrich Göbel – precision mechanic and inventor, who was long seen as an early pioneer who independently developed designs for an incandescent light bulb, though this claim is seen as unlikely today
• Maria Goeppert-Mayer – Nobel Prize-winning physicist^[549]
• John P. Grotzinger – Fletcher Jones Professor of Geology at California Institute of Technology under the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences
• Martin Gruebele – biophysicist and Computational biologist, currently associated with many departments at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Dietrich Gruen – timepiece or wristwatch maker; founded the Gruen Watch Company in Ohio^[550]
• Helmut Gröttrup – rocket scientist
• Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht – literary theorist and professor at Stanford University
• Walter Haeussermann – NASA rocket scientist^[551]
• Ewald Heer - aerospace engineer
• Michael Heidelberger – regarded as the father of modern immunology
• Holger Henke – political scientist
• Herman Hollerith – inventor of tabulating machines^[552]
• Karen Horney – psychoanalyst^[553]
• Edmund C. Jaeger – naturalist
• Donald J. Kessler – astrophysicist
• Siegfried Knemeyer – aviation technologist, civilian employee and consultant with the United States Air Force for over twenty years
• Wolfgang Köhler – psychologist^[554]
• Heinrich Klüver – psychologist, largely credited with introducing Gestalt psychology to the United States in the early 20th century^[555]
• Polykarp Kusch – physicist^[556]
• Berthold Laufer – anthropologist, historical geographer
• Willy Ley – science writer and space advocate who helped popularise rocketry and spaceflight^[557][558]
• Jacques Loeb – biologist, Nobel Prize candidate
• Leo Loeb – biologist, pathologist
• Ottmar Mergenthaler – linotype inventor^[559]
• Hugo Münsterberg – psychologist, pioneered applied psychology
• Emmy Noether – mathematician
• Robert Oppenheimer – physicist and director of the Manhattan Project, also known as "The Father of the Atomic Bomb"^[560]
• Robert F. Overmyer – test pilot and USAF and NASA astronaut^[561]
• Charles Francis Richter – seismologist, inventor of the Richter magnitude scale
• David Rittenhouse – astronomer, inventor, mathematician, surveyor, scientific instrument craftsman, public official and first director of the United States Mint^[562][563]
• Eileen Rockefeller Growald – founder and former president of the Institute for the Advancement of Health
• Gunther E. Rothenberg – military historian, professor at Purdue University and elsewhere, of Jewish descent^[564]
• Otto Schaden – Egyptologist^[565]
• Hermann Irving Schlesinger – inorganic chemist, working in boron chemistry, co-discovered sodium borohydride in 1940
• Frank Schlesinger – astronomer^[566]
• Alfred Schütz – philosopher/sociologist^[567]
• Rusty Schweickart – astronaut
• Lewis David de Schweinitz – botanist and mycologist, "Father of American Mycology"
• Frederick Seitz – physicist, co-inventor of the Wigner-Seitz unit cell, which is an important concept in solid state physics^[568]
• Herbert A. Simon – political scientist
• Lyman Spitzer – theoretical physicist, astronomer and mountaineer
• Charles Proteus Steinmetz – electrical engineer, fostered development of alternating current
• Adam Steltzner – NASA engineer who works for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), flight projects including Galileo, Cassini, Mars Pathfinder, Mars Exploration Rovers^[569]
• Joseph Strauss – structural engineer and designer, chief engineer of the Golden Gate Bridge^[570]
• Otto Stern – physicist and Nobel laureate, known for his studies of molecular beams^[571]
• Frederick Traugott Pursh – botanist^[572]
• George Waldbott – physician, allergy and fluoride specialist
• David Wechsler – psychologist^[573]
• Hellmuth Walter – engineer who pioneered research into rocket engines and gas turbines^[574]
• Victor Frederick Weisskopf – World War II physicist, working at Los Alamos on the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb, and later campaigned against the proliferation of nuclear weapons; medal received in 1979^[575]
• Gustave Whitehead – aviation pioneer, built first motorized plane^[576]
• Eckard Wimmer – virologist, Distinguished Professor of molecular genetics and microbiology at Stony Brook University; known for the first chemical synthesis of a viral genome capable of infection and subsequent production of live viruses
• Louis Wirth, sociologist
• Caspar Wistar – physician and anatomist
• Albert Wohlstetter – nuclear scientist
• Max August Zorn – algebraist, group theorist, and numerical analyst

Sports

Baseball

Honus Wagner

Babe Ruth

Lou Gehrig

Lou Bierbauer

Bill Dahlen

Orel Hershiser

Carl Hubbell

Erskine Mayer

Barney Pelty

Max Scherzer

Mike Schmidt

Scott Schoeneweis

Frank Schulte

Kyle Schwarber

• Chris von der Ahe – best known as the owner of the St. Louis Brown Stockings of the American Association, now known as the St. Louis Cardinals
• Trevor Bauer – professional baseball pitcher in MLB
• Chris Beck – pitcher for the Chicago White Sox
• Heinz Becker – Major League Baseball first baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs (1943, 1945–46) and Cleveland Indians (1946–47)^[577]
• Zinn Beck – Major League Baseball third baseman, shortstop and first baseman who went on to become a minor league manager and baseball scout^[578]
• Heinie Beckendorf – former MLB catcher
• Joe Benz – former pitcher for the Chicago White Sox; threw a no-hitter^[579]
• Lou Bierbauer – former second baseman in MLB during the late 1880s and 1890s; credited with giving the Pittsburgh Pirates their name
• Mike Blowers – former MLB third baseman and first baseman; current Seattle Mariners radio commentator
• Brennan Boesch – professional baseball outfielder in MLB^[580]
• Ted Breitenstein – former MLB pitcher and part of the "Pretzel Battery" with Heinie Peitz^[581]
• Clay Buchholz – MLB pitcher for the Boston Red Sox
• Taylor Buchholz – MLB pitcher
• Mark Buehrle – MLB pitcher
• Fritz Buelow – former MLB
• Jay Buhner – former MLB player
• Madison Bumgarner – MLB pitcher for the San Francisco Giants^[582]
• Roger Clemens – former MLB pitcher^[583]
• Bill Dahlen – former MLB shortstop^[584]
• Babe Danzig – first baseman in Major League Baseball^[585]
• Ross Detwiler – MLB pitcher
• Mel Deutsch – former MLB pitcher^[586]
• Barney Dreyfuss – baseball executive^[587]
• Ryne Duren – former relief pitcher in MLB
• Justin Duchscherer – MLB pitcher
• David Eckstein – MLB player and 2006 World Series MVP^[588]
• Mose Eggert – second baseman in Major League Baseball^[589]
• Jim Eisenreich – former MLB outfielder
• Kid Elberfeld – "The Tabasco Kid", former shortstop in MLB^[590]
• Jacoby Ellsbury – professional baseball center fielder
• Joe Engel – former left-handed pitcher and scout in MLB who spent nearly his entire career with the Washington Senators
• Henry Fabian – 60 years in professional baseball as player, manager, owner, innovator and groundskeeper^[591][592]
• Oscar Emil "Happy" Felsch – center fielder for the Chicago White Sox, best known for his involvement in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal^[593]
• David Freese – professional baseball player, 2011 NL Championship Series MVP Award and the 2011 World Series MVP Award winner^[594]
• Frank Frisch – former MLB player and manager^[595]
• Bruce Froemming – Major League Baseball Special Assistant to the Vice President on Umpiring, after having served as an umpire in Major League Baseball^[596]
• Gene Garber – former MLB player
• Ron Gardenhire – former New York Mets player and current Minnesota Twins manager
• Lou Gehrig – MLB player^[597]
• Charlie Gehringer – MLB second baseman who played nineteen seasons (1924–1942) for the Detroit Tigers^[347]
• Charlie "Pretzels" Getzein – former MLB pitcher^[598][599]
• Troy Glaus – former MLB third baseman
• Paul Goldschmidt – MLB first baseman
• Charlie Grimm – former MLB player
• Justin Grimm – MLB relief pitcher
• Heinie Groh – third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds and New York Giants
• Travis Hafner – Cleveland Indians designated hitter
• Noodles Hahn – former pitcher in MLB
• Ian Happ – second baseman for the Chicago Cubs.^[600]
• Roy Hartzell – MLB player 1906–1916
• Arnold Hauser – former shortstop in MLB
• Harry Heilmann – Hall of Fame MLB player and World War I Veteran^[601]
• Fred Heimach – former MLB pitcher and part of the "Murderer's Row" Yankee teams
• Tommy Henrich - nicknamed "The Clutch" and "Old Reliable", was a professional baseball player^[602]
• Tom Herr – former second baseman in MLB
• August Herrmann – executive in Major League Baseball^[603][604]
• Orel Hershiser – former MLB pitcher^[605]
• Buck Herzog – infielder and manager in MLB
• Whitey Herzog – MLB outfielder, scout, coach, manager, general manager and farm system director
• Shea Hillenbrand – baseball player
• Dick Hoblitzel – MLB first baseman^[606]
• Billy Hoeft – former pitcher in MLB
• Barbara Hoffman – All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
• Glenn Hubbard – former Atlanta Braves and Oaklands Athletics player and current Braves' coach
• Carl Hubbell – Hall of Fame screwball pitcher in MLB
• John Hummel – former MLB utility player
• Brock Huntzinger – MLB free agent
• Jason Isringhausen – relief pitcher in MLB
• Edwin Jackson – pitcher in MLB
• Derek Jeter – former professional baseball shortstop who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB)^[607]
• Jeff Karstens – pitcher in MLB
• Pop Kelchner – college professor who spoke seven languages; prolific scout in Major League Baseball^[608]
• Alex Kellner – MLB Pitcher^[609]
• Walt Kellner – MLB Pitcher^[609]
• Dean Kiekhefer – MLB relief pitcher
• Chuck Klein – former MLB outfielder
• Johnny Kling – former MLB catcher
• Bob Knepper – former MLB all-star pitcher^[610]
• Chuck Knoblauch – former second baseman in MLB
• Mark Koenig – former shortstop for the New York Yankees, 1925–1936^[361]
• Howie Koplitz – Howie best known as the Base Ball Pitcher for the 1961 Tigers and then the Senators until 1966^[611]
• Rick Kranitz – MLB pitching coach
• Erik Kratz – MLB catcher
• Harvey Kuenn – player, coach and manager in MLB^[612]
• Randy Keisler – former MLB pitcher
• Dallas Keuchel – MLB pitcher
• Bowie Kuhn – former commissioner of MLB^[613]
• Kenesaw Mountain Landis – while serving as a Federal judge, Landis, an ardent baseball fan, was selected as chairman of a new National Commission of baseball
• Charley Lau – American League catcher and hitting coach, authored 'How to Hit .300'^[614]
• Charlie Leibrandt – former MLB pitcher^[615]
• Craig Lefferts – former MLB pitcher
• Jon Lieber – MLB pitcher
• Jesse Litsch – MLB pitcher
• Hans Lobert – infielder, coach, manager and scout in MLB
• Kyle Lohse – MLB pitcher
• Chuck Machemehl – former Cleveland Indians pitcher^[616]
• Heinie Manush – Hall of Fame left-fielder in MLB
• Nick Markakis – outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles^[617]
• Erskine Mayer – MLB pitcher
• Heinie Meine – sometimes "Heinie" Meine, was a professional baseball player^[618]
• Fred Merkle – first baseman in Major League Baseball, 1907–1926^[619]
• Bob Meusel – former MLB shortstop
• Emil Meusel – former MLB outfielder
• Bill Mueller – retired MLB third baseman
• Freddie Muller – infielder in Major League Baseball^[620]
• Les Mueller – former MLB pitcher^[621]
• Walter Mueller – former professional baseball player who played outfield in MLB 1922–1926
• Chris Nabholz – former starting pitcher in MLB
• Jeff Niemann – pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays
• Brett Oberholtzer – MLB pitcher
• Ross Ohlendorf – MLB pitcher
• Daniel Ortmeier – MLB pitcher
• Fritz Ostermueller – pitcher in MLB 1934–1948
• Barney Pelty – MLB pitcher
• Heinie Peitz – former MLB catcher and part of the "Pretzel Battery" with Ted Breitenstein^{[622][623][624][625]}
• Dick Radatz – "The Monster" or "Moose", relief pitcher in MLB
• Rick Reuschel – former MLB pitcher
• Rick Rhoden – former Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher and current golf professional
• John Rocker – former MLB reliever and controversial figure
• Oscar Roettger – first baseman and right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball^[626][627]
• Wally Roettger – outfielder in Major League Baseball^[626][627]
• Trevor Rosenthal – MLB Pitcher
• Babe Ruth – MLB player 1914–1935^[628]
• Germany Schaefer – former second baseman in MLB who played fifteen seasons^[629]
• Jordan Schafer – MLB player
• Ray Schalk – MLB catcher
• Bobby Shantz – MLB pitcher
• Scott Schebler – outfielder in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization
• Bob Scheffing – baseball player, coach, manager and front-office executive
• Max Scherzer – MLB pitcher^[630]
• Curt Schilling – MLB pitcher
• Ryan Schimpf – former LSU Tigers baseball and MLB infielder^[631]
• Gus Schmelz – MLB manager
• Jason Schmidt – MLB baseball pitcher
• Mike Schmidt – former Philadelphia Phillies third baseman and Hall of Famer
• Frank Schneiberg – pitcher in Major League Baseball^[632]
• Brian Schneider – MLB catcher
• Red Schoendienst – former player, coach and manager in MLB
• Scott Schoeneweis – MLB relief pitcher
• Marge Schott – managing general partner, president and CEO of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds franchise, 1984–1999
• Paul Schrieber – MLB umpire
• Al Schroll - MLB baseball pitcher^[633]
• Heinie Schuble – former MLB infielder
• John Schuerholz – general manager of the Atlanta Braves
• Frank Schulte – right fielder in Major League Baseball^[634]
• Joe Schultz – catcher, coach and manager in MLB
• Joe Schultz, Sr – Joe "Germany" Schultz, outfielder and farm system director in MLB and a manager in minor league baseball
• Skip Schumaker – outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals
• Blackie Schwamb – former St. Louis Browns pitcher and contract killer
• Kyle Schwarber – MLB catcher^[635]
• J. B. Shuck – outfielder for the Chicago White Sox
• John Smoltz – pitcher for the Atlanta Braves^[636]
• Travis Snider – outfielder in MLB
• Warren Spahn – Hall of Fame pitcher in MLB
• Justin Speier – relief pitcher
• Rusty Staub – MLB player for 23 seasons (1963–1985)
• Terry Steinbach – former catcher in MLB
• Hank Steinbrenner – art-owner and Senior Vice President of the New York Yankees, along with his brother Hal Steinbrenner
• Harry Steinfeldt – MLB utility infielder^[637]
• Casey Stengel – MLB player and manager, early 1910s – 1960s.
• Stephen Strasburg – MLB pitcher
• Bruce Sutter – Hall of Fame right-handed relief pitcher in MLB
• Nick Swisher – infielder in MLB
• Duke Snider – Hall of Fame MLB center fielder^[638]
• Jake Thielman – MLB pitcher^[639]
• Jack Thoney – reserve outfielder / infielder in Major League Baseball who played from 1902 through 1911^[640]
• Peter Ueberroth – executive, served as commissioner of MLB, 1984–1989^[641]
• Bob Uecker – former MLB player and award-winning sportscaster, comedian, and actor
• Jim Umbricht – former MLB pitcher^[642]
• Frank Viola – former starting pitcher in MLB
• Chris von der Ahe – entrepreneur and owner of the St. Louis Browns of the National League, now known as the Cardinals
• Fritz Von Kolnitz – Major League Baseball third baseman^[643]
• Doug Waechter – MLB pitcher, currently a free agent
• Billy Wagner – MLB closer
• Heinie Wagner – former MLB shortstop for the New York Giants and the Boston Red Sox
• Honus Wagner – former Pittsburgh Pirate Hall of Fame shortstop, manager and hitting instructor^[644]
• Bill Wambsganss – second baseman in MLB^[645]
• Duke Welker – MLB pitcher
• Jayson Werth – MLB outfielder
• Vic Wertz – former MLB first baseman and outfielder
• Hoyt Wilhelm – Hall of Fame knuckleball pitcher in MLB
• Nick Wittgren – pitcher with the Miami Marlins
• Shawn Wooten – former MLB player
• Michael Wuertz – MLB pitcher
• Christian Yelich – MLB outfielder, great-grandson of Fred Gehrke^[646][647]
• Ryan Zimmerman – MLB player
• Jordan Zimmermann – MLB pitcher
• Ben Zobrist – MLB second baseman
• Bill Zuber – MLB pitcher, 1936–1947

Football

Tom Brady

David Diehl

John Heisman

Mitchell Schwartz

Wes Welker

• John Alt – former offensive tackle in the NFL
• Kroy Biermann – NFL defensive end
• Tom Brady – quarterback, one of only two players to win five Super Bowls^[648]
• Dave Butz – NFL defensive lineman, selected to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team
• Gunther Cunningham – football defensive coordinator for the NFL Kansas City Chiefs^[649]
• Fritz Crisler – NCAA football coach
• David Diehl – football player and NFL offensive lineman^[650]
• Dan Dierdorf – former NFL football player and current television sportscaster
• Conrad Dobler – former offensive lineman
• Chris Doering – former college and professional football player; wide receiver in the NFL^[651]
• Dave Duerson – safety in the NFL, two-time Super Bowl Champion
• Zach Ertz – tight end in the NFL^[652]
• Kirk Ferentz – head coach of University of Iowa Hawkeyes football
• Fred Gehrke – NFL halfback / defensive back and executive. Great-grandfather of Milwaukee Brewers left fielder, Christian Yelich^[653]
• Jared Goff – quarterback^[654]
• Bob Griese – Hall of Fame quarterback
• Al Groh – NCCA Virginia football head coach and former NFL coach
• Hinkey Haines – NFL player and MLB player
• Don Hasselbeck – NFL
• Matt Hasselbeck – NFL football player
• Tim Hasselbeck – ESPN analyst and former professional quarterback
• Keith Heinrich – NFL tight end
• John Heisman – football player, coach, and namesake of the Heisman Trophy^[655]
• Kirk Herbstreit – former Ohio State University quarterback and analyst for ESPN's College GameDay
• Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch – running back and receiver for the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Rockets, nicknamed for his unusual running style
• Domenik Hixon – NFL wide receiver
• Jeff Hostetler – former NFL quarterback^[656]
• Harvey Jablonsky – football player and U.S. Army Veteran who was a 'highly decorated veteran' of both World War II and later in his career the Vietnam War, elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1978^[657][658]
• Brett Keisel – defensive end for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Dan Kreider – fullback in the NFL
• Dave Krieg – former NFL Seattle Seahawks quarterback
• Clint Kriewaldt – linebacker in the NFL
• Luke Kuechly – linebacker in the National Football League^[659]
• John Kuhn – fullback, currently playing for the Green Bay Packers
• Kory Lichtensteiger – NFL center
• Lex Luger – former football player and professional wrestler
• Todd Marinovich – former NFL American and Canadian football quarterback
• Zach Mettenberger – LSU and NFL quarterback
• Christian Mohr – NFL defensive end
• Nesser Brothers – group of football playing brothers who helped make up the most famous football family in the United States, 1907–mid-1920s
  • John Nesser: born April 25, 1875 in Triere, Germany, and died August 1, 1931, in Columubus, Ohio
  • John Peter Nesser: born October 22, 1877 in Triere, Germany, and died May 29, 1954, in Columbus, Ohio
  • Philipp Gregory Nesser: born December 10, 1880, in Triere, Germany, and died May 9, 1959, in Columbus, Ohio
  • Theodore H. (Ted) Nesser: born April 8, 1883, in Dennison, Ohio, and died June 7, 1941, in Columbus, Ohio
  • Frederick William Nesser: born September 10, 1887, in Columbus, Ohio, and died July 2, 1967, in Columbus, Ohio
  • Francis Raymond (Frank) Nesser: born June 3, 1889, in Columbus, Ohio, and died January 1, 1953, in Columbus, Ohio
  • Alfred Louis Nesser: born June 6, 1893, in Columbus, Ohio, and died March 11, 1967, in Columbus, Ohio
  • Raymond Joseph Nesser: born March 22, 1898, in Columbus, Ohio, and died September 2, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio^[660][661]
• Rick Neuheisel – football coach
• Ray Nitschke – Hall of Fame football player
• Brock Osweiler – NFL quarterback
• Tyler Ott – long snapper^[662]
• Jim Otto – former Oakland Raider offensive lineman
• Robin Pflugrad – college football coach^[663]
• Ricky Proehl – former NFL wide receiver, two-time Super Bowl Champion
• George Ratterman – former player in the All-America Football Conference and the NFL
• Ben Roethlisberger – Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback of Swiss-German descent, two-time Super Bowl Champion
• George Sauer – former American football player, coach, college sports administrator, and professional football executive^[664]
• George Sauer, Jr. – wide receiver who played six seasons for the American Football League's New York Jets^[665]
• Matt Schaub – NFL quarterback
• Bo Schembechler – former NCAA football coach at the University of Michigan
• Anthony Schlegel – former linebacker^[666]
• Cory Schlesinger – NFL fullback
• Blake Schlueter – former American football and NCAA TCU center
• Francis Schmidt – college football coach inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
• Joe Schmidt – former 1950s NFL football player and coach
• Owen Schmitt – NFL fullback
• John Schneider – professional American football player in the Ohio League and the early National Football League for the Columbus Panhandles
• John Schneider – professional American football executive
• Joe Schobert – linebacker^[667]
• Turk Schonert – former NFL quarterback
• Jay Schroeder – former professional quarterback in the NFL
• Geoff Schwartz – NFL offensive lineman
• Mitchell Schwartz – NFL offensive tackle
• Jim Schwartz – NFL head coach
• Stephen Spach – NFL tight end^[668]
• Matt Spaeth – tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Roger Staubach – Heisman Trophy winner and Hall of Fame quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys
• Eric Steinbach – NFL offensive lineman
• Zach Strief – NFL offensive lineman
• Zach Sudfeld – NFL tight end
• Nate Sudfeld – quarterback
• Mike Tannenbaum – professional football executive, who is currently the Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the Miami Dolphins and former general manager for the New York Jets
• Jim Tressel – college head football coach
• Brian Urlacher – Pro Bowl linebacker for the Chicago Bears
• Sebastian Vollmer – NFL offensive Lineman
• Kimo von Oelhoffen – NFL linebacker
• Uwe von Schamann – former NFL kicker
• Mike Wagner – safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, 1971–1980; member of the famed Steel Curtain defense; played in two Pro Bowls
• Charlie Weis – NFL football coach
• Wes Welker – NFL wide receiver, punt returner, and kick returner
• Carson Wentz – football quarterback for the North Dakota State Bison^[299]
• Björn Werner – NFL linebacker^[669]
• Matt Wilhelm – NFL linebacker
• Danny Wuerffel – former NFL quarterback and 1996 Heisman Trophy winner
• Zach Zenner – NFL running back
• Jim Zorn – Seattle Seahawks quarterback

Basketball

Dirk Nowitzki

Adolph Rupp

• Uwe Blab – former NBA center
• Dirk Nowitzki – German player for Dallas Mavericks in NBA who applied for U.S. citizenship in 2011
• Jim Boeheim – Syracuse University NCAA basketball coach
• Carlos Boozer – professional basketball player born in West Germany in a U.S. Army base
• Shawn Bradley – former center in the NBA and for the German national basketball team
• Carl Braun – professional basketball player and coach
• Jon Brockman – professional basketball player
• Jud Buechler – former guard/forward with the NBA Chicago Bulls
• Jon Diebler – professional basketball player
• Demond Greene – professional basketball player for the German national team
• Isaiah Hartenstein – NBA Power Forward / Center^[670]
• Fred Hetzel – retired NBA basketball player
• Kirk Hinrich – NBA guard for the Chicago Bulls
• Phil Jackson – New York Knicks team president, former NBA player and coach; Jackson's mother was part of a German Mennonite family^[671]
• Chris Kaman – center for the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA and for the German national basketball team (dual citizen of the United States and of Germany)^[672]
• Lon Kruger – professional and college basketball coach^[673]
• Jon Leuer – professional basketball player
• Rebecca Lobo – television basketball analyst and a former player in the professional Women's National Basketball Association^[674]
• Drew Neitzel – All-American NCAA basketball player
• Jeff Neubauer – Western Kentucky University NCAA basketball coach
• Greg Ostertag – NBA center
• Steve Prohm – college basketball coach^[675]
• Anthony Randolph – professional basketball player born in West Germany in a U.S. Army base
• Adolph Rupp – college basketball coach and Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member^[676]
• Detlef Schrempf – former NBA All-Star forward
• Akeem Vargas – professional basketball player for the German national team
• Jeff Walz – head coach of the women's basketball team at the University of Louisville

Wrestling, mixed martial arts, and boxing

Max Baer

• Max Baer – boxer, heavyweight champion of the world^[685]
• Mac Danzig – professional mixed martial arts fighter and instructor, and is a former lightweight champion for the King of the Cage and Gladiator Challenge mixed martial arts organizations
• Harry Greb – boxer, Middleweight champion. Nicknamed "The Pittsburgh Windmill"
• April Hunter – professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet and fitness and glamour model
• David Schultz – retired professional wrestler, known by his ring name "Dr. D"
• Ryan Schultz – professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, currently fighting for the Portland Wolfpack of the International Fight League
• Chael Sonnen – professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, politician and actor
• Gus Sonnenberg – professional wrestler and boxer^[686]

First Ladies of the United States

(in order by their husband's presidency)

• Lucretia Garfield^[708]
• Florence Harding
• Pat Nixon

See also

• German-Americans in the Civil War
• List of Germans
• German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA
• German Texans
• List of German Texans
• German inventors and discoverers
• List of Amish and their descendants

References