Notable People of Switzerland
Architecture
* Francesco Borromini (1599-1667), architect in Italy
* Mario Botta (born 1943), architect
* Le Corbusier (Charles-Edouard Jeanneret), (1887-1965), architect
* Albert Frey (1903-1998), architect
* Jacques Herzog (born 1950), architect
* Pierre Jeanneret (1896-1967), architect
* William Lescaze (1896-1969)
* Carlo Maderno (1556-1629), architect in Italy
* Pierre de Meuron (born 1950), architect
* Hannes Meyer (1889-1954), architect, director of the Bauhaus Dessau
* Domenico Trezzini (1670-1734) architect in Saint Petersburg
Actors
* Ursula Andress (born 1936), actress
* Bruno Ganz (born 1941), actor
* Mathias Gnädinger (born 1941), actor
* Grock (1880-1959), clown
* Irène Jacob (born 1966), actress
* Liselotte Pulver (born 1929)
* Emil Steinberger (born 1933), comedian
Art
* Jacques-Laurent Agasse (1767-1849), painter
* Cuno Peter Amiet (1868-1961)
* Albert Anker (1831-1910)
* Jean Arp (1886-1966), sculptor, painter and poet
* René Auberjonois (1872-1957), painter
* François Bocion (1828-1890), painter
* Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901), painter
* Karl Bodmer (1809-1893), painter of the American West
* Mark Staff Brandl (born 1955), painter, installation artist, and critic
* Frank Buchser (1828-1890), painter
* Alexandre Calame (1810-1864), painter
* Jean Crotti (1878-1958), painter
* Jean Dunand (1877-1942), decorative artist, sculptor
* Hans Erni (born 1909)
* Fischli & Weiss (born 1946 & 1952), artist duo
* Johann Caspar Füssli (1706-1782), portrait painter
* Henry Fuseli (Johann Heinrich Füssli) (1741-1825), painter
* Johann Kaspar Füssli (1743-1786), entomologist
* Karl Gerstner (born 1930), graphic designer and painter
* Salomon Gessner (1730-1788)
* Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966), sculptor, painter
* H. R. Giger (born 1940), illustrator
* Anton Graff (1736-1813), painter
* Eugène Grasset (1845-1917), decorative artist
* Willi Gutmann (born 1927), sculptor
* Ferdinand Hodler (1853-1918), painter
* Max Huber (1919-1992), graphic designer
* Thomas Thü Hürlimann (born 1969), graphic designer, illustrator
* Angelica Kauffmann (1741-1807), painter
* Paul Klee (1879-1940), painter
* Rudolf Koller (1828-1905), painter
* Albert "Lindi" Lindegger (1904-1991), illustrator and painter
* Niklaus Manuel (1484-1530), painter
* Auguste de Niederhausern-Rodo (1863–1913), sculptor
* Roger Pfund (born 1943), painter, graphic designer
* James Pradier (1790-1852), sculptor
* Oskar Reinhart (1885-1965), collector
* Iris von Roten-Meyer (1917-1990), lawyer and artist
* Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002), sculptor, became Swiss in 1971
* Théophile Steinlen (1859-1923), painter and printmaker
* Niklaus Stoecklin (1896-1982), painter and graphic designer
* Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889-1943), painter, sculptor
* Jean Tinguely (1925-1991), kinetic artist
* Rodolphe Toepffer (1799-1846)
* Félix Vallotton (1865-1925), painter
* Marianne von Werefkin (1860-1938), painter
Aviation
* Oskar Bider (1891-1919)
* Henri Dufaux (1879-1980)
* Armand Dufaux (1883-1941)
* Walter Mittelholzer (1894-1937), pilot, director Ad Astra, Swissair
* Claude Nicollier (born 1944), pilot, astronaut
* Bertrand Piccard (born 1958), psychiatrist and balloonist
* Yves Rossy (born 1959), pilot, "jet-man"
* Eduard Spelterini (1852-1931), balloonist
Business
* Carl Franz Bally (1821-1899), founder of the Bally Shoe company
* Abraham Louis Breguet (1747-1823), watchmaker
* François-Louis Cailler (1796-1852), chocolatier
* Louis Chevrolet (1878-1941), automobile engineer
* Alfred Escher (1819-1882), statesman, businessman and railway constructor
* Hans Conrad Escher von der Linth (1767-1823), architect of the Lint melioration
* Louis Favre (1826-1879), engineer of the Gotthard tunnel
* Nicolas Hayek (born 1928), entrepreneur, chairman, Swatch Group
* Jürg Marquard (born 1945), magazine publisher
* Henri Nestlé (1814-1890), founder of Nestlé S.A.
* Georges Edouard Piaget (1855-1931), watchmaker
* Beat Fischer von Reichenbach (1641-1698), held postal monopoly in Berne
* Daniel Jean-Richard (1665-1741), watchmaker
* Philippe Suchard (1797-1884), chocolatier
* William de Vigier (1912-2003), entrepreneur
Filmmakers
* Claude Goretta (born 1929), director
* Markus Imhoof (born 1941), director
* Xavier Koller (born 1944), director
* Daniel Schmid (1941-2006), director
* Alain Tanner (born 1929), director
* Marc Forster (born 1969), director of such movies as: Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, or the James Bond movie Quantum of Solace
* Arthur Cohn (born 1927), film producer, received six Oscars
Linguistics
* Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913), linguist
Mathematics
* Daniel Bernoulli (1700-1782), mathematician and physicist
* Jakob Bernoulli (1654-1705), Swiss mathematician
* Johann Bernoulli (1667-1748), Swiss mathematician
* Armand Borel (1923-2003), mathematician
* Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), mathematician and geometer
* Michel Plancherel (1885-1967), mathematician
* Georges de Rham (1903-1990), mathematician
* Ludwig Schläfli (1814-1895), mathematician
* Jakob Steiner (1796-1863), mathematician and physicist
* Edward Kofler (1911-2007), mathematician
Military
* Pierre Victor Besenval de Bronstatt (1721-1791)
* Guillaume-Henri Dufour (1787-1875), General, geographer
* Joachim Forrer (1782-1833)
* Henri Guisan (1874-1960), General during WWII
* Hans Herzog (1819-1894), General 1870-1871
* Antoine-Henri Jomini (1779-1869), General, military writer
* Christophe Keckeis (born 1945), Chief of the Armed Forces (since 2004)
* Elmar Mäder, commander of the Swiss Guard (2002-)
* Franz Ludwig Pfyffer von Wyher (1716-1802)
* Pius Segmüller (born 1952), commander of the Swiss Guard (1998-2002)
* Theophil Sprecher von Bernegg (1850-1927)
* Ulrich Wille (1848-1925), General during WWI
Music
* Mia Aegerter (born 1976), pop musician
* Martin Eric Ain, Celtic Frost bassist
* Ernest Ansermet (1883-1969), conductor
* Lys Assia (born 1926), singer
* Chiara Banchini (born 1946), violinist, conductor
* Rene Baumann (born 1968), musician, dancer, known as DJ Bobo
* Urs Bühler (born 1971), tenor, member of Il Divo
* Dominik Burkhalter (born 1975), bandleader, composer, drummer
* Michel Corboz (born 1934), conductor
* Claudia D'Addio, pop musician, Eurovision Song Contest 2006 and MusicStars contestant
* Emile Jaques-Dalcroze (1865-1950), musician, educator, developer of Eurhythmics
* Philippe Decourroux (born 1962), Christian singer and drummer.
* Edwin Fischer (1886-1960), pianist and conductor
* Thomas Gabriel Fischer, Celtic Frost guitarist/singer
* Andreas Giger (born 1965), musicologist
* Peter Giger (born 1939), percussionist and bandleader
* Peter-Lukas Graf (born 1929), conductor
* Ernst Haefliger (born 1919), tenor
* Heinz Holliger (born 1939), oboe
* Arthur Honegger (1892-1955), composer
* Philippe Huttenlocher (born 1942), bass
* Christian Jacob (born 1958), jazz pianist
* Michael Jarrell (born 1958), composer
* Daniel Kandlbauer, pop musician and MusicStars contestant
* Kuno Lauener (born 1961), leadsinger of Bernese rock band Züri West
* Pepe Lienhard (born 1939), band leader and saxophone player
* Frank Martin (1890-1974), composer
* Jojo Mayer (born 1963), drummer
* Dieter Meier (born 1945) singer of electronica band Yello, which head such hits as "Oh Yeah" and "The Race".
* Mandy Meyer (born 1960) guitarist, played in bands as Asia, Gotthard and Krokus
* Paolo Pandolfo, violist (viola da gamba).
* Zlatko Perica (born 1969), better known as "Slädu", played guitar in bands as Tangerine Dream or Gölä
* Othmar Schoeck (1886-1957), composer
* Ludwig Senfl (1486-1542/3), Renaissance composer
* Marc Storace (born 1951) Maltese-Swiss rock vocalist and songwriter. Best known as singer of hard rock band Krokus
* Eric Tappy (born 1931), tenor
* Martin Tillman (born 1964), film music composer
* Silvio Varviso (1924-2006), conductor, especially of opera
* Andreas Vollenweider (born 1953), grammy award winning harpist
* Chris Von Rohr (born 1951), musician and producer. Best known as bassist of hard rock band Krokus
* August Wenzinger (1905-1996), cellist, violist (viola da gamba), pioneer of early music performance.
* Andreas Wettstein (born 1971), violinist, son of Niels Kaj Jerne
* Alberich Zwyssig (1808-1854), priest, composer of the Swiss Psalm
* Roland Zoss (born 1951), rockpoetry musician
Philosophy
* Peter Bieri (born 1944), philosopher, author
* Benjamin Constant (1767-1830)
* Jeanne Hersch (1910-2000), philosopher
* Henri Lauener (1933-2002), philosopher
* Dominik Perler (born 1965), philosopher
* Hans A. Pestalozzi (1929-2004), social critic
* Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), philosopher, author
* Hans Saner (born 1934), philosopher
Psychology and Pedagogy
* Ludwig Binswanger (1881-1966), psychologist
* Eugen Bleuler (1857-1940), psychiatrist
* Gustav Hans Graber (1893-1983), psychologist and psychoanalyst
* Hans-Werner Hunziker (1934), psychologist
* C.G. Jung (1875-1961), psychiatrist
* Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827), pedagogue
* Oskar Pfister (1873-1956), psychologist and pastor
* Jean Piaget (1896-1980), psychologist
* Hermann Rorschach (1884-1922),
Politics
* Étienne Clavière (1735-1793)
* Élie Ducommun (1833-1906), 1902 Nobel Peace Prize
* Henri Dunant (1828-1910), Founder of the Red Cross 1901 Nobel Peace Prize
* Nicholas of Flüe (1417-1487), diplomat, hermit, Catholic saint
* Albert Gallatin (1761-1849), US Secretary of the Treasury, diplomat
* Albert Gobat (1843-1914), 1902 Nobel Peace Prize
* Jörg Jenatsch (1596-1639), pastor, Protestant politician
* Josef Leu (1800-1845), Catholic politician from Lucerne
* Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793), revolutionary
* Napoleon III (1808-1873) (naturalized in 1832)
* Jacques Necker (1732-1804), statesman and finance minister of Louis XVI
* Charles Pictet de Rochemont (1755-1824), statesman, diplomat
* Pompejus von Planta-Wildenberg (1569-1621)
* Rudolf von Planta (died 1640), judge in lower Engadin
* Rudolf von Planta-Wildenberg (1603-1641)
* Fritz Platten (1883-1942), Communist
* Nelly Wicky (born 1923), former member of the National Council
* List of members of the Swiss Federal Council (since 1848)
* List of members of the Swiss National Council (current)
* List of members of the Swiss Council of States (current)
* List of Presidents of the Swiss Confederation (since 1848)
* List of Presidents of the Swiss National Council (since 1848)
* List of Presidents of the Swiss Council of States (since 1848)
* List of Federal Chancellors of Switzerland (since 1803)
* List of Presidents of the Swiss Diet (before 1848)
* List of mayors of Baden, Berne, Fribourg
* List of mayors of Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne
* List of mayors of Lugano, Schaffhausen, St. Gallen
* List of mayors of Uster, Winterthur, Zofingen, Zurich
* List of 2005 office-holders in Switzerland
* List of the first female holders of political offices: Switzerland
Religion
* Jakob Abbadie (1654-1727), Protestant preacher
* Gilberto Agustoni (born 1922), cardinal
* Jacob Amman (17th century)
* Karl Barth (1886-1968), theologian
* Theodore Beza (1519-1605), reformer in Geneva
* Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1575), reformer in Zurich
* Georges Cardinal Cottier (born 1922), former professor of theology
* Niklaus Manuel Deutsch (1484-1530) painter, dramatician, politician and reformer in Berne
* Johann Augustanus Faber (c.1470-c.1530), theolgian and historian
* William Farel (1489-1565), reformer in Geneva
* Theodosius Florentini (1808-1865)
* Gaston Frommel (1862-1906)
* Berchtold Haller (1492-1536), reformer in Berne
* Karl Rudolf Hagenbach (1801-1874)
* Johann Jakob Herzog (1805-1882)
* Hans Küng (born 1928), theologian
* Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801), pastor and physiognomist
* Oswald Myconius (1488-1552)
* Johannes Oecolampadius (1482-1531), reformer in Basel
* Frère Roger (1915-2005), founder of Taizé
* Philip Schaff (1819-1893)
* Henri Cardinal Schwery (born 1932), former Bishop of Sion
* Guichard Tavelli (died 1375), Bishop of Sion
* Alexandre Rodolphe Vinet (1797-1847), theologian and critic
* Pierre Viret (1511-1571), reformer in Vaud Canton
* Lukas Vischer (1926-2009), theologian and writer
* Johann Jakob Wettstein (1693-1754), theologian
* John Joachim Zubly (Hans Joachim Züblin), (1724-1781), pastor, delegate to the Continental Congress
* Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531), reformer in Zurich
Science
A-F
* Firmin Abauzit (1679-1767), scientist
* Alexander Emanuel Agassiz (1835-1910), American man of science
* Louis Agassiz (1807-1873), work on ice ages, glaciers
* Jacob Amsler (1823-1912), mathematician and inventor of measuring instruments
* Werner Arber (born 1929), 1978 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* Johann Georg Baiter (1801-1877), philologist
* Adolph Francis Alphonse Bandelier (1840-1914) archaeologist
* Jean-François Bergier (born 1931), historian
* Eugene Bleuler (1857-1940), psychiatrist
* Felix Bloch (born 1905), 1952 Nobel Prize in Physics
* Charles Bonnet (1720-1793), botanist
* Daniel Bovet (born 1907), 1957 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* Joost Bürgi (1552-1632), mathematician and watchmaker
* Johann Büttikofer (1850-1929), zoologist
* Jean-André Deluc (1727-1817), geologist
* Albert Einstein (1879-1955), 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics
* Richard R. Ernst (born 1933), 1991 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
* Sascha Fässler (born 1982), marine biologist
* Edmond H. Fischer (born 1920), 1992 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* Auguste Forel (1848-1931), myrmecologist, psychiatrist, neurologist
* François-Alphonse Forel (1841-1912), pioneer in the study of lakes
* Johann Kaspar Füssli (1743-1786), entomologist
G-O
* Conrad Gessner (1516-1565)
* Ursula Geiger (born 1957)
* Jules Gonin (1870-1935), ophthalmologist
* Charles-Edouard Guillaume (1861-1938), 1920 Nobel Prize in Physics
* Albrecht von Haller (1708-1777)
* Anna Heer (1863-1918), physician
* Walter Hess (1881-1973), 1949 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* Carl Hilty (1833-1909), jurist
* Albert Hofmann (1906-), chemist, discoverer of d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
* Eugen Huber (1849-1923), jurist
* François Huber (1750-1831), naturalist
* Paul Karrer (1889-1971), 1937 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
* Emil Theodor Kocher (1841-1917), 1909 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* Jean Charles Galissard de Marignac (1817-1894), chemist
* Michel Mayor (born 1942), astronomer
* Johannes von Müller (1752-1809), historian
* K. Alex Müller (born 1927), 1987 Nobel Prize in Physics
* Paul Müller (1899-1965), 1948 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* Johann Caspar von Orelli (1787-1849)
P-Z
* Paracelsus (1493-1541), (Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim), alchemist
* Wolfgang Pauli (1900-1958), 1945 Nobel Prize in Physics
* Jean Piaget (1896-1980), psychologist
* Auguste Piccard (1884-1962), physicist and balloonist
* Bertrand Piccard (born 1958), psychiatrist and balloonist
* Jacques Piccard (born 1922), engineer and underwater explorer
* Jean Piccard (1884-1963), balloonist
* François-Jules Pictet de la Rive (1809-1872), zoologist and paleontologist
* Raoul Pictet (1846-1929), physicist
* Adolf Portmann (1897-1982), zoologist
* Vladimir Prelog (1906-1998), 1975 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
* Didier Queloz (born 1966), astronomer
* Tadeus Reichstein (1897-1996), chemist, 1950 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* Eugene Renevier (1831-1906), geologist
* Heinrich Rohrer (born 1933), 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics
* Leopold Ruzicka (1887-1976), 1939 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
* Horace-Bénédict de Saussure (1740-1799), botanist
* Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (1672-1733), Swiss savant
* Louis Secretan (1758-1839), mycologist
* Jack Steinberger (born 1921), 1988 Nobel Prize in Physics
* Alfred Werner (1866-1919), 1913 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
* Niklaus Wirth (born 1934), computer scientist, ACM Turing Award winner, inventor of the Pascal programming language
* Kurt Wüthrich (born 1938), 2002 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
* Daniel Albert Wyttenbach (1746-1820)
* Alexandre Yersin (1894-1943), physician, isolates the Yersinia pestis
* Rolf M. Zinkernagel (born 1944), 1996 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
* Fritz Zwicky (1898-1974), astronomer
* Theodor Zwinger (1533-1588), scholar
Sports
* Paul Accola (born 1967), skiing champion
* David Aebischer (born 1978), NHL goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens
* Daniel Albrecht (born 1983), Alpine skier
* Simon Ammann (born 1981), gold medallist in Ski jumping at the 2002 Winter Olympics
* Madeleine Berthod (born 1931), 1956 gold medallist in Downhill skiing
* Denise Biellmann (born 1962), World champion figure skater
* Sepp Blatter (born 1935), FIFA president
* Ursula Bruhin (born 1970), snowboarder
* Claudio Castagnoli (born 1980), pro wrestler
* Stéphane Chapuisat (born 1969), footballer
* Johan Djourou (born 1987), footballer
* Oscar Egg (born 1890), cyclist
* Roger Federer (born 1981), tennis champion: 12-time Grand Slam singles champion
* Michela Figini (born 1966), Alpine skiing champion
* Marcel Fischer (born 1978), Fencing champion, gold medallist in Athens Olympics
* Alexander Frei (born 1979), footballer
* Tanja Frieden (born 1976), snowboarder
* Martin Gerber (born 1974), NHL goaltender for the Ottawa Senators
* Arnold Gerschwiler (born c. 1914), skater
* Hans Gerschwiler (born c. 1921), World champion figure skater
* Jack Gerschwiler (1898-2000), coach
* Franz Heinzer (born 1962), Alpine skier
* Stéphane Henchoz (born 1974), footballer
* Erika Hess (born 1962), Alpine skiing champion
* Martina Hingis (born 1980), tennis champion: 5-time Grand Slam singles champion
* Jakob Hlasek (born 1964), tennis player
* Ambrosi Hoffmann (born 1977), Alpine skiing medalist
* Shihan Andy Hug (1964-2000), Karate and Kickboxing champion
* Patrick Hürlimann (born 1963), Olympic curling champion
* Bruno Kernen (born 1972), Alpine skier, Bronze medalist and former World Champion in downhill
* Bruno Kernen (born 1961), Alpine skier, winner of the 1983 Kitzbühel downhill race
* Hugo Koblet (1925-1964), cycling champion
* Franz Krienbühl (1929-2002), speed skater
* Andreas Küttel (born 1979), ski jumper
* Peter Lüscher (born 1956), Alpine skiing champion
* Stéphane Lambiel (born 1985), figure skater, Olympic silver medalist
* Daniela Meuli (born 1981), snowboarder
* Nicolas Müller (born 1982), snowboarder
* Peter Müller (born 1957), Alpine skiing champion
* Lise-Marie Morerod (born 1956), Alpine skiing champion
* Marie-Theres Nadig (born 1954), Alpine skiing champion
* Maya Pedersen (born 1972), skeleton athlete
* Manuela Pesko (born 1978), snowboarder
* Walter Prager (1910-1984), Alpine skiing champion
* Tony Rominger (born 1961), cyclist who won major tours four times in his career
* Marc Rosset (born 1970), tennis player, gold medallist in Barcelona Olympics
* Bernhard Russi (born 1948), Alpine skiing champion
* Martina Schild (born 1981), Downhill skiing champion
* Hedy Schlunegger (1923-2003), downhill Olympic champion of 1948
* Vreni Schneider (born 1964), Alpine skiing champion
* Patty Schnyder (born 1978), professional tennis player
* Thabo Sefolosha (born 1984), NBA player for the Chicago Bulls
* Philippe Senderos (born 1985), footballer
* Mark Streit (born 1977), NHL defenceman for the New York Islanders
* Alain Sutter (born 1968), footballer
* Kubilay Türkyilmaz (born 1967), footballer
* Maria Walliser (born 1963), Alpine skiing champion
* Stanislas Wawrinka (born 1985), professional tennis player
* Jean Wicki (born 1933), gold medallist in bobsleigh
* Hakan Yakın (born 1977), footballer
* Murat Yakin (born 1974), footballer
* Heidi Zurbriggen (born 1967), skier
* Matthias Zurbriggen (1856-1917), mountain guide and Alpinist
* Pirmin Zurbriggen (born 1963), Alpine skiing champion
* Silvan Zurbriggen (born 1981), skier
Writers
* Peter Bichsel (born 1935)
* S. Corinna Bille (1912-1979), author, poet
* Ida Bindschedler (1854-1919), childbook author
* Silvio Blatter (born 1946)
* Hans Boesch (born 1926)
* Hermann Burger (1942-1989), author, poet, literary scholar, editor
* Charles Victor de Bonstetten (1745-1832)
* Nicolas Bouvier (1929-1998)
* Elias Canetti (1905-1994), 1981 Nobel Prize in Literature, Swiss resident
* Blaise Cendrars (Frédéric Louis Sauser) (1887-1961), author
* Victor Cherbuliez (1829-1899), member of the Académie française
* Jacques Chessex (born 1934)
* Anne Cuneo (born 1936)
* Erich von Däniken (born 1935), Ancient Astronauts writer
* Martin R. Dean (born 1955), writer
* Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921-1990), author and dramatist
* Werner J. Egli (born 1943)
* Felix Epper (born 1967)
* Heinrich Federer (1866-1928)
* Jürg Federspiel (1931-2007)
* Martin Frank (born 1950)
* Max Frisch (1911-1991), author and architect
* Salomon Gessner (1730-1788)
* Friedrich Glauser (1896-1938)
* Jeremias Gotthelf (Albert Bitzius) (1797-1854), author and pastor
* Roger Graf (born 1958)
* Jyoti Guptara and Suresh Guptara (born 1988), twin authors (Calaspia and sequels), Swiss residents
* Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), 1946 Nobel Prize in Literature, Swiss resident
* Franz Hohler (born 1943), author and comedian
* Meinrad Inglin (1893-1971)
* Zoë Jenny (born 1974)
* Gottfried Keller (1819-1890), author
* Christian Kracht (born 1966), author
* Hugo Loetscher (born 1929), author
* Ella Maillart (1903-1997)
* Niklaus Meienberg (1940-1993)
* Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825-1898)
* Adolf Muschg (born 1934)
* Suzanne Necker, née Suzanne Curchod (1739-1794)
* Juste Olivier (1807-1876)
* Daniele Pantano (born 1976), poet, translator, editor
* Erica Pedretti (born 1930), author and artist
* Eugène Rambert (1830-1886)
* Charles Ferdinand Ramuz (1878-1947), writer
* Grisélidis Réal (1929-2005)
* Urs Richle (born 1965)
* Jakob Schaffner (1875-1944)
* Margrit Schriber (born 1939)
* Josias Simmler (1530-1576), theologian, historian
* Carl Spitteler (1845-1924), 1919 Nobel Prize in Literature
* Johanna Spyri (1827-1901), author of Heidi
* Anne Louise Germaine de Staël (Madame de Staël) (1766-1817)
* Martin Suter (born 1948), columnist and novelist
* Otto F. Walter (1928-1994)
* Robert Walser (1878-1956)
* Silja Walter (born 1919) sister of Otto F. Walter, Benedictinian nun and writer
* Markus Werner (born 1944)
* Urs Widmer (born 1938)
* Johann David Wyss (1743-1818), author of The Swiss Family Robinson
* Yvette Z'Graggen (born 1920)
* Albin Zollinger (1885-1941)
* Emil Zopfi (born 1943)
* Fritz Zorn (Fritz Angst) (1944-1976), author of Mars
* Roland Zoss (born 1951)
* Johann Heinrich Daniel Zschokke (1771-1848)
* Manfred Züfle (1936-2007), writer
Others
* Crown Princess of Brunei Pengiran Minizack Renaldi Anak Hitchtafi Sarah (born 1987), wife of Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, half Swiss and half Bruneian.
* Othmar Ammann (1879-1965), civil engineer, bridge engineer to the New York Port Authority
* Nick Auf der Maur (1942-1998), Canadian journalist, Swiss parents
* Maximilian Bircher-Benner (1867-1939), physician and Muesli inventor
* Johann Georg Bodmer (1786-1864), inventor
* Johann Jakob Bodmer (1698-1783)
* Jacob Burckhardt (1818-1897), art historian
* Johann Ludwig Burckhardt (1784-1814), traveller and orientalist
* Arthur Cohn (born 1927), film producer, received six Oscars
* Philipp Emanuel von Fellenberg (1771-1844)
* Marie Grossholtz (1761-1850), known as Madame Tussaud
* Paul Grueninger (1891-1972), commander of police and humanitarian
* Michelle Hunziker (born 1977), TV presenter previously married to the Italian singer Eros Ramazzotti
* Ingvar Kamprad (born 1926), founder of IKEA, Swiss resident since 1976
* Carl Lutz (1895-1975), diplomat and humanitarian
* Robert Maillart (1872-1940), Civil Engineer, inventor of many concrete bridge techniques
* Christoph Meili (born 1968), whistleblower
* Christian Menn (born 1927), Civil Engineer
* Max Miedinger (1910-1980), typeface designer, inventor of Helvetica
* Susanna Orelli (1845-1939), humanitarian
* Archibald Reiss (1876-1929), criminologist
* Beat Richner (born 1947), pediatrician, founder of children's hospitals in Cambodia
* Niklaus Riggenbach (1817-1899), engineer
* Anna Ringier (1896-2006), oldest living Swiss (as of 2006)
* Frithjof Schuon (1907-1998), Sufi writer, born in Basel
* John Sutter (1803-1880), California settler
* Alain Tanner (born 1929), film director
* Lukas Vischer (1780-1840), collector, traveler, artist
Swiss longevity recordholders
* Betty Bossi, fictional cook and writer of cookbooks
* Victor Frankenstein and Family, from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, book and movie
* Globi, Swiss cartoon character
* Papa Moll, Swiss Children's Book Character
* Heidi, protagonist of the book by Johanna Spyri
* Helvetia, personification ("mother") of Switzerland
* Swiss Family Robinson, from the book by Johann David Wyss
* Ueli Rotach, legendary hero of the 1405 battle at Stoss
* Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965), from Alsace, not Switzerland
* Guy Secretan, character of Swiss origin in the British sitcom Green Wing
* William Tell, legendary 14th century hero
* Arnold von Winkelried, legendary hero of the 1386 battle of Sempach
