This is a list of famous or notable people born in, or associated with, Sunderland or the wider City of Sunderland in North East England.

Notable people from Sunderland

Arts

• Griselda Allan (1905–1987), artist
• Audrey Amiss (1933–2013), artist
• Marion Angus (1865–1946), Scottish poet writing in Scots, born in Sunderland
• Simon Anderson, art historian and fluxee
• James Baxter, actor
• Emeli Sandé (singer)
• Ernie Lotinga (actor)
• James Bolam (1935–), actor
• Alan Browning actor, born Alan Brown
• Bernard Comrie (1947–), linguist
• Ida Cook (1904–1986), Righteous among the Nations; as Mary Burchell, romance novelist
• Terry Deary (1946–), author
• Mike Elliott, comedian, actor and radio presenter
• Edward Gregson, composer
• James Herriot (pen name of James Alfred Wight) (1916–1995), veterinary surgeon and author
• Melanie Hill (1962–), actress
• Nat Jackley, comedian
• Jools Jameson (1968–), game developer
• Bobby Knoxall, comedian
• Gina McKee (1964–), actress
• Gibb McLaughlin (1884–1960), actor, born George Gibb McLaughlin
• Christine Norden (1924–1988), actress, born Mary Lydia Thornton
• David Parfitt, an Oscar-winning film producer
• Sheila Quigley, novelist
• Ronald Radd (1929–1976), actor
• Callum Keith Rennie (1960–), film and television actor
• Maurice Roëves (1937–2020), actor
• William Russell actor and the first actor of three actors to appear as Doctor Who Companion
• Clarkson Stanfield, painter
• Mary Stewart, novelist
• Tom Taylor, playwright and editor of Punch
• Alan Temperley born 1936, children's and young adults author, works include Harry and the Wrinkles, The Deck Boy, Scar Hill.
• Bobby Thompson, comedian, the 'Little Waster'
• William Lindon-Travers, actor, screenwriter, director and animal rights activist, known professionally as Bill Travers
• Graham Wallas, author and academic
• Alison Wright (1976–), actress
• Michael Young (1966–), industrial designer

Industry

• Sir Robert Appleby Bartram (1835–1925), shipbuilder
• William Reid Clanny (1770–1850), inventor and physician
• John Cryan (born 1960), banker
• Sir Tom Cowie, entrepreneur and philanthropist
• George Daniels, world-famous horologist and inventor of the co-axial escapement
• Sir Edward Temperley Gourley, coalfitter, shipowner and politician
• Sir William Halcrow, civil engineer
• Thomas Elliott Harrison, railway engineer
• George Burton Hunter, shipbuilder and innovator
• Patrick Meik and Charles Meik, civil engineering brothers
• Sir William Mills, inventor of the Mills Bomb (hand grenade)
• William Pile, shipbuilder
• Sir Joseph Swan, inventor of the electric light bulb
• Harry Watts, shipyard worker and multiple life-saver

Military and services

• Robert Appleby Bartram (1894–1981), colonel and shipbuilder
• Gertrude Bell (1868–1926), colonial administrator
• PC Keith Blakelock (1945–1985), police officer
• Sir Lawrence Andrew Common (1889–1953), Army officer and shipping director
• Jack Crawford (1775–1831), sailor
• Sir Henry Havelock (1795–1857), Major-General
• Captain Richard Avery Hornsby, navy captain
• Joseph Robert Kayll (1914–2000), WW2 RAF flying Ace
• John Lilburne 'Free-born John', civil war figure
• Alan Parnaby (1916–1974), cricketer and British Army officer
• Ernest Vaux (1865–1925), Army Officer and Brewer
• Robert Nairac (1948–1977), Army Officer

Music

• Don Airey, musician, keyboardist with Deep Purple
• Sir Thomas Allen, baritone
• George Bellamy, musician
• Eric Boswell, songwriter (Little Donkey)
• Mark Brydon, one half of electro outfit Moloko
• Bryan Ferry, singer, musician, and songwriter. Lead singer with Roxy Music
• Muriel Foster, contralto
• Frankie & The Heartstrings, indie rock band
• The Futureheads, indie rock band
• Eve Gallagher, singer
• Kenickie, 1990s pop band
• Lauren Laverne, ex-lead singer of Kenickie, later radio and TV presenter^[1]
• Jez Lowe, folk singer, songwriter and broadcaster
• Bob and Alf Pearson, singers, pianist (Bob) and variety performers^[2]
• Alan Price, singer, musician, and songwriter. Keyboard player with The Animals
• Emeli Sandé, musician
• David A. Stewart (1952–), musician and songwriter, most notably as one half of the band Eurythmics
• The Toy Dolls, punk rock band
• Baz Warne, guitarist with The Stranglers
• Faye Fantarrow (2002-2023), singer, songwriter^[3]

Politics

• Hilary Armstrong, Member of Parliament, Cabinet Office and Social Exclusion Minister, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 2006–07
• Sir Theodore Doxford, shipbuilder and politician
• George Hudson, Member of Parliament and railway financier
• Sir Edward Temperley Gourley, coalfitter, shipowner and politician
• John Stapylton grey Pemberton (1860–1940), MP and Vice-Chancellor of Durham University
• Jonathan Reynolds, Labour Party MP
• Sir Luke Thompson, coal merchant and politician
• Joseph Havelock Wilson, Trade union leader, Liberal Party politician, and campaigner for the rights of merchant seamen.

Sport

• Charles W. Alcock: Cricketer and Football administrator.
• Allan Ball (born 1943), ex-professional footballer and now Honorary Director of Queen of the South F.C.
• Paul Kitson, ex-professional footballer
• Clive Mendonca, ex-professional footballer
• Raich Carter (1914–1994), footballer and manager
• Nigel Clough (born 1966), former football player and manager
• Ralph Coates (1946–2010), former football player
• Kevin Dillon (English footballer) (born 1959), former football player and manager
• Randolph Galloway (1896–1964), former football player and manager of clubs like Valencia and Sporting Lisbon
• Michael Gray (born 1974), (footballer)
• Billy Hardy (born 1964), boxer who became Commonwealth featherweight champion
• Mick Harford (born 1959), former football player and manager
• Micky Hazard (born 1960), former football player
• Jordan Henderson (born 1990), footballer Sunderland A.F.C, Liverpool F.C-Current and England national football team
• Jordan Pickford (born 1994), footballer Sunderland A.F.C, Everton F.C-Current and England national football team
• Robert William "Bob" Jefferson (born 1882), footballer
• Tony Jeffries (born 1985), boxer, Olympic Bronze medalist
• Ernie Johnson (born 1948), jockey who won the 1969 Epsom Derby
• Alan Kennedy: Footballer, Liverpool F.C.
• Billy Marsden (born 1901), football player for England national football team
• Jimmy Montgomery (born 1943), former football player (goalkeeper) and 1973 FA Cup winner
• Bob Paisley (1919-1996) Footballer, Three times European Cup winning manager.
• Alan Parnaby (1916–1974), cricketer and British Army officer
• Ross Pearson (born 1984), mixed martial artist in UFC
• Harry Potts (1920–1996), former football player and manager
• Giovanni Reyna (born 2002), footballer For BVB and USA National Team
• Lee Rushworth (born 1982), cricketer
• Jill Scott (born 1987), football player for England women's national football team and Manchester City L.F.C.
• Bob Willis (1949–2019), cricketer
• Stephanie Houghton (born 1988), football player for England women's national football team and Manchester City L.F.C.

Other

• Kate Adie, former BBC Chief News Reporter
• St Bede, monk
• Sir Joseph Swan, inventor of the incandescent light bulb
• George Binns, New Zealand chartist leader and poet
• St Benedict Biscop (628?–690)
• Abel Chapman (1851–1929), hunter and naturalist
• George Clarke, architect, television presenter
• James Watson Corder (1868–1953), historian of local family history
• Charlotte Crosby, television personality
• John Cryan, physicist and bank manager ^[4]
• Peter Gibbs, weather forecaster
• Jane Grigson, cookery writer
• Andreas Høivold, professional poker player
• Gareth Pugh (born 1981), fashion designer
• Denise Robertson, novelist and TV agony aunt
• Gordon Scurfield, biologist and author, active in Australia, with expertise in botany and ecology
• William Shanks, amateur mathematician, worked out the value of Pi to 707 decimals
• John Sowerby, botanist, writer and early member of the Alpine Club
• Chris Steele, TV doctor
• Ernest George Frederick Vogtherr (1898–1973), a New Zealand bacon curer, businessman and art collector^[5]

Notable residents

• Charlie Buchan, footballer
• Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland
• Frank Caws, architect
• Brian Clough, footballer, manager and European Cup winner
• Steve Cram, Olympic Athlete and TV presenter
• Bernard Gilpin, Apostle of the North, Rector of Houghton-le-Spring, Archdeacon of Durham
• Sir William Herschel, composer and astronomer, discoverer of Uranus
• William Reid Clanny, Irish physicist
• Charlie Hurley, footballer
• Alex Kapranos, musician/singer
• Si King, television presenter, best known as one half of the Hairy Bikers
• L. S. Lowry, artist
• Lola Montez, adventuress
• Chris Mullin, civil liberties campaigner and Labour MP
• Jimmy Nail, actor/singer
• William Paley, rector of Bishopwearmouth, wrote on intelligent design as opposed to evolution
• Frank Pick, industrial designer
• Don Revie, footballer and England manager
• George Reynolds, businessman and former chairman of Darlington FC
• William Sancroft, later Archbishop of Canterbury, was briefly Rector of Houghton-le-Spring
• Len Shackleton, footballer
• Michael Short, engineer and Professor
• Peter Smith, computer scientist
• Niall Quinn, footballer
• Paul Gascoigne, footballer
• Robert Nairac (1948–1977), Army Officer
• Thomas Essomba, boxer
• Vivian Stanshall and his wife Ki Longfellow, found the Baltic Trader "Thekla" and sailed her to Bristol where she became the Old Profanity Showboat
• Roy Kent, (1991-1998) footballer
• Shaun Joseph - Tavernier, Bodybuilder, Mr Universe, Gym Owner ^[6]
• John Citrone , Bodybuilder, Mr Britain, Mr Universe, Mr World

^[7]