Born before 1900 •
Kurt Blome (1894–1969), high-ranking Nazi scientist before and during World War II •
Friedrich von Bodelschwingh, Senior (1831–1910), second boss of the "Evangelischen Heil- und Pflegeanstalt für Epileptische" (Protestant Sanatorium for Epileptics) (1874 renamed into "Bethel") •
Friedrich von Bodelschwingh (1877–1946) (named after F. v. Bodelschwingh Senior), Protestant theologian, third boss of the von Bodelschwinghsche Anstalten (later renamed into von Bodelschwinghsche Stiftungen) •
Hugo Fischer-Köppe (1890–1937), early film actor •
Albert Florath (1888–1957), stage and film actor •
Anne Marie Heiler (1889–1979), politician (CDU) •
Johann Christoph Hoffbauer (1766–1827), philosopher •
Alexander Holle (1898–1978), general lieutenant in the Luftwaffe's
Condor Legion •
Charlotte Houtermans (1899–1993), physicist, physical chemistry •
August Junkermann (1832–1915), actor •
August Krönig (1822–1879), chemist and physicist •
Wilhelmine Lohmann (1872-?), German teacher, social worker, and temperance leader •
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau (1888–1931), film director •
Christian Friedrich Nasse (1778–1851), psychiatrist •
Helmuth Osthoff (1896–1983), musicologist and composer •
Rainer Stahel (1892–1955), military officer and war criminal •
Viktoria Steinbiß (1892–1971), politician (CDU) •
Hermann Stenner (1891–1914), early Expressionist painter •
Hermann Dietrich Upmann (1816–1894), banker, merchant and cigar manufacturer in Cuba •
Franz von Waldeck (≈1491–1553), prince-bishop of Münster, Osnabrück, and Minden •
Roger Wilmans (1812–1881), historian and archivist
Born 1900–1950 •
Rudolph Angermüller (1940–2021), musicologist •
Aleida Assmann (born 1947), anglist, egyptologist and literary and cultural scientist •
Veronica Carstens (1923–2012), medical doctor, wife of
Karl Carstens •
Erich Consemüller (1902–1957), Bauhaus-trained architect and photographer •
Elfriede Eilers (1921–2016), politician (SPD) •
Johannes Friedrich (1948–2025), Lutheran Protestant theologian •
Karen Gershon (1923–1993), German-born writer and poet •
Theodor Göllner (1929–2022), musicologist •
Klaus Hildebrand (born 1941), historian •
Friedrich Holzapfel (1900–1969), politician (CDU) •
Heinz Klingenberg (1905–1959), actor •
Klaus Kobusch (1941–2025), cyclist •
Werner Lueg (1931–2014), athlete •
Hajo Meyer (1924–2014), German-Dutch physicist and author •
Reinhard Meyer zu Bentrup (1939–2024), politician (CDU) •
Irmgard Möller (born 1947), member of the Red Army faction •
Hermann Paul Müller (1909–1975), racing driver •
Rüdiger Nehberg (1935–2020), survival expert and activist for human rights •
Jürgen Oberschelp (born 1938), conductor and choir director •
Ursula Oetker (1915–2005), businesswoman •
Günther Pankoke (1925–1999), racing cyclist •
Heinz Pauck (1904–1986), screenwriter •
Walter Quakernack (1907–1946),
Oberscharführer in the
SS during the Nazi era and war criminal •
Günter Rixe (1939–2024), politician (SPD) •
Bernhard Schlink (born 1944), professor of jurisprudence and author •
Hans-Werner Sinn (born 1948), economist and president of the Ifo Institute for Economic Research •
Christian Tümpel (1937–2009), art historian •
Reiner Uthoff (1937–2024), writer and stage director •
Werner Vordtriede (1915–1985), emigrant, professor of German language and literature, writer •
Hannes Wader (born 1942), musician and songwriter •
Karl August Walther (1902–after 1964) writer and publisher •
Horst Wessel (1907–1930),
SA leader, author of the
Horst-Wessel-Song •
Ulrich Wessel (1946–1975), member of the
Red Army Faction •
Ulrich Wildgruber (1937–1999), actor
Born 1951–2000 •
Julia Abe (born 1976), tennis player •
Friederike Abt (born 1994), football goalkeeper •
Mehmet Akgün (born 1986), footballer •
Dirk Becker (born 1966), politician (SPD) •
Anja Blacha (born 1990), endurance and extreme athlete, high-altitude mountaineer •
Tom Brüntrup (born 1997), politician (CDU) •
Ulrich Büscher (1958–2020), footballer •
Mark Carleton-Smith (born 1964), senior British Army officer •
Charalampos Chantzopoulos (born 1994), Greek football player •
Michael Diekmann (born 1954), chief executive officer of
Allianz SE •
Hendrik Dreekmann (born 1975), tennis player •
Joachim Ebmeyer (born 1985), politician (CDU) •
Kevin John Edusei (born 1976), conductor •
Ralf Ehrenbrink (born 1960), versatility rider •
Sabine Ellerbrock (born 1975), wheelchair tennis player •
Wiebke Esdar (born 1984), politician (SPD) •
Anja Feldmann (born 1966), computer scientist •
Nils Fischer (born 1987), footballer •
Moritz Fritz (born 1993), footballer •
Baboucarr Gaye (born 1998), footballer and goalkeeper •
Frank Geideck (born 1967), footballer •
Nina George (born 1973), writer and journalist •
Wolfram Goessling (born 1967), physician-scientist, specializes in oncology and gastroenterology •
Maja Göpel (born 1976), political economist, sustainability scientist •
Lena Goeßling (born 1986), women's
association football player for
Germany women's national football team •
Annette Groth (born 1954), politician (The Left) •
Berkant Güner (born 1998), footballer •
Olaf Hampel (born 1965), bob driver •
Ruediger Heining (born 1968), agricultural scientist and economist •
Maximilian Hippe (born 1998), footballer •
Marco Hober (born 1995), footballer •
Marvin Höner (born 1994), footballer •
Stefan Hübner (born 1975), volleyball player •
Josef Ivanović (born 1973), football coach and a former player •
Nadine Jarosch (born 1995), gymnast •
Rolf Kanies (born 1957), film and theater actor •
Denis Kina (born 1992), footballer •
Jost Kobusch (born 1992), mountaineer and author •
Julian Köster (born 2000), handball player, German national team •
Serhat Kot (born 1997), footballer •
Mieke Kröger (born 1993), cyclist •
Markus Kullig (born 1974), footballer •
Fabian Kunze (born 1998), footballer •
Lukas Kunze (born 1998), footballer •
Gitta Kutyniok (born 1972), mathematician •
Karoline Linnert (born 1958), politician (The Greens) •
Julia Lohoff (born 1994), tennis player •
Ingolf Lück (born 1958), actor, synchronizer, presenter, comedian and director •
Erich Marks (born 1954), educator •
Andreas K. W. Meyer (1958–2023), dramaturge, journalist, librettist and opera manager •
Lisa Middelhauve (born 1980), metal singer •
Ingo Niermann (born 1969), writer, journalist and artist •
Richard Oetker (born 1951), entrepreneur
Dr. Oetker •
Ingo Oschmann (born 1969), comedian, entertainer and magician •
Hartmut Ostrowski (born 1958), chief executive officer of
Bertelsmann AG •
Can Özkan (born 1999), footballer •
Uğur Pamuk (born 1989), footballer •
Florian Panzner (born 1976), actor •
Dinah Pfizenmaier (born 1992), tennis player •
Mateusz Przybylko (born 1992), high jumper •
Kacper Przybyłko (born 1993), footballer •
Christina Rau (born 1956), political scientist and widow of the Federal President
Johannes Rau •
Mike Reed (born 1974), jazz drummer, bandleader, composer •
Markus Reitzig (born 1972), organizational scientist •
Hartmut Schick (born 1960), musicologist •
Bianca Shomburg (born 1974), singer, participation in the 1997
Eurovision Song Contest •
Keanu Staude (born 1997), footballer •
Melanie Stiassny (born 1953), ichthyologist •
Maike Stöckel (born 1984), field hockey player •
Maren Tellenbröker (born 2000), footballer •
Jens Teutrine (born 1993), politician (FDP) •
Aylin Tezel (born 1983), actress, writer and director •
Iris Vermillion (born 1960), operatic mezzo-soprano •
Henri Weigelt (born 1998), footballer •
Oliver Welke (born 1966), author, comedian, sports journalist and moderator •
Louis Weßels (born 1998), tennis player •
Christian Wieczorek (born 1985), footballer •
Susanne Wolff (born 1973), actress
Born 2001 and later •
Dildar Atmaca (born 2002), footballer •
Jomaine Consbruch (born 2002), footballer •
Colin Kleine-Bekel (born 2003), footballer • Henrik Koch (born 2006), footballer ==Twin towns – sister cities==