This is a list of notable people from

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, arranged in categories and ordered

alphabetically Alphabetical order is a system whereby character strings are placed in order based on the position of the characters in the conventional ordering of an alphabet. It is one of the methods of collation. In mathematics, a lexicographical order is t ...

by first name, following the usual

naming conventions of Iceland Icelandic names are names used by people from Iceland. Icelandic surnames are different from most other naming systems in the modern Western world The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and stat ...

Business

Björgólfur Thor Björgólfsson Björgólfur Thor Björgólfsson (born 19 March 1967), known internationally as Thor Bjorgolfsson, and colloquially in Iceland as Bjöggi, is an Icelandic businessman and entrepreneur. He is also chairman and founder of Novator Partners. Björg ...

, billionaire entrepreneur *

Björgólfur Guðmundsson Björgólfur Guðmundsson (born 2 January 1941) is an Icelandic businessman and former chairman and owner of West Ham United. Björgólfur was Iceland's second wealthiest businessman worth more than a billion dollars — his son, Björgólfur T ...

, former billionaire entrepreneur, father of Thor Björgólfsson (above) *

Eggert Magnússon Eggert Magnússon (born 20 February 1947) is an Icelandic businessman and former president of the Football Association of Iceland and ex-chairman of West Ham United. Eggert is a former owner and CEO of an import/export and bread and biscuit manufa ...

, businessman and former chairman of the

English Premiership The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

football club

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

* Hreiðar Már Sigurðsson, businessman *

Jón Ásgeir Jóhannesson Jón Ásgeir Jóhannesson (born 27 January 1968, in Reykjavík) is an Icelandic convicted criminal and former CEO of Baugur Group. Early career Jón Ásgeir's parents were Jóhannes Jónsson (1940-2013) and Ása Karen Ásgeirsdóttir (1942-), w ...

, billionaire and founder of the Bónus supermarket and the

Baugur Group Baugur Group (; Icelandic language, Icelandic: ) was an Icelandic investment company. The group began as a supermarket and general retail company in Iceland, before diversifying to own a number of businesses at its peak, primarily in the United Ki ...

* Magnús Þorsteinsson, businessman * Þorsteinn M. Jónsson, banker *

Arnor Sighvatsson Arnor may refer to: People * Arnor Angeli, Belgian footballer * Arnór Guðjohnsen, Icelandic footballer * Arnór Borg Guðjohnsen, Icelandic footballer, his son * Arnór Hannibalsson, Icelandic philosopher, historian and translator * Arnór Ingv ...

, economist

Arts and culture

Architects

Guðjón Samúelsson Guðjón Samúelsson (16 April 1887 – 25 April 1950) was a State Architect of Iceland, and the first Icelander to be educated in architecture. He's been described as one of Iceland's most influential architects. His notable designs include the ...

* Guðmundur Jónsson * Halldóra Briem * Högna Sigurðardóttir

Authors

Arnaldur Indriðason Arnaldur Indriðason (pronounced ; born 28 January 1961) is an Icelandic writer of crime fiction; his most popular series features the protagonist Detective Erlendur. Biography Arnaldur was born in Reykjavík on 28 January 1961, the son of ...

, writer *

Davíð Stefánsson ''Davíð Stefánsson'' (21 January 1895 – 1 March 1964) from Fagriskógur was a popular Icelandic poet and novelist, best known for his ten volumes of poetry. He was born on 21 January 1895, in Fagriskógur, Eyjafjördur, Iceland and he died ...

, poet *

Einar Benediktsson Einar Benediktsson, often referred to as Einar Ben (31 October 1864 – 12 January 1940) was an Icelandic poet and lawyer. Einar Benediktsson's poetry was a significant contribution to the nationalistic revival which led to Iceland's independenc ...

, writer, poet *

Einar Kárason Einar Kárason (born 24 November 1955 in Reykjavík, Iceland) is an Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Euro ...

, writer *

Einar Hjörleifsson Kvaran Einar Gísli Hjörleifsson Kvaran (6 December 1859 in Vallanes, Iceland as Einar Hjörleifsson – 21 May 1938 in Reykjavík) was an Icelandic editor, novelist, poet, playwright and prominent spiritualist. Life Einar Kvaran was the son of Re ...

editor, novelist, poet, dramatist *

Einar Már Guðmundsson Einar Már Guðmundsson (born 18 September 1954 in Reykjavík) is an Icelandic author of novels, short stories, and poetry. His books have been translated into several languages. Background Guðmundsson grew up in Reykjavík. In 1979 he rece ...

, writer * Guðmundur G. Hagalín, writer, poet * Halldór Kiljan Laxness, writer, poet,

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

winner * Hallgrímur Helgason, writer *

Jón Kalman Stefánsson Jón Kalman Stefánsson (born 17 December 1963) is an Icelandic author. Biography Jón Kalman was born in Reykjavík. He grew up there and in Keflavík. From 1975 to 1982, he lived in western Iceland, where he worked in different jobs afte ...

, writer, poet * Jón Thoroddsen, author *

Jónas Hallgrímsson Jónas Hallgrímsson (16 November 1807 – 26 May 1845) was an Icelandic poet, author and naturalist. He was one of the founders of the Icelandic journal Fjölnir (journal), ''Fjölnir'', which was first published in Copenhagen in 1835. The mag ...

, writer, poet *

Jóhannes úr Kötlum Jóhannes úr Kötlum (born ''Jóhannes Bjarni Jónasson'', November 4, 1899 – April 27, 1972) was an Icelandic author/poet and a member of parliament. He is one of the most loved Icelandic poets – not least for his verse for children and h ...

, writer, poet * Kristín Marja Baldursdóttir, writer *

Magnus Magnusson Magnus Magnusson, (born Magnús Sigursteinsson; 12 October 1929 – 7 January 2007) was an Icelandic-born British-based journalist, translator, writer and television presenter. Born in Reykjavík, he lived in Scotland for almost all his life, a ...

, television presenter, writer * Nína Björk Árnadóttir, poet, novelist, playwright * Ólafur Jóhann Ólafsson, writer *

Sjón 260px, Sjón at LiteratureXchange Festival ín Aarhus (Denmark 2019) Sigurjón Birgir Sigurðsson (born 27 August 1962), known as Sjón ( ; ; meaning "sight" and being an abbreviation of his first name), is an Icelandic poet, novelist, lyricis ...

, poet, writer, lyricist *

Snorri Hjartarson Snorri (; ) is a masculine given name. People with the name include: * Snorri Þorbrandsson, a character in the Icelandic ''Eyrbyggja saga'' * Snorri Goði or Snorri Þorgrímsson (963–1031), a prominent chieftain in Western Iceland, featured ...

, poet * Snorri Sturluson, historian, poet * Steinunn Sigurðardóttir, writer, poet * Stephan G. Stephansson, Western Icelander, poet * Tómas Guðmundsson, poet * Vigdís Grímsdóttir, writer * Viktor Arnar Ingólfsson, writer * Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, writer *

Þórarinn Eldjárn Þórarinn Eldjárn (born 22 August 1949) is an Icelandic writer, particularly well known in Iceland for his humorous poetry books for children. Life and work Þórarinn is the son of Kristján Eldjárn, the third president of Iceland (in off ...

, writer, poet *

Þórbergur Þórðarson Þórbergur Þórðarson (''Thórbergur Thórdarson'') (Hali í Suðursveit, 12 March 1888/1889 – Reykjavík, 12 November 1974) was an Icelandic author and Esperantist. An ironist, satirist, volatile critic, and ground-breaking achiever in expe ...

, writer, poet

Film, radio, and TV

Anita Briem Anita Briem (born 29 May 1982) is an Icelandic actress. She is known for her role as Queen Jane Seymour on ''The Tudors'' and her role as Hannah Ásgeirsson in ''Journey to the Center of the Earth''. Personal life Briem was born on 29 May 1982 ...

, actress *

Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir Ágústa Eva Erlendsdóttir (; born 28 July 1982) is an Icelandic actress and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of the controversial character Silvía Night in the television series ''Sjáumst með Silvíu Nótt'' and during the 2006 ...

, best known as Silvía Nótt (Silvia Night), actress, singer, model, TV personality. *

Baltasar Kormákur Baltasar Kormákur Baltasarsson (born 27 February 1966) is an Icelandic actor, theater and film director, and film producer. He is best known for directing the films '' 101 Reykjavík'', '' The Sea'', '' A Little Trip to Heaven'', '' Contraband ...

, film actor and film director *

Friðrik Þór Friðriksson Friðrik Þór Friðriksson (born 12 May 1954; pronounced ), sometimes credited as Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, is an Icelandic film director and producer. Biography Fridriksson started his film making career with experimental films and documenta ...

, film director *

Gunnar Hansen Gunnar Milton Hansen (March 4, 1947 – November 7, 2015) was an Icelandic-born American actor and author best known for playing the mentally impaired cannibal Leatherface in '' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' (1974). Early life Hansen was bo ...

, film actor *

Hilmir Snær Guðnason Hilmir Snær Guðnason (born 24 January 1969, in Reykjavík) is an Icelandic actor and voice actor. He is famous in his native country and has appeared in both film and on stage. In 2000 he was named as one of European films 'Shooting Stars' by ...

, film actor *

Hrafn Gunnlaugsson Hrafn Gunnlaugsson (born 17 June 1948) is an Icelandic film director. He is the brother of mathematician Þorvaldur Gunnlaugsson and the lawyer Snædís Gunnlaugsdóttir and the actress Tinna Gunnlaugsdóttir. He is mostly known for his series o ...

, film director * Karl Júlíusson, film production designer/costume designer *

, television presenter, writer * Magnús Scheving, writer, actor, athlete, creator of LazyTown * Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir, actress * Marinó Sigurðsson, actor *

Markús Örn Antonsson Markús Örn Antonsson (born 25 May 1943 in Reykjavík, Iceland) is an Icelandic journalist and politician. He was the Mayor of Reykjavík from 1991 to 1994. Education and journalism career Markús Örn graduated from Reykjavík Junior College i ...

, former mayor of

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

and former director of

RÚV Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) (pronounced or ) ( en, 'The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service') is Iceland's national public-service broadcasting organization. Operating from studios in the country's capital, Reykjavík, as well as regional cent ...

* Páll Magnússon, former director of

, a member of the

Icelandic parliament The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ("thing fields" or "assembl ...

Ragnar Bragason Ragnar Bragason (born 15 September 1971) is an Icelandic film director, screenwriter and producer. Life and career Droplaug was born in Súðavík, Iceland. He is best known for his films '' Börn'' (''Children'') and '' Foreldrar'' (''Paren ...

, director *

Stefán Karl Stefánsson Stefán Karl Stefánsson (; ; 10 July 1975 – 21 August 2018) was an Icelandic actor and singer. He was best known for portraying Robbie Rotten, the antagonist of the children's television series '' LazyTown''. Career Stefán Karl's career ...

, actor *

Tinna Gunnlaugsdóttir Tinna Gunnlaugsdóttir (born 18 June 1954) is an Icelandic actress. She has appeared in twelve films since 1981. She starred in '' As in Heaven'', which was screened out of competition at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. She is the sister of dire ...

, actress and former Artistic Director of the

National Theatre of Iceland The National Theatre of Iceland (NTI) ( is, Þjóðleikhúsið, pronounced ) in Reykjavík, is the national theatre of Iceland. The theater, designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, was formally opened on 20 April 1950. Since 2020, the artistic directo ...

Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson (English transliteration: Thröstur Leó Gunnarsson; born 23 April 1961 in Reykjavík), is an Icelandic stage, film and television actor. Early life Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson graduated from the Icelandic School of Dram ...

, actor *

Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason (born 1977) is a founding member of Icelandic experimental band múm, and has been a part-time member of other Icelandic bands such as Benni Hemm Hemm, Singapore Sling, Slowblow, Andhéri, Skakkamanage, FM B ...

, poet, writer, musician

Music

Anna Mjöll Anna Mjöll Ólafsdóttir is an Icelandic jazz singer and songwriter. Early years Anna was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, the daughter of Svanhildur Jakobsdóttir, singer and TV and Radio Personality, and Ólafur Gaukur, Jazz guitarist, Film Comp ...

, singer-songwriter * Arndís Halla (born 1969), opera singer, songwriter and entertainer *

, more commonly known as Silvía Nótt, singer, actress, and TV personality *

Ásgeir Trausti Ásgeir Trausti Einarsson (; born 1 July 1992) is an Icelandic singer-songwriter and musician. In his Icelandic releases, he was credited as Ásgeir Trausti. In 2013, he started using the mononym Ásgeir as his recording name. He performs with ...

, singer-songwriter * Bára Gísladóttir (born 1989), musician and composer *

Björgvin Halldórsson Björgvin Helgi Halldórsson (Alternate names: Bó Halldórsson, Björgvin Halldórsson or Bó Hall) (born 16 April 1951) is an Icelandic pop singer from Hafnarfjörður. He represented Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 with the song ...

, singer * Björk Guðmundsdóttir, singer-songwriter more commonly known as Björk * Bragi Ólafsson, musician *

Diddú Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir (; born 8 August 1955), better known as Diddú (), is an Icelandic soprano and songwriter. Educated at the Reykjavík College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, she began her singing career ...

(Sigrún Hjálmtýsdóttir), soprano and songwriter *

Emilíana Torrini Emilíana Torrini (born 16 May 1977) is an Icelandic singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2009 single "Jungle Drum (song), Jungle Drum", her 1999 album ''Love in the Time of Science'', and her performance of "Gollum's Song" for the 2 ...

, singer-songwriter *

Einar Örn Benediktsson Einar Örn Benediktsson (born 29 October 1962), often billed as Einar Örn, is an Icelandic popular music singer and trumpet player. He was a member of the Sugarcubes. He served as a member of the Reykjavík City Council between 2010 and 2014 ...

, musician *

Eiríkur Hauksson Eiríkur Hauksson (born 4 July 1959, in Reykjavik) is an Icelandic heavy metal vocalist. He represented Iceland at Eurovision in 1986 and in 2007. Career Eiríkur's career as a vocalist began in earnest when the song "Sekur" he wrote and pe ...

, musician *

Garðar Thór Cortes Garðar Thór Cortes (pronounced , born 2 May 1974) is an Icelandic tenor of Icelandic and English parentage. A former child actor, Garðar subsequently trained as a singer in Vienna, Copenhagen and London. He has performed various leading tenor ...

, tenor *

Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir Greta Salóme Stefánsdóttir (; born 11 November 1986), known outside Iceland simply as Greta Salóme, is an Icelanders, Icelandic singer, songwriter, and violinist in the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. She Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest ...

, singer, violinist * Gísli Magnússon, pianist * Hafdís Bjarnadóttir (born 1977), composer and musician *

Hafdís Huld Hafdís Huld Þrastardóttir (; born 22 May 1979), known simply as Hafdís Huld, is an Icelandic singer and actress. She began her musical career as a member of the electronic band GusGus in 1995 and left the group in 1999. Hafdís made her sol ...

, singer *

Haukur Tómasson Haukur Tómasson (born 9 January 1960) is an Icelandic composer. He has a Master's degree from the University of California, San Diego. He has also attended the Reykjavík College of Music, the Cologne University for Music and the Sweelinck Con ...

, composer *

Hildur Guðnadóttir Hildur Ingveldardóttir Guðnadóttir (born 4 September 1982) is an Icelandic musician and composer. A classically trained cellist, she has played and recorded with the bands Pan Sonic, Throbbing Gristle, Múm, and Stórsveit Nix Noltes, and ...

, musician and composer, first solo woman to win a

Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score The Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), an organization of journalists who cover the United States film industry, but are affiliated with publications ...

Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (; born 23 April 1958), also known as HÖH, is a musician, an art director, and '' allsherjargoði'' (''chief goði'') of Ásatrúarfélagið ("the Ásatrú Association"). Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson was a pioneer in the use ...

, musician, art director, and chief goði of the Icelandic Ásatrú Association *

Jóhann Jóhannsson Jóhann Gunnar Jóhannsson (; 19 September 1969 – 9 February 2018) was an Icelandic composer who wrote music for a wide array of media including theatre, dance, television, and film. His work is stylised by its blending of traditional orchest ...

, composer, musician, producer *

Jón Jósep Snæbjörnsson Jón Jósep Snæbjörnsson or Jónsi (born 1 June 1977) is an Icelandic singer and a former member of the band ''Í svörtum fötum'' ("In black clothing"). He Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, represented Iceland in the Eurovision S ...

, (''Jónsi'') singer *

Jón Leifs Jón Leifs (born Jón Þorleifsson on 1 May 1899 – 30 July 1968) was an Icelandic composer, pianist, and conductor. Life Jón Leifs was born ''Jón Þorleifsson,'' at the farm Sólheimar, then in the Húnavatnssýsla, northwestern Iceland. H ...

, composer *

Jón Þór Birgisson Jón is an Old Norse common name still widely used in Iceland and the Faroes. According to Icelandic custom, people named Jón are generally referred to by first and middle names and those without a middle name are referred to with both first nam ...

, singer, guitarist *

Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir Jóhanna Guðrún Jónsdóttir (born 16 October 1990), known outside Iceland as Yohanna, is an Icelandic-Danish singer. Beginning her music career as a child singer, Yohanna received international recognition after representing Iceland in the ...

, pop singer (Yohanna) * Kjartan Ólafsson (born 1958), composer, professor *

Mugison Örn Elías Guðmundsson, known professionally as Mugison (born 4 September 1976), is an Icelandic musician. Early life In 1977, Guðmundsson and his family moved from Reykjavík to Ísafjörður. In 1982, his family moved from Iceland to C ...

, composer, musician *

Ólafur Arnalds Ólafur Arnalds (; born 3 November 1986) is an Icelandic multi-instrumentalist and producer from Mosfellsbær, Iceland. He mixes strings and piano with loops and beats, a sound ranging from ambient/electronic to atmospheric pop. He is also the ...

, composer, musician * Páll Óskar Hjálmtýsson (Paul Oscar), pop singer, songwriter and disc jockey *

Ragnheiður Gröndal Ragnheiður Gröndal or Ragga Gröndal (born 1984) is an Icelandic singer. She was described as Iceland's best-selling artist in 2006, and was named Icelandic Singer of the Year that same year. In 2007, she was a finalist in Söngvakeppni Sjónv ...

, musician * Sigurður Bragason, baritone singer and composer *

, poet, writer and musician

Musical bands and groups

Agent Fresco Agent Fresco are an Icelandic band that combines pop, alternative, art, metal, and math rock. They formed in 2008, just weeks prior to winning the M%C3%BAs%C3%ADktilraunir. Their first release was the EP ''Lightbulb Universe'', which won at th ...

Amiina Amiina (formerly Amína, stylized in lowercase) is an Icelandic band composed of members Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir, and Sólrún Sumarliðadóttir, Magnús Trygvason Eliassen and Guðmundur Vignir Karlsson. In the past they have frequent ...

* Ampop * Árstíðir *

Bang Gang Bang Gang is a downtempo band from Iceland founded by songwriter and producer Barði Jóhannsson (see also Lady & Bird). The band was formed in 1996, in Barði’s hometown of Reykjavík. Bang Gang were initially a surf band but it moved into ...

* Changer *

Cynic Guru Cynic Guru is a progressive rock band fronted by classically trained violinist Roland Hartwell. Band history Early Years: 1991-1996 ---- Cynic Guru started in Los Angeles as 3-piece known as "Where Is My Hair". This featured Roland Hartwell (gu ...

Dikta Dikta is an indie rock band from Iceland. They have released five albums thus far. Biography In its present incarnation, the group began in 1999. They played in the Icelandic band competition Músíktilraunir in 2000 and were finalists. Dikta's f ...

* FM Belfast *

GusGus GusGus is an electronic music band from Reykjavík, Iceland. Although initially a film and acting collective, the group is mostly known for its electronic music. The group's discography consists of eleven studio albums. History GusGus was ...

Kaleo Kaleo (stylized as KALEO) is an Icelandic blues rock band which formed in Mosfellsbær in 2012. It consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Jökull Júlíusson, drummer David Antonsson, bassist Daniel Kristjansson, lead guitarist Rubin Pollock ...

HAM Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...

* Hatari *

Mammút Mammút is an Icelandic rock band based in Reykjavík. Formed in 2003 as ROK,Record Records: Mammút b ...

* Mezzoforte * Mínus *

múm Múm (stylized in lowercase) () is an Icelandic indietronica band whose music is characterized by soft vocals, electronic glitch beats and effects, and a variety of traditional and unconventional instruments. History The band was formed in 1 ...

Nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from pe ...

* Of Monsters and Men *

Quarashi Quarashi is an Icelandic rap rock band from Reykjavík, Iceland. The group consists of rappers Hössi Ólafsson (later replaced by Egill Olafur Thorarensen), Ómar Örn Hauksson, Steinar Orri Fjeldsted, and Sölvi Blöndal (who also acted as p ...

Samaris ''Samaris'' is a genus of crested flounders native to the Indo-Pacific. Species There are currently five recognized species in this genus: * '' Samaris chesterfieldensis'' Mihara & Amaoka, 2004 * '' Samaris costae'' Quéro, Hensley & Ma ...

Seabear Seabear is an Icelandic seven-piece indie-folk band from Reykjavík. Although hailing from Iceland, they sing primarily in English. They are signed to the Morr Music record label. History Formation Seabear started as a one-man project of Sind ...

* Sigur Rós * Singapore Sling *

Skálmöld Skálmöld () is a Viking / folk metal band from Reykjavík, Iceland, formed in August 2009. The band's name is literally translated as ''Age of Swords'' and also means "lawlessness", referring to the Age of the Sturlungs of Icelandic history, w ...

* Ske *

Sólstafir Sólstafir is an Icelandic post-metal band formed in 1995 and currently signed to Season of Mist. Originally a black metal band, they transitioned to a post-metal-influenced style on their second album '' Masterpiece of Bitterness''. History Só ...

The Sugarcubes The Sugarcubes ( Icelandic: Sykurmolarnir) were an Icelandic alternative rock band from Reykjavík formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. For most of their career, the band consisted of Björk Guðmundsdóttir (vocals, keyboards), Einar Örn Bened ...

Trúbrot Trúbrot were an Icelandic psychedelic/progressive rock band active in the late 1960s and early 1970s. History The band was formed in 1969 as an Icelandic supergroup composed of members of the bands Hljómar and Flowers.Asbjørnsen, Dag Erik. ' ...

* Voces Thules

Painters and visual artists

* Kristleifur Björnsson *

Einar Hákonarson Einar Hákonarson (born 14 January 1945, in Reykjavík, Iceland) is one of Iceland's best known artists. He is an expressionistic and figurative painter who brought the figure back into Icelandic painting in 1968. He is a pioneer in the Icelandi ...

Erró Erró (born Guðmundur Guðmundsson in 1932 in Ólafsvík, Iceland) is a visual artist and painter, who is best known for his painted pop art collages of images from comic books and advertisements.

Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval Jóhannes Sveinsson Kjarval (15 October 1885 – 13 April 1972) was an Icelandic painter. He is considered one of the most important artists of Iceland. Early life Born in poverty, Kjarval was adopted and as a young man worked as a fisherman. H ...

Photographers

* Ragnar Axelsson * Ragnar Th. Sigurdsson

Sculptors

Ásmundur Sveinsson Ásmundur Sveinsson (20 May 1893 – 9 December 1982) was an Icelandic sculptor. Early years Ásmundur Sveinsson was born in Kolsstadir in West Iceland on 20 May 1893. In 1915 he moved to Reykjavík where he enrolled in the Technical College of ...

* Bertel Thorvaldsen *

Einar Jónsson Einar Jónsson (11 May 1874 – 18 October 1954) was an Icelandic sculptor, born in ''Galtafell'', a farm in southern Iceland. Biography At a young age Einar proved himself to be an unusual child with an artistic bent. At that time there was li ...

* Gunnfríður Jónsdóttir * Nína Sæmundsson *

Olafur Eliasson Olafur Eliasson ( is, Ólafur Elíasson; born 5 February 1967) is an Icelandic–Danish artist known for sculptured and large-scale installation art employing elemental materials such as light, water, and air temperature to enhance the viewer's ...

Ríkarður Jónsson Ríkarður Jónsson (20 September 1888 – 17 January 1977) was an Icelandic sculptor. Early training Ríkarður was born in the Icelandic east coast village of Djúpivogur. His mother was Ólöf Finnsdóttir and his father was Jón Þóra ...

* Steinunn Thorarinsdottir

Miss World

* Hólmfríður "Hófí" Karlsdóttir, Miss World 1985 *

Linda Pétursdóttir Linda Pétursdóttir (born 27 December 1969 in Húsavík) is an Icelandic business woman and beauty queen who won Miss World 1988. Linda was born in Húsavík and raised there and in Vopnafjörður. She won Miss Iceland on 23 May 1988 and Miss ...

, Miss World 1988 *

Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir Unnur Birna Vilhjálmsdóttir (born 25 May 1984) is an Icelandic actress, lawyer, model and beauty queen who won Miss Iceland 2005 and later won Miss World 2005 pageant. Career Beauty Queen She was crowned Miss World 2005 on 10 December 2005, in ...

, Miss World 2005

Historical figures of Iceland

Ari Þorgilsson Ari Þorgilsson (1067–1148 AD; Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ; also anglicized Ari Thorgilsson) was Iceland's most prominent medieval chronicler. He was the author of ''Íslendingabók'', which details the histories of the various familie ...

, priest and author of

Íslendingabók ''Íslendingabók'' (, Old Norse pronunciation: , ''Book of Icelanders''; ) is a historical work dealing with early Icelandic history. The author was an Icelandic priest, Ari Þorgilsson, working in the early 12th century. The work originally ex ...

, a historical work * Egill Skallagrímsson, Viking skald * Eiríkur rauði, (e. Eirík he Red, Old Norse. Eirīkr hinn rauði) named Greenland *

Freydís Eiríksdóttir Freydís Eiríksdóttir (born 970) was a Icelandic woman said to be the daughter of Erik the Red (as in her patronym), who figured prominently in the Norse exploration of North America as an early colonist of Vinland, while her brother, Leif ...

* Guðmundur Arason * Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir, explorer * Ingólfur Arnarson * Ísleifur Gissurarson * Kolbeinn Tumason * Leifur Eiríksson (e. Leif Ericson, Old Norse Leifr Eiríksson), discovered America in the year 1000 and named it Vínland (''Land of Wine'') * Loftur Sæmundsson, priest and chieftain at

Oddi Oddi ( Icelandic: ) is a small village and church at Rangárvellir in Rangárvallasýsla, Iceland. Oddi at Rangárvellir was a cultural and learning center in South Iceland during the Middle Ages. There has been a church at Oddi since the introdu ...

* Snorri Sturluson * Þorfinnur "Karlsefni" Þórðarson * Þorvaldur Eríksson * Vilhjálmur Stefánsson, Western Icelander, Arctic explorer * Þóra Magnúsdóttir, born 1100 in Norway, daughter of

Magnus III of Norway Magnus Olafsson (Old Norse: ''Magnús Óláfsson'', Norwegian: ''Magnus Olavsson''; 1073 – 24 August 1103), better known as Magnus Barefoot (Old Norse: ''Magnús berfœttr'', Norwegian: ''Magnus Berrføtt''), was King of Norway (being Ma ...

, a direct descendant of

Harald Fairhair Harald Fairhair no, Harald hårfagre Modern Icelandic: ( – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from 872 to 930 and was the first King of Nor ...

the first Norwegian King. Þóra Magnúsdóttir married an Icelander and moved to Iceland.

Politics

* Albert Guðmundsson, former minister * Árni Sigfússon, politician *

Ásgeir Ásgeirsson Ásgeir Ásgeirsson (; 13 May 1894 – 15 September 1972) was the second president of Iceland, from 1952 to 1968. He was a Freemason and served as Grand Master of the Icelandic Order of Freemasons. Early life and education Educated as a th ...

, former president * Bergdis Ellertsdóttir, ambassador *

Birgitta Jónsdóttir Birgitta Jónsdóttir (born 17 April 1967) is an Icelandic politician, anarchist, poet, and activist. She was a Member of the Althing (MP) for the Southwest Constituency from 2013 to 2017, representing the Pirate Party, having been elected at th ...

, member of parliament *

Björn Bjarnason Björn Bjarnason (born 14 November 1944) is an Icelandic politician. His father was Bjarni Benediktsson, Prime Minister of Iceland, Minister of Justice and Ecclesiastical Affairs and Mayor of Reykjavík. Matriculating from Reykjavík Junior ...

, minister of justice and ecclesiastical affairs *

Davíð Oddsson Davíð Oddsson (pronounced ; born 17 January 1948) is an Icelandic politician, and the longest-serving prime minister of Iceland, in office from 1991 to 2004. From 2004 to 2005 he served as foreign minister. Previously, he was Mayor of Reykjav ...

, former prime minister and former mayor of

Geir H. Haarde Geir Hilmar Haarde (; born 8 April 1951) is an Icelandic politician, who served as prime minister of Iceland from 15 June 2006 to 1 February 2009 and as president of the Nordic Council in 1995. Geir was chairman of the Icelandic Independence P ...

, former prime minister, former foreign minister * Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, current president *

Halldór Ásgrímsson Halldór Ásgrímsson (pronounced ; 8 September 1947 – 18 May 2015) was an Icelandic politician, who served as prime minister of Iceland from 2004 to 2006 and was leader of the Progressive Party from 1994 to 2006. Education and early life Ha ...

, former prime minister *

Halldór Blöndal Halldór Blöndal (born 24 August 1938, Reykjavík, Iceland) is a politician of the Independence Party (Iceland). He is the son of Kristjana Benediktsdóttir, Bjarni Benediktsson's sister. He worked as a teacher and a journalist from 1959 until ...

, former minister *

Hannes Hafstein Hannes Þórður Pétursson Hafstein (4 December 1861 – 13 December 1922) was an Icelandic politician and poet. In 1904 he became the first Icelander to be appointed to the Danish Cabinet as the minister for Iceland in the Cabinet of Deuntzer ...

, first prime minister *

Hannibal Valdimarsson Hannibal Gísli Valdimarsson (13 January 1903 – 1 September 1991) was an Icelandic politician. Parliament He was a member of parliament from 1946 to 1959 for the Social Democratic Party and People's Alliance and then from 1963 to 1974 for t ...

, chairman of two parties and one electoral alliance *

Hulda Jakobsdóttir Hulda Dóra Jakobsdóttir (1911 – 1998) was the first woman in Iceland to become a mayor. She served as mayor of Kópavogur from 1957 to 1962, actively influencing the development of the town. In the 1970 elections, she was elected as a Kópavog ...

(1911–1998), Iceland's first woman mayor *

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir (; born 4 October 1942) is an Icelandic politician, who served as prime minister of Iceland from 2009 to 2013. She became active in the trade union movement, serving as an officer. Elected as an MP from 1978 to 2013, ...

, former prime minister, also the world's first openly gay head of government *

Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson (born 21 February 1939) is an Icelandic politician and diplomat. He was Minister of Finance from 1987 to 1988 and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1988 to 1995. He is known in the Baltics as, at his initiative, Icela ...

, former foreign minister, ambassador *

Jón Loftsson Jón Loftsson (1124–1197; Modern Icelandic: ; Old Norse: ) was chieftain of Oddi at Rangárvellir in the south part of Iceland. Jón Loftsson was a member of the Oddaverjar family clan. His parents were Loftur Sæmundsson and Þóra M ...

, chieftain and politician *

Jón Sigurðsson Jón Sigurðsson (17 June 1811 – 7 December 1879) was the leader of the 19th century Icelandic independence movement. Biography Born at Hrafnseyri, in Arnarfjörður in the Westfjords area of Iceland, he was the son of Þórdís Jónsdótti ...

, independence leader *

Katrín Jakobsdóttir Katrín Jakobsdóttir (; born 1 February 1976) is an Icelandic politician who has been serving as the prime minister of Iceland since 2017 and a member of the Althing for the Reykjavík North constituency since 2007. A graduate of the Univers ...

, current Prime minister *

Katrín Magnússon Katrín Sigríður Skúladóttir Magnússon (1858–1932) was an early Icelandic feminist who played an important part in promoting women's voting rights and women's education in the late 19th century. She served as a municipal councillor of Reykj ...

(1858–1932), early Reykjavik municipal councillor and women's rights activist *

Kristján Eldjárn Kristján Eldjárn (; 6 December 1916 – 14 September 1982) was the third president of Iceland, from 1968 to 1980. Biography Kristján was born in Tjörn, Svarfaðardal, Iceland. His parents were Þórarinn Kr. Eldjárn, a teacher in Tjörn, ...

, former president *

, former mayor of

and former director of

Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson (; born 14 May 1943) is an Icelandic politician who was the fifth president of Iceland from 1996 to 2016.Official CV. He was previously a member of the Icelandic Parliament for the People's Alliance and served as Minis ...

, former president *

Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson (; born 12 March 1975) is an Icelandic politician who was the prime minister of Iceland from May 2013 until April 2016. He was also chairman of the Progressive Party from 2009 to October 2016. He was elected to th ...

, former prime minister *

Steingrímur Hermannsson Steingrímur Hermannsson (pronounced ; 22 June 1928 – 1 February 2010) was an Icelandic politician who served as prime minister of Iceland from 1983 to 1987, and again from 1988 to 1991. Early childhood Steingrímur's father was Hermann Jó ...

, former prime minister *

Sveinn Björnsson Sveinn Björnsson (; 27 February 1881 – 25 January 1952) was the first president of Iceland (1944–1952). Background, education and legal career Sveinn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark as the son of Björn Jónsson (editor and later minister) ...

, first president *

Vigdís Finnbogadóttir Vigdís Finnbogadóttir (; born 15 April 1930) is an Icelandic politician who served as the fourth president of Iceland from 1980 to 1996. She was the world's first woman who was democratically elected as president. With a presidency of exact ...

, former president, first elected female head of state *

Þorsteinn Pálsson Þorsteinn Pálsson (pronounced ; born 29 October 1947) served as prime minister of Iceland for the Independence Party from 1987 to 1988.Reuters. "PM resigns over Iceland's economy crisis." Toronto Star. 18 September 1988. p. E2. Þorsteinn led ...

, former prime minister {{colend

Scholarship and academia

* Agnar Helgason, anthropologist * Ari Brynjolfsson, physicist *

, documentarian, chronicler * Ari Trausti Guðmundsson, geologist, explorer, documentarian *

Árni Magnússon Árni Magnússon (13 November 1663 – 7 January 1730) was a scholar and collector of manuscripts from Iceland who assembled the Arnamagnæan Manuscript Collection. Life Árni was born in 1663 at Kvennabrekka in Dalasýsla, in western Iceland ...

, documentarian * Ásgeir Helgason, psychologist, public health scientist * Auður Eir Vilhjálmsdóttir, first female priest * Eiríkur Magnússon, librarian and lecturer at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

, co-translator with

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

Gauti Eggertsson is an early Germanic name, from a Proto-Germanic ''gautaz'', which represents a mythical ancestor or national god in the origin myth of the Geats. Etymology ''Gautaz'' may be connected to the name of the Swedish river Göta älv at the city ...

, economist at Brown University * Gisli Gudjonsson, professor of forensic psychology * Gísli Pálsson, anthropologist *

Guðbrandur Vigfússon Guðbrandur Vigfússon, known in English as Gudbrand Vigfusson, (13 March 1827 – 31 January 1889Jón þorkelsson, "Nekrolog över Guðbrandur Vigfússon" in ''Arkiv för nordisk filologi'', Sjätte bandet (ny följd: andra bandet), Lund, 18 ...

, lexicographer, editor, and lecturer at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

* Guðmundur Eiríksson, judge and law professor *

Hannes Hólmsteinn Gissurarson Hannes Hólmsteinn Gissurarson (born February 19, 1953 in Reykjavík, Iceland) is a professor of political science at the University of Iceland and a frequent commentator on current affairs in the Icelandic media. He is best known as a staunch s ...

, political scientist * Helgi Valdimarsson, immunologist *

Jón Steinsson Jón Steinsson is Chancellor's Professor of Economics at University of California, Berkeley, a research associate and co-director of the Monetary Economics program of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and associate editor of both American ...

, economist at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

* Hjörtur Þórðarson, inventor *

Kári Stefánsson Kári Stefánsson (or Kari Stefansson; born 6 April 1949) is an Icelandic neurologist and founder and CEO of Reykjavik-based biopharmaceutical company deCODE genetics. In Iceland he has pioneered the use of population-scale genetics to underst ...

, founder of

deCODE genetics deCODE genetics ( is, Íslensk erfðagreining) is a biopharmaceutical company based in Reykjavík, Iceland. The company was founded in 1996 by Kári Stefánsson with the aim of using population genetics studies to identify variations in the hum ...

* Magnús Eiríksson, theologian * Marga Ingeborg Thome, nursing professor * Margrét Hermanns-Auðardóttir, archaeologist *

Niels Finsen Niels Ryberg Finsen (15 December 1860 – 24 September 1904) was a Faroese- Icelandic physician and scientist. In 1903, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology "in recognition of his contribution to the treatment of diseases, e ...

, physician,

winner (Icelandic parents) *

Ólafía Einarsdóttir Ólafía Einarsdóttir (28 July 1924 – 19 December 2017) was an Iceland, Icelandic archaeologist and historian, specialising in Icelandic chronology. She was the first Icelander to complete a degree in archaeology. After completing her PhD fro ...

, archaeologist * Páll Skúlason, philosopher, former Rector of the

University of Iceland The University of Iceland ( is, Háskóli Íslands ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' s ...

* Reynir Böðvarsson, seismologist * Sigurdur Helgason, mathematician *

Sigurður Nordal Sigurður Nordal (14 September 1886 – 21 September 1974) was an Icelandic scholar, writer, and ambassador. He was influential in forming the theory of the Icelandic sagas as works of literature composed by individual authors. Education Nor ...

, philosopher * Sigurður Þórarinsson, geologist, volcanologist, professor * Snorri Sturluson, documentarian, writer * Stefán Einarsson, linguist and literary historian * Vilhjálmur Árnason, philosopher * Þór Whitehead, historian *

Þorsteinn Gylfason Þorsteinn Gylfason (12 August 1942 – 16 August 2005) was an Icelandic philosopher, translator, musician and poet. Þorsteinn distinguished himself in Icelandic public life with his writings in newspapers, journals and publications. His li ...

, philosopher

Sports and games

Football (Soccer)

* Rúrik Gíslason, professional footballer, currently at SV Sandhausen * Albert Guðmundsson, first Icelandic professional footballer, played for Valur, Rangers,

A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...

, Arsenal and

FC Nancy Football club de Nancy was a French association football team playing in the city of Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle. The team was founded in 1901 and dissolved in 1968. Honours * Coupe de France The Coupe de France, formerly known as the Cou ...

. * Arnór Guðjohnsen, former professional footballer, father of Eiður Guðjohnsen *

Aron Gunnarsson Aron Einar Malmquist Gunnarsson (born 22 April 1989) is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays for Al-Arabi and captains the Icelandic national team. He can play either as a defensive midfielder or a central midfielder. He began his c ...

, professional footballer, currently at

Cardiff City FC Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Fo ...

Ásgeir Sigurvinsson Ásgeir "Sigi" Sigurvinsson (born 8 May 1955 in Vestmannaeyjar) is an Icelandic retired football attacking midfielder and coach. He spent most of his career at Standard Liège and in Germany, amassing Bundesliga totals of 211 games and 39 goal ...

, former professional footballer *

Birkir Bjarnason Birkir Bjarnason (born 27 May 1988) is an Icelandic professional Association football, footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Süper Lig club Adana Demirspor and the Iceland national football team, where he is their all-time leader in ...

, professional footballer, currently at

Aston Villa F.C. Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Pa ...

Eggert Jónsson Eggert Gunnþór Jónsson (born 18 August 1988) is an Icelandic international footballer who plays predominantly as a midfielder but is also capable of playing as a centre back or in both full back roles. He current plays for the Icelandic clu ...

, professional footballer, currently at

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen Eiður is an Icelandic given name. It appears in Landnámabók and its meaning is most likely 'oath' in English (''ed'' or ''eid'' in some modern Germanic languages). The name is rather uncommon, carried only by around 200 persons. agsofa Íslands ...

, professional footballer, top scorer for Icelandic national team *

Emil Hallfreðsson Emil Hallfreðsson (born 29 June 1984) is an Icelandic professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder or left winger for Italian club Virtus Verona and the Iceland national team. Club career Early career Primarily a left-sided mid ...

, professional footballer, currently at

Udinese Calcio Udinese Calcio, commonly referred to as Udinese, is a professional Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, that currently plays in Serie A. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sports club, and on 5 July 1911 as a foo ...

* Eyjólfur Héðinsson, professional footballer, currently at

SønderjyskE SønderjyskE is a Danish sport corporation. They have a football team (SønderjyskE Fodbold, based in Haderslev), two handball teams (SønderjyskE Håndbold, one male based in Sønderborg, one female based in Aabenraa) and an ice hockey team (S ...

Guðni Bergsson Guðni Bergsson (born 21 July 1965) is an Icelandic former professional footballer and former president of the Icelandic Football Association from 2017 to 2021. As a player, he was a defender who notably played in the Premier League for Tott ...

, former professional footballer, played for teams such as

Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

and Bolton Wanderers * Gylfi Sigurðsson, professional footballer, currently at Everton F.C. *

Heiðar Helguson Heiðar Helguson (; born 22 August 1977) is an Icelandic former professional footballer who played as a striker. Heiðar started his career in the Icelandic league system, with UMFS Dalvík and Þróttur. Following a one-season spell in Norw ...

, professional footballer, currently at

Heimir Hallgrímsson Heimir Hallgrímsson (born 10 June 1967) is an Icelandic former football player, dentist, and current manager of the Jamaica national football team. Career As a player Heimir started playing for ÍBV from his local town Vestmannaeyjar in 1986 ...

, manager of the

Iceland national football team The Iceland national football team (in ) represents Iceland in men's international football. The team is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland, and have been a FIFA member since 1947 and an UEFA member since 1957. The team's nickn ...

, also a football player and dentist *

Hermann Hreiðarsson Hermann Hreiðarsson (born 11 July 1974) is an Icelandic former professional football player and coach. He played as a defender and spent 15 seasons in England, gaining a total of 315 appearances in the Premier League. Hermann was relegated fr ...

, professional footballer, currently at ÍBV *

Ívar Ingimarsson Ívar Ingimarsson (born 20 August 1977) is an Icelandic former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He began his career in Iceland with Valur and ÍBV before moving to England where, after an initial loan spell with Torquay Un ...

, former professional footballer * Jóhannes Karl Guðjónsson, professional footballer, currently at Knattspyrnufélag ÍA *

Teitur Thordarson Teitur Thordarson ( is, Teitur Þórðarson, born 14 January 1952) is an Icelandic football coach. He is the older brother of Ólafur Þórðarson. Playing career Club Íþróttabandalag Akraness Before coaching, Teitur playing as a striker f ...

, former professional footballer

Chess

Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 1 ...

, former

world chess champion The World Chess Championship is played to determine the world champion in chess. The current world champion is Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who has held the title since 2013. The first event recognized as a world championship was the 1886 matc ...

, granted Icelandic citizenship on 21 March 2005 *

Friðrik Ólafsson Friðrik Ólafsson (born 26 January 1935) is an Icelandic chess grandmaster. He was president of FIDE from 1978 to 1982. He is a six-time Icelandic Chess Champion and a two-time Nordic Chess Champion. Chess career Friðrik was born in Reykja ...

, chess grandmaster

Handball

* Arnór Atlason, handball player who plays for

FCK Håndbold F.C. Copenhagen Handball (or simply FCK Handball) was a Danish handball team, playing in Copenhagen. They had both a male and a female team, both playing in the best Danish leagues, the Danish Handball League (men) and Danish Women's Handball L ...

in Denmark. * Aron Pálmarsson, handball player who plays for

FC Barcelona Handbol Futbol Club Barcelona Handbol is a Spanish handball team based in Barcelona, Catalonia. It is a part of the FC Barcelona multi sports club, and was founded on 29 November 1942. The club competes domestically in the Liga ASOBAL and in the Eu ...

* Guðjón Valur Sigurðsson, handball player who plays for

Paris Saint-Germain Handball Paris Saint-Germain Handball (PSG) is a French professional handball club founded in 1941, and based in the city of Paris in France. The club is the handball department of Paris Saint-Germain. PSG play in the highest tier of French handbal ...

in Germany. *

Ólafur Stefánsson Ólafur Indriði Stefánsson (born 3 July 1973 in Reykjavík, Iceland) is a former Icelandic handball player who, for many years was the captain of the Iceland men's national handball team but announced his international retirement after the ...

, handball player,

Rhein-Neckar Löwen Rhein-Neckar Löwen is a professional handball club founded in 2002, based in Mannheim, Germany. The club competes in the German Handball-Bundesliga and continentally in EHF European League. Rhein-Neckar Löwen play their home games in SAP Are ...

. Formerly of

Wuppertal Wuppertal (; "''Wupper Dale''") is, with a population of approximately 355,000, the seventh-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as the 17th-largest city of Germany. It was founded in 1929 by the merger of the cities and tow ...

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; nds, label=Low Saxon, Meideborg ) is the capital and second-largest city of the German state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is situated at the Elbe river. Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archdiocese of Magdebu ...

and Ciudad Real. * Snorri Steinn Guðjónsson, handball player who plays for

in Germany.

Strongmen

Benedikt Magnússon Benedikt "Benni" Magnússon (; born 4 June 1983) is an Icelandic strongman and powerlifter. He has held the raw deadlift world record since 2011 with . He also set the world record for the heaviest strongman deadlift in 2014 with , which stood un ...

, Raw Deadlift world record holder *

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (; transliterated as Hafthor in English, born 26 November 1988), is an Icelandic professional strongman, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest strength athletes of all time. He is the first and only person ...

, 2018

World's Strongest Man The World's Strongest Man is an international Strongman competition held every year. Organized by American event management company IMG, a subsidiary of Endeavor, it is broadcast in the US during summers and in the UK around the end of Decem ...

3 x

Arnold Strongman Classic The Arnold Strongman Classic is an annual competition featuring strength athletes from all over the world, determining who is the Strongest Man in the World. Created by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Lorimer and Terry Todd, it is an offshoot of the A ...

Champion and Deadlift world record holder *

Jón Páll Sigmarsson Jón Páll Sigmarsson (28 April 1960 – 16 January 1993) was an Icelandic strongman, powerlifter and bodybuilder who was the first man to win the World's Strong ...

, 4 x

* Magnús Magnússon *

Magnús Ver Magnússon Magnús Ver Magnússon (born 23 April 1963) is an Icelandic former powerlifter and strongman competitor. He is a four-time World's Strongest Man, having won in 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest strongmen of ...

, 4 x

Stefán Sölvi Pétursson Stefán Sölvi Pétursson (born 20 March 1986) is an Icelandic strongman and a finalist of the World's Strongest Man competition, winning 4th place in the 2010 World's Strongest Man competition held in Sun City (South Africa) and 9th place in t ...

, World's Strongest Man Finalist

Others

* Anníe Þórisdóttir, back-to-back

CrossFit CrossFit is a branded fitness regimen that involves constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. The method was developed by Greg Glassman, who founded CrossFit with Lauren Jenai in 2000, with CrossFit its registered trad ...

Games winner (2011, 2012) *

Einar Ragnarsson Kvaran Einar Ragnarsson Kvaran (November 19, 1920 – December 13, 2012) was an Icelandic engineer, teacher, genealogist and writer. He lived in America much of the latter part of his life and was the author of the ''Our Ancestors'' newspaper series. ...

, engineer, teacher,

genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

and writer *

Fiann Paul Fiann Paul (born 15 August 1980) is an Icelandic explorer, athlete, artist, speaker and Jungian psychoanalyst. He is the world's most record-breaking explorer, and holds the world's highest number of performance-based Guinness World Records ev ...

, fastest

ocean rower Ocean rowing is the sport of rowing across oceans. Some ocean rowing boats can hold as many as fourteen rowers; however, the most common ocean rowboats are designed for singles, doubles, and fours. The history of ocean rowing is divided into two ...

, most record breaking explorer, most

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

decorated athlete * Guðrún Erlendsdóttir (1936–2013), first woman to become a judge of the Supreme Court of Iceland * Gunnar Nelson, MMA fighter * Halldór Helgason, snowboarder *

Katrín Davíðsdóttir Katrín Tanja Davíðsdóttir (; born 10 May 1993) is an Icelandic CrossFit athlete known for her eight appearances at the CrossFit Games. She is the women's champion of the 2015 and 2016 CrossFit Games. Katrín is the second woman to repeat as ...

, back-to-back

Games winner (2015, 2016) * Kristján Einar Kristjánsson, racing driver, currently racing in British formula 3 * Sara Sigmundsdóttir,

Games athlete * Sigurlína Ingvarsdóttir (born 1978), video games producer *

Þórunn Jónassen Þórunn Jónassen, also Þórunn Hafstein Pétursdóttir (1850–1922) was an Icelandic feminist, the first chair of Thorvaldsensfélagið (Thorvaldsen's Society), Iceland's oldest women's association, a post she maintained for 47 years. She was ...

(1850–1922), first chair of Thorvaldsensfélagið and early Reykjavik city councillor *

Vala Flosadóttir Vala Flosadóttir (born 16 February 1978 in Reykjavík) is an Icelandic former athlete competing in the pole vault. Biography She saw her heyday in the late nineties, when she set five world junior records and two world indoor records. She won va ...

, pole vaulter * Vilhelmína Lever (1802–1879), shopkeeper who voted in municipal elections in 1863 and 1866 before women such as her were officially given voting rights *