This is a list of Spaniards that are famous or notable. (In alphabetical order within categories.)

Actors

• Elena Anaya
• Antonio Banderas
• Mark Consuelos
• Penélope Cruz
• Angelines Fernández
• Jordi Molla
• Sara Montiel
• Fernando Rey
• Paz Vega

Architects

• Ricardo Bofill
• Santiago Calatrava
• Ildefons Cerdà (1815 - 1876)
• Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926)
• Rafael Moneo

Authors

• Mateo Alemán (1547-c. 1609)
• Vicente Aleixandre (1888-1984)
• Jacinto Benavente (1866-1954)
• Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681), playwright and poet
• Camilo José Cela (1916-2002), novelist
• Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), writer of El Quijote, or Don Quixote
• Antonio Gala
• Benito Pérez Galdós
• Federico García Lorca (1898-1936), poet and playwright
• Luis de Góngora, poet and priest
• Jon Juaristi
• Salvador de Madariaga
• Joanot Martorell
• Tirso de Molina (1571-1648), playwright
• Agustín Moreto y Cavana, playwright
• Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos (1744-1811), statesman and author
• Leandro Fernández de Moratín (1760-1828), dramatist and neoclassical poet
• José Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955), author
• Francisco de Quevedo (1580-1645)
• Fernando de Rojas
• Francisco de Rojas Zorrilla, playwright
• Juan Ruiz de Alarcón, playwright
• Miguel Unamuno (1864-1931), existentialist author
• Garcilaso de la Vega (1501-1586), poet
• Félix Lope de Vega (1562-1635), poet and playwright
• José Zorrilla y Moral, poet and playwright

Explorers

• Hernán Cortés (1485-1547), conquistador
• Juan Sebastián Elcano (1476-1526)
• Vasco Núñez de Balboa (c. 1475-1519), first to sight the Pacific Ocean, founded Darién
• Francisco Pizarro (1471-1541), conqueror of the Inca Empire
• Francisco de Orellana, Amazonas
• Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (southwestern United States, 1527-1536, South America, 1540-1542)

Film directors

• Pedro Almodóvar (born 1949)
• Alejandro Amenábar (born 1972)
• Luis Buñuel (1900-1983)
• José Luis Garci (born 1944)
• Álex de la Iglesia
• Julio Medem (born 1958)

Leaders

• José María Aznar (born 1953), former prime minister
• José Antonio Cánovas del Castillo prime minister and historian
• Ruy Díaz de Vivar, El Cid (c. 1045-1099), Spanish knight and hero
• Buenaventura Durruti (1896-1936)
• Francisco Franco (1892-1975)
• Juan Carlos de Borbón (born 1938)
• Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, El Gran Capitán, (1453-1515)
• Felipe González (born 1942), former prime minister
• José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born 1960), prime minister
• Trajan (53-117), Roman Emperor, 98-117
• Queen Isabella I, Queen of Spain (1451-1504)

Musicians

• Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909), composer
• Pau Casals (1876-1973), cello
• Manuel de Falla (1876-1946), composer
• Enrique Granados (1867-1916), composer
• Antonio Katrasca
• Andres Segovia (1893-1987), guitar
• Joaquín Turina (1882-1949), composer

Singers

• Victoria de los Angeles (born 1923), soprano
• David Bisbal (born 1979)
• Miguel Bosé
• Nino Bravo (1944-1973)
• Montserrat Caballé (born 1933), soprano
• José Carreras (born 1946), tenor
• Charo
• Plácido Domingo (born 1941), tenor
• Enrique Iglesias (born 1975), pop singer
• Julio Iglesias (born 1943), pop singer
• Julio José Iglesias (born 1973), pop singer
• Alfredo Kraus (1927-1999), tenor
• La Pandilla teen group, all members are from Spain
• Raphael
• Los del Río
• Camilo Sesto
• Camarón de la Isla

Painters

• Salvador Dalí (1904-1989), visionary artist
• Francisco Goya (1746-1828), painter
• El Greco
• Juan Gris (1887-1927), cubist painter from Madrid
• Jesús Mari Lazkano
• Joan Miró
• Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1618-1682), painter
• Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), painter
• Antoni Tàpies
• Darío Urzay
• Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), painter
• Ignacio Zuloaga (1870-1945), painter
• Francisco de Zurbarán (1598-1644), painter

Philosophers

• Maimónides (1135-1204), Philosopher
• Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia (1240- probably 1292), Philosopher, an early cabbalist
• George Santayana (1863-1952), US writer
• José Ortega y Gasset

Scientists

• Algafequi, glasses inventor (Cordoba)
• Gregorio Marañón
• Severo Ochoa de Albornoz (1905-1993)
• Joan Oró
• Isaac Peral
• Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934), father of Neuroscience
• Miguel Servet
• Leonardo Torres y Quevedo, inventor

Sports

• Fernando Alonso (born 1981), Formula One driver
• Severiano Ballesteros, golfer
• Galo Blanco, tennis player
• Fermin Cacho Ruiz, athlete, Olympic 1,500 Gold Medalist
• Pedro Carrasco, world champion boxer
• Javier Castillejo, world champion boxer
• Juan Carlos Ferrero, tennis player, French Open champion
• Sergio García, golfer
• Pau Gasol, NBA basketball player
• Miguel Induráin, Tour de France champion cyclist
• Carlos Moya, tennis player
• José Maria Olazábal, golfer
• Manuel Orantes (born 1949), champion tennis player
• Raúl, football player
• Carlos Sainz, rally driver
• Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, tennis player, French Open champion
• Javier Sanchez, tennis player, brother of Arantxa
• Manuel Santana (born 1938), champion tennis player

Others

• Ferrán Adriá, cook
• Karlos Arguiñano, cook and entertainer
• Carlos D. Cidon, chef
• Joaquin Cortes, dancer
• Luis Miguel González Lucas, better known as Luis Miguel Dominguín, bullfighter, father of Miguel Bosé
• Chabeli Iglesias, reporter, daughter of Julio Iglesias
• Federica Montseny, anarchist, politician, writer
• Sean Piniero, drug dealer
• Diego Salcedo, priest, first Spaniard killed by Puerto Rican Taínos
• Juan Sánchez Vidal, renowned collector
• Pedro Subijana, cook
• Cristina Sánchez, bullfighter
• Aguas Santas Ocana Navarro, first lady of Honduras
• Torquemada, inquisitor

See also: List of people by nationality, List of Catalans, list of Spanish language poets, List of Spanish monarchs