List of Karelians
This list of Karelians lists both people from Republic of Karelia, Finnish Karelians and other people of Karelian ancestry.
People from Republic of Karelia
Viena Karelians
- Arhippa Perttunen, rune singer
- , rune singer
Finnish Karelians
- Antti Aalto, Finnish ice hockey player
- Matti Aarnio, Finnish military officer and motti specialist
- Martti Ahtisaari, Finnish president from 1994 to 2000, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2008
- Toimi Alatalo, Finnish cross country skier and olympic winner
- Koop Arponen, Finnish-Dutch musician
- Alfred Asikainen, Finnish wrestler, Olympic bronze medallist and participator in longest wrestling match in history
- Teuvo Aura, Finnish politician, born in Ruskeala
- Anna Easteden, Finnish actress
- , Finnish basketball player. Mother of Lauri Markkanen and Eero Markkanen
- , Finnish bandy player.
- Kari Haakana, Finnish ice hockey player
- Veikko Hakulinen, Finnish cross country skier and three time olympic winner
- Arto Halonen, Finnish filmmaker
- , Finnish composer and violinist
- Ilmari Hannikainen, Finnish composer and pianist
- P.J. Hannikainen, Finnish composer
- Tauno Hannikainen, Finnish conductor and cellist
- , Finnish composer
- Katri Helena, Finnish singer
- Mikko Hietanen, Finnish long-distance runner, European Champion
- Tuomas Holopainen, Finnish musician
- Simo Häyhä, Finnish sniper
- Jouni Hynynen, Finnish musician
- Mikko Hyyrynen, Finnish football player
- Juho Hänninen, Finnish rally driver
- Ansa Ikonen, Finnish actress
- Rieti Itkonen, Finnish politician
- Max Jakobson, Finnish-Jewish diplomat
- Mikko Jokela, Finnish ice hockey player
- Aarne Juutilainen, Finnish Army captain and mercenary in French Foreign Legion
- Ilmari Juutilainen, Finnish fighter ace
- Marjatta Kajosmaa, Finnish cross-country skier, four time Olympic medallist
- Hannu Kapanen, Finnish ice hockey player
- , Finnish rune singer
- Paavo Karjalainen, Finnish journalist and politician
- Aki Karvonen, Finnish cross-country skier and three time Olympic medallist
- Veikko Karvonen, Finnish marathon runner and Olympic bronze medallist
- Pia Kauma, Finnish politician
- Yrjö Keinonen, Finnish general and former Chief of Defence
- Matti Kekki, Finnish politician
- Anneli Kiljunen, Finnish politician
- Marja-Liisa Kirvesniemi, Finnish cross-country skier, three time Olympic gold medallist and four time bronze medallist
- Eila Kivikk'aho, Finnish poet
- Timo Kivinen, Finnish general and Chief of Defence
- Teuvo Kohonen, Finnish researcher, best known for the development of self-organizing map
- Yrjö Kokko, Finnish writer
- Janne Kolehmainen, Finnish ice hockey player
- Väinö Korhonen, Finnish modern pentathlete, two time Olympic bronze medallist
- Tapio Korjus, Finnish javelin thrower
- Esko Kovero, Finnish actor
- Mateli Magdalena Kuivalatar, Rune singer
- Jari Kurri, Finnish ice hockey player
- Kyösti Kylälä, Finnish engineer and inventor
- Heikki Kähkönen, Finnish wrestler and Olympic medallist in Greco-Roman wrestling.
- Kyösti Laasonen, Finnish archer, Olympic bronze medallist
- Samppa Lajunen, Finnish nordic combined athlete, three time Olympic gold medallist
- Timo Lavikainen, Finnish actor
- , Finnish businessman and politician
- Ville Leino, Finnish ice hockey player
- Kari Liimo, Finnish basketball player
- Arvi Lind, Finnish news anchor
- Kaarlo Linkola, Finnish botanist and phytogeographer
- , Finnish rune singer
- Antti Litja, Finnish actor
- Jari Litmanen, Finnish football player
- Eino Luukkanen, Finnish fighter ace
- Matti Lähde, Finnish cross country skier and Olympic winner
- Pave Maijanen, Finnish musician
- Martti Mansikka, Finnish gymnast, Olympic bronze medallist
- Jussi Markkanen, Finnish ice hockey player
- Marjo Matikainen, Finnish cross-country skier and politician, Olympic gold medallist and three time World Champion. Chairwoman of Karjalan Liitto 2011-2017
- Pentti Matikainen, Finnish hockey coach and general manager. Led Finland to silver medals in the 1988 Winter Olympics and the 1992 World Championships, and to third place in the 1991 Canada Cup
- Erkki Melartin, Finnish composer
- Veijo Meri, Finnish writer
- Hannu Mikkola, Finnish rally driver
- Jonni Myyrä, Finnish javelin thrower, two time Olympic winner
- Jani Mäkelä, Finnish politician
- Yrjö Nikkanen, Finnish javelin thrower, Olympic silver medallist
- Lauri Nissinen, Finnish fighter ace
- Petteri Nokelainen, Finnish ice hockey player
- Voldemar Oinonen, Finnish General
- Olavi Paavolainen, Finnish writer
- Aaro Pajari, Finnish Major General
- Hanna Pakarinen, Finnish singer
- Iiro Pakarinen, Finnish ice hockey player
- Juho Paksujalka, Finnish politician
- Larin Paraske, Izhorian-Karelian rune singer
- Aki Parviainen, Finnish javelin thrower
- Urho Peltonen, Finnish javelin thrower, two time Olympic medallist
- Eino Penttilä, Finnish javelin thrower
- Arhippa Perttunen, Rune singer
- Antti Puhakka, Finnish poet
- Olli Puhakka, Finnish fighter ace
- Ari Puheloinen, Finnish general and former Chief of Defence
- Teemu Pukki, Finnish football player
- Anna Puu, Finnish singer
- Markku Pölönen, Finnish director
- Jussi Pylkkänen, Finnish art dealer
- , Finnish soldier and farmer
- Jaska Raatikainen, Finnish musician, former drummer and co-founder of the band Children of Bodom
- Väinö Raitio, Finnish composer
- Siiri Rantanen, Finnish cross country skier and olympic winner
- Lauri Kristian Relander, Finnish president from 1925 to 1931
- Ilkka Remes, Finnish writer
- Juuso Riikola, Finnish ice hockey player
- Jorma Rissanen, Finnish information theorist, and inventor of the minimum description length principle
- Kimi Räikkönen, Finnish F1 World Champion
- Seppo Räty, Finnish javelin thrower
- Matti Rönkä, Finnish writer
- Kaija Saariaho, Finnish composer
- Sipe Santapukki, Finnish drummer
- Aulis Sallinen, Finnish composer
- Petri Sarvamaa, Finnish politician
- , Finnish rune singer
- Aarne Sihvo, Finnish general and former Chief of Defence
- Mikko Silvennoinen, Finnish television host, journalist and producer
- Anton Suurkonka, Finnish farmer, business executive, lay preacher and politician
- Sten Suvio, Finnish boxer and Olympic winner
- Martti Talvela, Finnish operatic bass
- Juha Tiainen, Finnish hammer thrower and Olympic winner
- Kimmo Tiilikainen, Finnish politician
- Reino Tolvanen, Finnish actor
- Ari Torniainen, Finnish politician
- Heikki Turunen, Finnish writer
- Tarja Turunen, Finnish singer-songwriter
- Lauri Törni, born in Viipuri, Törni was a soldier and winner of the Mannerheim Cross during the Continuation War, who later served with the German and American armies. Later known as Larry Thorne
- Riitta Uosukainen, Finnish politician, Counselor of State
- Urho Vaakanainen, Finnish ice hockey player
- , Finnish scientist, CEO of Solar Foods
- Jorma Valkama, Finnish athlete, Olympic bronze medallist in long jump
- Tatu Vanhanen, Finnish political scientist and author
- Matti Vanhanen, Finnish politician
- Ari Vatanen, Finnish politician and former rally driver
- Vesa Vierikko, Finnish actor
- Vesa Viitakoski, Finnish ice hockey player
- Johannes Virolainen, Finnish politician, Counselor of State
- Emppu Vuorinen, Finnish musician
- Vilho Väisälä, Finnish meteorologist, physicist and founder of Vaisala
- Yrjö Väisälä, Finnish astronomer and physicist
Other ethnic Karelians
- Boris Akbulatov, artist
- Pamela Anderson, Canadian-American actress and model
- Aleksandr Hudilainen, Ingrian politician
- Reino Häyhänen, Ingrian lieutenant colonel of Soviet Russia, spy, and defector to the United States
- Aleksandr Kokko, Ingrian football player
- Leo Komarov, Finno-Russian ice hockey player in the National Hockey League
- Yelena Kondulainen, Ingrian actress
- Timothy Kopra, astronaut
- Robert Kurvitz, Estonian-Karelian novelist, musician, and video game developer
- Hillar Rootare, Estonian-Ingrian physical chemist
- Andrei Tarsalainen, writer
- Alina Voronkova, Russian-Ingrian model