List of famous Transylvanian personalities by era and by birth date. The list contains people who born or lived in Transylvania.
15th century
John Hunyadi, (c.1406–1456), Voivode of Transylvania, Regent of Hungary
Orban (–1453), Hungarian iron founder and engineer
Vlad the Impaler (1428/31–1476/77), Prince of Wallachia
Ladislaus Hunyadi (1431– 1457), Hungarian nobleman
Matthias Corvinus (1443–1490), King of Hungary
15th – 16th century
Stephen Báthory (1477–1534), Voivode of Transylvania
György Dózsa (1470–1514), Székely nobleman, leader of the peasants' revolt
Nicolaus Olahus (1493–1568), Romanian-Hungarian writer, Archbishop of Esztergom, Primate of Hungary Johannes Honter (1498–1549), Saxon Renaissance humanist and Protestant Reformers
16th century
Bálint Bakfark (1507/26–1576), Hungarian composer and lutenist of the Renaissance Ferenc Dávid (1520–1579), Hungarian theologian, founder of the Unitarian Church of Transylvania
16th – 17th century
Gábor Bethlen, prince of Transylvania
Stephen Bocskai, Hungarian noble from Transylvania, prince of Transylvania
Péter Pázmány, Hungarian theologian and writer
István Szamosközy, Hungarian humanist and historian
17th century
János Apáczai Csere, Hungarian writer and educator
Johannes Caioni, Franciscan friar, the first ethnic Romanian composer
17th – 18th century
Kelemen Mikes, Hungarian writer
18th century
18th – 19th century
Farkas Bolyai, Hungarian mathematician
Sándor Bölöni Farkas, Hungarian writer
Sámuel Brassai, Hungarian teacher, musician and artist
Samuel von Brukenthal, Saxon administrator
Sándor Kőrösi Csoma, Hungarian explorer and researcher
Gheorghe Lazăr, Romanian teacher
Stephan Ludwig Roth, Saxon pedagogue and Lutheran pastor
Gheorghe Șincai, Romanian historian and pedagogue
Alexandru Sterca-Șuluțiu, Romanian bishop
Ioan Sterca-Șuluțiu, 1848 Romanian revolutionary
Sámuel Teleki, Hungarian Chancellor of Transylvania, founder of the Teleki Library Miklós Wesselényi, Hungarian politician and writer
19th century
George Bariț, Romanian historian and publicist
Simion Bărnuțiu, Romanian philosopher and politician
János Bolyai, Hungarian mathematician
Carl Filtsch, German pianist
Áron Gábor, Hungarian revolutionary
Avram Iancu, Romanian revolutionary
Zsigmond Kemény, Hungarian author
Andrei Mureșanu, Romanian poet and revolutionary
Balázs Orbán, Hungarian writer, historian and politician
19th – 20th century
Arthur Arz von Straussenburg, Saxon soldier, last military leader of the Austro-Hungarian Army Miklós Bánffy, Hungarian nobleman, politician, and novelist. Béla Bartók, Hungarian composer Elek Benedek, Hungarian journalist and writer István Bethlen, was a Hungarian aristocrat, statesman, Prime Minister from 1921 to 1931. Lucian Blaga, Romanian poet, playwright, and philosopher Alexandru Borza, Romanian botanist Miklós Bródy, Hungarian chess master Badea Cârțan, Romanian explorer Octavian Codru Tăslăuanu, Romanian writer and soldier (first in the Austro-Hungarian Army and then in the Romanian Army) George Coșbuc, Romanian poet Aron Cotruș, Romanian poet and politician Miron Cristea, Romanian Prime Minister and Patriarch of All Romania Nicolae Densuşianu, Romanian historian and ethnologist Octavian Goga, Romanian poet and politician Petru Groza, Romanian politician Iuliu Hossu, Romanian bishop, cardinal Ștefan Octavian Iosif, Romanian poet Elek Köblös, Hungarian ethnic Romanian politician Károly Kós, Hungarian architect, writer and politician Vasile Luca, Romanian ethnic Hungarian politician Áron Márton, Hungarian Catholic bishop, anticommunist dissident Traian Moșoiu, Romanian general and politician Franz Nopcsa, Austrian-Hungarian paleontologist József Nyírő, Hungarian writer Hermann Oberth, Saxon inventor and physicist Aurel Popovici, Romanian federalist Sextil Pușcariu, Romanian linguist and philologist Emil Rebreanu, ethnic-Romanian Austro-Hungarian Army officer Liviu Rebreanu, Romanian novelist Ilie Șteflea, Romanian Army Corps General and Chief of the Romanian General Staff for most of Romania's involvement in World War II Vasile Suciu, Romanian bishop Áron Tamási, Hungarian writer Sámuel Teleki, Austrian-Hungarian explorer Alexandru Vaida-Voevod, Romanian politician Aurel Vlaicu, Romanian aviation pioneer