Do you believe that everyone who achieved extraordinary success in their field possessed an above-average IQ? We have prepared an overview of the estimated IQs of famous personalities across various disciplines and eras. Explore the list below—you might be surprised by some of the results.
Celebrity & Historical IQ Scores
| Name |
Profession |
Nationality |
IQ Score |
| Leonardo da Vinci | Scientist / Artist | Italy | 220 |
| J.Wolfgang von Goethe | Writer | Germany | 210 |
| Kim Ung Yong | Mathematician | Korea | 210 |
| Emanuel Swedenborg | Scientist | Sweden | 205 |
| Francis Galton | Scientist | UK | 200 |
| Hugo Grotius | Philosopher | Netherlands | 200 |
| John Stuart Mill | Economist | France | 200 |
| Blaise Pascal | Mathematician | France | 195 |
| Garry Kasparov | Chess Grandmaster | Russia | 190 |
| Isaac Newton | Scientist | England | 190 |
| Ludwig van Beethoven | Composer | Germany | 190 |
| Voltaire | Writer | France | 190 |
| Bobby Fischer | Chess Grandmaster | USA | 187 |
| Galileo Galilei | Physicist | Italy | 185 |
| René Descartes | Mathematician | France | 185 |
| Benjamin Netanyahu | Prime Minister | Israel | 180 |
| Michelangelo | Artist | Italy | 180 |
| James Woods | Actor | USA | 180 |
| Charles Dickens | Writer | UK | 180 |
| Johannes Kepler | Physicist | Germany | 175 |
| Plato | Philosopher | Greece | 170 |
| Andrew Wiles | Mathematician | UK | 170 |
| Johann Strauss | Composer | Austria | 170 |
| Richard Wagner | Composer | Germany | 170 |
| Charles Darwin | Naturalist | UK | 165 |
| Johann Sebastian Bach | Composer | Germany | 165 |
| Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Composer | Austria | 165 |
| James Watt | Scientist | UK | 165 |
| Albert Einstein | Physicist | USA | 160 |
| Bill Gates | Founder of Microsoft | USA | 160 |
| Stephen Hawking | Physicist | UK | 160 |
| Quentin Tarantino | Director / Actor | USA | 160 |
| Benjamin Franklin | Writer / Scientist | USA | 160 |
| Nicolaus Copernicus | Astronomer | Poland | 160 |
| Max Planck | Scientist | Germany | 160 |
| Sharon Stone | Actress | USA | 154 |
| Miguel de Cervantes | Writer | Spain | 155 |
| Rembrandt | Artist | Netherlands | 155 |
| Petr Mach | Politician | Czech Republic | 150 |
| Napoleon Bonaparte | Emperor | France | 145 |
| Hans Ch. Andersen | Writer | Denmark | 145 |
| Richard Nixon | President | USA | 143 |
| Adolf Hitler | Dictator | Germany | 141 |
| Madonna | Singer | USA | 140 |
| Shakira | Singer | Colombia | 140 |
| Hillary Clinton | Politician | USA | 140 |
| Neil Armstrong | Astronaut | USA | 139 |
| Bill Clinton | President | USA | 137 |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | Actor / Politician | Austria/USA | 135 |
| Jodie Foster | Actress | USA | 132 |
| Nicole Kidman | Actress | USA | 132 |
| Brad Pitt | Actor | USA | 126 |
| George W. Bush | President | USA | 125 |
| George Washington | President | USA | 118 |
| John F. Kennedy | President | USA | 117 |
| Andy Warhol | Artist | USA | 86 |
| Muhammad Ali | Boxer | USA | 72 |
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination." — Albert Einstein
Understanding the Scores
It is important to note that for historical figures who lived before the invention of modern standardized IQ tests (early 20th century), these scores are estimates based on biographical data, academic achievements, and linguistic complexity (Cox's Study of 1926). For modern celebrities, some scores are self-reported or based on Mensa membership.