Gallup's most admired man and woman poll


Gallup's most admired man and woman poll is an annual poll that Gallup has conducted at the end of most years since 1948. Americans are asked, without prompting, to say what man and woman "living today in any part of the world, do admire most?" The result is published as a top ten list. Most years the most admired man is the sitting President of the United States and the most admired woman is or has been the First Lady of the United States.
Gallup's poll is announced during the last week of each year, and the results typically gets mainstream media coverage at the time. The survey has been considered, in part, a test of name recognition. While places at the top of the list are often predictable, scholars have found appearances further down in the top ten to be illuminating, such as in 1958 when segregationist governor Orval Faubus made the list in the wake of the Little Rock Nine civil rights episode.

Trends and top finishers

Sitting U.S. presidents have captured the top spot for men in 60 out of 73 years.
In his lifetime, evangelist Billy Graham had 61 appearances in the top 10, the most of anyone, with eight second-place finishes. The second most is Ronald Reagan with 31, and Jimmy Carter with 28 and Pope John Paul II with 27 follow. The sitting pope has finished in the top ten in every year since 1977.
Among women, the poll has shown Eleanor Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Hillary Rodham Clinton as U.S. First Ladies with the most appearances on the list. The high mark for top 10 appearances belongs to Queen Elizabeth II with 50 through 2018. Although never winning, broadcaster Oprah Winfrey has finished in the top 10 a total of 31 times through 2018, including finishing second 14 times. The high mark for most appearances at number 1, the most admired woman in the world, belongs to Hillary Clinton, who served as First Lady of Arkansas from 1983 to 1992, First Lady of the United States during the presidency of Bill Clinton from 1993 to 2001, United States Senator representing New York from 2001 to 2009, and United States Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013. She ranked first 22 times out of 25 during the years 1993–2017, including 16 in a row from 2002–2017, before her dominance was broken in 2018 by Michelle Obama. In 1980, Mother Teresa and Rosalynn Carter tied for most admired woman, and in 2019, Barack Obama and Donald Trump shared the title of most admired man.

Number of selections

RankMost admired manNumber of times
1Dwight D. Eisenhower12
1Barack Obama12
3Ronald Reagan8
3Bill Clinton8
5George W. Bush7
6Lyndon B. Johnson4
6Richard Nixon4
6George H. W. Bush4
9Douglas MacArthur3
9Henry Kissinger3
11Jimmy Carter3
12John F. Kennedy2
12Harry S. Truman2
14Pope John Paul II1
14Donald Trump1

RankMost admired womanNumber of times
1Hillary Clinton22
2Eleanor Roosevelt13
3Margaret Thatcher6
4Jacqueline Kennedy5
5Mother Teresa4
6Nancy Reagan3
6Rosalynn Carter3
6Golda Meir3
9Betty Ford2
9Barbara Bush2
9Mamie Eisenhower2
9Michelle Obama2
12Pat Nixon1
12Laura Bush1
12Ethel Kennedy1
12Elizabeth Kenny1

Winners, 1946 to 2019

These are the most admired men and women of each year.
YearMost admired manMost admired woman
1946Douglas MacArthur*Not asked
1947Douglas MacArthur*Not asked
1948Harry TrumanEleanor Roosevelt
1949Harry TrumanEleanor Roosevelt
1950Dwight EisenhowerEleanor Roosevelt
1951Douglas MacArthurSister Elizabeth Kenny
1952Dwight EisenhowerEleanor Roosevelt
1953Dwight EisenhowerEleanor Roosevelt
1954Dwight EisenhowerEleanor Roosevelt
1955Dwight EisenhowerEleanor Roosevelt
1956Dwight EisenhowerEleanor Roosevelt
1957Dwight EisenhowerEleanor Roosevelt
1958Dwight EisenhowerEleanor Roosevelt
1959Dwight EisenhowerEleanor Roosevelt
1960Dwight EisenhowerEleanor Roosevelt
1961John F. KennedyEleanor Roosevelt
1962John F. KennedyJacqueline Kennedy
1963Lyndon JohnsonJacqueline Kennedy
1964Lyndon JohnsonJacqueline Kennedy
1965Lyndon JohnsonJacqueline Kennedy
1966Lyndon JohnsonJacqueline Kennedy
1967Dwight EisenhowerNot asked
1968Dwight EisenhowerEthel Kennedy
1969Richard NixonMamie Eisenhower
1970Richard NixonMamie Eisenhower
1971Richard NixonGolda Meir
1972Richard NixonPat Nixon
1973Henry KissingerGolda Meir
1974Henry KissingerGolda Meir
1975Henry KissingerBetty Ford
1976Not askedNot asked
1977Jimmy CarterRosalynn Carter
1978Jimmy CarterBetty Ford
1979Jimmy CarterRosalynn Carter
1980Pope John Paul IIMother Teresa / Rosalynn Carter
1981Ronald ReaganNancy Reagan
1982Ronald ReaganMargaret Thatcher
1983Ronald ReaganMargaret Thatcher
1984Ronald ReaganMargaret Thatcher
1985Ronald ReaganNancy Reagan
1986Ronald ReaganMother Teresa
1987Ronald ReaganNancy Reagan
1988Ronald ReaganMargaret Thatcher
1989George H. W. BushMargaret Thatcher
1990George H. W. BushMargaret Thatcher
1991George H. W. BushBarbara Bush
1992George H. W. BushBarbara Bush
1993Bill ClintonHillary Rodham Clinton
1994Bill ClintonHillary Rodham Clinton
1995Bill ClintonMother Teresa
1996Bill ClintonMother Teresa
1997Bill ClintonHillary Rodham Clinton
1998Bill ClintonHillary Rodham Clinton
1999Bill ClintonHillary Rodham Clinton
2000Bill ClintonHillary Rodham Clinton
2001George W. BushLaura Bush
2002George W. BushHillary Rodham Clinton
2003George W. BushHillary Rodham Clinton
2004George W. BushHillary Rodham Clinton
2005George W. BushHillary Rodham Clinton
2006George W. BushHillary Rodham Clinton
2007George W. BushHillary Rodham Clinton
2008Barack ObamaHillary Rodham Clinton
2009Barack ObamaHillary Rodham Clinton
2010Barack ObamaHillary Rodham Clinton
2011Barack ObamaHillary Rodham Clinton
2012Barack ObamaHillary Rodham Clinton
2013Barack ObamaHillary Rodham Clinton
2014Barack ObamaHillary Rodham Clinton
2015Barack ObamaHillary Rodham Clinton
2016Barack ObamaHillary Rodham Clinton
2017Barack ObamaHillary Rodham Clinton
2018Barack ObamaMichelle Obama
2019Barack Obama
Donald Trump 		Michelle Obama