List of people from New Mexico
This is a list of people from New Mexico, which includes notable people who were either born or have lived for a significant period of time in the U.S. state of New Mexico or its predecessors, the Spanish and Mexican Nuevo México and the American New Mexico Territory. They are referred to by the demonym "New Mexican", and by the Spanish language demonym "Neomexicano" or "Neomejicano".
Athletics
- Jason Anderson – born in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, Supercross racer
- Ross Anderson – lives in Taos, record holder in speed skiing
- Hank Baskett – born in Clovis, former NFL player
- Notah Begay III – born in Albuquerque, golfer
- Ray Birmingham – born in Hobbs, baseball coach
- Alan Branch – born in Rio Rancho, NFL player
- Alex Bregman – baseball player
- Bill Bridges – born in Hobbs, former NBA player
- Brenda Burnside – born in Albuquerque, boxer
- Shelia Burrell – born in Albuquerque, heptathlete; fourth place in 2004 Olympic Games
- Edgar Castillo – born in Las Cruces, Liga MX
- Jackie Chavez – born in Albuquerque, lives in Las Cruces, boxer
- Carlos Condit – born in Albuquerque, UFC fighter
- Ryan Cook – born in Albuquerque, NFL player
- John Dodson – born in Albuquerque, mixed martial artist
- Michael Dunn – born in Farmington, MLB player
- Doug Eddings – born in Las Cruces, MLB umpire
- Arian Foster – born in Albuquerque, running back for the Miami Dolphins
- Bob Foster – born in Albuquerque, light-heavyweight boxing world champion
- Jack Gardner – college men's basketball coach
- Mitch Garver – born in Albuquerque, baseball player
- Frank "Bruiser Brody" Goodish – professional wrestler
- Aaron Graham – former NFL center
- Fred Haney – Major League Baseball manager
- Pat Henry – collegiate track-and-field head coach
- Holly Holm – born in Albuquerque, mixed martial artist
- Damion James – born in Hobbs, player for the New Jersey Nets
- Ralph Kiner – Baseball Hall of Famer
- Nancy Lopez – raised in Roswell, Hall of Fame golfer
- Ronnie Lott – Pro Football Hall of Famer
- Colt McCoy – born in Hobbs, quarterback for the Washington Redskins
- Tommy McDonald – Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver
- Matt Moore – lived in Edgewood, MLB player
- Steve Ontiveros – baseball player
- André Roberson – born in Las Cruces, professional basketball player
- Cody Ross – MLB player
- Diego Sanchez – born in Albuquerque, UFC fighter
- Mike E. Smith – born in Roswell, Hall of Fame jockey
- Tony Snell – professional basketball player
- Vern Stephens – born in McAlister, baseball player
- Chuck Stevens – born in Colfax County, baseball player
- Blake Swihart – raised in Rio Rancho, MLB player
- Johnny Tapia – born in Albuquerque, boxer
- Jeff Taylor – raised in Hobbs, former NBA player
- Jeffery Taylor – raised in Hobbs, player for the Charlotte Hornets
- Al Unser – born in Albuquerque, race car driver
- Al Unser, Jr. – born in Albuquerque, race car driver
- Bobby Unser – lives in Albuquerque, race car driver
- Brian Urlacher – grew up in Lovington, NFL player
- Kathy Whitworth – lived in Jal, New Mexico where her family owned a hardware store, professional golfer
Architecture
- John Gaw Meem – architect known for his work reviving traditional New Mexican architecture
- Mike Reynolds – architect, designer of Earthships
Business
- Paul Allen – founded Microsoft in Albuquerque
- Jeff Bezos – founder of Amazon
- Mack C. Chase - oil and natural gas businessman, also the richest New Mexican
- Maria Gertrudis "Tules" Barceló – entrepreneur and gambler
- Forrest Mims – founded Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems in Albuquerque
- Ed Roberts – founded Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems in Albuquerque
- Addie Peed Swearingen – Portales philanthropist
Crime
- Anwar al-Awlaki – member of al-Qaeda
- Billy the Kid – outlaw
- Jose Chavez y Chavez – cowboy and outlaw
- Francisco Martin Duran – attempted assassin of Bill Clinton
- William Walters aka , outlaw
Government
- Toney Anaya – former governor
- Jerry Apodaca – former governor
- Clinton Presba Anderson – former U.S. senator
- Elfego Baca
- Jeff Bingaman – former U.S. senator
- Dennis Chavez – former U.S. senator
- Bronson M. Cutting – former U.S. senator
- Pete Domenici – former U.S. senator
- Ed Foreman – former U.S. representative
- Pat Garrett
- Gary Johnson – former governor; Libertarian presidential candidate, 2012 and 2016
- Bruce King – former governor
- Timothy Kraft – campaign manager for U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1980
- Manuel Lujan – former U.S. representative
- Joseph Montoya – former U.S. senator
- Janet Napolitano – former governor of Arizona, former United States Secretary of Homeland Security, current president of University of California System
- Steve Pearce – U.S. representative
- William T. Redmond – former U.S. representative
- Bill Richardson – Energy Secretary, Ambassador to the United Nations, former governor, first Hispanic candidate for the U.S. Presidency
- Edward R. Roybal – U.S. representative from California, member of the Los Angeles City Council
- Joe Skeen – former U.S. representative
Native Americans
- Albert Looking Elk – Taos Pueblo painter
- Cochise – Chiricahua Apache chief
- Popé – leader of the Pueblo Revolt
- Geronimo – Chiricahua Apache chief
- R. C. Gorman – Navajo artist
- Albert Lujan – Taos Pueblo painter
- Juan Mirabal – Taos Pueblo painter
- Robert Mirabal – Taos Pueblo musician
- N. Scott Momaday – Kiowa, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and visual artist
- Joseph Rael – ceremonial dancer, shaman, writer, and artist
- Willard Hughes Rollings – part Cherokee, historian of Native Americans
- Lori "Pop Wea" Tanner – Taos Pueblo painter and potter
- Victorio – Chiricahua Apache chief
- Annie Dodge Wauneka – Navajo health educator, winner of Presidential Medal of Freedom
Popular culture
Art, literature, and journalism
- Edward Abbey – novelist, graduated from the University of New Mexico
- Rudolfo Anaya – novelist
- Richard Artschwager – painter, illustrator and sculptor
- Jimmy Santiago Baca – poet and author
- Oscar E. Berninghaus – founding member of Taos Society of Artists
- Ernest L. Blumenschein – founding member of Taos Society of Artists
- Fray Angelico Chavez – poet and painter
- Linda Chavez – author, commentator, radio talk show host
- E. Irving Couse – founding member of Taos Society of Artists
- Stanley Crawford – writer and farmer
- W. Herbert Dunton – founding member of Taos Society of Artists
- Nicolai Fechin – painter known for his portraits and works featuring Native Americans
- Forrest Fenn – poet, scholar, artist and painter, author, historian, teacher, environmentalist
- Jacque Gonzales – TV and radio personality
- R. C. Gorman – Navajo artist
- Grant Hayunga – artist and musician
- Tony Hillerman – journalist, mystery writer, "Edgar" award winner, MWA Grand Master
- Peter Hurd – artist
- Barbara Latham – painter, printmaker, illustrator
- D. H. Lawrence – novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter
- Marjorie Herrera Lewis – author and journalist
- Mabel Dodge Luhan – writer and patroness of Taos art colony
- Charles Fletcher Lummis – journalist and Indian activist, photographer
- Agnes Martin – abstract painter
- George R. R. Martin – lives in Santa Fe, screenwriter and author of fantasy, horror, and science fiction, including Game of Thrones
- Maria Martinez – pottery artist, famous for her pioneering work in black on black pottery
- Bill Mauldin – editorial cartoonist, Pulitzer Prize, 1945 and 1958
- Cormac McCarthy – author of No Country for Old Men, The Road, Pulitzer Prize winner
- Michael McGarrity – novelist, former deputy sheriff of Santa Fe County
- Agnes Morley Cleaveland – writer, cattle rancher, women's basketball player
- Howard Morgan – television weather forecaster
- Dan Namingha – Hopi artist
- Bruce Nauman – artist
- Georgia O'Keeffe – artist
- Bert Geer Phillips – founding member of Taos Society of Artists
- Ernie Pyle – war correspondent, Pulitzer Prize 1944
- Joseph Rael – Native American ceremonial dancer, shaman, writer, and artist
- Anita Rodriguez – artist and painter
- Antonio Roybal – artist
- Hib Sabin – sculptor
- George I. Sánchez – scholar and activist
- Joseph Henry Sharp – founding member of Taos Society of Artists
- Anne Trujillo – television news anchor and reporter, KMGH in Denver
- Sabine Ulibarri – poet and teacher
- Alisa Valdes – New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, staff writer Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times, screenwriter and producer
- Harold Joe Waldrum – artist
- Linda Wertheimer – Senior National Correspondent for NPR
- Cody Willard – anchor for Fox Business Network and co-host of Fox Business Happy Hour
- Jack Williamson – novelist, professor at Eastern New Mexico University
Fashion
- Tom Ford – grew up in Santa Fe, fashion designer and businessman
- Arizona Muse – fashion model
- Millicent Rogers – socialite, fashion icon, and art collector
Film and theater
- Aviva – actress, Superbad
- Kathy Baker – actress, CBS's Picket Fences, Fox's Boston Public
- Greg Baldwin – actor, Uncle Iroh on the Nickelodeon animated series '
- Bruce Cabot – actor, King Kong, Dodge City, The War Wagon
- Jan Clayton – actress, star of films and TV series Lassie
- Ronny Cox – actor, Deliverance, RoboCop
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson – actor, ABC's Modern Family
- Tony Genaro, actor – Anger Management, Phenomenon
- Annabeth Gish – actress, Fox's The X-Files and Showtime's Brotherhood
- Drew Goddard – screenwriter, producer
- Jeremy Foley – actor, Nickelodeon's Caitlin's Way
- Adrian Grenier – actor, HBO's Entourage
- Anna Gunn – actress, HBO's Deadwood, AMC's Breaking Bad
- William Hanna – animator, director, producer, cartoon artist, and co-founder of Hanna-Barbera
- Neil Patrick Harris – actor, How I Met Your Mother, Doogie Howser, M.D.
- Alexa Havins – actress, BBC's Torchwood, ABC's All My Children and One Life to Live
- Judy Herrera – actress
- Dennis Hopper – actor, filmmaker, photographer, and artist
- Mike Judge – actor, animator, producer, and creator of King of the Hill and Beavis and Butthead
- Minka Kelly – actress, Lee Daniels' The Butler, The Roommate
- Val Kilmer – actor, Heat, Tombstone, Top Gun
- Mae Marsh – actress, Intolerance, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm
- Benito Martinez – actor, FX's The Shield
- Patrice Martinez – actress, The Family Channel's Zorro
- Demi Moore – actress, Ghost, Indecent Proposal, A Few Good Men
- Freddie Prinze Jr. – actor, I Know What You Did Last Summer, She's All That
- Steven Michael Quezada – actor, Breaking Bad
- Tracy Reiner – actress, When Harry Met Sally..., A League of Their Own, Apollo 13
- Jay Roach – director, producer, the Austin Powers films, Meet the Parents
- Julia Roberts – actress and producer, Erin Brockovich, Pretty Woman
- Willow Shields – child actress, Hunger Games
- Ron Shock – comedian
- Geno Silva – actor, Scarface, ', Amistad
- Madolyn Smith – actress, Urban Cowboy, Funny Farm
- Austin St. John – former actor, Jason Lee Scott, the original Red Ranger, on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
- Kim Stanley – actress, The Goddess, To Kill a Mockingbird
- French Stewart – actor, 3rd Rock from the Sun
- Slim Summerville – actor
- Heidi Swedberg – actress, Seinfeld
- Raoul Trujillo – actor
- Jeremy Ray Valdez – actor
- Kristen Vigard – actress, Annie, Guiding Light, The Survivors
- Ally Walker – actress, NBC's Profiler, FX's Sons of Anarchy
- Nick Wechsler – actor, The WB's and UPN's Roswell
Music
- Consuelo Luz Arostegui – lives in Angel Fire, Latino musician
- Ryan Bingham – born in Hobbs, singer-songwriter
- Zach Condon – born in Santa Fe, musician in Beirut
- John Denver – born in Roswell, singer-songwriter
- Bradley Ellingboe – composer
- Al Hurricane – born in Dixon, singer-songwriter, dubbed "The Godfather" of New Mexico music
- Demi Lovato – born in Albuquerque, raised in Dallas, Texas, singer-songwriter
- James Mercer – singer, musician and leader of the Shins and Broken Bells
- Jim Morrison – lived in Albuquerque for several years during his childhood
- Michael Martin Murphey – author of New Mexico's state ballad, "The Land of Enchantment"
- Norman Petty – musician, songwriter, record producer
- Pascual Romero – musician, television producer
- James Tenney – born in Silver City, composer
- Kristen Vigard – lives in Taos, singer
Science and technology
- Edward Condon – nuclear physicist
- Robert H. Goddard – built the world's first liquid-fueled rocket
- Sidney M. Gutierrez – astronaut
- Jaron Lanier – computer scientist
- Edgar Mitchell – aeronautical engineer, NASA astronaut
- Harrison Schmitt – astronaut, geologist and former U.S. Senator from New Mexico
- Mark Spencer – computer engineer
- John Stapp – pioneer in studying the effects of acceleration and deceleration forces on humans, "the fastest man on earth"
- Clyde Tombaugh – astronomer and discoverer of the celestial body Pluto
- Lydia Villa-Komaroff – molecular and cellular biologist
Other
- Adolph Francis Alphonse Bandelier – archaeologist after whom Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico is named
- Anton Docher – missionary and defender of the Indians
- John Lewis Dyer – Methodist circuit rider, preached in New Mexico as well as Colorado and Minnesota
- Pete Jimenez – U.S. Army soldier in World War II
- Dorothy Page – known as the "mother of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race"
- Mai Shanley – Miss USA 1984
- Michael Wartell – chancellor of Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne
- Lonnie Zamora – police officer who reported a famous UFO sighting outside Socorro in 1964