This is a list of notable Estonian-Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants. To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Estonian American or must have references showing they are Estonian American and are notable.

Arts and literature

* Alar Kivilo (born 1953) — member of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

, cinematographer * Lisa Kivirist (born 1967) — author *

Kristjan Järvi Kristjan Järvi (, alternate (U.S.) spelling: Kristian Järvi) (born 13 June 1972, Tallinn) is an Estonian American conductor, composer and producer born in Estonia, younger son of the conductor Neeme Järvi and brother of conductor Paavo Järv ...

(born 1972) — symphony conductor *

Neeme Järvi Neeme Järvi (; born 7 June 1937) is an Estonian American conductor. Early life Järvi was born in Tallinn. He initially studied music there, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, ...

(born 1937) — symphony conductor. Moved to the US in 1981 *

Paavo Järvi Paavo Järvi (; born 30 December 1962) is an Estonian-American conductor. Early life Järvi was born in Tallinn, Estonia, to Liilia Järvi and the Estonian conductor Neeme Järvi. His siblings, Kristjan Järvi and Maarika Järvi, are also mu ...

(born 1962) — current Music Director of the

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its primary concert venue is Music Hall. In addition to its symphony concerts, the orchestra gives pops concerts as the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. The Cincin ...

* Tõnu Kalam (born 1948) — pianist and symphony conductor *

Mark Kostabi Kalev Mark Kostabi (born November 27, 1960) is an American artist and composer. Early life Kostabi was born in Los Angeles on November 27, 1960, to Estonian immigrants Kaljo and Rita Kostabi. He was raised in Whittier, California and studied dra ...

(born 1960) — artist *

Paul Kostabi Paul Indrek Kostabi (also known as Ena; born October 1, 1962 in Whittier, California, United States) is an American artist, musician, record producer and audio engineer. He is the brother of artist Mark Kostabi. Kostabi was a founding member o ...

(born 1962) — artist, music producer *

Louis Kahn Louis Isadore Kahn (born Itze-Leib Schmuilowsky; – March 17, 1974) was an Estonian-born American architect based in Philadelphia. After working in various capacities for several firms in Philadelphia, he founded his own atelier in 1935. Whi ...

(1901–1974) — architect, designer of the

Salk Institute The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is a scientific research institute located in the La Jolla community of San Diego, California, U.S. The independent, non-profit institute was founded in 1960 by Jonas Salk, the developer of the polio vacci ...

Kimbell Art Museum The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, hosts an art collection as well as traveling art exhibitions, educational programs and an extensive research library. Its initial artwork came from the private collection of Kay and Velma Kimbell, wh ...

, and others * Ilse Lehiste (1922–2010) — linguist and author * Alexander Nelke (1894–1974) — artist *

Dennis Nurkse Dennis Nurkse is a poet from Brooklyn. Life Nurkse is the son of the eminent Estonian economist Ragnar Nurkse. He has taught workshops at Rikers Island, and his poems about prison life appeared in ''The American Poetry Review, Evergreen Review ...

(born 1949) — poet *

Raymond Pettibon Raymond Pettibon (born Raymond Ginn, June 16, 1957) is an American artist who lives and works in New York City. Pettibon came to prominence in the early 1980s in the southern California punk rock scene, creating posters and album art mainly for ...

(born 1957) — artist, designer of the iconic

Black Flag (band) Black Flag is an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. Initially called Panic, the band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter, and sole continuous member through multiple personnel change ...

bars *

Bill Rebane Bill Rebane (born February 8, 1937) is an American horror movies, film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for low budget movies such as ''Monster a Go-Go'' and ''The Giant Spider Invasion''. Rebane also ran for the governor o ...

(born 1937) — film director * Ene Riisna (born 1938) — television producer *

Jerry Saltz Jerry Saltz (born February 19, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American art critic. Since 2006, he has been senior art critic and columnist for '' New York'' magazine. Formerly the senior art critic for ''The Village Voice'', he received the Pu ...

(Estonian father) (born 1951) — art critic *

Helen Tobias-Duesberg Helen Tobias-Duesberg (11 June 1919 – 4 February 2010) was an Estonian-American composer. Life Helen Tobias was born in Suure-Jaani, Estonia on 11 June 1919. Tobias was the youngest daughter of Estonian composer, Rudolf Tobias, born seven mon ...

(1919–2010) — composer *

Priit Vesilind Priit Juho Vesilind (born 4 January 1943) is an Estonian and American senior writer and photojournalist of '' National Geographic'' magazine and an author of nonfiction. Early life and education Vesilind was born in Tallinn. In 1944, when he w ...

(born 1943) — author, photojournalist * Kiino Villand (born 1969) — photographer *

Arthur Võõbus Arthur Võõbus ( – 25 September 1988) was an Estonian theologian, orientalist, and church historian. Biography Arthur Võõbus was born in Matjama village, Tartu County, Livonia, Russian Empire as the son of a teacher. In 1928, he complet ...

(1909–1988) — theologian, orientalist and church historian

Science

Nicole Aunapu Mann Nicole "Duke" Victoria Aunapu Mann (born June 27, 1977) is an American test pilot and NASA astronaut. She is an McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Hornet pilot, and a graduate of the US Naval Academy, Stanford University and the United State ...

(born 1977) — astronaut and test pilot *

August Komendant August Eduard Komendant (October 2, 1906 – September 14, 1992) was an Estonian and American structural engineer and a pioneer in the field of prestressed concrete, which can be used to build stronger and more graceful structures than normal con ...

(1906–1992) — Professor of Architecture at

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

(1959–74), Structural Engineer for

* Pearn P. Niiler (1937–2010) — oceanographer *

Jaak Panksepp Jaak Panksepp (June 5, 1943 – April 18, 2017) was an Estonian-American neuroscientist and psychobiologist who coined the term "affective neuroscience", the name for the field that studies the neural mechanisms of emotion. He was the Baily End ...

(1943–2017) —

neuroscientist A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist who has specialised knowledge in neuroscience, a branch of biology that deals with the physiology, biochemistry, psychology, anatomy and molecular biology of neurons, Biological neural network, n ...

and psychobiologist * Hillar Rootare (1928–2008) — physical chemist *

Rein Taagepera Rein Taagepera (born 28 February 1933) is an Estonian political scientist and former politician. Education Born in Tartu, Estonia, Taagepera fled from occupied Estonia in 1944. Taagepera graduated from high school in Marrakech, Morocco and the ...

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

(born 1933) — Research Professor,

Political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...

;

Professor Emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

University of Tartu The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...

, Estonia *

Riho Terras Riho Terras (born 17 April 1967) is an Estonian politician and a former military officer who is serving as a member of the European Parliament since 1 February 2020. He was the Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces from 2011 to 2018. He w ...

(1939–2005) — mathematician *

Alar Toomre Alar Toomre (born 5 February 1937, in Rakvere) is an American astronomer and mathematician. He is a professor of applied mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Toomre's research is focused on the dynamics of galaxies. He is a ...

(born 1937), Jüri Toomre — astronomers and mathematicians *

Karen Uhlenbeck Karen Keskulla Uhlenbeck (born August 24, 1942) is an American mathematician and one of the founders of modern geometric analysis. She is a professor emeritus of mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin, where she held the Sid W. Richard ...

(born 1942) — mathematician and founder of geometric analysis * Lauri Vaska (1925–2015) — chemist

Entertainment

Erika Eleniak Erika Eleniak (born September 29, 1969) is an American actress, ''Playboy'' Playmate, and model known for her role in ''Baywatch'' as Shauni McClain. Her film debut was in '' E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982). She starred in the films ''The B ...

(born 1969) — Playboy Playmate and actress *

Greg Ginn Gregory Regis Ginn (born June 8, 1954) is an American guitarist, bassist, singer and songwriter, best known for being the leader, primary songwriter, and the only continuous member of the hardcore punk band Black Flag, which he founded and led ...

(born 1954) — guitarist of Black Flag *

Miliza Korjus Miliza Elizabeth Korjus (August 18, 1909(?) – August 26, 1980) was a Polish- Estonian coloratura soprano opera singer, who later appeared in Hollywood films during the Golden Age and in Mexican films during the Golden Age too. Korjus became ...

(1905–1980) — coloratura soprano opera singer *

Karolyn Nelke Karolyn Ann Nelke (born August 26, 1948) was an American stage actor, playwright and author. She is best known for her 1982 play ''The Keeper: A Play About Lord Byron.'' Education Nelke was born in the Bronx, New York to Harold and Teresa (n ...

(born 1948) — stage actress *

Mena Suvari Mena Alexandra Suvari (; born February 13, 1979) is an American actress, producer, fashion designer and model. After beginning her career as a model and guest-starring on several television shows, she made her film debut in the 1997 drama '' Now ...

(born 1979) — actress (Estonian father) *

Ivan Triesault Ivan Triesault (born Johann Constantin Treisalt; in Reval (now Tallinn) – January 3, 1980 in Los Angeles) was an Estonian-American actor. His parents were from the island of Hiiumaa. Life His first stage appearance was at the German Theat ...

(1898–1980) — actor *

Johann Urb Johann Urb (born 24 January 1977) is an Estonian-American actor, producer, and former model. Early life and education Johann Urb was born in Tallinn to parents Tarmo and Maris Urb. His father is an Estonian musician and the brother of actor ...

(born 1977) — actor and former model

Sports

Jaan Ehlvest Jaan Ehlvest (born 14 October 1962) is an Estonian-American chess player. He was awarded the title Grandmaster (chess), Grandmaster by FIDE in 1987. Ehlvest was Estonian champion in 1986. Since 2006, he has represented the United States. He was ...

(born 1962) — chess player *

Margus Hunt Margus Hunt (born July 14, 1987) is an Estonian professional American football defensive end who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at SMU. He also ...

(born 1987) — football player * Chris Jogis (born 1965) — badminton player *

Ingrid Neel Ingrid Neel (born June 16, 1998) is an American tennis player. She has won one doubles title on the WTA Tour with two singles and ten doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. On 8 June 2015, she achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 50 ...

(born 1998) — tennis player *

Michael Roos Michael Roos (born Mihkel Roos, October 5, 1982) is a former football offensive tackle who played his entire career for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Titans in the second round of the 2005 NFL ...

(born 1982) — football player *

John Roosma John Sieba Roosma (September 3, 1900 – November 13, 1983) was an amateur basketball player during the 1920s. He played for the United States Military Academy for five years, graduating in 1926. The Passaic, New Jersey native was a prolific score ...

(1900–1983) — basketball player *

Sven Salumaa Sven Salumaa (born on October 21, 1966) is a former professional tour tennis player who mostly played tour tennis in doubles. Tour career Salumaa was born in Huntington, New York to Eduard and Tamara Salumaa who were immigrants from Estonia. ...

(born 1966) — tennis player * Warren Cummings Smith (born 1991) — alpine skier *

Ralph Tamm Ralph Earl Tamm (born March 11, 1966) is a former American football player. He was selected by the New York Jets in the ninth round of the 1988 NFL Draft. Football career Before attending West Chester University, Tamm graduated from Bensalem Hig ...

(born 1966) — football player * Katie Vesterstein (born 1999) — alpine skier

Business

* Elisabeth Murdoch (born 1968) — businesswoman *

James Murdoch James Rupert Jacob Murdoch (born 13 December 1972) is a British-American businessman, the younger son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and was the chief executive officer (CEO) of 21st Century Fox from 2015 to 2019. He was the chairman and CEO fo ...

(born 1972) — businessman * Steve Jurvetson (born 1967) —

Draper Fisher Jurvetson Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ) is an American venture capital firm focused on investments in enterprise, consumer and disruptive technologies. In January 2019, DFJ Venture, the early-stage team, spun out and formed Threshold Ventures. DFJ Growth ...

businessman

Politics

Michael Josselson Michael Josselson (2 March 1908, Tartu, Governorate of Livonia – 7 January 1978, Geneva, Switzerland) was a CIA agent. Biography Michael Josselson was born into a Jewish family in Estonia, where his father was a timber merchant. Strongly oppos ...

(1908–1978) — secretary general for the

Congress for Cultural Freedom The Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF) was an anti-communist advocacy group founded in 1950. At its height, the CCF was active in thirty-five countries. In 1966 it was revealed that the CIA was instrumental in the establishment and funding of the ...

Jaan Laaman Jaan Karl Laaman (born March 21, 1948) is an Estonia-born American criminal, convicted and imprisoned on various charges including a 1982 attempted murder of a police officer, and activist. He was a member of the United Freedom Front. Laaman gre ...

(born 1948) — leftist extremist * Samuel H. Shapiro (1907–1987) —

governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...

. * Edmund S. Valtman (1914–2005) — political cartoonist * Melissa F. Wells (born 1932) — diplomat and former ambassador

Military

Aleksander Einseln Aleksander Einseln (25 October 1931 – 16 March 2017) was an Estonian general, the Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces from 1993 to 1995 and previously a United States Army colonel. Born in Estonia, his mother and he – barely in his teens ...

(1931–2017) — former Commander-in-chief of the

Estonian army The Estonian Land Forces ( et, Maavägi), unofficially referred to as the Estonian Army, is the name of the unified ground forces among the Estonian Defense Forces where it has an offensive military formation role. It is currently the largest ...

(dual U.S. and Estonian citizenship) * Tiiu Kera (born 1945) — retired United States Air Force (USAF) major generalAstbury Methodist Village
'' Retrieved 27 April 2017. * Edward Masso — retired United States Navy Rear Admiral and ambassador to Estonia

References

{{Reflist

External links

Estonian American National Council
*

Estonian AMericans Estonian Americans ( et, Ameerika eestlased) are Americans who are of Estonian ancestry, mainly descendants of people who left Estonia before and especially during World War II. According to the 2021 American Community Survey, around 29,000 Amer ...

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many Multi ...

Estonian