This is a list of notable nurses in history. To be listed here, the deceased nurse must already have a Wikipedia biography article. For background information, see history of nursing and timeline of nursing history. For nurses in art, film and literature, see list of fictional nurses.
A-B
Lydia Abell ARRC (1872–1959), Australian civilian and military nurse during the First World War Judith Adams (1943–2012), Australian nurse, midwife and politician Justus A. Akinsanya (1936–2005) Professor of Nursing and Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing Saint Alda (died c. 1309), Italian Catholic saint Moyra Allen (1921–1996), helped develop the McGill Model of Nursing Allen Allensworth (1842–1914), African-American American Civil War soldier who started as a nurse Annie Altschul (1919–2001), Britain's mental-health nurse pioneer Katherine McCall Anderson (1866–1924), civilian and military matron Margaret Irene Anderson (1915–1995), Australian Army nurse Pixie Annat (1930–2022), Australian Matron and Queensland Great Olive Anstey CBE (1920–1983), Australian nurse Charles Atangana (1880–1943), paramount chief of the Ewondo and Bane in Cameroon Margaret Auld (1932–2010), Chief Nursing Officer for Scotland 1977–1988 Martha Ballard (1735–1812), American frontier midwife, great-aunt of Clara Barton Anna Baillie RRC (1864–1958), established the first provincial Preliminary Training School for Nurses, and served as a Principal military Matron of Bristol during the First World War Anna DeCosta Banks (1869–1930), first head nurse at the Hospital and Training School for Nurses in Charleston, South Carolina Doris Bardsley (1895–1968), Australian nurse, president of the Australasian Trained Nurses' Association Williamina Barclay (1883–1975), Scottish nurse; one of the main initiators of the evacuation of St Kilda archipelago Kathleen Hope Barnes ARRC MBE (1909–1981), Australian nurse Ellen Barron (1875–1951) Australian matron Nita Barrow (1916–1995), fifth Governor-General of Barbados who started as a nurse midwife and public health educator Clara Barton (1821–1912), organized the American Red Cross Dora Isabel Baudinet (1883–1945), Australian nurse Dame Doris Beale, DBE, RRC and Bar (1889–1971), matron-in-chief of Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service Ethel Hope Becher GBE, RRC and Bar (1867–1948), matron in chief of Queen Alexandra's Imperial Nursing Service Christine Beasley CBE (born 1944), Chief Nursing Officer for England Irene L. Beland (1906–2000), American nursing educator, author of Clinical Nursing: Pathophysiological and Psychosocial Approaches Jane Bell OBE (1873–1959), Scotland-born Australian principal matron of the First Australian General Hospital in Egypt in First World War Agnes Jessie Bennett (1880–1969), Australian nurse Isabel Bennett RRC (1862-1922), civilian matron and during First World War, ran an annexe for injured officers Ann A. Bernatitus (1912–2003), one of the Angels of Bataan – USN nurses in the Philippines in World War II Claire Bertschinger, Swiss-British nurse who inspired the Band Aid charity movement Mary Ann Bickerdyke (1817–1901), nurse during the American Civil War known as "Mother Bickerdyke" Louisa Bicknell (1879–1915), Australian civilian and military nurse Martha Bidmead RRC (1862–1940), Australian nurse Dame Emily Mathieson Blair DBE, RRC (1890–1963), British military nurse and nursing administrator Florence Blake (1907–1983), American pediatric nursing professor and author Florence A. Blanchfield (1884–1971), superintendent of the United States Army Nurse Corps Isla Blomfield (1865-1959), Australian nurse Cecilia Blomqvist (1845–1890), Finnish deaconess Kath Bonnin (1911–1985), Australian army nurse during World War II Doris Booth (1895–1970), Australian nursing volunteer Angela Boškin (1885–1977), first professionally trained Slovenian nurse and social worker in Yugoslavia Hilda Bowen (1923–2002), credited with establishing the modern nursing profession in The Bahamas Peggy Boyd (1905–1999), one of Scotland's first air-ambulance nurses; served during World War II Jo Brand (born 1957), British nurse-turned-comedian Elsa Brändström (1888–1948), Swedish World War I Red Cross nurse in Siberia Sister Philippa Brazill (1895–1988), Sister of Mercy, Australian nurse and hospital administrator Mary Carson Breckinridge (1881–1965), founder of the Frontier Nursing Service Daisy Bridges CBE (1894–1972), British nurse and midwife, known for being International Council of Nurses General Secretary Louisa Briggs (1836–1925), Australian nurse and, aboriginal leader and activist Mary Francis Bridgeman (1813–1888), nun and Crimean War nurse Ellen Johanne Broe (1900–1994), Danish nurse and nursing educator Anna Broms (1862–1890), first professionally trained nurse in Finland Sidney Browne (1850–1941), first matron-in-chief of the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service and first president of the Royal College of Nursing Viola Davis Brown (1936–2017), first African-American to lead a state office of public health nursing in the United States Abraão José Bueno (born 1977), Brazilian nurse and serial killer Carrie E. Bullock (1887–1962), African-American nurse Vivian Bullwinkel (1915–2000), lone survivor of the Banka Island Massacre, celebrated by the Australian Service Nurses Memorial Beryl Burbridge OBE (1902–1988), Australian military matron Elizabeth Burchill (1904–2003), Australian nurse, philanthropist and author Mercia Butler (1933–1990), indigenous Australian nurse and nun
C-D Betsi Cadwaladr (1789–1860), Welsh nurse who worked alongside Florence Nightingale in the Crimea Amanda Cajander, (1827–1871), pioneer in the education of deaconesses and nursing in Finland Maude E. Callen (1898–1990), American nurse-midwife John Campbell, British nurse, nursing educator, and YouTuber Sadie Canning MBE (1930–2008), Western Australia's first Aboriginal trained nurse and hospital matron Vice Admiral Richard Carmona (born 1949), American registered nurse, later Surgeon General of the United States Kate Carruthers (1887–1969) Scottish nurse, joined the Territorial Force Nursing Service Alice Cashin RRC and Bar (1870–1939), Australian World War I military nurse Harriett Cassells FRCN (1926–2017), Northern Ireland nurse, known for her work in fever nursing and infection control Mabel Helen Cave RRC (1863–1953), matron of the Westminster Hospital and war-time nursing leader and member of the Army Nursing Board Edith Cavell (1865–1915), British nurse, World War I Dorothy Cawood MM (1884–1962), Australian civilian and military nurse Maria Cederschiöld (1815–1892), pioneer in the education of deaconesses and nursing in Sweden Justina Charles, Dominican politician Patricia Downes Chomley (1910–2002), Australian nurse and college director Ellen Christensen (1913–1998), Danish nurse and resistance fighter Luther Christman (1915–2011), first male dean of a U.S. nursing program; established the Rush model of nursing Dame June Clark (1941–2025), professor at the University of Swansea, president of the Royal College of Nursing 1990–1994 Letitia Clark, MBE, RRC (1870–1939), matron, nursing leader and founding member of the precursor to the College of Nursing Margaret Turner Clarke (1836–1887), Australian nurse Trevor Clay (1936–1994), general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing 1982–1989 Jessie Clifton (1876–1959), Australian nurse, became matron in charge of the Western Australian Nursing Transport system in World War I Rosabella Paulina Fynes Clinton (1853–1918), nurse, and founding member of masseuse institute, and council member of Royal College of Midwives Frances Cluett (1883–1969), Newfoundland army nurse and educator Sheila Collins (1921–2009), Royal College of Nursing's chair of council Louise Conring (1824–1891), first professionally trained nurse in Denmark, head of Copenhagen's Deaconess Institute Evelyn Conyers CBE, RRC & Bar (1870–1944), New Zealand–born Australian matron-in-chief during World War I Dorothy S Coode (1873–1967), British nurse, president of the Royal College of Nursing Margaret Cooper (1922–2013), British nurse tutor Pearl Corkhill MM (1887–1985), decorated Australian military nurse of the First World War Cubah Cornwallis (died 1848), Jamaican nurse and "doctoress" who treated Nelson and William IV when they were stationed in the West Indies Rachael Cox-Davies (1862–1944) CBE, RRC Bar, British nurse, matron, Royal Free Hospital and co-founder of the Royal College of Nursing Rose Creal RRC (1865–1921), decorated Australian military nurse of the First World War Joanna Cruickshank DBE, RRC (1875–1958), British nurse, founder and matron-in-chief of Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service Emily Margaret Cummins RRC (1866–1934), nursing leader and arranged first nurses day service in 1924 Lilian Ellen Cushon (1873–1967), British nursing leader; during World War I, principal matron of the British Red Cross Hospital at Netley Beatrice Cutler (1861–1942), pioneering matron and founding secretary of the National Council of Nurses of the United Kingdom Lady Ursula d'Abo (1916–2017), British wartime nurse with the Voluntary Aid Detachment Andrea Dalzell, American nurse, first wheelchair-using registered nurse in the state of New York Harriet Patience Dame (1815–1900), nurse during the American Civil War, served with the 2nd New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry Grace Ebun Delano (born 1935), Nigerian nurse and midwife, pioneer of reproductive health services in Nigeria Jane Delano (1862–1919), founder of the American Red Cross Nursing Service Sylvia Denton (1941–2020), president of the Royal College of Nursing 2002–2006 Maria de Villegas de Saint-Pierre (1870–1941), founded the Saint-Camille Nursing School and directed the Élisabeth Hospital in Poperinge during World War I Edith DeVoe (1921–2000), first African-American nurse to serve in the regular Navy, World War II and Korean War nurse Marion Dewar (1928–2008), Canadian nurse, mayor of Ottawa and a member of the Parliament Helen Dey (1886–1968) CBE, RRC British nurse, Matron of St Bartholomew's Hospital Louise Dietrich (1878–1962), American nurse in Texas and suffragist Dorothea Dix (1802–1887), superintendent of Army Nurses during the American Civil War Elizabeth Dodds RRC (1872–1944), nursing leader and matron of Bethnal Green Infirmary and Military Hospital Josephine Dolan (1913–2004), nursing historian and educator at the University of Connecticut Mary Donaldson, Baroness Donaldson of Lymington (1921–2003), Lord Mayor of London Sister Dora (1832–1878), British nurse Ellen Dougherty (1844–1919), first professionally trained registered nurse in New Zealand Rosalie Dreyer (1895–1987), Swiss-born, naturalized British nurse, known as matron-in-charge of the Nursing Service of the London County Council Lucy Lincoln Drown (1848–1934), American nursing educator Lois Dunbar (fl. 1861–1864), American Civil War nurse Anka Đurović (1850–1925), Serbian nurse in the first Serbian-Turkish War, the Bulgarian-Serbian War, the First Balkan War, the Second Balkan War, and World War I
E-F
Sarah Emma Edmundson (1841–1898), Canadian-American writer; served with the Union Army in the American Civil War Alice Gordon Elliott OBE (1886–1977), Australian nurse and community worker Victoria Joyce Ely (1889–1979), Florida's first licensed midwife; conducted training programs for midwives in the state Queen Fabiola of Belgium (1928–2014), worked as a floor nurse in Spain before being crowned queen of Belgium Saint Fabiola (died 399), Catholic saint; cared for the sick and poor Claire Fagin (1926–2024), American nurse, educator, and academic Helen Fairchild (1885–1918), American nurse World War I Florence Farmborough (1887–1978), British nurse; kept diaries of her service during World War I as a Red Cross nurse with the Imperial Russian Army Ainna Fawcett-Henesy, FRCN (born 1946), Irish nurse; former regional adviser on nursing and midwifery for Europe for the World Health Organization