PHYSICISTS from Norway

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Norwegian Physicists of all time. This list of famous Norwegian Physicists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.

1. Ivar Giaever (1929 - 2025)

With an HPI of 69.80, Ivar Giaever is the most famous Norwegian Physicist.  His biography has been translated into 66 different languages on wikipedia.

Ivar Giaever ( YAY-ver; Norwegian: Ivar Giæver, pronounced [ˈîːvɑr ˈjæːvər]; April 5, 1929 – June 20, 2025) was a Norwegian–American experimental physicist who shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics with Leo Esaki and Brian Josephson. One half of the prize was jointly awarded to Esaki and Giaever "for their experimental discoveries regarding tunneling phenomena in semiconductors and superconductors, respectively".

2. Vilhelm Bjerknes (1862 - 1951)

With an HPI of 62.25, Vilhelm Bjerknes is the 2nd most famous Norwegian Physicist.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Vilhelm Friman Koren Bjerknes ( BYURK-niss, Norwegian: [ˈʋɪlˌhɛlm ˈbjæɾknɛs]; 14 March 1862 – 9 April 1951) was a Norwegian geophysicist and meteorologist who did much to lay the foundation of the modern practice of weather forecasting. He formulated the primitive equations that are still in use in numerical weather prediction and climate modeling. He founded the so-called Bergen School of Meteorology, which was successful in advancing weather prediction and meteorology in the early 20th century.

3. Ole Jacob Broch (1818 - 1889)

With an HPI of 56.77, Ole Jacob Broch is the 3rd most famous Norwegian Physicist.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Ole Jacob Broch (14 January 1818 – 5 February 1889) was a Norwegian mathematician, physicist, economist and government minister.