Famous American Female Mathematicians

This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

Katherine Johnson

(Mathematician and One of the First African-American Women to Work as a NASA Scientist)

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Birthdate: August 26, 1918

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, United States

Died: February 24, 2020

Katherine Johnson was a physicist and mathematician, remembered as the first African-American female NASA scientist. Her calculations helped launch the space missions of Alan Shepard and John Glenn. She was crucial to the Apollo program and won a Congressional Gold Medal and a Presidential Medal of Freedom for her achievements.

Mary Jackson

(Mathematician)

Birthdate: April 9, 1921

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Hampton, Virginia, United States

Died: February 11, 2005

American mathematician and aerospace engineer Mary Jackson went down in history as the first African-American woman to work as a NASA engineer. Initially a math teacher, she later joined NACA under Dorothy Vaughan and contributed to countless American space programs at a time when racial segregation was the norm.

Dorothy Vaughan

(American Mathematician, Human Computer and the First African-American to Receive Promotion as Supervisor in NASA)

Birthdate: September 20, 1910

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Kansas City, Missouri, United States

Died: November 10, 2008

American mathematician Dorothy Vaughan was also known as a "human computer." Initially a math teacher, she became the first African-American supervisor of NACA, later part of NASA, at a time when racial segregation was rampant in the U.S. Her contribution to the early American space programs is invaluable.

Ingrid Daubechies

(Mathematician, Physicist best known for her work with wavelets in image compression.)

Birthdate: August 17, 1954

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Houthalen-Helchteren, Belgium

Belgian-born physicist Ingrid Daubechies was a prodigy of sorts and had started dealing with complicated mathematical concepts before turning 6. She grew up to work at the AT&T Bell Laboratories and also taught at Princeton. She is best known for her research on wavelets and image-compression technology.

Jean Bartik

(Computer software pioneer)