This is a list of notable people who were born or have lived in Irkutsk, Russia.

• Nikolai Polevoy (1796–1846), Russian editor, writer, translator and historian
• Innocent of Alaska (1797-1879), Russian Orthodox priest and bishop in the Americas, Metropolitan of Moscow, recognized as saint in the Orthodox Church

• Ksenofont Polevoy (1801–1867), Russian writer, literary critic, journalist, publisher and translator
• Vladimir Kornilov (1806–1854), Russian naval officer who took part in the Crimean War
• Mikhail Peskov (1834–1864), Russian history and genre painter and lithographer
• Pyotr Gorlov (1839–1915), Russian geologist and engineer
• Alexei Pavlovich Fedchenko (1844–1873), Russian naturalist and explorer
• Alexander Sibiryakov (1849–1933), Russian gold mine and factories owner and explorer of Siberia

• Nikolay Vtorov (1866–1918), Russian industrialist
• Yakov Gakkel (1874–1945), Russian scientist and engineer
• Konkordiya Samoilova (1876–1921), Russian bolshevik
• Nikolai Luzin (1883–1950), Russian mathematician
• Jacques Gershkovitch (1884–1953), Russian conductor and musician
• Mark Azadovsky (1888–1954), Russian scholar of folk-tales and Russian literature
• Alexander I. Pogrebetsky (1891–1952), Russian economist, financier and businessman
• Valéry Inkijinoff (1895–1973), French actor of Russian-Buryat origin
• Sergej Golovčenko (1898–1937), Croatian-Russian caricaturist, comic book author and writer
• Maria Klenova (1898–1976), Russian and Soviet marine geologist
• Nikolay Okhlopkov (1900–1967), Soviet actor and theatre director
• Alexander Shemansky (1900–1976), Russian opera singer (tenor)

• Mikhail Romm (1901–1971), Soviet film director
• Nikolay Kamov (1902–1973), leading constructor of the Soviet-Russian Kamov helicopter design bureau
• Natalya Sats (1903–1993), Russian stage director
• Pavel Nilin (1908–1981), Soviet writer, journalist and playwright
• Mikhail Mil (1909–1970), Soviet aerospace engineer

• Andrei Katkov (1916–1995), Russian Catholic bishop
• Vecheslav Zagonek (1919–1994), Soviet-Russian painter
• Ivan Petrov (1920–2003), Russian bass opera singer

• Lyubow Usava (born 1921), Russian-born Belarusian architect
• Janina Niedźwiecka (1922–2004), Polish film editor
• Pyotr Nikolayev (born 1924), Soviet sports shooter
• Valentin Berlinsky (1925–2008), Russian cellist
• Nikolay Krasilnikov (born 1927), Russian scientist and educator in the fields of image transmission, image compression and human visual system
• Rodislav Chizhikov (1929–2010), Russian cyclist
• Konstantin Vyrupayev (1930–2012), Soviet wrestler and Olympic Champion

• Tamara Novikova (born 1932), Soviet female cyclist
• Anatoliy Samotsvetov (born 1932), Soviet athlete who competed mainly in the hammer throw
• Anatoly Novoseltsev (1933–1995), Russian orientalist
• Boris Volynov (born 1934), Soviet cosmonaut
• Leonid Borodin (1938–2011), Russian novelist and journalist

• Valerii Postoyanov (1941–2018), Soviet sports shooter
• Vyacheslav Trubnikov (born 1944), Russian journalist, political scientist and diplomat

• Olga Buyanova (born 1954), Honored Master of Sports coach in Rhythmic gymnastics of the USSR and Russia
• Andrei Mironov (1954–2014), Russian human rights activist, reporter, fixer, interpreter
• Vasiliy Kulik (1956–1989), Soviet serial killer
• Andrei Semyonov (born 1957), Russian football player
• Sergey Solodovnikov (born 1958), Belarusian professional football coach and Soviet player
• Robertas Dargis (born 1960), President of Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists
• Aleksandr Krupskiy (born 1960), Russian pole vaulter
• Oleksandr Shlapak (born 1960), Ukrainian politician, bureaucrat, and former Minister of Finance of Ukraine
• Konstantin Volkov (born 1960), Soviet pole vaulter

• Galina Belyayeva (born 1961), Soviet and Russian film and theatre actress
• Dmitry V. Bisikalo (born 1961), Russian astrophysicist
• Alexander Shulgin (born 1964), Russian author and composer
• Sergei Khodakov (born 1966), Russian paralympic athlete competing mainly in category F12 throwing events
• Denis Petushinskiy (born 1967), retired pole vaulter who represented New Zealand after switching from Russia in 1998
• Anatoli Ivanishin (born 1969), Russian cosmonaut
• Dmitri Kondratyev (born 1969), Russian cosmonaut

• Oleg Lidrik (born 1971), Russian professional football official and a former player
• Oxana Kostina (1972–1993), Soviet individual rhythmic gymnast
• Aleksandr Averbukh (born 1974), Israeli Olympic athlete who competed in the pole vault
• Ivan Vyrypaev (born 1974), Russian playwright, screenwriter, film director, actor and art director
• Alexander Bocharov (born 1975), Russian professional road bicycle racer
• Felix Korobov (born 1975), Russian conductor and cellist
• Denis Matsuev (born 1975), Russian classical pianist
• Konstantin Genich (born 1978), Russian professional football player
• Andrey Mishin (born 1979), Russian boxer
• Maria Bruntseva (born 1980), Russian volleyball player
• Rezo Dzhikiya (born 1980), Russian footballer

• Yelena Bolsun (born 1983), Russian female sprint athlete (sprinter)
• Denis Sokolov (born 1983), Russian rifle shooter
• Irina Tkatchuk (born 1983), Russian figure skater
• Olga Zhitova (born 1983), Russian volleyball player
• Anton Lyuboslavskiy (born 1984), Russian shot putter
• Ilya Rashkovsky (born 1984), Russian pianist
• Andrey Yeshchenko (born 1984), professional Russian football player
• Alexander Mayer (born 1986), professional Russian ice hockey player
• Sergei Ogorodnikov (1986–2018), Russian professional ice hockey center
• Maksim Zyuzin (born 1986), Russian professional football player
• Nina Kraviz (born 1987), Russian DJ, producer, and singer
• Olga Kurban (born 1987), Russian heptathlete
• Arman Pashikian (born 1987), Armenian chess Grandmaster
• Dmitri Pytlev (born 1987), Russian professional football player
• Aleksei Yushchuk (born 1987), Russian professional football player
• Vadim Bogdanov (born 1998), Russian football player
• Alexey Negodaylo (born 1989), Russian bobsledder

• Denis Koval (born 1991), Russian speed skater
• Rustam Orujov (born 1991), Azerbaijani judoka
• Mariya Ovechkina (born 1991), Russian beauty contest contestant
• Angelina Zhuk-Krasnova (born 1991), Russian athlete specialising in the pole vault
• Darya Dmitriyeva (born 1993), Russian rhythmic gymnast
• Maksim Mashnev (born 1993), Russian football midfielder
• Nazí Paikidze (born 1993), Georgian-American chess player
• Ekaterina Vedeneeva (born 1994), Russian-born Slovenian rhythmic gymnast (born in Irkutsk, Russia and currently based in Ljubljana, Slovenia)
• Eduard Bogdanov (born 1994), Russian football player
• Roman Zobnin (born 1994), Russian football midfielder
• Konstantin Drokov (born 1995), Russian ice hockey defenceman
• Viktor Utyuzhnikov (born 1995), Russian football defender
• Alayna Lutkovskaya (born 1996), Russian pole vaulter
• Maksim Mayrovich (born 1996), Russian football player
• Vladimir Tolmachyov (born 1996), Russian football player
• Grigori Trufanov (born 1997), Russian football player
• Veronika Polyakova (born 1999), Russian rhythmic gymnast

• Mariya Volkonskaya (1805–1863), youngest daughter of the Russian general Nikolay Raevsky and Sophia Konstantinova, granddaughter of Mikhail Lomonosov. Popularly known in Irkutsk as the Princess of Siberia, she founded a local hospital and opened a concert hall, in addition to hosting musical and cultural soirees in her home.
• Ivan Naumovich Yazev (1895–1955), Soviet astronomer and head of the astronomical observatory at Irkutsk State University
• Rudolf Nureyev (1938–1993), Soviet dancer of ballet and modern dance
• Alitet Nemtushkin (1939–2006), Evenk-Russian poet
• Natalia Lipkovskaya (born 1979), Russian rhythmic gymnast

• List of Russian people
• List of Russian-language poets

• Иркутск: Известные люди города (in Russian)