Biographical dictionaries – a type of encyclopedic dictionary limited to biographical information – have been written in many languages. Many attempt to cover the major personalities of a country (with limitations, such as living persons only, in Who's Who, or deceased people only, in the Dictionary of National Biography). Others are specialized, in that they cover important names in a subject field, such as architecture or engineering.

  History

The first biographical dictionaries were written in the Muslim world from the 9th century onwards.^{[citation needed]} They contain more social data for a large segment of the population than that found in any other pre-industrial society. The earliest biographical dictionaries initially focused on the lives of the prophets of Islam and the their companions, with one of the earliest examples being The Book of The Major Classes by Ibn Sa'd al-Baghdadi, and then began documenting the lives of many other historical figures (from rulers to scholars) who lived in the medieval Islamic world.^[1]

  List of biographical dictionaries

  International

• A Biographical Dictionary of Railway Engineers
• Al-Fihrist al-Nadim
• Biographical Dictionary of the Extreme Right Since 1890
• Who's Who in the World
• World Biographical Information System Online
• Anderson, Gerald with Robert Coote, eds, Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1999. ISBN 0-8028-4680-7. ISBN 978-0-8028-4680-8.
• Anderson, Roger, Psychics, Sensitives, and Somnambules: A Biographical Dictionary with Bibliographies, Jefferson / London: McFarland, 2006. ISBN 0-7864-2770-1.
• Baker, Theodore & Alfred Remy, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians.
• Biographical Dictionary, http://www.s9.com
• Biographical Dictionary of Evangelicals.
• Biographical Dictionary of Organists, Composers for Organ and Organ Builders, http://www.organ-biography.info/
• Biographical Dictionary 17th, 18th, and 19th century European Mennonite church leaders, The Mennonite Quarterly Review, http://www.goshen.edu/mqr/biograph.html
• Brown, Stuart, Biographical Dictionary of Twentieth-Century Philosophers, edited by Robert Wilkinson and Diane Collinson.
• The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church: Biographical Dictionary, http://www2.fiu.edu/~mirandas/494-2012-a-z-all.htm
• Carey, Patrick & Joseph Lienhard, Biographical Dictionary of Christian Theologians.
• Chambers Biographical Dictionary, ISBN 978-0-550-10693-3.
• Cohn-Sherbok, Daniel, Dictionary of Jewish Biography.
• Cousin, John William, 1910, A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature, London: J. M. Dent & Sons; New York: E. P. Dutton.
• Crystal, David, ed, The Cambridge Biographical Dictionary.
• Dictionary of Art Historians: A Biographical Dictionary of Historic Scholars, Museum Professionals and Academic Historians of Art, http://www.dictionaryofarthistorians.org
• Dictionary of International Biography.
• Encyclopedia of World Biography, 17 volumes, Gale, 1997. ISBN 0-7876-2546-9. ISBN 978-0-7876-2546-7.
• Gordon, Irwin, Who Was Who: 5000 BC to Date.
• Harvey, Joy, The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science, edited by Marilyn Ogilvie and Joy Harvey. ISBN 0-415-92038-8. ISBN 978-0-415-92038-4.
• Hinnells, John, Who's Who of World Religions, Macmillan. ISBN 0-14-051349-3.
• Kiernan, T, Who's Who in the History of Philosophy, New York, 1965.
• Lentz, Harris, Biographical Dictionary of Professional Wrestling.
• Lewis, James, Peculiar Prophets: A Biographical Dictionary of New Religions, Paragon. ISBN 1-55778-768-9.
• McNeil, Ian, Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology, edited by Lance Day and Ian McNeil. ISBN 0-415-19399-0. ISBN 978-0-415-19399-3.
• Mitchell, Sarah, Elizabeth Tootill, Derek Gjertsen, and John Daintith, Biographical Encyclopedia of Scientists, Taylor & Francis, 1994. ISBN 0-7503-0287-9. ISBN 978-0-7503-0287-6.
• Pleasants, Helene et al, eds, The Biographical Dictionary of Parapsychology, New York: Helix, Garrett, 1964.
• Porter, Roy, The Biographical Dictionary of Scientists, 1994. ISBN 0-19-521083-2 | ISBN 978-0-19-521083-5.
• Randel, Don Michael, ed, The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music, Harvard University Press.
• Saunders, J.W.W., A Biographical Dictionary of Renaissance Poets and Dramatists, 1520-1650.
• Saur, K.G., International Biographical Dictionary of Central European Emigres 1933-1945.
• Sheehy, Chapman, Conroy, eds, Biographical Dictionary of Psychology
• Slonimsky, Nicolas, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians.
• Slonimsky, Nicolas, Baker's Biographical Dictionary of 20th Century Classical Musicians, edited by Laura Kuhn.
• Taitz, Emily, Holocaust Survivors: A Biographical Dictionary, Greenwood, 2007. ISBN 978-0-313-33676-8. ISBN 978-0-313-06343-5
• Thomas, H, Biographical Encyclopedia of Philosophy, New York, 1965.
• Thomson, David, The New Biographical Dictionary of Film. ISBN 978-0-307-27174-7.
• Union of International Associations, ed, International Biographical Dictionary of Religion, Munich: KG Saur Verlag, 1994. ISBN 3-598-11100-2.
• Universal Biographical Dictionary, Hartford: S. Andrus & Son, 1850.
• Webster's New Biographical Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster Inc. ISBN 0-87779-543-6
• Weinberg, Robert, Biographical Dictionary of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists.
• Wheeler, Joseph Mazzini, A Biographical Dictionary of Freethinkers of All Ages and Nations.
• Wigoder, Geoffrey, Dictionary of Jewish Biography.
• World War I Biographical Dictionary, http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/WWI_Biographical_Dictionary
• Wright, Jonathan, Shapers of the Great Debate on the Freedom of Religion: A Biographical Dictionary, Greenwood, 2005. ISBN 0-313-31889-1.

See also: List of biographical dictionaries of women writers

  Australia

• Australian Dictionary of Biography
• Dictionary of Australian Biography
• Dictionary of Western Australians
• Dictionary of Australian Artists Online

  Canada

• Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800--1950, http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org
• Dictionary of Canadian Biography
• Canadian Who's Who, published by University of Toronto Press

  China and Chinese

• Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity, http://www.bdcconline.net/en/.
• Brown, Kerry et al, eds, Berkshire Dictionary of Chinese Biography, 4 volumes, Great Barrington, Massachusetts: Berkshire, 2012. ISBN 978-1-933782-66-9.
• De Crespigny, Rafe, A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23-220 AD), Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-15605-0. ISBN 90-04-15605-4.
• Giles, Herbert Allen, A Chinese Biographical Dictionary, Literature House, 1964.
• Lee Xiao Hong & A.D. Stefanowska, Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women.
• Zhang, Wenxian & Ilan Alon, eds, Biographical Dictionary of New Chinese Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders, 2009. ISBN 1-84720-636-0. ISBN 978-1-84720-636-7.

  France

• Nouvelle Biographie Générale (1853 to 1866), 42 volumes.
• Dictionnaire de biographie des hommes célèbres de l'Alsace (1909–1910).
• Dictionnaire de biographie française (1932).
• Nouveau dictionnaire de biographie alsacienne (1982).

  German-speaking Europe

• Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (1875)
• Neue Deutsche Biographie (1953)
• Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (1990)
• Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopädie (1995)

  Great Britain

• A Biographical Dictionary of British Coleopterists The Coleopterist
• A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers
• British Biographical Index
• Chambers Biographical Dictionary
• Concise Dictionary of National Biography
• Dictionary of National Biography
• Dictionary of Welsh Biography
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• Who's Who, published by A & C Black
• Who's Who in Catholic Life, Gabriel Communications, publishers of The Universe and the Catholic Times
• Eccleshall, Robert & Graham Walker, eds, Biographical Dictionary of British Prime Ministers.

  India

• Buckland, Charles Edward, Dictionary of Indian Biography.
• Chattopadhyay, Anjana, Biographical Dictionary of Indian Scientists, Rupa, 2002. ISBN 81-7167-669-3.
• Lethbridge, Roper, The Golden Book of India: A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled or Decorated, of the Indian Empire.
• Nagar, Shantilal, Biographical Dictionary of Ancient Indian Rsis
• Rao, Hayavando, The Indian Biographical Dictionary, University of California Libraries, 2011. ISBN 1-125-24065-2. ISBN 978-1-125-24065-6.
• Riddick, John, Who Was Who in British India.
• Scholberg, Henry, Biographical Dictionary of Greater India.
• Sharma, Jagdish Saran, The National Biographical Dictionary of India, New Delhi: Sterling, 1972.

  Ireland

• Dictionary of Irish Biography.

  Islamic world

• Beale, Thomas William & Henry George Keene, An Oriental Biographical Dictionary, Manohar Reprints, 1971.
• Bewley, Aisha, Muslim Women: A Biographical Dictionary, Ta-Ha, 2004. ISBN 1-84200-053-5.
• Frank, Allen, An Islamic Biographical Dictionary of the Eastern Kazakh Steppe 1770-1912, Brill, 2004. ISBN 90-04-14127-8
• Leaman, Oliver, Biographical Encyclopedia of Islamic Philosophy.
• Jenkins, Who's Who in Islam: A Biographical Dictionary of Persons and Groups from the Time of Muhammad to the Present, McFarland, 2007. ISBN 0-7864-2376-5. ISBN 978-0-7864-2376-7.
• Khan, Mohammed Ishaq, Biographical Dictionary of Sufism, 2009. ISBN 81-7304-618-6.

  Italy

• Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (1925)
• Enciclopedia Biografica Universale

  Japan

• Bingenheimer, Marcus, A Biographical Dictionary of the Japanese Student-Monks of the Seventh and Early Eighth Centuries, 2001. ISBN 978-3-89129-693-6.

  Mexico

• Biographical Dictionary of Mexican Film Performers

  Native North American

• Bataille, Gretchen & Laurie Lisa, eds, Native American Women: A Biographical Dictionary.
• Irvine, Biographical Dictionary of Indians of the Americas, 1990.
• Johansen, Bruce, 2010, Native Americans Today: A Biographical Dictionary, Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood.
• Waldman, Carl, Biographical Dictionary of American Indian History to 1900, 2001. ISBN 0-8160-4253-5.

  New Zealand

• Dictionary of New Zealand Biography

  Poland

• Polski słownik biograficzny

  Spain

• Diccionario Biográfico Español (2011)

  Tibet

• Khetsun Sangpo, bod du sgrub brgyad shing rta mched brgyad las (Biographical Dictionary of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism), Dharmsala, Himachal Pradesh: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 12 volumes, 1973-1990.

  United States

• African American National Biography Project
• American National Biography
• Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Encyclopedia of American Biography
• Who's Who in America, published by Marquis Who's Who
• Who’s Who in Nebraska (1940)
• American Council of Learned Societies, Dictionary of American Biography, New York: Scribner. ISBN 0-684-80631-2. OCLC 4171403.
• Biographical Dictionary of American Architects.
• Biographical Dictionary of American Labor.
• Dictionary of Cleveland Biography.
• Hamilton, Neil & Ian Friedman, Presidents: Biographical Dictionary.
• Homans, James, The Cyclopædia of American Biography, 1918.
• Hudson, Bergman, Horton, Biographical Dictionary of Iowa, University of Iowa.
• Kim, Cordova, Fugita, Ng, Singh, eds, Distinguished Asian Americans: A Biographical Dictionary, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood, 1999.
• Kranz, Rachel, The Biographical Dictionary of Black Americans.
• Kranz, Rachel & Philip Koslow, The Biographical Dictionary of African Americans.
• McCartney, Martha, Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607-1635: A Biographical Dictionary
• Melton, John Gordon, Biographical Dictionary of American Cult and Sect Leaders, New York/London: Garland, 1986.
• Moses, John, Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of the Representative Men of the United States.
• New Jersey Biographical Dictionary.
• Newman, Roger, ed, The Yale Biographical Dictionary of American Law, Yale University Press.
• New Perspectives on the West: People, http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people
• Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary, Harvard University Press.
• Ohles, Frederik, Shirley Ohles, and John Ramsay, Biographical Dictionary of Modern American Educators, 1997.
• Olitzky, Kerry, Lance Sussman, and Malcolm Stern, Reform Judaism in America: A Biographical Dictionary and Sourcebook. ISBN 0-313-24628-9. ISBN 978-0-313-24628-9.
• Porter, David, ed, Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary, Greenwood Press, 2005. ISBN 0-313-30952-3
• Samuels, Peggy, The Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia of Artists of the American West, Doubleday.
• The United States Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Self-made Men, Chicago & New York: American Biographical Publishing Company, 1878.

  Notes