Indian history is shaped by extraordinary women who broke barriers in every field. This list honors 100 trailblazers whose leadership, talent, and courage have left an indelible mark on the world.
The 100 Most Famous Indian Women of All Time
| No. | Name | Occupation / Why Famous |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rani Lakshmibai | Queen of Jhansi and leader in the 1857 Independence War |
| 2 | Indira Gandhi | First female Prime Minister of India |
| 3 | Mother Teresa | Nobel Peace Prize winner and missionary (Naturalized Citizen) |
| 4 | Sarojini Naidu | Poet and “Nightingale of India,” freedom fighter |
| 5 | Kalpana Chawla | First woman of Indian origin in space |
| 6 | Lata Mangeshkar | Legendary playback singer and Bharat Ratna recipient |
| 7 | M.S. Subbulakshmi | Renowned Carnatic singer and first musician to win Bharat Ratna |
| 8 | Savitribai Phule | Pioneer of women’s education and social reformer |
| 9 | Ahilyabai Holkar | Queen of the Maratha Malwa kingdom and temple builder |
| 10 | Kasturba Gandhi | Political activist and wife of Mahatma Gandhi |
| 11 | Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit | First female president of the UN General Assembly |
| 12 | Amrita Pritam | Renowned Punjabi poet and novelist |
| 13 | P.T. Usha | Iconic track and field athlete known as “Payyoli Express” |
| 14 | Mary Kom | Six-time World Amateur Boxing champion |
| 15 | Saina Nehwal | Former world no. 1 badminton player and Olympic medalist |
| 16 | PV Sindhu | First Indian woman to win two Olympic medals |
| 17 | Mithali Raj | Former captain of the Indian women’s national cricket team |
| 18 | Sania Mirza | Former world no. 1 doubles tennis player |
| 19 | Kiran Bedi | First female officer in the Indian Police Service (IPS) |
| 20 | Arundhati Roy | Man Booker Prize-winning author and activist |
| 21 | Sudha Murty | Educator, author, and chairperson of Infosys Foundation |
| 22 | Shakuntala Devi | Known as the “Human Computer” for mental calculations |
| 23 | Tessy Thomas | Known as the “Missile Woman of India” |
| 24 | Janaki Ammal | Pioneer botanist and cytogeneticist |
| 25 | Asima Chatterjee | Renowned chemist and first female D.Sc. from an Indian university |
| 26 | Anandibai Joshi | One of the first Indian female doctors of Western medicine |
| 27 | Kadambini Ganguly | One of the first female graduates and physicians in India |
| 28 | Aruna Asaf Ali | Independence activist known as the “Heroine of 1942” |
| 29 | Annie Besant | Activist and first female President of Indian National Congress |
| 30 | Sucheta Kriplani | First female Chief Minister of an Indian state (UP) |
| 31 | Rajkumari Amrit Kaur | First Health Minister of India |
| 32 | Kamala Nehru | Freedom fighter and wife of Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 33 | Begum Hazrat Mahal | Leader during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 |
| 34 | Kittur Chennamma | Queen of Kittur who led an armed rebellion against the British |
| 35 | Razia Sultan | Only female ruler of the Delhi Sultanate |
| 36 | Mirabai | 16th-century Hindu mystic poet and devotee of Krishna |
| 37 | Mahasweta Devi | Social activist and prolific writer |
| 38 | Ismat Chughtai | Influential Urdu writer and feminist |
| 39 | Toru Dutt | Pioneer Indo-Anglian poet |
| 40 | Nargis Dutt | Legendary film actress and first female Rajya Sabha nominee |
| 41 | Madhubala | Iconic actress of the Golden Age of Indian cinema |
| 42 | Meena Kumari | Known as the “Tragedy Queen” of Indian cinema |
| 43 | Rekha | Highly acclaimed veteran film actress |
| 44 | Hema Malini | Famous actress, dancer, and politician |
| 45 | Sridevi | Regarded as the first female superstar of Indian cinema |
| 46 | Madhuri Dixit | Iconic actress and dancer |
| 47 | Aishwarya Rai Bachchan | Miss World 1994 and global film icon |
| 48 | Priyanka Chopra | Miss World 2000 and global actress |
| 49 | Sushmita Sen | First Indian woman to win Miss Universe (1994) |
| 50 | Shabana Azmi | Five-time National Film Award-winning actress |
| 51 | Smita Patil | Acclaimed actress of Parallel Cinema |
| 52 | Waheeda Rehman | Renowned veteran actress and dancer |
| 53 | Asha Bhosle | Prolific playback singer with a Guinness World Record |
| 54 | Shreya Ghoshal | Leading contemporary playback singer |
| 55 | Sunita Williams | Astronaut of Indian descent with multiple space records |
| 56 | Bachendri Pal | First Indian woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest |
| 57 | Arunima Sinha | First female amputee to climb Mount Everest |
| 58 | Karnam Malleswari | First Indian woman to win an Olympic medal (Weightlifting) |
| 59 | Sakshi Malik | First Indian female wrestler to win an Olympic medal |
| 60 | Vinesh Phogat | Highly decorated freestyle wrestler |
| 61 | Anju Bobby George | First Indian athlete to win a World Athletics medal |
| 62 | Jhulan Goswami | Highest wicket-taker in Women’s One Day International cricket |
| 63 | Dipa Karmakar | First Indian female gymnast to compete in Olympics |
| 64 | Medha Patkar | Social reformer and leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan |
| 65 | Irom Sharmila | Civil rights activist known as the “Iron Lady of Manipur” |
| 66 | Ela Bhatt | Founder of SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association) |
| 67 | Vandana Shiva | Environmental activist and food sovereignty advocate |
| 68 | Maneka Gandhi | Politician and animal rights activist |
| 69 | Nirmala Sitharaman | Current Finance Minister and former Defense Minister |
| 70 | Sushma Swaraj | Former External Affairs Minister known for public outreach |
| 71 | Pratibha Patil | First female President of India |
| 72 | Mamata Banerjee | First female Chief Minister of West Bengal |
| 73 | Mayawati | Former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh |
| 74 | Jayalalithaa | Former actress and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu |
| 75 | Sheila Dikshit | Longest-serving female Chief Minister of Delhi |
| 76 | Smriti Irani | Politician and former television actress |
| 77 | Droupadi Murmu | First tribal woman to become President of India |
| 78 | Fathima Beevi | First female judge of the Supreme Court of India |
| 79 | Anna Chandy | First female judge in India |
| 80 | Cornelia Sorabji | First female advocate in India and first woman to study law at Oxford |
| 81 | Gita Gopinath | First female Chief Economist of the IMF |
| 82 | Indra Nooyi | Former CEO of PepsiCo |
| 83 | Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw | Founder of Biocon and billionaire entrepreneur |
| 84 | Falguni Nayar | Founder of Nykaa and self-made billionaire |
| 85 | Roshni Nadar Malhotra | Chairperson of HCL Technologies |
| 86 | Zia Mody | Leading corporate lawyer and consultant |
| 87 | Chanda Kochhar | Former MD and CEO of ICICI Bank |
| 88 | Arundhati Bhattacharya | First female Chairperson of State Bank of India |
| 89 | Mallika Sarabhai | Renowned Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer |
| 90 | Rukmini Devi Arundale | Dancer who revitalized Bharatanatyam |
| 91 | Birju Maharaj’s disciples (Saswati Sen) | Leading exponent of Kathak |
| 92 | Amrita Sher-Gil | Pioneer of modern Indian art |
| 93 | Anjolie Ela Menon | Renowned contemporary muralist and artist |
| 94 | Anita Desai | Acclaimed novelist and three-time Booker Prize finalist |
| 95 | Jhumpa Lahiri | Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Indian origin |
| 96 | Vikram Seth’s mother (Leila Seth) | First female Chief Justice of a state High Court |
| 97 | Barkha Dutt | Renowned television journalist and author |
| 98 | Faye D’Souza | Influential independent journalist |
| 99 | Gauri Lankesh | Journalist and activist known for her advocacy |
| 100 | Laxmi Agarwal | Acid attack survivor and campaigner for rights |
Read more: The 100 Most Famous Indian Men of All Time
In conclusion,
These 100 women represent the diversity and strength of India. Their achievements across centuries continue to inspire future generations to strive for excellence and social transformation.
Hello! I’m Emma Carter, born in 1990, and a passionate child development specialist. Alongside my work, I have a deep love for helping parents discover beautiful and meaningful baby names. I believe a name is more than just a label — it’s the beginning of a child’s story. I draw inspiration from languages, cultures, traditions, and even the hidden meanings behind names to help find the perfect fit for every little one’s bright future.