People from the English city of Plymouth are known as Plymothians, or less formally as Janners.^[1] The definition of Janner is described as a person from Devon, deriving from Cousin Jan (the Devon form of John), but more particularly in naval circles anyone from the Plymouth area.^[2] The Elizabethan navigator and slave trader, Sir Francis Drake was born in nearby town of Tavistock and was the mayor of Plymouth.^[3] He was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world and was known by the Spanish as El Draco meaning "The Dragon" after he raided many of their ships.^[4] He died of dysentery in 1596 off the coast of Panama.^[5] In 2002 a mission to recover his body and bring it to Plymouth was allowed by the Ministry of Defence.^[6] Antarctic explorers Robert Falcon Scott and Frank Bickerton both lived in the city.^[7][8]

Many artists have originated in Plymouth. Joshua Reynolds, the famous 18th-century portrait painter and the first president of the Royal Academy was born in Plympton, and more recently artists have included Beryl Cook whose paintings depict the culture of Plymouth^[9] and Robert Lenkiewicz, whose paintings looked at themes such as: vagrancy, sexual behaviour and suicide, lived in the city from the 1960s until his death in 2002.^[10] In addition, George Passmore of Turner Prize winning duo Gilbert & George was born in the city.^[11] Famous politicians Michael Foot and David Owen are from Plymouth and notable athletes include swimmer Sharron Davies,^[12] diver Tom Daley,^[13] dancer Wayne Sleep,^[14] and footballer Trevor Francis.^[15] Other past residents include composer Ron Goodwin,^[16] and journalist Angela Rippon.^[17]

• Category:People from Plymouth, Devon
• List of people from Devon