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List of female scientists before the 20th century facts for kids

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This article is about amazing women who made important discoveries in science throughout history. For a long time, it was rare for women to work in science. This list focuses on women scientists up to the end of the 20th century.

Ancient Times: Smart Women of the Past

Hypatia, by Julia Margaret Cameron
Hypatia by Julia Cameron

Even in ancient times, women were involved in science! They worked as doctors, astronomers, and philosophers.

  • Aemilia (around 300–363 CE): A doctor from ancient Gaul and Rome.
  • Aglaonike (2nd century BCE): An astronomer in Ancient Greece. She could even predict lunar eclipses!
  • Agnodike (4th century BCE): The first woman doctor allowed to practice legally in Athens.
  • Andromache (mid-6th century): An Egyptian doctor.
  • Arete of Cyrene (5th–4th centuries BCE): A Greek philosopher who studied nature and how people should live.
  • Artemisia of Caria (around 300 BCE): A botanist, meaning she studied plants.
  • Aspasia the Physician (1st century CE): A Greek doctor.
  • Aurelia Alexandria Zosime: An ancient Roman doctor.
  • Chun Yuyan (1st century BCE): A Chinese doctor who helped women during childbirth.
  • Cleopatra the Alchemist (around 3rd century CE): She wrote a book about alchemy, which was an early form of chemistry.
  • Damo (6th century BCE): A Greek philosopher who studied nature.
  • Diotima of Mantinea (4th century BCE): A philosopher and scientist in ancient Greece.
  • Eccello of Lucania (5th or 4th centuries BCE): A Greek/Italian mathematician and natural philosopher.
  • Echecratia the Philiasian (5th century BCE): A Greek/Italian mathematician and natural philosopher.
  • Elephantis (1st century BCE): A Greek doctor.
  • Enheduanna (around 2285–2250 BCE): A Sumerian/Akkadian astronomer and poet.
  • Fabiola (died 399 CE): A Roman doctor.
  • Fang (1st century BCE): A Chinese chemist.
  • Favilla (2nd century): A Roman doctor.
  • Gargi Vachaknavi (7th century BCE): An Indian philosopher.
  • Gu Bao (4th century): A Chinese doctor.
  • Hypatia (370–415 CE): A brilliant mathematician and astronomer from Egypt.
  • Laïs (around 1st/2nd century BCE): A midwife, who helped women give birth.
  • Lais of Corinth: An ancient Greek doctor.
  • Leoparda (4th century CE): A doctor who specialized in women's health.
  • Macrina (4th century CE): A Greek doctor and nun.
  • Marcella (4th century CE): A Roman healer.
  • Mary the Jewess (1st or 2nd century CE): An alchemist who invented important chemistry tools.
  • Melissa (3rd century BCE): A Greek philosopher.
  • Metrodora (around 200–400 CE): A Greek doctor and writer.
  • Minucia Asste: An ancient Roman doctor.
  • Myia (5th century BCE): A Greek philosopher.
  • Nicerata (around 5th century): A doctor and healer.
  • Occello of Lucania (4th or 5th century BCE): A Greek natural philosopher and mathematician.
  • Olympias of Thebes (1st century BCE): A Greek midwife.
  • Origenia (2nd century CE): A Greek healer.
  • Pao Ku Ko (3rd century CE): A Chinese chemist.
  • Paphnutia the Virgin (around 300): An Egyptian alchemist.
  • Paula (347–404 CE): A Roman healer.
  • Perictione (5th century BCE): A Greek philosopher and mother of the famous philosopher Plato.
  • Panthea: An ancient Greek doctor.
  • Philinna of Thessaly: An ancient Greek doctor.
  • Peseshet: An Egyptian doctor from a very old dynasty.
  • Pulcheria (5th century CE): A healer.
  • Pythias of Assos (4th century BCE): A marine zoologist, studying sea animals.
  • Restituta (1st century): An ancient Roman doctor.
  • Salpe (1st century BCE): A Greek midwife.
  • Sotira (1st century BCE): A Greek doctor.
  • Tapputi-Belatekallim (around 2000 BCE): A Babylonian perfumer, possibly the first person to use a chemical process.
  • Terentia Prima: An ancient Roman doctor.
  • Theano (6th century BCE): A philosopher, mathematician, and doctor.
  • Thelka: From ancient Iran.
  • Theosebeia (4th century CE): A healer.
  • Yi Jia (2nd century BCE): A Chinese doctor.

Middle Ages: Learning and Healing

Herrad von landsberg
Herrad of Landsbert

During the Middle Ages, women continued to be involved in medicine and other fields, often in convents or through family traditions.

  • Abella (14th century): An Italian doctor.
  • Adelle of the Saracens (12th century): An Italian doctor.
  • Adelmota of Carrara (14th century): An Italian doctor.
  • Rufaida Al-Aslamia (7th century): A Muslim nurse, considered one of the first nurses in Islamic history.
  • Maesta Antonia (1386–1408): A doctor from Florence, Italy.
  • Ameline la Miresse (active 1313–1325): A French doctor.
  • Jeanne d'Ausshure (died 1366): A French surgeon.
  • Brunetta de Siena (active 15th century): An Italian-Jewish doctor.
  • Hildegard of Bingen (1099–1179): A German natural philosopher, writer, and composer.
  • Sibyl of Benevento: A doctor from Naples who specialized in treating the plague.
  • Gentile Budrioli (died 1498): An Italian astrologer and herbalist.
  • Constanza: An Italian surgeon.
  • Denice (active 1292): A French barber-surgeon.
  • Demud (active around 13th century): A German doctor.
  • Dobrodeia of Kiev (active 1122): A Byzantine doctor.
  • Dorotea Bucca (active 1390): An Italian professor of medicine.
  • Constance Calenda (15th century): An Italian surgeon who specialized in eye diseases.
  • Virdimura of Catania (active 1376): A Jewish-Sicilian doctor.
  • Caterina of Florence (active 1400s): A doctor from Florence.
  • Jeanne de Cusey (active 1438): A French barber-surgeon.
  • Antonia Daniello (active 1400): A Florentine-Jewish doctor.
  • Clarice di Durisio (15th century): An Italian doctor.
  • Fava of Manosque (active 1322): A French-Jewish doctor.
  • Jacobina Félicie (active 1322): An Italian doctor.
  • Francesca, muller de Berenguer Satorra (15th century): A Catalan doctor.
  • Maria Gallicia (active 1309): A licensed surgeon.
  • Bellayne Gallipapa (active 1380): A Spanish-Jewish doctor from Zaragoza.
  • Dolcich Gallipapa (active 1384): A Spanish-Jewish doctor from Leyda.
  • Na Pla Gallipapa (active 1387): A Spanish-Jewish doctor from Zaragoza.
  • Sarah de St Giles (active 1326): A French-Jewish doctor and medical teacher.
  • Alessandra Giliani (active 1318): An Italian anatomist, who studied the body's structure.
  • Rebecca de Guarna (active 1200): An Italian doctor.
  • Magistra Hersend (active 1249–1259): A French surgeon.
  • Maria Incarnata: An Italian surgeon.
  • Isabiau la Mergesse (active 1292): A French-Jewish doctor.
  • Floreta La-Noga (active 1374): An Aragonese doctor.
  • Helvidis (active 1176): A French doctor.
  • Keng Hsien-Seng (10th century): A Chinese chemist.
  • Li Shao Yun (11th century): A Chinese chemist.
  • Stephanie de Lyon (active 1265): A French doctor.
  • Guillemette du Luys (active 1479): A French royal surgeon.
  • Thomasia de Mattio: An Italian doctor.
  • Margherita di Napoli (late 14th century): An eye doctor from Naples.
  • Mercuriade (14th century): An Italian doctor and surgeon.
  • Gilette de Narbonne (active 1300): A French doctor.
  • Isabella da Ocre: A surgeon from Naples.
  • Francisca da Romana: A doctor from Naples.
  • Dame Péronelle (1292–1319): A French herbalist, using plants for medicine.
  • Peretta Peronne (active 1411): A French surgeon.
  • Lauretta Ponte da Saracena Calabria: A doctor from Naples.
  • Trota of Salerno (active 1090): A famous Italian doctor.
  • Marguerite Saluzzi (active 1460): A licensed herbalist doctor from Naples.
  • Sara de Sancto Aegidio (active 1326): A French doctor.
  • Juana Sarrovia (active 1384): A Spanish doctor from Barcelona.
  • Shen Yu Hsiu (15th century): A Chinese chemist.
  • Sun Pu-Eh (12th century): A Chinese chemist.
  • Raymunda da Taberna: A licensed surgeon from Naples.
  • Théophanie (active 1291): A French barber surgeon.
  • Trotta da Toya (active 1307): A doctor from Naples.
  • Polisena da Troya (active 1335): A licensed surgeon from Naples.
  • Margarita da Venosa (active 1333): A licensed surgeon from Naples who studied at the University of Salerno. She even treated the king of Naples!
  • Francisca di Vestis (active 1308): A doctor from Naples.
  • Zhang Xiaoniang (11th century): A Chinese doctor.

16th Century: New Discoveries

Sophie Brahe portrait
Sophie Brahe portrait

The 16th century saw women contributing to pharmacy, botany, and astronomy.

17th Century: Expanding Horizons

Margaret cavendish from Luminarium
Margaret Cavendish

In the 17th century, women explored archaeology, natural philosophy, and astronomy.

18th Century: The Age of Enlightenment

Portrait de Mme d'Arconville
Geneviève Charlotte d'Arconville
Emilie Chatelet portrait by Latour
Portrait of Émilie du Châtelet by Maurice Quentin de La Tour

The 18th century was a time of great scientific progress, and many women made their mark in mathematics, physics, and astronomy.

19th Century: A Century of Progress

The 19th century saw women making significant contributions across many scientific fields, from studying the stars to understanding the human body.

Anthropology and Archaeology

Astronomy: Stargazers

Annie Jump Cannon 1922 Portrait
Annie Jump Cannon, 1922 Portrait

Women astronomers in the 19th century helped map the stars and understand the universe.

Biology and Natural History: Studying Life

Mary Anning by B. J. Donne
Mary Anning

From fossils to plants and animals, women contributed greatly to understanding the natural world.

Chemistry: Understanding Materials

Ida Freund
Ida Freund

Women chemists in the 19th century explored the properties of matter and developed new techniques.

Engineering and Invention: Building and Creating

Women also contributed to engineering and invented useful things.

  • Mary Dicas (active 1800–1815): A maker of scientific instruments.
  • Emily Roebling (1844–1903): An American civil engineer who helped build the Brooklyn Bridge.
  • Tabitha Babbitt (1779–1853): An American inventor and tool maker.
  • Mary Brush (active 1815): An American inventor.
  • Martha Coston (1826–1904): An American inventor who created signal flares.
  • Ellen Eglin (1849–active 1890): An American inventor.
  • Caroline Eichler (1809–1843): A German inventor and designer of prostheses.
  • Hanna Hammarström (1829–1909): A Swedish inventor.
  • Mary Kies (1752–1837): An American inventor.
  • Margaret E. Knight (1838–1914): An American inventor, often called "the female Edison."
  • Huang Lü (died 1829): A Chinese inventor of optical devices.

Geology: Studying Earth

Women geologists helped us understand rocks, minerals, and the history of our planet.

Mathematics: Numbers and Logic

Ada Lovelace portrait
Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (Ada Lovelace)

Women mathematicians made important advances in numbers and computer science.

Microbiology: Tiny Life

Medicine: Healing and Health

Kadambini Ganguly
Kadambini Ganguly

Many women became pioneering doctors, nurses, and surgeons, improving health care for everyone.

Nuclear Physics: The Atom's Secrets

  • Lise Meitner (1878–1968): An Austrian and Swedish nuclear physicist who helped discover nuclear fission.

Physics: How Things Work

Women physicists explored the fundamental laws of the universe.

Psychology: The Mind

Science Education: Sharing Knowledge

These women helped make science understandable for more people.

Sociology: Studying Society

See also

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List of female scientists before the 20th century Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.