Famous Immigrant Birthdays in January

CitizenPath recognizes January birthdays for famous, accomplished and notable immigrant Americans. Thank an immigrant for making the USA great. History has proven that immigrants help spur creativity, invention and new job growth. Immigration reform will help the best and brightest doctors, engineers, entertainers and entrepreneurs stay in the United States. Our list features foreign-born persons who became permanent residents or citizens of the United States.

Xavier Cugat, Spanish American singer
Photo credit: Library of Congress

Xavier Cugat (January 1, 1900 – October 27, 1990) was a Spanish American singer, musician and bandleader who helped popularize Latin music in the United States. He was the leader of the resident orchestra at the Waldorf-Astoria before and after World War II.

jose gutierrez guatemalan american immigrant
Photo credit: Military Times

Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez (January 1, 1981 – March 21, 2003) was a Guatemalan American Marine rifleman dreaming to become a U.S. citizen and architect. He was killed in action in Iraq and was awarded U.S. citizenship posthumously.

Lopez Lomong, Sudanese American Immigrant
Photo credit: Paul Merca

Lopez Lomong (born January 5, 1985) is a South Sudanese American track and field athlete who qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Lomong came to the United States at the age of 16 as one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan.”

Satya Nadella Indian American Immigrant, one of several famous immigrant birthdays in January
Photo credit: LEWEB

Satya Narayana Nadella (born January 6, 1967) is an Indian American computer scientist and business executive. He is the current Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft.

Jhoon Goo Rhee, Korean American Immigrant
Photo credit: MA-Mags

Jhoon Goo Rhee (January 7, 1932 - April 30, 2018), commonly known as Jhoon Rhee, was a South Korean American master of taekwondo who was widely recognized as the “Father of American Taekwondo” for introducing this martial art to the United States.”

Carolina Herrera Venezulan American immigrant
Photo credit: Christopher Peterson

Carolina Herrera (born January 8, 1939) is a Venezuelan American fashion designer known for exceptional style, and dressing First Ladies from Jacqueline Onassis to Michelle Obama.

Dave Mathews South African American immigrant
Photo credit: Moses

David John “Dave” Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is a South African American musician best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band.

Yolanda Hadid, Dutch American immigrant

Yolanda Hadid (born January 11, 1964) is a Dutch American TV personality and model. She is mostly recognized as a start of the reality-television show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Yellapragada Subbarao Indian American immigrant
Photo credit: Vkavuluri

Yellapragada Subbarao (January 12, 1895 – August 9, 1948) was an Indian American biochemist who helped develop tetracycline and created methotrexate for the treatment of cancer. He is credited as leading some of America’s most important medical research during World War II.

Nathan Milstein, Russian American immigrant

Nathan Mironovich Milstein (January 13, 1904 – December 21, 1992) was a Russian American virtuoso violinist who was widely considered to be one of the finest violinists of the 20th century.

Charo, Spanish American immigrant
Photo credit: Paul Drew

Charo (born January 15, 1951) is a Spanish American singer, dancer and comedienne known for her flamboyant presence and “cuchi cuchi” catch phrase.

Eric Ly, Vietnamese American immigrant, one of many notable immigrant birthdays in January
Photo credit: Paul Drew

Eric Ly (born January 15, 1969) is a Vietnamese American technologist, entrepreneur and investor. He is best known as one of the co-founders of LinkedIn.

Albert Pujols, Dominican American immigrant
Photo credit: Marianne O’Leary

Albert Pujols (born January 16, 1980) is a Dominican American MLB player for the L.A. Angels. He is the only player in MLB history to bat at least .300 with 30 or more home runs and 100 or more runs batted in in his first 10 seasons.

Liz Balmaseda, Cuban American immigrant
Photo credit: Denver Public Library

Liz Balmaseda (born January 17, 1959) is a Cuban American Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The Palm Beach Post. She won her first Pulitzer covering Cuban and Haitian refugees and her second for covering the story of Elián González.

Jim Carrey, Canadian American immigrant, one of several immigrant birthdays in January
Photo credit: Ian Smith

Jim Carrey (born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian American Golden Globe Award-winning actor, comedian, and producer known for his energy and blockbuster movies.

Paul Rodriguez, Mexican American immigrant
Photo credit: U.S. Navy

Paul Rodriguez (born January 19, 1955) is a Mexican American stand-up comedian and actor who also served in the U.S. military.

Ozzie Guillen, Venezuelan American immigrant
Photo credit: Keith Allison

Oswaldo José “Ozzie” Guillén Barrios (born January 20, 1964) is a Venezuelan American former professional baseball player and manager. He managed MLB’s Chicago White Sox and Miami Marlins. In 2005, Guillen became the first Latino manager in major league history to win a World Series.

Fareed Zakaria, Indian American immigrant, one of many notable immigrant birthdays in January
Photo credit: Sebastian Derungs

Fareed Zakaria (born January 20, 1964) is an Indian American journalist and author. He is the editor-at-large of Time and the host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS.

Placido Domingo, Spanish American immigrant
Photo credit: Russell Hirshon

José Plácido Domingo Embil (born January 21, 1941), known as Plácido Domingo, is a Spanish American tenor and conductor who gained notoriety for his versatile and strong voice. He is currently the director of the Los Angeles Opera.

Hakeem Olajuwon, Nigerian American immigrant
Photo credit: University of Houston

Hakeem Abdul “The Dream” Olajuwon (born January 21, 1963) is a retired Nigerian American professional basketball player who played center in the NBA.

George Balanchine, Russian American immigrant, one of several immigrant birthdays in January
Photo credit: Florida Memory

George Balanchine (January 22, 1904 – April 30, 1983) was a Russian American dancer and choreographer credited as the “father of American ballet.” The prolific choreographer co-founded the School of American Ballet and the New York City Ballet.

Mischa Barton, English American immigrant
Photo credit: Frisky Tuna

Mischa Barton (born January 24, 1986) is an English American film, television, stage actress, and occasional fashion model best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in The OC.

William Colgate, English American immigrant

William Colgate (January 25, 1783 – March 25, 1857) was an English American entrepreneur who founded in 1806 what became the Colgate toothpaste company. He was also a lifelong philanthropist.

Eddie Van Halen, Dutch American immigrant
Photo credit: Alan Light

Edward Lodewijk “Eddie” Van Halen (January 26, 1955 - October 6, 2020) was a Dutch American musician, songwriter and producer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen and is recognized as one of rock’s greatest guitar players.

Wayne Gretsky, Canadian American immigrant
Photo credit: Håkan Dahlström

Wayne Douglas Gretzky (born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian American retired professional ice hockey player and head coach. “The Great One” played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League and remains the leading point-scorer.

Hyman Rickover, Polish American immigrant, one of several immigrant birthdays in January
Photo credit: U.S. Navy

Hyman George Rickover (January 27, 1900 – July 8, 1986) was a Polish American four-star admiral of the U.S. Navy who is known as the “Father of the Nuclear Navy.” He directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion and controlled its operations for three decades.

Daniel Aaron (January 27, 1926 – February 20, 2003) was the German American co-founder, president and CEO of the Comcast cable empire. He also became a leading medical philanthropist for Parkinson’s, a disease that would eventually take his life.

Mikhail Baryshnikov Russian American immigrant
Photo credit: Knight Foundation

Mikhail Baryshnikov (born January 27, 1948) is a Russian American dancer, choreographer, and actor, and considered by many to be one of the greatest ballet dancers in history.

Alan Cumming, Scottish American immigrant
Photo credit: Gordon Correll

Alan Cumming (born January 27, 1965) is a Scottish American actor who has appeared in numerous films, television shows and plays. Most recently he is well known for his role in the award-winning TV drama The Good Wife.

Vinod Khosla, Indian American immigrant, one of many notable immigrant birthdays in January
Photo credit: TechCrunch

Vinod Khosla (born January 28, 1955) is an Indian American businessman and venture capitalist. Khosla was one of the co-founders of Sun Microsystems.

Would you like to add more famous immigrant birthdays in January? Share them with us on Twitter. Include the person’s name and birthday.

Throughout our nation's history, immigrant contributions have been astonishing. CitizenPath stands behind immigrants and their families. Every day, we’re working to make the path a little easier. Our online immigration services help individuals navigate the immigration system. It’s our honor to serve this role.

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