List of members of the Order of Merit

Below is a list of members of the Order of Merit from the order's creation in 1902 until the present day. The number shown is the individual's place in the wider order of appointment since the Order of Merit's inception;

  the purple colour denotes the Sovereign.

  the blue colour denotes honorary members.

  the yellow colour denotes current members.

#	Country	Portrait	Name	Date Awarded	Lifetime	Office/Position
1.			The Earl Roberts	26 June 1902	30 September 1832 – 14 November 1914	Military officer
2.			The Viscount Wolseley	26 June 1902	4 June 1833 – 25 March 1913	Military officer
3.			The Lord Kitchener of Khartoum	26 June 1902	24 June 1850 – 5 June 1916	Military officer, Colonial Administrator
4.			The Lord Rayleigh	26 June 1902	12 November 1842 – 30 June 1919	Physicist
5.			The Lord Kelvin	26 June 1902	26 June 1824 – 17 December 1907	Physicist
6.			The Lord Lister	26 June 1902	5 April 1827 – 10 February 1912	Surgeon
7.			Sir Henry Keppel	26 June 1902	14 June 1809 – 17 January 1904	Naval officer
8.			John Morley	26 June 1902	24 December 1838 – 23 September 1923	Politician, Writer
9.			William Edward Hartpole Lecky	26 June 1902	26 March 1838 – 22 October 1903	Historian, Politician
10.			Sir Edward Hobart Seymour	26 June 1902	30 April 1840 – 2 March 1929	Naval officer
11.			Sir William Huggins	26 June 1902	7 February 1824 – 12 May 1910	Astronomer
12.			George Frederic Watts	26 June 1902	23 February 1817 – 1 July 1904	Painter
13.			Sir George Stuart White	30 June 1905	6 July 1835 – 24 June 1912	Army officer
14.			Sir John Fisher	30 June 1905	25 January 1841 – 10 July 1920	Naval officer
15.			Sir Richard Claverhouse Jebb	30 June 1905	27 August 1841 – 9 December 1905	Classicist, Politician
16.			Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema	30 June 1905	8 January 1836 – 25 June 1912	Painter
17.			George Meredith	30 June 1905	12 February 1828 – 18 May 1909	Novelist
18.			William Holman Hunt	30 June 1905	2 April 1827 – 7 September 1910	Painter
19.			Prince Yamagata Aritomo	21 February 1906	14 June 1838 – 1 February 1922	Military officer, Statesman, Prime Minister
20.			Prince Ōyama Iwao	21 February 1906	12 November 1842 – 10 December 1916	Military officer
21.			Marquess Tōgō Heihachirō	21 February 1906	27 January 1848 – 30 May 1934	Naval officer
22.			The Earl of Cromer	29 June 1906	26 February 1841 – 29 January 1917	Colonial Administrator
23.			James Bryce	11 February 1907	10 May 1838 – 22 January 1922	Politician, Historian
24.			Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker	30 June 1907	30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911	Botanist
25.			Florence Nightingale	12 May 1907	12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910	Nurse
26.			Henry Jackson	26 June 1908	12 March 1839 – 25 September 1921	Classicist
27.			Alfred Russel Wallace	26 June 1908	8 January 1823 – 7 November 1913	Naturalist
28.			Sir William Crookes	8 July 1910	17 June 1832 – 4 April 1919	Chemist
29.			Thomas Hardy	8 July 1910	2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928	Novelist
30.			Sir George Trevelyan, Bt	19 June 1911	20 July 1838 – 17 August 1928	Politician
31.			Sir Edward Elgar	19 June 1911	2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934	Composer
32.			Sir Arthur Wilson	8 March 1912	4 March 1842 – 25 May 1921	Naval officer
33.			Sir Joseph John Thomson	15 March 1912	18 December 1856 – 30 August 1940	Physicist
34.			Sir Archibald Geikie	1 January 1914	28 December 1835 – 10 November 1924	Geologist
35.			Sir John French	3 December 1914	28 September 1852 – 22 May 1925	Military officer
36.			The Viscount Haldane	26 May 1915	30 July 1856 – 19 August 1928	Politician
37.			Henry James	1 January 1916	15 April 1843 – 28 February 1916	Novelist
38.			Sir John Jellicoe	31 May 1916	5 December 1859 – 20 November 1935	Naval officer
39.			Arthur Balfour	3 June 1916	25 July 1848 – 19 March 1930	Politician, Prime Minister
40.			Ferdinand Foch	29 November 1918	2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929	Military officer
41.			Sir David Beatty	3 June 1919	17 January 1871 – 11 March 1936	Naval officer
42.			Sir Douglas Haig	3 June 1919	19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928	Military officer
43.			Joseph Joffre	26 June 1919	12 January 1852 – 3 January 1931	Military officer
44.			David Lloyd George	5 August 1919	17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945	Politician, Prime Minister
45.			Sir James Matthew Barrie, Bt	2 January 1922	9 May 1860 – 19 June 1937	Novelist
46.			F. H. Bradley	3 June 1924	30 January 1846 – 18 September 1924	Philosopher
47.			Sir Charles Scott Sherrington	3 June 1924	27 November 1857 – 4 March 1952	Physiologist
48.			Sir James George Frazer	1 January 1925	1 January 1854 – 7 May 1941	Sociologist
49.			Sir Ernest Rutherford	1 January 1925	30 August 1871 – 19 October 1937	Physicist
50.			Sir Charles Algernon Parsons	3 June 1927	13 June 1854 – 11 February 1931	Engineer
51.			Sir George Abraham Grierson	4 June 1928	7 January 1851 – 9 March 1941	Linguist
52.			Robert Seymour Bridges	3 June 1929	23 October 1844 – 21 April 1930	Poet
53.			John Galsworthy	3 June 1929	14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933	Novelist
54.			Samuel Alexander	3 June 1930	6 January 1859 – 13 September 1938	Philosopher
55.			M. R. James	3 June 1930	1 August 1862 – 12 June 1936	Historian, Writer
56.			G. M. Trevelyan	3 June 1930	16 February 1876 – 21 July 1962	Historian
57.			Sir Charles Madden, Bt	1 January 1931	5 September 1862 – 5 June 1935	Naval officer
58.			Philip Wilson Steer	1 January 1931	28 December 1860 – 18 March 1942	Painter
59.			Sir William Henry Bragg	3 June 1931	2 July 1862 – 10 March 1942	Physicist
60.			John William Mackail	1 January 1935	26 August 1859 – 13 December 1945	Classicist
61.			John Masefield	3 June 1935	1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967	Poet
62.			Ralph Vaughan Williams	3 June 1935	12 October 1872 – 26 August 1958	Composer
63.			Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins	3 June 1935	20 June 1861 – 16 May 1947	Biochemist
64.			Sir Philip Chetwode, Bt	1 January 1936	21 September 1869 – 6 July 1950	Military officer
65.			Herbert Fisher	1 February 1937	21 March 1865 – 18 April 1940	Historian, Politician
66.			The Lord Baden-Powell	11 May 1937	22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941	Military officer, Scouting pioneer
67.			Sir Arthur Eddington	9 June 1938	28 December 1882 – 22 November 1944	Astronomer
68.			The Lord Chatfield	2 January 1939	27 September 1873 – 15 November 1967	Naval officer, Statesman
69.			Sir James Hopwood Jeans	2 January 1939	11 September 1877 – 16 September 1946	Physicist
70.			Sir Cyril Newall	29 October 1940	15 February 1886 – 30 November 1963	Air force officer
71.			Gilbert Murray	1 January 1941	2 January 1866 – 20 May 1957	Classicist
72.			Sir Edwin Lutyens	1 January 1942	29 March 1869 – 1 January 1944	Architect
73.			Augustus John	11 June 1942	4 January 1878 – 31 October 1961	Painter
74.			Edgar Adrian	11 June 1942	30 November 1889 – 4 August 1977	Physiologist
75.			Sir William Searle Holdsworth	1 January 1943	7 May 1871 – 2 January 1944	Legal Scholar
76.			Sir Dudley Pound	3 September 1943	29 August 1877 – 21 October 1943	Naval officer
77.			The Lord Passfield	8 June 1944	13 July 1859 – 13 October 1947	Economist, Politician
78.			Sir Henry Hallett Dale	8 June 1944	9 June 1875 – 23 July 1968	Pharmacologist
79.			Sir Giles Gilbert Scott	8 June 1944	9 November 1880 – 8 February 1960	Architect
80.			Alfred North Whitehead	1 January 1945	15 February 1861 – 30 December 1947	Mathematician, Philosopher
81.			Dwight D. Eisenhower	12 June 1945	14 October 1890 – 28 March 1969	Military officer, Statesman, President
82.			Winston Churchill	1 January 1946	30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965	Politician, Prime Minister
83.			The Viscount Portal of Hungerford	1 January 1946	21 May 1893 – 22 April 1971	Air force officer
84.			The Viscount Alanbrooke	13 June 1946	23 July 1883 – 17 June 1963	Military officer
85.			The Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope	13 June 1946	7 January 1883 – 12 June 1963	Naval officer
86.			The Earl of Halifax	13 June 1946	16 April 1881 – 23 December 1959	Politician
87.			Jan Smuts	1 January 1947	24 May 1870 – 11 September 1950	Politician, Military officer, Prime Minister
88.			John Gilbert Winant	1 January 1947	23 February 1889 – 3 November 1947	Politician, Diplomat
89.			William Lyon Mackenzie King	17 November 1947	17 December 1874 – 22 July 1950	Politician, Prime Minister
90.			T. S. Eliot	1 January 1948	26 September 1888 – 4 January 1965	Poet
91.			Sir Robert Robinson	9 June 1949	13 September 1886 – 8 February 1975	Chemist
92.			The Earl Russell	9 June 1949	18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970	Philosopher, Mathematician
93.			Sir Alexander Cadogan	1 January 1951	25 November 1884 – 9 July 1968	Civil Servant
94.			The Viscount Trenchard	1 January 1951	3 February 1873 – 10 February 1956	Air force officer and 'Father of the RAF'
95.			G. E. Moore	7 June 1951	4 November 1873 – 24 October 1958	Philosopher
96.			Clement Attlee	5 November 1951	3 January 1883 – 8 October 1967	Politician, Prime Minister
97.			Wilder Penfield	1 January 1953	26 January 1891 – 5 April 1976	Surgeon
98.			Walter de la Mare	1 June 1953	25 April 1873 – 22 June 1956	Writer
99.			Albert Schweitzer	25 February 1955	14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965	Physician, Missionary, Theologian
100.			The Lord Hailey	31 May 1956	15 February 1872 – 1 June 1969	Colonial Administrator
101.			Sir John Cockcroft	1 January 1957	27 May 1897 – 18 September 1967	Physicist
102.			The Viscount Waverley	8 December 1957	8 July 1882 – 4 January 1958	Civil Servant, Statesman
103.			Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet	12 June 1958	3 September 1899 – 31 August 1985	Physiologist
104.			The Viscount Samuel	21 November 1958	6 November 1870 – 2 February 1963	Politician
105.			The Earl Alexander of Tunis	23 April 1960	10 December 1891 – 16 June 1969	Military officer
106.			Sir Cyril Norman Hinshelwood	23 April 1960	19 June 1897 – 9 October 1967	Chemist
107.			Graham Sutherland	23 April 1960	24 August 1903 – 17 February 1980	Artist
108.			Sir Geoffrey de Havilland	23 November 1962	27 July 1882 – 21 May 1965	Aircraft Engineer
109.			Sir Basil Spence	23 November 1962	13 August 1907 – 19 November 1976	Architect
110.			Sir Owen Dixon	29 May 1963	28 April 1886 – 7 July 1972	Judge
111.			Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan	12 June 1963	5 September 1888 – 17 April 1975	Statesman, Philosopher, President
112.			George Peabody Gooch	16 August 1963	21 October 1873 – 31 August 1968	Historian, Politician
113.			Henry Moore	16 August 1963	30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986	Sculptor
114.			Benjamin Britten	23 March 1965	22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976	Composer
115.			Dorothy Hodgkin	23 March 1965	12 May 1910 – 29 July 1994	Biochemist
116.			The Earl Mountbatten of Burma	15 July 1965	25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979	Naval officer, Statesman
117.			The Lord Florey	15 July 1965	24 September 1898 – 21 February 1968	Pharmacologist
118.			Patrick Blackett	20 November 1967	18 November 1897 – 13 July 1974	Physicist
119.			Sir William Walton	20 November 1967	29 March 1902 – 8 March 1983	Composer
120.			Ben Nicholson	23 April 1968	10 April 1894 – 6 February 1982	Painter
121.			Sir Solly Zuckerman	23 April 1968	30 May 1904 – 1 April 1993	Zoologist
122.			The Duke of Edinburgh	10 June 1968	10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021	Prince, Spouse of Queen Elizabeth II
123.			E. M. Forster	1 January 1969	1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970	Novelist
124.			Malcolm MacDonald	14 July 1969	17 August 1901 – 11 January 1981	Politician
125.			The Lord Penney	14 July 1969	24 June 1909 – 3 March 1991	Mathematician
126.			Sir Geoffrey Ingram Taylor	14 July 1969	7 March 1886 – 27 June 1975	Physicist
127.			Dame Veronica Wedgwood	14 July 1969	20 July 1910 – 9 March 1997	Historian
128.			John Beaglehole	21 March 1970	13 June 1901 – 10 October 1971	Historian
129.			Lester B. Pearson	20 May 1971	23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972	Politician, Prime Minister
130.			Sir Isaiah Berlin	20 May 1971	6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997	Philosopher, Historian
131.			Sir George Edwards	20 May 1971	9 July 1908 – 2 March 2003	Aircraft Engineer
132.			Sir Alan Lloyd Hodgkin	17 April 1973	5 February 1914 – 20 December 1998	Physiologist
133.			Paul Dirac	17 April 1973	8 August 1902 – 20 October 1984	Physicist
134.			Harold Macmillan	2 April 1976	10 February 1894 – 29 December 1986	Politician, Prime Minister
135.			The Lord Hinton of Bankside	2 April 1976	12 May 1901 – 22 June 1983	Engineer
136.			The Lord Clark	2 April 1976	13 July 1903 – 21 May 1983	Art Historian, Broadcaster
137.			Sir Ronald Syme	2 April 1976	11 March 1903 – 4 September 1989	Historian
138.			The Lord Todd	24 October 1977	2 October 1907 – 10 January 1997	Biochemist
139.			The Lord Franks	24 October 1977	16 February 1905 – 15 October 1992	Civil Servant, Diplomat
140.			Sir Frederick Ashton	24 October 1977	17 September 1904 – 18 October 1988	Ballet Dancer
141.			J. B. Priestley	24 October 1977	13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984	Playwright, Novelist
142.			The Lord Olivier	6 February 1981	22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989	Actor
143.			Sir Peter Medawar	6 February 1981	28 February 1915 – 2 October 1987	Biologist
144.			Leonard Cheshire	6 February 1981	7 September 1917 – 31 July 1992	Soldier, Philanthropist
145.			The Reverend Owen Chadwick	11 November 1983	20 May 1916 – 17 July 2015	Priest, Historian
146.			Sir Andrew Huxley	11 November 1983	22 November 1917 – 30 May 2012	Physiologist
147.			Sir Sidney Nolan	11 November 1983	22 April 1917 – 28 November 1992	Painter
148.			Sir Michael Tippett	11 November 1983	2 January 1905 – 8 January 1998	Composer
149.			Agnesë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu (Mother Teresa)	18 November 1983	26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997	Nun, Missionary
150.			Graham Greene	11 February 1986	2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991	Novelist
151.			Frederick Sanger	11 February 1986	13 August 1918 – 19 November 2013	Biochemist
152.			Sir Frank Whittle	11 February 1986	1 June 1907 – 9 August 1996	Aircraft Engineer
153.			Sir Yehudi Menuhin	25 February 1987	22 April 1916 – 12 March 1999	Violinist
154.			Sir Ernst Gombrich	15 February 1988	30 March 1909 – 3 November 2001	Art Historian
155.			Max Perutz	15 February 1988	19 May 1914 – 6 February 2002	Biologist
156.			Dame Cicely Saunders	30 November 1989	22 June 1918 – 14 July 2005	Nurse, Social Worker
157.			Sir George Porter	30 November 1989	6 December 1920 – 31 August 2002	Chemist
158.			Margaret Thatcher	7 December 1990	13 October 1925 – 8 April 2013	Politician, Prime Minister
159.			Dame Joan Sutherland	29 November 1991	7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010	Soprano
160.			Francis Crick	27 November 1991	8 June 1916 – 28 July 2004	Biologist
161.			Dame Ninette de Valois	17 November 1992	6 June 1898 – 8 March 2001	Ballet Dancer
162.			Sir Michael Atiyah	17 November 1992	22 April 1929 – 11 January 2019	Mathematician
163.			Lucian Freud	6 December 1993	8 December 1922 – 20 July 2011	Painter
164.			The Lord Jenkins of Hillhead	6 December 1993	11 November 1920 – 5 January 2003	Politician
165.			Nelson Mandela	21 March 1995	18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013	Statesman, President
166.			Sir Aaron Klug	23 October 1995	11 August 1926 – 20 November 2018	Chemist
167.			Sir John Gielgud	9 December 1996	14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000	Actor
168.			The Lord Denning	25 November 1997	23 January 1899 – 5 March 1999	Judge
169.			Sir Norman Foster	25 November 1997	1 June 1935 –	Architect
170.			Sir Denis Rooke	25 November 1997	2 April 1924 – 2 September 2008	Engineer
171.			Ted Hughes	10 August 1998	17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998	Poet, Writer
172.			Basil Hume	25 May 1999	2 March 1923 – 17 June 1999	Archbishop, Cardinal
173.			Sir James Whyte Black	9 May 2000	14 June 1924 – 22 March 2010	Pharmacologist
174.			Sir Anthony Caro	9 May 2000	8 March 1924 – 23 October 2013	Sculptor
175.			Sir Roger Penrose	9 May 2000	8 August 1931 –	Mathematician
176.			Sir Tom Stoppard	9 May 2000	3 July 1937 –	Playwright
177.			King Charles III	27 June 2002	14 November 1948 –	King
178.			The Lord May of Oxford	28 October 2002	8 January 1936 – 28 April 2020	Ecologist
179.			The Lord Rothschild	28 October 2002	29 April 1936 – 26 February 2024	Banker, Philanthropist
180.			Sir David Attenborough	10 June 2005	8 May 1926 –	Broadcaster, Naturalist
181.			The Baroness Boothroyd	10 June 2005	8 October 1929 – 26 February 2023	Politician, Speaker
182.			Sir Michael Howard	10 June 2005	29 November 1922 – 30 November 2019	Historian
183.			The Lord Eames	13 June 2007	27 April 1937 –	Archbishop
184.			Sir Tim Berners-Lee	13 June 2007	8 June 1955 –	Computer Scientist
185.			The Lord Rees of Ludlow	13 June 2007	23 June 1942 –	Astronomer
186.			Jean Chrétien	13 July 2009	11 January 1934 –	Politician, Prime Minister
187.			Neil MacGregor	4 November 2010	16 June 1946 –	Art Historian
188.			David Hockney	1 January 2012	9 July 1937 –	Painter
189.			John Howard	1 January 2012	26 July 1939 –	Politician, Prime Minister
190.			Sir Simon Rattle	1 January 2014	19 January 1955 –	Conductor
191.			Martin Litchfield West	1 January 2014	23 September 1937 – 13 July 2015	Classicist
192.			Sir Magdi Yacoub	1 January 2014	16 November 1935 –	Surgeon
193.			The Lord Darzi of Denham	31 December 2015	7 May 1960 –	Surgeon
194.			Dame Ann Dowling	31 December 2015	15 July 1952 –	Engineer
195.			Sir James Dyson	31 December 2015	2 May 1947 –	Industrial Designer
196.			Dame Elizabeth Anionwu	11 November 2022[1]	2 July 1947 –	Nurse
197.			The Baroness Benjamin	11 November 2022[1]	23 September 1949 –	Broadcaster
198.			Margaret MacMillan	11 November 2022[1]	23 December 1943 –	Historian
199.			Sir David Adjaye	11 November 2022[1]	22 September 1966 –	Architect
200.			Sir Paul Nurse	11 November 2022[1]	25 January 1949 –	Geneticist and Nobel Laureate
201.			Venki Ramakrishnan	11 November 2022[1]	1 April 1952 –	Structural biologist and Nobel Laureate

References

1. His Majesty The King (11 November 2022). "New Appointments to the Order of Merit". royal.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2022.

Sources

• Order of Merit, Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page^[usurped]