See also: List of military commanders, List of sea captains, List of sailors

• Alcibiades (c. 450 BC-404 BC), Athenian
• Lucius Arruntius (c. 60 BC-AD 10), Roman
• Callicratidas (4?? BC- c. 406 BC), Spartan
• Chabrias (c. 420 BC-356 BC), Athenian
• Conon (c. 440 BC-390 BC), Athenian
• Demetrius Poliorcetes [Demitrius I Poliorcetes] (336 BC-283 BC), Phrygian
• Eurybiades (4?? BC- c. 480 BC), Spartan
• Gnaeus Servilius Geminus (3?? BC-216 BC), Roman
• Lysander (4?? BC-395 BC), Spartan
• Polycrates of Samos
• Gaius Livius Salinator (2?? BC-18? BC), Roman
• Nearchus (4?? BC-312 BC), Cretan (in Macedonian service)
• Lucius Aemilius Regillus (2?? BC-1?? BC), Roman
• Themistocles (c. 514 BC-c. 449 BC), Athenian
• Sextus Pompeius, Roman
• Marcus Agrippa (63 BC-12 BC), Roman
• Phormio [Phormion] (4?? BC-c. 428 BC), Athenian

• Muawiyah I - his naval campaigns helped capture Cyprus (649) and Rhodes (654) for the nascent Arab Muslim Empire and deliver a devastating defeat to the Byzantine navy off the coast of Lycia (655).
• Abdullah ibn Saad - under him Arab Muslims won the first major naval battle against Constans II at the Battle of the Masts in 655 CE.
• George of Antioch (c. 1100-1150), Greek (in service to Norman Sicily)
• Ambrosio Bocanegra († 1373), Genoese (in service to Castile)
• Jang Bo-go (d. 846), Korean
• Himerios (fl. early 10th century), Byzantine admiral
• Jung Ji (c. 1100), Korean
• Andronikos Kontostephanos (12th century), Byzantine admiral under Manuel I Komnenos
• Zhang Shijie (12??-1279), Chinese
• Licario (13th century), Byzantine admiral of Italian origin
• Roger of Lauria (c. 1245-1305), Sicilian
• Zheng He (c. 1371–1433), Muslim Chinese.

• Kemal Reis (c. 1451 – 1511) was a Turkish privateer and Ottoman admiral.
• Alfonso d'Albuquerque (1453-1515), Portuguese naval general
• Francisco de Almeida (c. 1450-1510), Portuguese
• Hayreddin Barbarossa (c. 1478 – July 4, 1546), was an Ottoman Kaptan-ı Derya (Fleet Admiral).
• Philipp van Almonde (1644-1711), Dutch
• George Anson (1697-1762), British
• Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin [Fedor Matveevich Apraksin] (1661-1728), Russian
• Mariot Arbuthnot [Arbuthnott] (1711-1794), British
• John Ashby (c. 1640-1693), British
• Don John of Austria (1547-1578), Austrian naval general, in service of Holy Roman Empire
• Kanhoji Angre (1667-1729) Sarkhelof Maratha Empire from 1798-1729
• William James (1720-1783), British commodore
• William Bainbridge, (1774-1833), US commodore
• Samuel Barrington (1729-1800), British
• John Barry (1745-1803) U.S. Commodore
• Álvaro de Bazán, 1st Marquis of Santa Cruz (1526-1588), Spanish
• William Bligh, (1754-1817), British
• Edward Boscawen, (1711-1761), British
• Luc Urbain de Bouexic, comte de Guichen [Count of Guichen] (1712-1790), French
• Philip Broke, 1st Baronet (1776-1841), British
• William Brown , (1777-1867), Irish & Argentian
• John Byng (1704-1757), British
• John Byron (1723-1786), British
• Sir Robert Calder, 1st Baronet (1745-1818), British
• Juan Bautista Topete Y Carballo (1821-1885), Spanish
• Don Federico Carlos, Duke of Gravina (1756-1806), Spanish
• [Aimar] Aymar Chaste (15??-1603), French
• Francois Louis de Rousselet, Marquis of Chateaurenault [Chateaurenaut, Chateauregnaud] (1637-1716), French
• Cheng Ch'eng-kung [Koxinga] (1624-1662), Chinese
• Cheng Ho (14??-1451), Chinese
• Edward Fiennes Clinton, 9th Viscount and 1st Earl of Lincoln (1512-1585), British
• Thomas Cochrane, (1775-1860), British
• Sir George Cockburn (1772-1853), British
• Sir Edward Codrington (1770-1851), British
• Gaspard de Coligny [Gaspard II de Coligny] (1519-1572), French
• Sir George Collier (1738-1795), British
• Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron (1748-1810), British
• Egbert Bartholomeusz Kortenaer [Kortenaer] (c. 1610-1665), Dutch
• Sir William Cornwallis (1744-1819), British
• John A. Dahlgren (1809-1870), American
• Stephen Decatur, (1779-1820), US commodore
• Charles Henry Davis (1807-1877), American
• Andrea Doria (1466-1560), Genoese
• Samuel Francis Du Pont (1803-1865), American
• Count Karl August Ehrensvard [Ehrensward] (1745-1800), Swedish
• Count Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing [Count Charles Hector Theodat d'Estaing] (1729-1794), French
• David Farragut, (1801-1870), US
• Andrew Hull Foote (1806-1863), American
• Charles Rene Dominique Gochet, Chevalier de Destouches (17??- c. 1781), French
• Louis M. Goldsborough (1805-1877), American
• Count François Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasetilly, comte de Grasse (1722-1788), French
• Samuel Graves (1713-1787), British
• Thomas Graves, 1st Baron (c. 1725-1802), British
• Henri II, Duke of Montmorency (1595-1632), French
• Arthur Herbert, Earl of Torrington (1647-1716), English
• Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport (1726-1814), British
• Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood (1724-1816), British
• Esek Hopkins (1718-1802), American
• Charles Howard, 2nd Baron Howard of Effingham and 1st Earl of Nottingham (1536-1624), English
• Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe (1726-1799), British
• Sir Edward Hughes (c. 1718-1794), British
• Isaac Hull (1773-1843), US commodore
• John Jervis, Earl of St. Vincent (1735-1823), British
• John of Austria [Don Juan of Austria] (1547-1578), Spanish
• John Paul Jones, (1747-1792), US, Russia
• Niels Juel [Juul] (1629-1697), Danish
• Richard Kempenfelt (1718-1782), British
• Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel (1725-1786), British
• Konstantinos Kanaris (1790-1877), Greek
• Adam Johann von Krusenstern (1770-1846), Baltic German serving in Russian Navy
• Sir John Lawson (c 1610-1665), British
• Andreas Miaoulis (1768-1835), Greek
• George Monck [Monk], 1st Duke of Albemarle (1608-1670), British
• Lord Horatio Nelson, (1758-1805), British
• Sir Hyde Parker (1739-1807), British
• Sir Peter Parker (1721-1811), British
• Sir William Penn (1621-1670), English
• Matthew Perry, (1794-1858), US commodore
• Oliver Hazard Perry, US commodore
• David Dixon Porter (1813-1891), US
• Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick (1587-1658), English
• Baron George Brydges Rodney (1718-1792), British
• Prince Rupert, Count Palentine of the Rhine and Duke of Bavaria (1619-1682), British/German
• Stephen C. Rowan (1808-1890), US
• Michiel de Ruyter (1607-1676), Dutch
• Sir [Clowdisley] Cloudesley Shovell [Shovel] (1650-1707), English
• Wilhelm von Tegetthoff, (1827-1871), Austria
• Maarten Tromp, (1598–1653), Dutch
• Pierre Charles Silvestre de Villeneuve (1763-1806), French
• Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse (1750-1812)
• John Drake Sloat (1781-1867), American
• Sir William Sidney Smith (1764-1840), British
• Jan van Speyk, (1802-1832), Dutch
• Charles Stewart (1778-1869), American
• Pierre Andre de Suffren Saint Tropez [Saint-Tropez] (1729-1788), French
• Yi Sun-shin (1545-1598), Korean
• Eldon P. Wyman, (1822-1882) - American
• Karl Gustav von Wrangel (1613-1676), Swedish

• Jean-Marie Charles Abrial (1879-1962), French
• Hiroaki Abe (1889-1949), Japanese
• Saneyuki Akiyama (1868-1918), Japanese
• Masafumi Arima (1895-1944), Japanese
• David Beatty (1871-1936), British
• Yohai Ben-Nun (1924 - 1994) Israeli
• Arthur L. Bristol, (1886-1942), US
• Isaac N. Brown (1817-1889), Commander, US/CS
• Wilson Brown (1882-1957), United States
• Arleigh Burke (1901-1996), United States
• Sir Harold Burrough (1889-1977), British
• Daniel Callaghan (1890-1942), American
• Inigo Campioni (1878-1944), Italian
• Wilhelm Canaris (1887-1945), German
• Edouard von Capelle (1855-1931), German
• Sir Sackville Hamilton Carden (1857-1930), British
• Arthur S. Carpender (1884-1960), American
• Domenico Cavagnari (1884-1966), Italian
• Sir John G. Crace (1887-1968), British
• Sir Christopher Cradock (1862-1914), British
• Victor Alexander Charles Crutchley (1893-1986), British
• Sir Andrew Cunningham 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope (1883-1963), British
• Sir John Cunningham (1885-1962), British
• François Darlan (1881-1942), French
• Louis Denfeld (1891-1972), American
• Sir John Micheal De Robeck (1862-1928), British
• Shigeto Dewa (1856-1930), Japanese
• George Dewey (1837-1917), US
• Karl Dönitz (1891-1980), German
• Donald B. Duncan (1896-1975), US
• [Buyo] Takeaki Enomoto (1836-1908), Japanese
• John Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher of Kilverstone (1841-1920), British
• Hans-Georg von Friedeburg (1895-1945), German
• Koichi Fuiji (1858-1926), Japanese
• Shigeru Fukudome (1891-1971), Japanese
• Robert Ghormley (1883-1958), American
• Robert C. Giffen (1886-1962), American
• William Halsey (1882-1959), US
• Benjamin Hacker (1935-2003), US
• Henry Kent Hewitt (1887-1972), American
• Sonojo Hidaka (1848-1932), Japanese
• Franz von Hipper (1863-1932), German
• Boshiro Hosogaya (1888-1964), Japanese
• Hikojiro Ijichi (1859-1912), Japanese
• Kosuke Ijichi (1855-1917), Japanese
• Goro Ijuin (1852-1921), Japanese
• Matsuji Ijuin (1893-1944), Japanese
• Toshihira Inoguchi (1896-1944), Japanese
• Shigeyoshi Inoue (1889-1975), Japanese
• Ivan Isakov [Iovhannes Isakov] (1894-1967), Armenian in USSR service
• Tsunejiro Ishii (1910-1941), Japanese
• Seiichi Ito (1890-1945), Japanese
• Sukemaro Ito (1834-1906), Japanese
• Yuko Ito (1843-1914), Japanese
• John Jellicoe (1859-1935), British
• Sukenori Kabayama (1837-1922), Japanese
• Kakuji Kakuta (1890-1944), Japanese
• Hikonojo Kamimura (1849-1916), Japanese
• Shichiro Kataoka (1854-1920), Japanese
• [Hiroharu] Kanji Kato (1870-1939), Japanese
• Tomasaburo Kato (1861-1923), Japanese
• Sumiyoshi Kawamura [Jungi] (1836-1904), Japanese
• Husband E. Kimmel (1882-1968), American
• Ernest J. King (1878-1956), American
• Thomas Cassin Kinkaid (1888-1972), American
• Mineichi Koga (1885-1944), Japanese
• Aleksandr Kolchak (1874-1920), Russian
• Teruhisa Komatsu, Japanese
• Keizo Komura (b. 1896), Japanese
• Nobutake Kondo, (1886-1953 Japanese
• Pavlos Kountouriotis, (1855-1935), Greek
• Takeo Kurita (1889-1977), Japanese
• Kameto Kuroshima (1893-1965), Japanese
• Jinichi Kusaka (1889-1972), Japanese
• Ryunosuke Kusaka (1892-1971), Japanese
• William D. Leahy (1875-1959), US
• Willis Augustus Lee Jr. (1888-1945), American
• Alfred Thayer Mahan, (1840-1914), US
• Daniel M. McGurl (1896-1976), US
• Charles H. McMorris (1890-1954), American
• Yawara Matsumoto (1860-c. 1925), Japanese
• Tatsuo Matsumura (1868-1932), Japanese
• Custodio Jose de Mello (1840-1902), Brazilian
• Aaron Stanton Merrill (1890-1961), American
• Gunichi Mikawa, Japan
• Sotaru Misu (1855-1921), Japanese
• Marc Mitscher (1887-1947), US
• William A. Moffett (1869-1933), US
• Alfred Eugene Montgomery (1891-1961), American
• Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900-1979), British
• Kakuichi Murakami (1862-1927), Japanese
• Daniel Murphy (d. 2001), American
• Leonard W. Murray (1896-1971), Canadian
• Chuichi Nagumo (1886-1944), Japanese
• Osami Nagano (1880-1947), Japanese
• Kuranosuke Nakamuta (1837-1916), Japanese
• Tokicki Nashiha [Nashiba] (1850-1923), Japanese
• Percy W. Nelles (1892-1951), Canadian
• Chester Nimitz, (1885-1966), US
• Shoji Nishimura (1889-1944), Japanese
• John Poindexter (b. 1936), American
• Arthur William Radford (1896-1973), American
• Erich Raeder (1876-1960), German
• Charles Read, Lieutenant, (1840-1890), US/CS
• Arturo Riccardi, (1878-1966), Italian
• Claude V. Ricketts, (d. 1964), American
• Hyman G. Rickover, (1900-1986), American
• Francis Warren Rockwell (1886-1979), American
• Bernhard Rogge, (1899-1982), German
• Tsugimichi Saigo (1843-1902), Japanese
• Toshiatsu Sakamoto (1858-1941), Japanese
• Naomasa Sakonju (1890-1948), Japanese
• Tomoshige Samejima (1889-1969), Japanese
• William Thomas Sampson (1840-1902), American
• Tetsutaro Sato (1866-1942), Japanese
• Reinhard Scheer (1863-1928), German
• Winfield Scott Schley (1838-1909), American
• Forrest Percival Sherman (1896-1951), American
• Frederick Carl Sherman (1888-1957), American
• Yahachi Shibayama (1850-1924), Japanese
• Shigetaro Shimida (1883-1976), Japanese
• Hayao Shimanura (1858-1923), Japanese
• Koichi Shiozawa (1881-1943), Japanese
• Rodger Simpson (1898-1964), United States
• William Sowden Sims (1858-1936), American
• Sohn Il-wan (1890-1965), Korean
• Count Maximilian von Spee (1861-1914), German
• Clifton Sprague (1896-1955), American
• Thomas L. Sprague (1894-1972), American
• Raymond A. Spruance, (1886-1969), US
• William Harrison Standley (1872-1963), American
• Doveton Sturdee (1859–1925), British
• Kantaro Suzuki (1868-1948), Japanese
• Sokichi Takagi (1893-19??), Japanese
• Takeo Takagi (1892-1944), Japanese
• Ibo Takahashi (1888-1947), Japanese
• Takeshi Takarabe (1867-1949), Japanese
• Robert Alfred Theobald (1884-1957), American
• Heihachiro Togo (1848-1934), Japanese
• Sadatoshi Tomioka (1897-1970), Japanese
• Soemu Toyoda (1885-1957), Japanese
• Sir Thomas Troubridge (1862-1926), British
• Kozo Tsoboi [Hara Kozo] (1843-1898), Japanese
• Richmond Turner (1885-1961), American
• Matome Ugaki (1890-1945), Japanese
• Sotokichi Uriu (1857-1937), Japanese
• Homer N. Wallin (1893-1984), US
• Frank Robinson Walker (1899-1976), American
• Alan West (b. 1948), British
• Theodore Stark Wilkinson (1888-1946), American
• John Woodward (b. 1932), British
• Tamon Yamaguchi (1892-1942), Japanese
• [Gombei] Gonnohyoe Yamamoto (1852-1933), Japanese
• Gentaro Yamashita (1863-1931), Japanese
• Tanin Yamaya (1866-1940), Japanese
• Rokuro Yashiro [Masuyama] (1860-1930), Japanese
• Mitsumasa Yonai (1880-1948), Japanese
• Elmo Zumwalt (1920-), American

* Naval commanders