# Notable people without living descendants **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 22, 2007, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214 "2007-02-22T13:22:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sonia\_Montdore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Sonia\_Montdore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonia_Montdore)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/1 "2007-02-22T13:22:22Z")
A friend and I were discussing notable people who have no known living descendants. We came up with: Shakespeare Lincoln Washington Mozart Beethoven. Can you name other examples? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/2 "2007-02-22T13:27:04Z")
Trotting out the Martirologio Romano and the Jesuit Saints counts as cheating? Some Spanish notables with no known descendants living today: A bunch of kings (most notably Carlos II, last of our Hapsburg) Quevedo Góngora Lope de Vega ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/3 "2007-02-22T13:28:08Z")
Plenty of Popes. Absolute oodles of ancient historical figures. All major religious figures that I know of. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/4 "2007-02-22T13:33:52Z")
Several kings and queens of England, including Edward VIII (later the Duke of Windsor), William IV, Anne, Elizabeth I, Mary I, and Edward VI. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/5 "2007-02-22T13:35:47Z")
Jesus??? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/6 "2007-02-22T13:38:06Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] Jesus??? [/QUOTE] I take it you haven’t read **The Da Vinci Code**? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/7 "2007-02-22T14:03:17Z")
**Laura Ingalls Wilder** As far as I recall, at least… ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/8 "2007-02-22T14:17:51Z")
I came in to mention Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her only daugher’s son was either a late miscarriage, stillborn, or died shortly after birth. None of her sisters had any children either. Helen Keller. ---
**Author:** ![Eggerhaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@Eggerhaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eggerhaus)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/9 "2007-02-22T14:51:19Z")
Emily Dickinson? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/10 "2007-02-22T14:58:29Z")
[QUOTE=Priceguy] All major religious figures that I know of. [/QUOTE] Not Muhammed. He has a lot of them. And even though Washington has no living descendants, his wife does. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/11 "2007-02-22T15:01:45Z")
Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/12 "2007-02-22T15:09:40Z")
[QUOTE=Captain Amazing] Not Muhammed. He has a lot of them. [/QUOTE] Muhammed has _known_ living descendants? How come they don’t make more noise? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/13 "2007-02-22T15:14:46Z")
Oddles of people are direct familial descendants of Mohammed (PBUH). He did not live that long ago, had lots of wives and lots of children. Further, his linage is quite well-researched. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/14 "2007-02-22T15:16:39Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] Oddles of people are direct familial descendants of Mohammed (PBUH). He did not live that long ago, had lots of wives and lots of children. Further, his linage is quite well-researched. [/QUOTE] Well, colour me slightly less ignorant. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/15 "2007-02-22T15:21:09Z")
[QUOTE=Giles] Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. [/QUOTE] Really? I thought I read about one of them in _Huckleberry Finn._😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/16 "2007-02-22T15:43:51Z")
Cleopatra. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/17 "2007-02-22T15:44:03Z")
Rene Descartes didn’t marry and his one daughter died when she was a child. He left no descendants. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/18 "2007-02-22T15:45:40Z")
I was just reading Richard Dawkins’ _Ancestor’s Tale_, and he brings up the concept of a “concestor,” also known as the most recent common ancestor (MRCA). From this [article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Most_recent_common_ancestor): “The MRCA of everyone alive today could have co-existed with a large human population, most of whom either have no living descendants today or else are ancestors of a subset of people alive today.” If you go back further in time, you reach a point in the past where all humans alive at that time either have no living descendents or are common ancestors of all living humans today. The most recent common ancestor for all humans was surprisingly recent. One estimate from the linked article is a MRCA living in the second or first millennium BC. Another model suggests that the MRCA of Western Europeans lived as recently as AD 1000. With respect to the OP, eventually every person, including historical figures, either has no living descendents, or becomes an ancestor of everyone alive. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/19 "2007-02-22T15:47:22Z")
[QUOTE=Captain Amazing] Not Muhammed. He has a lot of them. [/QUOTE] Indeed; I remember reading in a couple of places that someone calculated that the odds are very, very high that everyone in Europe and Asia is a descendant of Mohammed, because of the way the number of all descendants grows with every generation. Because of the same reason, this guy opined that chances are high that everyone in Europe is a descendant of Charlemagne, and that everyone in the world descends from one or more Egyptian Pharaos. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214/20 "2007-02-22T15:54:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Rene Descartes…left no descendants. I guess that means he wasn’t forward-thinking? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notable-people-without-living-descendants/393214.md?page=2)