List of second-generation mathematicians

Math ability is passed from parent to child^[1] with the most famous example being the Bernoulli family.^[2] This second generation phenomenon also holds in physics^[3] but in that field the Nobel Prize in Physics gives a tool for tracking it, since it has been given out for more than 120 years, and there are on average more than two Nobel Prizes in Physics given each year.^[4] There is no comparable award in mathematics^[5] but perusing (for example) the MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive^[6] list of biographies enables the construction of a similar list of notable two-generation pairs of mathematicians.

The following is a list of parent-child pairs who both made contributions to mathematics significant enough to be noted in the citation for a prestigious prize, in an obituary in a major math journal, or in a similarly authoritative source. All are father-son except for Emmy Noether, Marie-Hélène Schwartz and Cathleen Morawetz. The list is in chronological order by birth date of the parent.

List

Parent	Contributions	Recognition	Child	Contributions	Recognition
Johann Bernoulli	L'Hôpital's rule Catenary Brachistochrone curve		Daniel Bernoulli	Bernoulli's principle Gamma function
Jacopo Riccati	Riccati equation		Vincenzo Riccati	Introduction of hyperbolic functions
Giulio Carlo de' Toschi di Fagnano	Discovery of addition and multiplication formulas for arcs of lemniscate		Giovanni Fagnano	Fagnano's problem
Farkas Bolyai	Wallace–Bolyai–Gerwien theorem		János Bolyai	Non-Euclidean geometry
Elie Cartan	Structure of Lie groups Exterior algebra Moving frame	Leconte Prize Lobachevsky Prize	Henri Cartan	Cartan's theorems A and B Projective module	Émile Picard Medal Wolf Prize
Max Noether	Brill–Noether theory Noether's formula Noether inequality		Emmy Noether	Noether's theorem Noetherian Property
Frank Morley	Morley's trisector theorem		Frank Vigor Morley	Inversive Geometry (1933)
Stanisław Zaremba	Mathematical analysis		Stanisław Krystyn Zaremba	Low-discrepancy sequences
George David Birkhoff	Ergodic Theorem	Bocher Memorial Prize	Garrett Birkhoff	Universal algebra	George David Birkhoff Prize
Paul Lévy	Lévy process	Émile Picard Medal	Marie-Hélène Schwartz		Tribute in La Gazette des mathématiciens^[7]
J. L. Synge	Synge's theorem	Boyle Medal Henry Marshall Tory Medal	Cathleen Morawetz	Equations of mixed type Local energy decay^[8]	Leroy P. Steele Prize
Emil Artin	Solved Hilbert's 17th problem Partially solved Hilbert's 9th problem	Obituary in the Bulletin of the AMS^[9]	Michael Artin	Artin approximation theorem Algebraic spaces	Leroy P. Steele Prize Wolf Prize
Petr Novikov	Word problem for groups	Lenin Prize	Sergei Novikov	Adams–Novikov spectral sequence Surgery theory	Fields Medal
Magnus Hestenes	Optimal control	Guggenheim Fellowship	David Hestenes	Spacetime algebra	Oersted Medal (2002)
Bernhard Neumann	Partial operations in universal algebra	Adams Prize	Peter M. Neumann	Solution of Alhazen's problem	Senior Whitehead Prize David Crighton Medal
David Milman	Krein–Milman theorem		Vitali Milman	Work in geometric measure theory Concentration of measure	Israel Prize in mathematics
Sixto Rios	Decision theory	Bachelor's Degree Extraordinary Award	David Rios Insua	Bayesian inference	Peccei Award (IIASA)
David George Kendall	Statistical shape analysis	Fellow of the Royal Society	Wilfrid Kendall	Work in Stochastic geometry President of the Bernoulli Society (2013–2015)
Jacques-Louis Lions	Lions–Magenes lemma	John von Neumann Prize Japan Prize	Pierre-Louis Lions	Viscosity solution	Fields Medal
Takashi Ono	Number theory Algebraic groups	Memorial tribute in Notices of the AMS^[10]	Ken Ono	Number theory	Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers
Joram Lindenstrauss	Johnson–Lindenstrauss lemma	Israel Prize Stefan Banach Medal	Elon Lindenstrauss	Major advance on Littlewood conjecture	Fields Medal

References

↑ "Parents' math skills 'rub off' on their children". Retrieved 2025-04-09.
↑ "The Bountiful Bernoullis of Basel". 6 October 2020. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
↑ "4 Father-Son Nobel Prize Winners In Physics". Retrieved 2025-04-09.
↑ "The Nobel Prize in Physics". Retrieved 2025-04-09.
↑ "No Nobel Prize for Math". 2 March 2001. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
↑ "MacTutor". Retrieved 2025-04-09.
↑ "Hommage à Marie-Hélène Schwartz". Gazette des Mathematiciens. 138. Société Mathématique de France. October 2013..
↑ "2004 Steele Prizes" (PDF). Notices of the American Mathematical Society. 51 (4): 424. April 2004.
↑ Brauer, Richard (January 1967). "Emil Artin". Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society. 73 (1). Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society: 27--43..
↑ Conrad, Brian; Ono, Ken; Tsimerman, Jacob (August 2026). "A Legacy in Number Theory: A Tribute to Takashi Ono". Notices of the American Mathematical Society. 19 (7). Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society: 553--557.

[1] "Parents' math skills 'rub off' on their children". Retrieved 2025-04-09.

[2] "The Bountiful Bernoullis of Basel". 6 October 2020. Retrieved 2025-04-09.

[3] "4 Father-Son Nobel Prize Winners In Physics". Retrieved 2025-04-09.

[4] "The Nobel Prize in Physics". Retrieved 2025-04-09.

[5] "No Nobel Prize for Math". 2 March 2001. Retrieved 2025-04-09.

[6] "MacTutor". Retrieved 2025-04-09.

[7] "Hommage à Marie-Hélène Schwartz". Gazette des Mathematiciens. 138. Société Mathématique de France. October 2013..

[8] "2004 Steele Prizes" (PDF). Notices of the American Mathematical Society. 51 (4): 424. April 2004.

[9] Brauer, Richard (January 1967). "Emil Artin". Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society. 73 (1). Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society: 27--43..

[10] Conrad, Brian; Ono, Ken; Tsimerman, Jacob (August 2026). "A Legacy in Number Theory: A Tribute to Takashi Ono". Notices of the American Mathematical Society. 19 (7). Providence, RI: American Mathematical Society: 553--557.

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See also

References