What is Who's Who?
Quick answer
Who’s Who is an annual British reference book listing short biographies of notable living people, published since 1849 and now by Bloomsbury (with an online edition). The phrase “who’s who” also means a group of important or famous people, as in “the who’s who of Hollywood.”
How the book works
- Each entry is a short, factual biography: birth date, education, career, honors, publications, recreations and sometimes contact details.
- Entrants write and update their own entries after being invited, which is why the “recreations” section is famous for quirky answers.
- The book covers people from politics, business, the arts, science, sport and public service. When someone dies, their entry moves to Who Was Who.
- Around 33,000 people appear in the modern edition.
Who’s Who in the US
Marquis Who’s Who has published Who’s Who in America since 1899. It’s a separate company from the British book. Some modern “who’s who” directories charge people to be listed, which is why many are seen as vanity publications. The original British book doesn’t accept payment for inclusion.
The everyday phrase
| Usage | Meaning |
|---|---|
| “The party was a who’s who of the music industry.” | Many important people were there |
| “I don’t know who’s who in this office yet.” | I can’t tell people apart or don’t know their roles |
| “Who is who” | The same idea, written out in full |
Who’s who vs whose who
Who’s is short for who is. Whose shows possession (“Whose bag is this?”). So it’s always “who’s who,” never “whose who.” For more on tricky “who” grammar, see who vs whom.
Related: if you’re trying to work out who represents you rather than who’s famous, see who represents me or, in the UK, who is my MP.
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