How tall was Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein's Height

5ft 7 ½ (171.5 cm)

German born Theoretical Physicist. In his Swiss passport his height was written as 175cm, but on his Swiss Military Service book his height was written as 171.5cm. On his Declaration of Intention form in 1936 (to become an American citizen) his height was listed as 5ft 7.

Einstein 1921 by F Schmutzer - restoration

Add a Comment88 comments

Average Guess (44 Votes)
5ft 7.26in (170.8cm)
Sandy Cowell said on 1/Sep/23
Ha ha! I keep seeing Einstein in TV adverts! You have a ready-made career if you look like a famous person and there seem to be plenty of Alberts on TV at the moment!

5ft7.5. 🔢
Carl S. said on 13/Jul/22
@Ian C. And you think you're so superior just because you need longer pants.
Ian C. said on 30/Oct/21
Five foot seven and half? Shrimp. I'm six foot four, so nyah, nyah, nyah, Albert.

Guy thought he was just so superior, because he could think. I can think if I want to. I just don't want to.
koukouZaim said on 22/Mar/21
Guys how tall was Richard Feynman, I see him as a 6'0 guy what do think ?
Editor Rob
Look at him with Jimmy Carter. Might be under 6ft there.
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 14/Mar/21
Another year has flown by and this time, it's the 142nd Anniversary of Einstein's birth.

5ft7.5. 🕯️
R Coen said on 11/Jan/21
Einstein is an intelectual GIANT! He revised the thinking process by daring to challenge
how we measure the obvious!!
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 14/Mar/20
Albert Einstein was born 141 years ago today.

He can have 5ft7.5 on the anniversary of his birth.

RIP Einstein 🕯️
Nik Ashton said on 9/Feb/20
@ Rob - Did he look under 5’8” when he was at his peak?
Editor Rob
Well, I'm not so sure, but over 5ft 7 I would say he could seem. The 171.5 military mention seems reasonable and the fact he put down 5ft 7 on that form Click Here at 56 supports the idea.
Nik Ashton said on 7/Feb/20
@ Rob - Was he ever as tall as you?

I’m chuffed to give Albert Einstein his 80th comment!
Editor Rob
I think he could look under 5ft 8, but then I suppose you wouldn't rule 5ft 8 out completely for him.
Tall In The Saddle said on 6/Feb/20
Here's a pic of Albert standing with Sir Winston Churchill aged 54 and 59 respectively.

Click Here

I'm not a fan of pics that aren't full length but based on this there isn't a lot to choose between them.

This site lists Churchill at 5'6.5", I admit, without scrutiny, I guessed he was taller but there you go and if that's the case, then Einstein's listed height of 5'7.5" looks about right.

In science, Newton (allegedly asexual, so uncompromised by romantic thoughts, at least not toward other people) and Einstein (in line with special relativity, married his cousin) were GIANTS. Hard to compare the two, perhaps oversimplified, but I see Newton as the literal thinker and Einstein as the lateral guy leaving others to do the tedious high end number crunching.

So Newton's stuff is a bit easier to intuitively grasp while Einstein's stuff is often "what the.....?"

Now apparently, with the same elegance of the formulation E = MC2, Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge and that our present knowledge and understanding limits us while our imagination opens us up to all that we will ever know and understand. Pretty smart cookie, the old Einstein.

I guess Einstein might've imagined a conclusion and then worked backwards to test it scientifically. I have my own theory (stop laughing) that all we can intuitively imagine is tethered to the universe and is in fact an answer that can be proven and or achieved in some way. Basically, intuitive thoughts aren't as intuitive as we believe, rather they are based on unconscious intellectual processes, observations and interconnectedness.

Anyway, there is contention that Albert's first wife contributed to his papers on relativity. She was a scientist also, very smart too, perhaps not Albert smart, but very smart all the same. That she could've initiated and contributed to Albert's fleshed out ideas is not out of the question. I'm a genius too (stable) and my missus often says things that provide the "spark" to bigger and greater ideas from me OR is that subliminal control on her part? I will err on the side of my ego, yes, a stable genius.

Finally, Einstein published his first paper on Relativity in 1905. However, some 10 years prior to that, HG Wells published THE TIME MACHINE in 1905. HG Wells described the 4 dimensions in accurate detail and from that platform ventured into a story of time travel by way of extreme velocity. The time traveller also observes things around him move in fast motion "relative" to his own sense of time.

Point being and not to take anything from away from Einstein, but the fundamental concept of 4D and relative time wasn't necessarily new but it took Einstein to focus it in.
Eric W Tam said on 28/Nov/19
Angus, wasn't Tesla 6'1 to 6'2? Anyway wow, people are saying Einstein is as short as 5'6.5 and as tall as 6'0 on here. I would bill Einstein 1.75-1.78 peak and 1.71 to 1.73 in his latter years. I'd say people who have passed at a relatively old age many moons ago deserve a peak height and current height feature on here, don't you Rob? (Well, that is if there are enough convincing pics of them in their youth and adulthood).
Raymo said on 4/Nov/19
I thought it was 1 80 mts
Cycklops said on 31/Aug/19
On page 5 of this document, Chavan, a friend of Einstein's from the patent office, is quoted as saying that Einstein is 1'76 meters.

Click Here
Angus said on 27/Dec/18
He was about 6 feet almost as tall as tesla
michael loughrie said on 11/Nov/18
To be honest, he was pretty short, but doesn't mean anything. At his older age, he was around 5' 6". Still the G.O.A.T.
merc said on 31/Jul/18
169.5cm/5ft 6 ¾
MAD SAM said on 15/Dec/17
The Genious himself ! Don’t care about his height but glad he walked tall on this earth if you know what I mean
2toes said on 10/Oct/17
My estimation is 5'7.5"
Slim 182 cm said on 22/Jul/17
Strong 5'7
2toes said on 22/Jul/17
An incredible genius!
even said on 3/Jul/17
5 foot seven roughly
Melat Dagnachew said on 1/Mar/17
I an such a great admirer of Albert he is a gift that God gave to us for the changing of many things in physics
josh jeffords said on 6/Jan/17
Cool always wondered he looked a weak 5 7 in his aged pics could pass for his claim in shoes clerking..his youth.
Many big important people of his era were this small or smaller not that big of a deal.
Strong 5ft9 said on 3/Jan/17
@MJKoP Well there's always gonna be smart and dumbasses, good and bad people. No matter how tall you are!
Mathew Robinson (190 cm) said on 29/Dec/16
Armandy said on 21/Aug/15
How tall was Leonardo Da Vinci? Rob? 6'4.5?

---

No, he was like 5'9" - 5'10" range. 6'4.5"??
Nik said on 13/Nov/16
@Sandy Cowell

Well yes I agree Sandy that his ideas on time and the spatial universe can mess with your head if you spend a lot of time thinking about it and the possible implications of his 4D model of the universe. There are I am sure quite a number of things Einstein did not know though about theoretical physics so I would suggest to people not to let his ideas mess with their heads too much ! In my opinion science is a lot more difficult to fully master than just about any other intellectual field meaning I believe that even some of the best scientists ever including Einstein still do not fully understand or not even understand very much about certain aspects of their area of Science. Einstein like so many other great Scientistics is good because of what he knew and what he had been capable of finding out despite there being a number of things he didn't know. I share his later life height but not his intellect.
MJKoP said on 12/Nov/16
weord said on 29/Oct/16
so thats why 171 people are so smart


Have you seen Bieber's listing?
Sandy Cowell said on 11/Nov/16
@ Nik - That is an interesting and mind-blowing theory which, when you think about it in depth, can seriously mess with your head!
I remember telling my physiotherapist a couple of years back that astronomy and everything surrounding it, can blow your mind it's so fascinating!
So is the theory of life elsewhere, which, being as the universe is so vast, MUST exist in some form or another!
I have never given much thought to Einstein's height though I've always seen him as rather short and squat. I would have thought 5ft6. I'm surprised that he might have peaked at 5ft8, but as you say Nik, he was very tall in the mind!
Nik said on 11/Nov/16
At this height he was no lower than average for a German man of his age before the 1950's. He was probably 5'8" when he was younger and he was extremely tall in the mind. Some of his ideas are fascinating, particularly his thoughts on time. It's interesting and a little bit spooky how he theorised on a four dimensional universe in which the past, present, and future exist simultaneously. This implies that in some sense or other we are not born, alive, and dead simultaneously but at different points in space time.
weord said on 29/Oct/16
so thats why 171 people are so smart
Orlando said on 9/Dec/15
Photo of Einstein next to Carl Laemmle: Click Here Reputedly Laemmle was only 5ft tall (1.54 m) Click Here (or 5' 2", according to another source - «five-feet two inches» in 'The Life and Adventures of Carl Laemmle' by John Drinkwater Click Here ) So a difference of 17.5 cm between them seems reasonable in this photo for Einstein's 1.715 m height. (Imagine a 1.87 m fellow next to another 1.695 m tall, it wouldn't be too diferent...) Notice Einstein's shoes: they seem quite thick and strong heeled...
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 24/Aug/15
175cm range in shoes
Armandy said on 21/Aug/15
How tall was Leonardo Da Vinci? Rob? 6'4.5?
Amaze said on 28/Jul/15
Got changed
Don't think he was ever 175 barefoot, probably 175 in footwear. 171/2 peak.
177cmGuy said on 25/Jun/15
Most pictures of Einstein were taken during his older ages. It is possible that his peak height could have been 172-173cm.
tarantula0 said on 11/Apr/15
He was actually 170-171 cm but nothing over. Even in pictures he never looked this tall.
Guest said on 21/Mar/15
Einstein was taller than that. In his biography he was described as 182cm. Don't know if the swiss army cared abound Einstein's height. I think
he was round 180cm. Look at the chair in this video. No chance Einstein was under 178cm in my opinion. Click Here
Tania said on 8/Feb/15
@Ian C - Einstein was a keen violinist. Maybe he could carry a tune too?
Ian C said on 5/Dec/14
Now Andrew, I'm not saying that Albert wasn't a smart guy. But my understanding (which is not too good, because I'm tall) is that the equations for the Special Theory of Relativity were independently duplicated by a physicist named Lorentz. Meaning that Relativity was in the pipeline of human understanding, and would have got here anyway. And I'm a big fan of Newton because I studied Engineering, and ran into Isaac's ideas every day for four years.
Of course, neither of those guys were as smart as Madonna Ciccone. Would it kill that woman to take a little time off from being a great musical genius and figure out a cure for cancer?
Andrew M said on 30/Nov/14
Surprised to see this entry, but then, why should I be? Glad to see it.
@ Ian C - I think you're being a little unfair to Albert; it's not his fault that Relativity isn't as far-reaching in it's applications as Newton's work - it still took an absolutely astounding intellect to achieve, with incredible dedication, as well as imagination and creativity. Other than my favourite genius - Richard Feynman, I can't think of anyone else who comes close, even Hawking or Roger Penrose, or Kip Thorne. I'd say his work on Relativity is tantamount to Roger Bannister's breaking the 4 minute mile barrier, in that they both broke the "Impossibility Barrier"! It must have took some brains to consider that time was the variable quantity, instead of the speed of light. And while Special Relativity was probably on the cards due to the Michelson-Morley experiment and James Clark Maxwell's equations, General Relativity was not!
PLUS - it's not just Relativity! Einstein contributed greatly to Quantum Physics (which ironically he hated) through his Nobel Prize Winning work on the Photo-Electric effect! He even helped create the word "Photon"!
And without Quantum Physics, there'd be NO Internet, World-Wide Web, microprocessor-based computers, or even TV!
Arch Stanton said on 18/Nov/14
Didn't think he looked anywhere near this. I guessed 5'7", but in fairness I'm judging from him in his old age.
177cmGuy said on 11/Oct/14
When your one of the greatest scientist's that's ever lived your height doesn't matter anymore. 5'9 for mr Einstein. If he was around today I wonder if he would attend the fan conventions he's got alot of fans from the physics and mathematics department including myself
Ian C. said on 25/Apr/14
If Isaac Newton's height had been in direct proportion to his contribution to human progress and so had Albert Einstein's, Newton would have been about 7 feet tall. That is roughly the relative proportion of their achievements, although most people don't understand this. The Special and General Theories of Relativity are astonishing and elegant revelations of natural law, but they are of little practical use. Newton's discoveries (the Laws of Gravity and the invention of Integral Calculus are the most important) moved human beings forward into an age of practical science in a way that Einstein's discoveries have not. About seventy percent of the achievements in Engineering since 1700 are owed to Newton's discoveries.
the shredder said on 15/Apr/14
Rob , how tall was Issac Newton?
Editor Rob
never thought of that one before, but no idea!
Ian C. said on 13/Apr/14
As a point of interest, as long as we're discussing the reputedly very clever Mr. Einstein, people self-report their I.Q.s with roughly the same finagles that they self-report their heights. Like, your I.Q. is higher in the morning, just out of bed. It declines with age. Everybody you know says it's less than you say it is. People who've met you in person say, I met him and no way was his I.Q. 120. More like 118.
Ian C. said on 3/Aug/13
Five foot nine, eh? That little shrimp. Hey, I'm stupid but at least I'm not short, like Mr. Big Brain here.
mike said on 21/Jul/13
I think dragon121 has got it right. Good work on his part. In 1901 the Swiss measured his height, his upper arm and his chest. That is very thorough. Einstein's height in 1901 was 171,5 cm (5'7.5"). Then in 1936, in his application for U.S. citizenship, Einstein swore under oath that his height was 5 feet 7 inches. Einstein was used to meticulous measurements (he made them routinely when he was a Swiss Patent Clerk and, of course, in his physics and mathematical work). Hence, the 5'7" makes sense because we have two separate sources 35 years apart giving the same measurements. Good work dragon121.
Peyman-6ft said on 4/Feb/13
Hey Rob ,
is there any evidence for Ernest Rutherford's height ?
I guess he was very tall
leonari said on 29/Jan/13
In his later years he looked 171 max.
Seb said on 28/Jan/13
Dragon121 being correct Einstein's height needs to be corrected.
dragon121 said on 25/Jan/13
Rob I found two interesting documents. First one is a photo of Einstein's Swiss military 'service booklet' from 13 March 1901. (Click Here) It states his height exactly at 171,5 cm (5'7.5"). It also states his upper arm as 28cm and his chest circumference as 87cm. In 1901 he was 22 and probably stopped growing already. Besides the military doctors had to measure him properly so that booklet should be trustworthy. Second one is his 'Declaration of Intention' from 1936, which states his height as 5ft7 and weight as 175 lbs. (Click Here) The Swiss passport showing his height as 5ft9 was issued in 1923, maybe they didn't measure during that occasion him and Einstein fudged about his height.
mike 181cm said on 13/Dec/12
Just saw him in a pic with people looks 5"9 range.
Sam said on 5/Dec/12
I agree he looks 5'8" range in the Chaplin picture. Opinion on that, Rob?
Editor Rob
it's most probable einstein by the time he was 70 had lost an inch, even in his latter years he might have been near 5ft 7
danR said on 4/Dec/12
@Sam. Taking the angle 90 degrees the background verticals, and allowing for differences of neck angle tilt, posture, Einstein could hardly be greater than 4 inches taller. That would make him 5' 8" max.
swm said on 13/Aug/12
To those who say he looks under 175 cm in photo's, Einstein didn't become a celebrity until the age of 72, so most of the photo's we see are of him well into old age. Its well known that people shrink with age and some listed on this site have lost two inches by the time they are in their 70's, most have lost at least an inch.
As for the document listing him as 5'7" a lot of people can't convert cm in to feet and inches and I think that this would have been even more so in Einstein's day.
I think 5'9"/175 cm could well have been right in his prime.
Sam said on 10/Feb/12
Einstein only has a few inches over Charlie Chaplin:
Click Here
Robert Jay said on 9/Oct/11
Anyone who believes that Einstein was a "genius" should read the essays credited to Dr. Paul Bowers or Richard Moody Jr.. They present in great detail how and why Einstein became an "Einstein". But be forewarned, you may find some of their statements objectionable.
mathew johns said on 6/Apr/11
i think doesn't matter that how tall was einstien but the thing which really matter is that what height he had gained over his life.he was really very tall in his thinkings and thoughts.i think that the people who write abt eins height are really bustards and foolish type they are donkey,rascauls.in my opinion einstien is very great.i am also 6 ft but what great i achieve in life.nothing.tall height does not give u anything.maradona,sachin tendulkar,napolean bonapart are also short but they had achieved a great success.mathew johns.
dk said on 16/Jan/11
I met Einstein, and he was taller than your average theoretical physicist. I'd put him at approximately 5'9.25".
Legend said on 5/Jan/11
Rob, did you see this document that says he is 5'7? What is your argument?

Click Here

Editor Rob
he could have been lying about his 174cm claim
guyfrommars said on 29/Dec/10
He looked around 5ft10 next to 5ft5 Charlie Chaplin. But he the camera angle and posture advantage, so probably he was 5ft9. But not shorter.
linke said on 2/Dec/10
with 5'6 karl godel
Click Here
Anonymous said on 5/Jun/09
5'8.75" is also 175 cm, just sayin'.
RS Wigley said on 10/Apr/09
"5-9 was actually rather tall for the time Einstein lived in."
What kind of crap is this? 5'9" has been the average for some time, actually the average height of Westerners dipped significantly after WW2.
Ryan said on 2/Dec/08
I cannot locate a picture of Warren G. Harding and Einstein.
miser said on 9/Nov/08
"Anonymous says on 30/Aug/06
Gee, Did you read the new study that says taller people have more intellect. Well if Einstein was 5.9 than that sure discredits that theory, doesn't it? Maybe someone should inform the researchers...."

5-9 was actually rather tall for the time Einstein lived in.
miser said on 7/Nov/08
I have seen many pictures of him, and I believe the 1.75m figure to be right. He probably was taller than Hitler!
Balto said on 25/Sep/08
Thx Orlando. It lists him as 5"7 and 175lbs!!! Wow, he was no p***y!!! I always imagined him as being skinny. But even as a lad in his early 20s he was quite stocky. He is quite butch. Yay for butch folks!!!
Orlando said on 23/Mar/08
In view of his Swiss military file of 1901 (Click Here) that lists him (surely barefoot) as being 171,5 cm (5ft 7-1/2 in) and his 1936 US declaration of intention (Click Here) where he is listed as being 5 ft 7 in, one can deduce that the 1923 Swiss passport listing of 175 cm is a shodden height measurement. In those days it was not uncommon that male footwear would have like 3 to 3,5 cm heels. I think Einstein
Orlando said on 23/Mar/08
Einstein's declaration of intention lists him as being 5 ft 7 in tall... See: Click Here
Kelli said on 20/Mar/08
The guy is dead, do we really care how tall he is now...and if anyone is right or wrong,there isn't really a way to prove it. let's just be happy for all the scientific stuff he did for us!
andre said on 3/Jan/08
I disagree with 175cm. In his "Schweizer Dienstbuechlein" (untranslatable)- a document in the Swiss army- he is written as 171.5cm (in 1901). In 1923 Einstein
Chris said on 31/Jul/07
There's no way Einstein was short like people make out. He appears in most pictures to have been of average height. They're just jealous :-). Here's Einstein next to 6'0" President Warren Harding, and Einstein is clearly 5'9"+: Click Here
Purepecha master mind's said on 9/Jun/07
Droopertoo, wrote: other it's clear Einstein's about 5'6'', not 5'9''. (Face it: he lied on his passport. It's not like they measured him there.)

maybe he just dint know his height! maybe he lost some height with age!

i was told in shool by the nurse i was 5'10 1/4 at age 19, i'm now 31 and last night i messured my self and only messured 5'9 1/2 aprox, so it could be i'm growing shorter with age or the nurse dint mesured me correctly so my driver's license say's i'm 5'10 beacause thats what i was told i was, i dint lie! i dint know i was now only half a inch shorter
Drooperdoo said on 11/May/07
I've read that Einstein was about 5'6''--despite his listing himself as 5'9''. That has to be taken with a huge grain of salt. Especially when one sees him standing next to others. This very site lists Charlie Chaplin as 5'4''. And from this picture where the two men stand next to each other it's clear Einstein's about 5'6'', not 5'9''. Click Here (Face it: he lied on his passport. It's not like they measured him there.)
shovon said on 17/Mar/07
albert looks smaller than 5'9"
MarkyMark said on 10/Feb/07
He looks smaller because he wasn't thin. But I believe he was 175 cm, I think he wasn't the kind of guy to pay attention to his height so he had no reasons to lie. I saw 176,5 cm on a website one day.
Robert.R said on 19/Jan/07
A bit before my time but I always thought he was a small man for some reason somewhere between 5'4" and 5'6", I am really surprised he was 5'9".
Glenn said on 13/Nov/06
Me too.I thought he was 5-5 for some reason.
Austrian said on 12/Nov/06
thanks for your comment Drooperdoo, perfect example to show that height conversion doesnt work that way

btw i am surprised Einstein was 175, i would have estimated him shorter than that
Anonymous said on 26/Sep/06
It is possible that if Einstein was taller, he'll be even more intelligent. j/k.
McQ said on 6/Sep/06
The new study is based on the AVERAGE intelligence of smart people versus shorter people. It does not suggest that a short person can't be smarter than a tall person.
Anonymous said on 30/Aug/06
Gee, Did you read the new study that says taller people have more intellect. Well if Einstein was 5.9 than that sure discredits that theory, doesn't it? Maybe someone should inform the researchers....
ForensicNYC said on 15/Apr/06
For a man whose calculations have to be very precise otherwise he would have blown himself into neutrons, the last thing on his mind would be to play around with his height readings as he was filling up that PASSPORT application.
Massimo said on 7/Mar/06
I saw two listings for the great Albert Einstein: 169 cm in a commercial and 176 cm in a web site. But, if his Swiss passport says he was 175 cm, I think it's right.
Rukie said on 1/Feb/06
5.741 feet = about 5 ft 8.898 inches. When the online conversion says 5.741, the numbers comes after the decimal point is still indicated in feet, which needs to be multiplied by 12 to convert to inches. So, I guess it is accurate to say that Einstein was 5'9'', and I gave a credit to whoever wrote down below.
Anonymous said on 8/Jan/06
Drooperdoo: I like when people made fool of themselves just when they are jealous of others heights and wants to downgrade them.
I believe 175 is correct, as a scientist he wouldnt have to lie.
Drooperdoo said on 6/Jan/06
An online metric conversion calculator said this: 175 centimeter = 5.741 feet
So Einstein was 5'7'', not 5'9''. In fact, one source I saw listed him at 5'6''. Reality was probably somewhere in between: 5'6'' and he rounded up to 5'7''. (Average male Jewish height of the time was 5'5''.)

Editor Rob
its quite common for heights to be mis-calculated. I see it most on european sites where 175cm, as an example, wrongly gets listed 5ft 7 inches. It happens a lot because there isn't 10 inches in a foot but 12. Hence .741 of a foot = 9 inches

Heights are barefeet estimates, derived from quotations, official websites, agency resumes, in person encounters with actors at conventions and pictures/films.

Other vital statistics like weight or shoe size measurements have been sourced from newspapers, books, resumes or social media.

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