10 Most Famous Armenian People


 

Armenia is a former Soviet republic nation located in the mountainous Caucasus region. It boasts of rich cultural heritage and tourist attractions coupled with distinct Armenian cuisine. It is home to people with various personalities who have extensively contributed to the development of the country and through their talents have put the country on the international radar.

1. Nikol Pashinyan

Image by © Raimond Spekking / CC BY-SA 4.0-Wikimedia

Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan is the serving prime minister of Armenia born on 1 June 1975. Prior to his political career, he was a journalist and ran his own newspaper company which was later shut down for defamation against the then Minister of National Security and he was convicted for one year in prison, making him the first journalist to be prosecuted and jailed for libel in post-Soviet Armenia. He was also arrested for inciting post-election violence and sentenced to seven years. He was recognized as a political prisoner by international organizations due to his convictions. During one of the campaigning periods of 2021, while campaigning for a parliamentary seat, Pashinyan offered to exchange his son Ashot in lieu of all Armenian POWs held in Azerbaijan. He is regarded as a revolutionary and fiery politician.

2. Eliza Muradyan

Image by Ahmad Ardity from Pixabay

Eliza Muradyan, born on 16 January 1993 is a beauty to behold. She is an Armenian-Russian model and a beauty pageant titleholder crowned Miss Universe Armenia 2018 becoming the first Armenian entrant to Miss Universe.

3. Iveta Mukuchyan

Iveta Mukuchyan. Image by Harut111-Wikimedia

Iveta Mukuchyan is a singer cum actor born on 14 October 1986 in Armenia and raised in Germany. Her talent in music was identified when she joined a music club and sang Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” at a ceremony. After the performance, her parents realized her potential and pushed her to venture into music. She received vocal training at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory and even participated in season two of The Voice of Germany in 2012.

She represented Armenia at the Eurovision Song Contest finishing seventh in the final. Her debut in acting was in the comedy movie Run Away Or Get Married. She has won various titles in Armenia including a Song of the Year Award, the Best Female Singer of the Year and, she was honored at the Distinctive International Arab Festivals Awards (DIAFA) in Dubai (2020).

4. Serj Tankian

Image by Scott Penner-Wikimedia

Serj Tankian was born on August 21, 1967. He is an activist and the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, keyboardist, and occasional rhythm guitarist of the heavy metal band System of a Down, formed in 1994. At the age of seven, his family moved to the U.S. His music career began at the California State University, Northridge where he began playing a keyboard and writing songs. His activism started in his college years, by striving for the recognition of the Armenian genocide when he was the president of the university’s Armenian Students Association.

He was awarded a Commemorative Medal of Armenia for his contribution to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the advancement of music. He played at a concert to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, for free on April 24, 2015, for over two hours in Yerevan’s Republic Square.

5. Kevork Shadoyan

Photo by Marcus Loke on Unsplash

Kevork Shadoyan is an internationally recognized Syrian-Armenian fashion designer born in 1974 in Aleppo to an Armenian family. His interest in design was inspired by his father who was a tailor and had his own design school.  Kevork’s talent awed many and was even once invited to Saudi Arabia to design the dowry clothes for one of the royalties. He furthered his education in design after he relocated to Armenia and joined the National Academy of Arts. His latest collection is called “Reincarnation”, dedicated to the Armenian Genocide Centennial.

He won the Best Foreign Collection Award during Estet Fashion Week in Moscow, Russia.

6. Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Henrikh Mkhitaryan celebrating a goal for Manchester United. Image by Football.ua-Wikimedia

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is an Armenian professional footballer on 21 January 1989. He is a talented attacking midfielder and has played for several international clubs. He followed in his late father’s footsteps who was a prominent striker for FC Ararat Yerevan during the 1980s, who died of a brain tumor when Henrikh was seven years old. He has been named the Footballer of the Year ten times, won four Armenian Premier League titles and set the league goalscoring record in the 2012–13 season. He is the first Armenian to play in the Premier League and is currently the most expensive Armenian player of all time. He was also voted the CIS Footballer of the Year in 2012 and 2013, becoming the first best Armenian footballer player from post-Soviet countries.

7. Tatevik Aprikyan

Tatevik Aprikyan is an award-winning journalist and media personality. She has a wealth of experience in reporting and the showbiz industry. Born in Armenia and raised in Seattle, she first stepped into a newsroom at the age of 14 to shadow one of the local news anchors. She had her own column in a local newspaper at the age of 15 and was the news anchor of her school’s morning show. She advocates for children’s health and is passionate about empowering youths.

She has been described as “An experienced journalist with great storytelling skills and a knack for engaging audiences.”

8. Silva Kaputikyan

The Silva Kaputikyan  (20 January 1919 – 25 August 2006) was one of the best  Armenian poets and political activists often referred to as “the leading poetess of Armenia” and an ardent advocate of Armenian national causes. She established herself as a significant literary figure in the1950s. Her poems have been included in school literature and even a school in Yerevan was named after her. She received various honours and awards including the Order of Princess Olga (Ukraine, 1999) and Honorary Citizen of Yerevan (1986).

9. Hrachik Javakhyan

Hrachik Javakhyan is an Armenian boxer born on 6 July 1984. He won gold at the 2010 European Amateur Boxing Championships and bronze at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He began boxing at the age of 14 and was enlisted in the national team of Armenia. He participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal, making him the first boxer to win an Olympic medal from independent Armenia. He was awarded the Honored Master of Sports of Armenia title in 2009.

10. Gagiki Vanetsyan

Artur Gagiki Vanetsyan, born on 9 December 1979 is a decorated veteran, an Armenian politician, and the current leader of the opposition. He served as the country’s director of the National Security Service of Armenia and has held various positions in the Armenian government. He was detained on suspicion of assassinating Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and illegally seizing power and later freed after the court exonerated him.