Historical
Ancient world
- Aspasia, Greek hetaera , companion of Pericles
- Phryne, Greek hetaera
- Thaïs, Greek hetaera who lived during the time of Alexander the Great
- Theodora (6th century), empress of Byzantium
Early Modern era
- Imperia Cognati, the "first courtesan" in Europe
- Isabella de Luna, Italian (originally Spanish) courtesan of Renaissance-era Rome.
- Hwang Jini, the most famous Korean gisaeng
- Veronica Franco, Venetian courtesan and poet
- Nell Gwyn, courtesan to Charles II of England
- Chica da Silva, famous eighteenth-century slave courtesan in Brazil, subject of the movie Xica
- Madame du Barry, mistress to Louis XV of France
19th century
- Laura Bell, the "Queen of London whoredom"
- Theresa Berkeley, dominatrix
- Jeanne Brécourt, born 1837, one of France's most notorious courtesans [1]
- Julia Bulette, American prostitute in Virginia City, Nevada
- Annie Chapman, one of the "canonical five" victims of Jack the Ripper
- Emma Dupont, French courtesan and artist's model
- Josephine Earp, common-law wife of Wyatt Earp
- Mary Jane Kelly, one of the "canonical five" victims of Jack the Ripper
- Lizzie Lape, mid-Ohio madam, operator of multiple bordellos, 1880s-1900s
- Mary Ann Nichols, one of the "canonical five" victims of Jack the Ripper
- Sai Jinhua, Chinese famous prostitute and brothel madam
- Elizabeth Stride, one of the "canonical five" victims of Jack the Ripper
- Martha Tabram, a possible victim of Jack the Ripper
- Libby Thompson, "Squirrel Tooth Alice," madam of a brothel in Sweetwater, Texas
20th century
- Elizabeth Adams, (1933 or 1934–July 8, 1995), also known as Madam Alex, Hollywood madam
- Polly Adler, New York madam, 1920s to 1940s
- Josie Arlington, madam in Storyville, New Orleans
- Kimberly Daniels, former sex worker and drug addict who became a prolific author, religious minister and member of the Florida House of Representatives; introduced successful legislation to put "In God We Trust" in Florida school classrooms
- Anette Dawn, make-up artist, ceramist and professional sex worker
- Zahia Dehar, Algerian-French fashion and lingerie designer and model
- Carolin Ebert, a.k.a. Sexy Cora, German former prostitute, pornographic actress and reality show participant
- Heidi Fleiss, a.k.a. the "Hollywood Madam", ran an upscale prostitution ring based in Los Angeles during the 1990s
- Suzy Favor Hamilton, middle-distance runner in three Olympic Games, the subject of intense publicity when her activities as an escort became public
- Mata Hari (born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle), Dutch spy
- Gangubai Harjeevandas, a prostitute, an Indian social activist and madam of a brothel in the Kamathipura area of Mumbai during the 1960s
- Xaviera Hollander, author of the memoir The Happy Hooker: My Own Story
- La Macorina, Cuban courtesan, 1910s to 1930s
- Carol Leigh, a.k.a. Scarlot Harlot, coined the term "sex worker" [2]
- Molly Luft, German prostitute, brothel owner and television personality
- Brooke Magnanti, blogger and scientist who wrote as Belle de Jour and was the inspiration for Billie Piper's character in Secret Diary of a Call Girl
- Domenica Niehoff, German prostitute, dominatrix, sex worker rights activist and television personality
- María de la Caridad Norberta Pacheco Sánchez, a.k.a. Caridad la Negra, Spanish prostitute and madam, early to mid-20th century
- Barbara Payton, American actress turned prostitute [3]
- Charlotte Rose, an English sex worker, dominatrix, sexual trainer and political candidate
- Liara Roux, American prostitute, sex worker rights activist and author in New York
- Deanne Salinger, aka Air Force Amy, a legal prostitute in Nevada, pornographic actress, and adult model, who starred in the HBO television documentary series Cathouse: The Series . MSNBC has called her "a living legend in the world of sex."
- Margo St. James, activist and sex worker
- Ellen F. Steinberg, a.k.a. Annie Sprinkle, American former sex worker, porn star, and sex educator and writer
- Valérie Tasso, French author
- Estella Marie Thompson, also known as Divine Brown, an American and former prostitute who gained public attention in 1995 when actor Hugh Grant was caught receiving oral sex from her in his car
- Andressa Urach, also known as Ímola, Brazilian former sex worker [4]
- Sheila Vogel-Coupe, at 85+ the oldest prostitute in the United Kingdom and, possibly, the world
- Clara Ward, Princesse de Caraman-Chimay, daughter of a Michigan lumberman who spent most of her life in Europe
- Lulu White, madam in Storyville, New Orleans
