Business · Science · Living
Born: 7 August 1966 · Age: 60
Jimmy Wales is 60 years old as of October 2026. He was born on 7 August 1966.
American internet entrepreneur who co-founded Wikipedia in 2001, the free online encyclopedia written by volunteers
Did you know?Before entering the tech industry, he earned a living as a successful options trader at a firm in Chicago.
Jimmy Wales helped prove that millions of strangers could work together to build something useful for free. Wikipedia launched in 2001 with the radical idea that anyone could write and edit an encyclopedia, an idea many experts expected to fail. Instead it grew into one of the most visited websites in the world, available in hundreds of languages. Unlike most internet giants, it is run by a non-profit foundation, carries no advertising and relies on donations. His influence lies less in personal fortune than in changing how the world looks things up.
Jimmy Donal Wales (born August 8, 1966) is an American and British internet entrepreneur and former financial trader. He is best known for co-founding Wikipedia, a non-profit free encyclopedia, and Fandom (formerly Wikia), a for-profit wiki hosting service.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
“Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge.”
Profile
American internet entrepreneur, born 1966
Jimmy Wales was born in Huntsville on 7 August 1966.
He co-founded Wikipedia in 2001.
He set up the Wikimedia Foundation in 2003.
He lives in London.
Career highlights
Did you know?Wikipedia has always been run as a non-profit.
Questions people ask
b. 1975Photo: PhilipRomano · CC BY-SA 4.0
1933–2012Photo: Holger Motzkau · CC BY-SA 3.0
1631–1700Photo: John Richardson · CC BY-SA 4.0
1876–1917Photo: Koene & Com / Batavia-Amsterdam · Public domain
317–361Photo: Mary Harrsch · CC BY-SA 2.0
b. 1947Photo: ОПУ · CC BY 4.0
Missing someone? Suggest them
1930–2012Photo: NASA · Public domain
b. 1961Photo: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza · Public domain
1769–1821Photo: Jacques-Louis David · Public domain
1749–1832Photo: Joseph Karl Stieler · Public domain
A newspaper from their birth date
The front page from the day they were born, a classic keepsake.
Shop on AmazonLeo zodiac gifts
Jewellery, prints and candles for the Leo in your life.
Shop on EtsyStar map of August 7
A custom print of the night sky on their birthday.
Shop on EtsyMilestone birthday gifts
Ideas for 18th, 30th, 40th, 50th and beyond.
Shop on AmazonWe may earn a small commission from purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Reviewed by the Who Shares My Birthday editorial team.
Last reviewed: October 2026