Science · Technology · Literature · 1859–1917

L. L. Zamenhof — Age, Birthday & Biography

Born: 15 December 1859 · Died: 14 April 1917 · Age: 57

Polish-Jewish eye doctor who invented Esperanto in 1887, hoping a shared easy language would bring peace between peoples

Did you know?He was an eye doctor by profession and developed the language in his spare time.

Quick facts

  • Date of birth15 December 1859
  • Date of death14 April 1917
  • Age at death57
  • NationalityPolish
  • BirthplaceBiałystok, Poland
  • Occupationlinguist, ophthalmologist, inventor

Editor's Take:

L. L. Zamenhof created Esperanto. He grew up in Białystok, a city of many languages and tensions. He believed a common language could reduce hatred between peoples. In 1887 he published the first Esperanto textbook. Its grammar is simple and regular. Esperanto spread around the world. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize many times. Today Esperanto still has an active community of speakers, and his birthday, 15 December, is celebrated by them as Zamenhof Day.

Key Milestones

  1. 1878: First draft of a world language
  2. 1887: Unua Libro – Esperanto launched
  3. 1905: First congress – Boulogne-sur-Mer
  4. 1905: Fundamento – rules of Esperanto

L. L. Zamenhof (15 December 1859 – 14 April 1917) was the creator of Esperanto, the most widely used constructed international auxiliary language. Zamenhof published Esperanto in 1887, although his initial ideas date back as far as 1873.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Profile

L. L. Zamenhof: The Creator of Esperanto

Polish-Jewish ophthalmologist and linguist, 1859–1917

Ludwik Lejzer Zamenhof was born in Białystok on 15 December 1859.

He trained as a doctor and worked as an ophthalmologist.

In 1887 he published the first book on Esperanto under the name Doktoro Esperanto.

The first World Esperanto Congress met in 1905 in Boulogne-sur-Mer.

Career highlights

  1. 1878First draft: of a world language
  2. 1887Unua Libro: Esperanto launched
  3. 1905First congress: Boulogne-sur-Mer
  4. 1905Fundamento: rules of Esperanto
  5. 1917Death: in Warsaw

Did you know?His pen name, Doktoro Esperanto, means "Doctor Hopeful", and gave the language its name.

Age at death
57
Years since death
109

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Questions people ask

Frequently asked questions

When is L. L. Zamenhof's birthday?
L. L. Zamenhof's birthday is December 15. He was born on December 15, 1859 in Białystok, Poland.
How old was L. L. Zamenhof when he died?
L. L. Zamenhof died on April 14, 1917, aged 57.
Who shares a birthday with L. L. Zamenhof?
Famous people who share L. L. Zamenhof's December 15 birthday include Nero, Antoine Henri Becquerel, Gustave Eiffel, Oscar Niemeyer and Freeman Dyson.

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Reviewed by the Who Shares My Birthday editorial team.

Last reviewed: October 2026