8 Famous Ellis Island Immigrants

More than 14 million people came to America through Ellis Island. It’s one of America’s most historical and prominent landmarks. Almost half of the United States population wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the island and the immigrants who passed through here. 

What many people don’t realize, though, is just how many groundbreaking events and historical moments also wouldn’t have existed were it not for Ellis Island. Many of our country’s most prominent figures wouldn’t be the American legends they are today had they not immigrated. 

When we think of Liberty and Ellis islands, those two attractions so close to each other in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty often gets top billing. But as an NYC tour guide, I’m partial to Ellis Island with its storied history and long-lasting impact on the shaping of America.

One of the stops on our Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Tour is the American Immigrant Wall of Honor. It’s etched with nearly a million names, including many who left an indelible mark on American history. You can learn more on our award-winning guided tour, but first, let’s take a look back at eight of the most famous Ellis Island immigrants.

1. Leslie Townes Hope, aka Bob Hope

Leslie Townes Hope, later known as Bob Hope, arrived in New York on March 30, 1908, from Bristol, England. He came over with his family of seven. They arrived in New York, but soon moved to Cleveland, Ohio. After arriving in America, he later went on to become a star of Broadway, vaudeville, television, and radio in a career that spanned over 60 years. 

You don’t need me to tell you Bob Hope is an American legend, but here’s a quick glance at some of his achievements.

• He wrote 14 books over the course of his life.
• He hosted the Academy Awards an incredible 19 times.
• He was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1985 and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1987.
• He has four stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes in 1963.
• He has more than 50 honorary degrees from various universities. 

Due to his commitment to entertaining military personnel, in 1997, Congress declared him the first and only honorary veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. 

Fun fact: In commemoration of his achievements and his life story, the Ellis Island library was given a new title: Bob Hope Memorial Library.

2. Israel Beilin, aka Irving Berlin

Most famously known for the holiday single “White Christmas” and the patriotic song “God Bless America,” Irving Berlin was a Russian-Jewish immigrant who passed through Ellis Island as a child. 

Riding on the Rhynland ship, which departed from Antwerp, Belgium, he immigrated on Sept. 14, 1893, under the name Israel Beilin. Berlin was only 5 years old at the time, but from then on, he was a lifelong New Yorker, living here until his death at age 101.

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Berlin was a prolific musician, composing an estimated 1,500 songs, including music for over a dozen movies, and he wrote the scores for close to 20 Broadway shows and revues. 

Fun fact: The famed Music Box Theatre on Broadway was opened in 1921 specifically to host Berlin’s “The Music Box Revue.” In 1941, Berlin himself acquired partial ownership of the theater, which he held alongside the Shubert family (who established much of Broadway) until his death. The Shubert Organization took over sole ownership from Berlin’s estate in 2007.

By the end of his life in 1989, he was known as one of the greatest songwriters in America. 

3. Ettore Boiardi, aka Chef Boyardee

You may not have even realized that the face of canned pasta was a real person. He most certainly was, and he immigrated through Ellis Island at the age of 16. 

Ettore Boiardi came from his hometown of Piacenza, Italy, to join his brother, a waiter at New York’s Plaza Hotel at the time. He arrived May 9, 1914. 

Boiardi was eventually promoted to head chef at the hotel, but the inspiration for his line of canned Italian foods didn’t come until after he moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1917. 

While there, he became the head chef at the Hotel Winton before opening his own restaurant called Il Giardino d’Italia. Many customers raved about his spaghetti sauce, so he started selling it in small batches, using cleaned-out milk bottles. 

After realizing the demand for “takeout” by many customers, in 1928, he and his brother opened a factory for producing packaged Italian foods. They started with sauce and graduated to full meals of fully cooked pasta. The product was specifically sold under the name “Boy-Ar-Dee” so that Americans would correctly pronounce his last name.

4. Frances Xavier Cabrini, aka Mother Cabrini

You may not recognize her name, but Mother Cabrini was one of the most influential immigrants ever to pass through the doors of Ellis Island. The passenger manifest lists her as Frances Xavier Cabrini. 

She arrived in New York on March 31, 1889, a pious 43-year-old woman who made her home in Little Italy like many of her fellow Italian immigrants. 

Unlike any other immigrants before her, though, Cabrini was sent from Italy to New York by Pope Leo XIII. Her mission was to help poor Italian immigrants in America. She very much succeeded in her task, establishing orphanages, schools, and hospitals in Italian neighborhoods all across the country. Mother Cabrini founded more than 60 missionary institutions and opened major hospitals in New York and Chicago. She was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1909.

Pope Pius XII declared her a saint in 1946, making her the first naturalized citizen of the United States to be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. She was later named Patroness of Immigrants in 1950.

5. Athanassios Karvelas, AKA Tom Carvel

This is another name you may not have realized belongs to a real person. 

Entrepreneur Tom Carvel, born Athanassios Karvelas, actually invented soft-serve ice cream — completely by mistake. 

The creator of the Carvel brand began by selling ice cream out of his truck in Hartsdale, N.Y., in 1929. On Memorial Day weekend in 1934, he hit a bump with his truck that resulted in a flat tire. Desperate to get rid of the melting ice cream quickly, he continued to sell his product to customers and realized they actually enjoyed the softer texture. He later opened a roadside ice cream stand, establishing himself as the first retailer to develop and sell soft-serve ice cream.

He officially launched Carvel in 1936 with his secret recipe for soft serve. He soon franchised his brand, helping other people open Carvel stores in other cities by showing them how to use his machinery and his knowledge of ice cream. 

He remained the face of Carvel, though, as his story — and his iconic voice — were what drew people in.

Carvel was born in Athens, Greece, and he arrived in America on May 26, 1911. He remained in New York for the rest of his life and died in 1990.

6. Annie Moore

Annie Moore isn’t so much famous for her life, but rather for her timing. She was the very first immigrant ever to be processed on Ellis Island, soon after it opened, on Jan. 1, 1892. 

Moore was an Irish teenager who came to America with her two brothers, Anthony and Philip. The three were joining their parents, who had immigrated to the United States in 1888. 

She departed for America from County Cork, Ireland, aboard the steamship Nevada. The boat carried a total of 148 steerage passengers, who would be led by Annie toward their new destination. 

Annie never left New York. She married a man named Joseph Augustus Schayer but tragically died of heart failure at age 50 in 1924. In her life, she gave birth to a total of 11 children, five of whom made it to adulthood.

7. Johnny Weissmuller

Johnny Weissmuller, whose birth name was Johann, was best known for both his acting and athletic skills. He had one of the best competitive swimming records of the 20th century and famously played Tarzan in the films of the 1930s and 1940s. 

His exact birthplace isn’t known, but the manifest at Ellis Island lists Párdány, Kingdom of Hungary. His ship, Rotterdam, left the city of the same name in January 1905 and arrived in New York on Jan. 26. Weissmuller was only 7 months old at the time, traveling with his parents to the New World.

Weissmuller went on to win six Olympic medals, including five golds, for swimming and set more than 50 world records. After retiring from swimming, he went on to play Tarzan in a total of 12 films. 

Fun fact: To this day, his distinctive Tarzan yell is often used in other movies. It was even played at his funeral when he died in 1984.

Weissmuller boasts a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965.

8. Albert Einstein

The man whose name today is synonymous with the word genius began his life in Germany before immigrating to the United States. Albert Einstein arrived in October 1933, at the age of 54. His wife, Elsa, also joined him in New York City. 

After arriving, Einstein received an official welcome from Mayor John Francis Hylan. By this time, he had already developed the theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (the other being quantum mechanics). 

Einstein was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922 after none of the 1921 nominations met Alfred Nobel’s requirements. 

He became an American citizen in 1940 and was a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, where he remained for the later years of his life after coming to the United States.

Today, he is remembered as a legend of science and mathematics and one of the most famous people in history.

Discover Ellis Island’s past and present

You can learn more about the immigrants who came through Ellis Island all those years ago when you visit this landmark on your next trip to the big city. We even put together a guide to help you locate your family members who came through Ellis Island on their own journey to the States.

We’d love to help you discover the island and its rich history. Join us on one of our Statue of Liberty tours that includes a guided visit to Ellis Island — and come with questions! As tour guides, we welcome your curiosity about the city we call home, and we’re always happy to share inside tips for where to eat and what to see on your trip.