List of inventors of writing systems

This is a alphabetical list of any individuals, legendary or real, who are purported by traditions to have invented alphabets or other writing systems, whether this is proven or not.

A

• Adrien-Gabriel Morice - French, developed Carrier syllabary c. 1885.
• Afáka Atumisi - Surinamian, invented Afaka script in 1908.
• Alexandre de Rhodes - French missionary, developed Vietnamese alphabet c. 1624, adapting the Roman alphabet
• Alexander Melville Bell - American teacher, invented Visible Speech in 1867
• Ali Moslehi Moslehabadi - Iranian comparative linguist, developed IPA2, also known as Pársik in 2004.
• Anton Bezenšek - Slovenian linguist, developed Bezenšek Shorthand c. 1879
• Aulay Macaulay - English tea-dealer, who invented Polygraphy, a system of shorthand in 1747.

B

• Bakri Sapalo - Oromo from Ethiopia, invented syllabary.
• Beitha Kukju - Albanian, invented the Beitha Kukju alphabet in 1840.
• Benjamin Franklin - American statesman, developed Benjamin Franklin's phonetic alphabet ca. 1768.
• Bogdo Zanabazar - Mongolian monk, created Soyombo script in 1686.

C

• C. Theo Yerian and Carl W. Salser - American teachers, developed Personal Shorthand c. 1955.
• Cadmus - legendary Phoenician prince, ascribed invention of Greek alphabet c. 1350 BC (?) according to tradition.
• Cangjie - legendary Chinese scribe, also ascribed invention of Chinese characters c. 2650 BC (?) according to tradition.
• Carmenta - legendary Roman prophetess and mother of Evander, ascribed adoption of Greek alphabet to Latin alphabet c. 1250 BC (?) according to tradition.
• Celadet Elî Bedirxan - Kurd linguist, developed Kurdish alphabet in 1932.
• Chao Yuen Ren - Chinese, led the development of Gwoyeu Romatzyh in 1925–6.
• Charles A. Thomas - invented Thomas Natural Shorthand in 1935.
• Charles K. Bliss - Australian engineer, invented Blissymbolics ca. 1949.
• Chief Gbili - Liberian, invented Kpelle syllabary ca. 1935.
• Chögyal Phagpa - Tibetan monk, invented Phagspa script in 1269.

D

• Dhawan Turi - possibly mythical, ascribed invention of Varang Kshitri alphabet c. 1250 (?).
• Diedrich Westermann - German missionary, developed Africa Alphabet in 1928.
• Duala Bukare - Liberian, invented syllabary for Vai language around 1833.

E

• Enmerkar - legendary Sumerian king, ascribed invention of cuneiform c. 2300 BC (?) according to Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta epic.
• Enos - Biblical patriarch, ascribed introduction of consonantal Ge'ez alphabet c. 3350 BC (?) according to tradition.
• Émile Duployé - French abbot, inventor of Duployan shorthand, 1868.

F

• Fenius Farsa - legendary Scythian king, ascribed invention of Ogham writing c. 2000 BC (?) according to tradition.
• Francis Lodwick - Dutch linguist, invented Universal Alphabet in 1686.
• Franz Xaver Gabelsberger - German secretary, invented Gabelsberger shorthand around 1817.
• Fu Hsi - legendary Chinese king, ascribed invention of Chinese characters c. 2850 BC (?) according to tradition.

G

• George D. Watt and Parley P. Pratt - American Mormon leaders, developed Deseret alphabet ca. 1855.
• George Psalmanazar - European impostor and scholar, invented a (fraudulent) Formosan alphabet in 1704.
• Gregg M. Cox - linguist who developed the Coorgi-Cox alphabet in 2005.
• Guru Angad Dev - Sikh Guru, ascribed invention of Gurmukhi script c. 1539 according to tradition.

H

• Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa - German alchemist, created the Transitus Fluvii, Malachim, and Celestial Alphabets, c. 1525.
• Hemadpant - A scholar from ancient India and Prime Minister in Yadava Dynasty, invented the Modi Script that was used to write Marathi Language till 19th century before Devanagari was officially adopted to write Marathi.
• Hildegard of Bingen - German nun, invented Litterae ignotae c. 1150.
• Honorius of Thebes - possibly mythical author, ascribed invention of Theban alphabet c. 1220 (?).
• Hussein Sheikh Ahmed Kaddare - Somali, invented Kaddare script c. 1953.

I

• Isaac Pitman - British teacher, invented Pitman shorthand in 1837.

J

• J. R. R. Tolkien - British author, invented the Tengwar and Sarati c. 1930.
• James Evans - Canadian missionary, invented a syllbary used for Ojibwe and Cree c. 1840, these days referred to as Cree syllabics.
• James Hill - British, developed Teeline Shorthand in 1970.
• James O. Fraser - Scottish missionary, invented Fraser alphabet c. 1915.
• Jeremiah Rich - English, invented a system of shorthand in 1654.
• J.M.R. LeJeune - Canadian, created Chinook writing, 1893, an adaptation and expansion of Duployan.
• Johannes Pantheus - German author, invented Enochian alphabet in 1478.
• Johannes Trithemius - German cryptographer, invented an "Angelic" (magical) alphabet in 1499.
• John Byrom - British poet, invented a system of shorthand c. 1715.
• John Dee - English alchemist, invented another Enochian alphabet ca. 1582.
• John R. Malone - American, developed the UNIFON alphabet ca. 1955.
• John Robert Gregg - Irish author, invented Gregg Shorthand c. 1888.
• John William Tims - American, developed Blackfoot syllabary c. 1890.
• John Willis - English, invented a system of shorthand in 1602.

K

• Karl Richard Lepsius - German linguist, developed Standard Alphabet by Lepsius c. 1855.
• Kisimi Kamala - Sierra Leonean, invented Mende syllabary, Ki-ka-ku, in 1921.
• Kūkai - Japanese monk, ascribed invention of Kana syllabary c. 806, according to tradition.

L

• Louis Braille - French teacher, invented Braille writing around 1821.

M

• Mangei Gomango - Indian, invented Sorang Sompeng script in 1936.
• Marcus Tullius Tiro - Roman secretary, ascribed invention of Tironian notes shorthand c. 63 BC, according to tradition.
• Moubao Azong - Tibetan king, ascribed invention of Dongba script, c. 1250 (?), according to tradition.
• Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī was born in Central Asia (c.778 - c.850) created the notations of: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0.

N

• Nurhaci (king), or possibly his translators Erdeni and Gagai ? - Manchurians, created Manchu alphabet in 1599.

O

• Odin/*Wōdanaz - the chief god in Scandinavian/Germanic paganism (The poem Hávamál)Runic alphabet Futhark (Later Futhorc) c. 150 AD (?) per tradition.
• Ogma - legendary Irish deified chieftain, also ascribed invention of Ogham writing c. 1875 BC (?) according to tradition.
• Ong Kommadam - Laotian freedom fighter, developed the Khom script, first used 1926.
• Osman Yusuf Kenadid - Somali, invented Osmanya script c. 1921.

P

• Pandit Raghunath Murmu - Indian, created Ol Chiki script in 1925.
• Paracelsus - Swiss alchemist, invented Alphabet of the Magi c. 1520.
• Peter Benjamin Graham - Australian artist, invented New Epoch Notation Painting in 1964.
• Pharnavaz I of Iberia - Iberian king, ascribed development of Georgian alphabet in 284 BC, according to tradition.

R

• Ramkhamhaeng the Great - Thai king, ascribed invention of Thai alphabet in 1283, according to tradition.
• Reginald John Garfield Dutton - British, invented Dutton Speedwords shorthand in 1922.
• Ríg - (identified as Heimdall) gave the runes to his son, Jarl (Poetic Edda poem Rígsþula) Runic alphabet Futhark (Later Futhorc) c. 150 AD (?) per tradition.
• Robert Boyd - American, invented Boyd's Syllabic Shorthand in 1903.
• Ronald Kingsley Read - British, invented the Shavian (early 1960s) and Quikscript (1966) writing systems.

S

• Saint Clement of Ohrid - Archbishop, ascribed invention of Cyrillic c. 900, according to tradition.
• Saint Mesrob - Armenian monk, created the Armenian alphabet in c. 405.
• Saint Cyril - Greek monk, believed to have created Glagolitic alphabet c. 863.
• Saint Shahjalal - Bengali, ascribed invention of Syloti Nagri alphabet c. 1300, according to tradition.
• Sam Pollard - British missionary, invented Pollard script in 1905.
• Samuel F. B. Morse - American inventor, invented Morse code c. 1835.
• Samuel Taylor - American, invented Universal Stenography system of shorthand in 1792.
• Saraswati - Indian goddess, created devanagari alphabet.
• Sejong the Great of Joseon - Korean king, invented Hangul writing in c. 1443, promulgated in 1446.
• Sequoyah, Cherokee silversmith, invented Cherokee syllabary c. 1819.
• Sheikh Abdurahman Sheikh Nuur - Somali, invented Borama script c. 1933.
• Shong Lue Yang - Laotian, created Pahawh Hmong alphabet in 1959.
• Sirijonga - Nepalese king, ascribed invention of Limbu alphabet c. 880, according to tradition.
• Stephen of Perm - Russian missionary, invented the Old Permic script alphabet in 1372.
• Sol Chong - inventor of the Korean Idu script and Gugyeol script (c.650 - c.730), according to tradition.
• Solomana Kante - Guinean author, invented the N'Ko alphabet in 1949.

T

• Tenevil - Chukchi reindeer herder, developed a writing system for Chukchi language c. 1931.
• Thikúng Men Salóng - Bhutanese scholar, invented Lepcha script some time around 1700.
• Thomas Harriot - English mathematician, invented phonetic alphabet for transcribing Carolina Algonquian language in 1584.
• Thomas More - English author, invented Utopian alphabet in 1516.
• Thomas Shelton - English translator, developed Short Writing, an early shorthand, in 1626.
• Thonmi Sambhota - legendary Tibetan scribe, ascribed invention of Tibetan script c. 650, according to tradition.
• Thoth - mythical Egyptian deity, ascribed invention of Egyptian hieroglyphics c. 3000 BC (?) according to tradition.
• Timothy Bright - English, invented Characterie shorthand in 1588.
• Tony Koyu - from Arunachal Pradesh invented Tani Lipi a scientific script of Arunachal Pradesh in 2001.

U

• Ulfilas, Goth missionary, believed to have invented Gothic alphabet c. 350 AD, according to tradition.
• Uyaquk - Yupik (Alaska Native) missionary, invented Yugtun script c. 1900.

V

• Valerie Sutton - American choreographer, developed MovementWriting for transcribing dance in 1972 and SignWriting for transcribing sign languages in 1974.
• Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, Serbian linguist, developed Serbian Cyrillic alphabet c. 1818, adapting Cyrillic alphabet.

W

• Wanyan Xiyin - Manchurian scribe, invented Jurchen script in 1120.
• Wido Zobo - Liberian, invented Loma syllabary ca. 1935.
• William Bell Wait - American teacher, invented New York Point system in 1868.

Y

• Yang Shong lue - Hmong, invented Pahawh script in 1959.
• Yeli Renrong - Tangut scholar, invented Tangut script in 1036.
• Yelü Diela - Manchurian scribe, ascribed creation of Khitan small script ca. 925.

Z

• Zaya Pandit - Kalmuk lama, developed Todo script in 1648.
• Zhang Binglin - Chinese linguist, invented shorthand that was developed into Zhuyin in 1913.