Profile of the Day: Carl Linnaeus

On this day in 1707, Swedish botanist and zoologist Carl Linnaeus was born. Known as the “father of modern taxonomy,” Linnaeus is best remembered for formalizing the modern system of naming organisms.

Image: Carl Linnaeus / Nationalmuseum, Sweden

Linnaeus was born in the village of Råshult in Småland, Sweden to Nicolaus (Nils) Linnaeus, a pastor, and Anna Christina Brodersonia. His father was an avid gardener and introduced Linnaeus to the world of botany at an early age.

He studied medicine and botany at Uppsala University and would later go on journeys throughout the region to study, collect, and record plants and animals. To classify and name his findings, Linnaeus formalized binomial nomenclature, the system to classify and name organisms according to their genus and species. The classification system is still used today. At the time of his death in 1778, Linnaeus was one of the most acclaimed scientists in Europe.

Explore Carl Linnaeus’s family tree on Geni and share how you’re connected to the Swedish botanist.

View Carl Linnaeus’s Geni Profile