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- 1,000-2,000 – Genghis Khan – He is said to have fathered at least 1,000 children, possibly as many as 2,000 from as many as 3,000 wives. Genetic analysis has shown he is a male-line ancestor of 0.5% of the world's population. See descent from Genghis Khan.
- 880 – Moulay Ismail ibn Sharif – Monarch of Morocco
- 300–600+ – Bertold P. Wiesner – This scientist used his own sperm to impregnate customers between 1943 (?) and 1964+. He is the father of Eva Ibbotson via a marital relationship with her mother, separate from his clinical work, as well as two children by Dr Mary Barton.
- 365–382 – Augustus II the Strong – Augustus was Elector of Saxony, king of Poland. With his wife Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth he had one son, Augustus III of Poland. He had numerous children with his mistresses, but only 11 were recognized, one of whom is Maurice de Saxe French Marchal-General office France, the great-grandfather of George Sand.
- up to 300 – Paul Elden Kingston – Paul Kingston is the leader of the Latter Day Church of Christ, also known as the Kingston Clan or The Order in Utah.
- 210 – King Sobhuza II – King of Swaziland, lived 1899–1982, is thought to have had 70 wives.
- 57 – "Louis", a Dutch sperm donor – A Dutch man born 1949/50 in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and Surinamese father and raised in Suriname, Louis is a pseudonym. He donated between the 1982 and 2002 at three clinics, far exceeding the current limit of 25 donations. 57 live births are confirmed, of whom he has met 40 since 2011, but he estimates 200 in total; he doubts another estimate as high as 1000.
- 177 Sultan Ibrahim Njoya He was King of Bamum in Cameroon, lived 1860–1933, and is thought to have had 'around 600' wives. He was said to have had 149 children by December 1915.
- 170+ Mohammed Bello Abubakar Born in 1924, Mohammed Bello Abubakar of Nigeria married 86 women and had 170 children with them before being arrested in 2008 for polygamy for having more than four wives, though he was released later in 2008.
- 162+ Ramesses II Egyptian pharaoh; see list of children of Ramesses II
- 160+ Ancentus Ogwella Akuku This Kenyan polygamist, known as 'Danger', lived 1916–2010; he married 'more than 100 times' and had fathered 'at least 160 children' when he married his final wife in 2000. An unsubstantiated article from the East African Standard claimed he had 210 children: 104 daughters and 106 sons, by some 130 wives.
- 158 Jack Kigongo Kigongo lived in Kateera, Uganda, 1909–2012; he had 20 wives, and when he died aged 103, had around 500 grandchildren.
- 153 Don Reynaldo A Costa Rican business magnate who is said to have fathered 153 children between 1950-2005.
- 150 Joe Donor As of July 2018, a 47-year-old man using the pseudonym Joe Donor claimed to have fathered up to 150 children by using a Facebook page to connect with women looking for free sperm, generally by having sex with "Joe" rather than through costly artificial insemination (though some customers do prefer syringes of his sperm). At the time of a 2014 interview on the television newsmagazine 20/20, Joe had already claimed 30+ successful childbirths from having sex with 100 different women requesting his free-sperm-via-intercourse offer.
- 150 Anonymous sperm donor As of September 2011, an American sperm donor was found to have produced at least 150 children. This was the inspiration for the 2011 Canadian film Starbuck and its 2013 American remake Delivery Man.
- 149 Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII, the last Nizam of Hyderabad He is reported to have had 149 children.
- 145+ Winston Blackmore Leader of the Mormon fundamentalist sect called the Blackmore/Bountiful Community, he fathered children through as many as 25 wives.
- 144 Miên Định, Prince of Thọ Xuân Son of Minh Mang, fathered 144 children, including 78 sons and 66 daughters.
- 142 Emperor Minh Mạng He is reported to have fathered 142 children from 400 wives.
- 128 Misheck Doctor Nyandoro Nyandoro, a Zimbabwean man living in Chipinge, currently has 15 wives and 128 children.
- 120 Bodawpaya King of Burma, fathered 62 sons and 58 daughters
- 117 John Robert Dunn John Robert Dunn (1834–1895), a South African hunter and trader, was already married when he became an adviser to the Zulu king Cetshwayo, who granted him land, cattle, a chieftainship and two Zulu brides. He married 46 more Zulu women and fathered 33 sons and 46 daughters.
- 106–115 Saud of Saudi Arabia King Saud, son of Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia, lived 1902–1969. According to one source he had 52 sons and about 54 daughters from 'a wider range of women' than his father (who had 22 wives); however, another source credited him with 115.
- 114 Ed Houben Houben was Europe's most prolific sperm donor. He advocates the use of natural methods.
- 114 Miên Trinh, Prince of Tuy Lý Another son of Minh Mang, fathered 77 sons and 37 daughters.
- 110 Mindon Min King of Burma, fathered 110 children.
- 108+ Fath-Ali Shah Qajar The second Shah of the Qajar dynasty of Iran, Fath-Ali (1772–1834) had 48 daughters and 60 sons 'who survived infancy', as a result of the 160+ marriages by which he had consolidated his control over the country. Many of his descendants went on to become prominent figures.
- 106+ John Daniel Kingston A member of a fundamentalist Mormon group, Kingston had 106 children by 14 wives as of 2004.
- ≤100 Augustus John The Welsh painter is widely reported to have fathered 'up to 100 children', mostly outside marriage, although some believe that this figure is greatly exaggerated.
- 94 Ziona Leader of the religious sect Pu Chana páwl, in the Mizoram state of India, has 94 children with 39 wives, as well as 33 grandchildren, and has, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the world's largest family.
- 93 King Charles King Charles has fathered a total of 93 children 41 of which were males.
- 49–89 Goel Ratzon Ratzon is a Jewish cult leader and Messiah claimant, born in 1951; in 2010 he reportedly had '21 wives', with whom he had fathered 49 children (CNN data), or 'more than 30 wives' and 89 children (Time magazine data). These statistics came to light when he was charged with enslavement and rape.
- 87 Feodor Vassilyev Feodor Vassilyev, a peasant from Shuya, Russia, had 69 children with his first wife and 18 with his second. At least 82 of his children survived infancy.
- 86 Trần Viết Chu A peasant from Hải Lăng, Quảng Trị (Vietnam), he had 86 children with 12 wives.
- 82 Mongkut (Rama IV) King Mongkut, Thailand's fourth monarch, had 32 wives and concubines during his lifetime who produced at least 82 children, one of whom was Chulalongkorn. See list of children of Mongkut.
- 82 Jan Karbaat Dutch fertility doctor who used his own seed to impregnate patients. He has 11 children from his marriage, 22 donor children which were DNA-matched before his death, and an additional 49 children which were DNA-matched via sibling DNA matching after his death.
- 77 Chulalongkorn (Rama V) King Chulalongkorn, Thailand's fifth monarch, had 92 consorts during his lifetime who produced 77 children, of whom 33 were sons and 44 were daughters. See list of children of Chulalongkorn
- 75 Tokugawa Ienari Shogun Ienari, 11th shōgun of Tokugawa Shogunate he had 75 children from 900 Women. He is father of Tokugawa Ieyoshi
- 75 Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia King Abdulaziz, the first monarch of Saudi Arabia, lived 1876–1953; he had 45 recorded sons and about 30 daughters from 22 wives and concubines. By 2001 he had 2,500–3,500 direct descendants. See descendants of Ibn Saud.
- 75 Screamin' Jay Hawkins Hawkins, a rock and roll singer, had 57 confirmed children, possibly as many as 75.
- 75 Cecil Byran Jacobson This fertility doctor was suspected of fathering as many as *75 children by impregnating patients with his own sperm. During trial 15 children were confirmed his through DNA.
- 74 Ben Seisler Seisler, who spent three years donating sperm to a Virginia sperm bank to offset law-school expenses, recently learned that his donations had produced 74 children.
- 73 Buddha Loetla Nabhalai (Rama II) King Buddha Loetla Nabhalai, Thailand's second monarch, had 73 children with 40 women.
- 72 Emperor Huizong of Song Emperor Huizong of Song, Emperor of the Song Dynasty, fathered 38 sons and 34 daughters from 148 wives.
- 72 Mehtar Aman ul-Mulk Aman ul-Mulk, ruler of Chitral, now part of Pakistan (1821-1892), is known as the Lot Mitar or Great Mehtar. He had 72 children, as reported in Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh by Biddulph.
- 65 Heber C. Kimball First Counselor of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he fathered children through 17 of his 43 wives.
- 65 Rulon Jeffs President of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, he fathered children, including Warren Jeffs, with as many as 75 wives.
- 64 John W Hess Lived 1824 to 1903 and was the President of the Davis Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1894. Fathered 64 children with 7 wives as noted in his autobiography. His obituary indicated 65 children.
- 64 Thiệu Trị Emperor of Vietnam, he fathered children through 24 wives.
- 61 Norodom of Cambodia King of Cambodia, he fathered 61 sons and daughters with 47 wives.
- 61 Kashemsanta Sobhaga Thai royal, son of Mongkut, fathered 39 sons and 22 *daughters.
- 60 Warren Jeffs President of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, he fathered children through as many as 70 wives.
- 59 Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, fathered 30 sons and 29 daughters with numerous wives.
- 58 Thado Minsaw Prince of Burma, fathered 32 sons and 26 daughters
- 58 Pinklao Thai royal, Front Palace
- 57 Brigham Young President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he fathered children through 16 of his 55 wives.
- 56 John Doyle Lee Utah pioneer and early leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he had 18 wives and 56 children.
- 55 Kangxi Emperor A Chinese emperor of the Qing dynasty who lived 1654–1722, he fathered 35 sons and 20 daughters from numerous wives and concubines.
- 55 Peregrine Sessions A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a son of Patty Bartlett Sessions, he had 55 children with eight wives.
- 54+ Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden This Yemeni emigrant to Saudi Arabia married 22 times and fathered at least 54 children. Osama bin Laden is believed to have been his 17th son.
- 54 Merril Jessop Bishop and one-time de facto leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he fathered 54 children with his first six wives.
- 52 Wongsa Dhiraj Snid Thai royal, son of Rama II of Siam
- 52 Salem Juma'a Salem Juma'a from United Arab Emirates fathered 52 children through 12 wives. By November 2009 he was approximately 75 years old and 1ten of his children were dead. The other 42 were 21 sons and 21 daughters aged from 13 to 38 years old.
- 51 Nangklao (Rama III) King Nangklao, Thailand's third monarch, had 51 children with 37 women.
- 50 Qin Shi Huang First Emperor of the Qin dynasty and founding emperor of China. Fathered around 50 children with numerous concubines.
- 50 Luiz Costa Oliveira A Brazilian from Rio Grande do Norte State, he has 50 children from three women (wife, sister-in-law, mother-in-law).
- 50 Dr. Donald L. Cline, MD An American fertility doctor from Indiana University School Of Medicine who used his own sperm more than 50 times to impregnate customers since the 1970s. DNA has been shown to link 8 siblings so far.
- 50 Jean-Bédel Bokassa Dictator of the Central African Republic, he lived 1921–1996, ad had 17 wives.
- 48 Joseph F. Smith Sixth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), he fathered 48 children with six wives (though his first wife, Levira Smith, never bore children).
- 48 Devawongse Varoprakar Thai royal, son of Mongkut, fathered 48 sons and daughters.
- 48 Svasti Sobhana Thai royal, son of Mongkut, fathered 48 sons and daughters.
- 46 Joe Jessop As of February 2010 Jessop was 88. He lived in Short Creek, Utah, alongside a community of at least 6,000 followers of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He fathered 46 children with five wives and had 239 grandchildren.
- 46 Marriner W. Merrill A Mormon and the great grandfather of Todd Christensen, he fathered 46 children with six out of his eight wives.
- 45 Orson Pratt Orson Pratt (Sr.), polymath, and an apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, lived 1811–1881; he fathered 45 children through his ten wives.
- 30–45 Idi Amin Dictator of Uganda, he lived 1925–2003, and had 17 wives.
- 44 Jesse N. Smith Jesse Nathaniel Smith, a Mormon pioneer, church leader, colonizer, politician, frontiersman, and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, fathered 44 children through his five wives.
- 43 Danish sperm donor This Danish man, fathered at least 43 children through 14 distinct IVF clinics in ten separate countries. At least five children sired by him were passed a genetic disorder. The man was permitted to carry on donating sperm, despite Danish national rules restricting donations to 25.
- 43 Yang Sen A Chinese general and politician who fathered 43 sons and daughters with at least 12 wives.
- 43 Maha Sura Singhanat Thai royal, younger brother of Rama I, fathered 43 sons and daughters.
- 43 Philip IV of Spain He fathered 13 legitimate children through his two wives and is said to have at least 30 illegitimate children with different women of all conditions.
- 43 William ap Hywel ap Iorweth A man by the name of William ap Howel ap Jorwerth, he lived in north Wales, U.K. around the year 1580. William married three times, and had forty three children; by the first wife he had twenty two children, and before his death he had over three hundred descendants.
- 42 Hongwu Emperor First Emperor of the Ming dynasty. Fathered 26 sons and 16 daughters with numerous wives.
- 42 Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, Thailand's first monarch, had 42 children from 28 women.
- 42 Lorenzo Snow President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he fathered children through his nine wives.
- 42 Joseph Kony Joseph Kony, the Ugandan leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), has 42 children with 88 spouses.
- 41 Friedrich von Kahlbutz A minor Prussian nobleman who lived 1651–1702, he fathered 11 children by his wife, and 30 by peasant women in his domain. His mummy is preserved in a church in Neustadt in Brandenburg.
- 41 Aston "Family Man" Barrett Aston Francis Barrett (born 22 November 1946), often called "Family Man" or "Fams" for short, is a Jamaican musician and Rastafarian. His nickname came about before he had any children of his own. Aston foresaw his role as a band leader and started to call himself "Family Man". He has fathered 41 children since.
- 41 Muhammad Yusaf Muhammad Yousaf of Sargodha, Pakistan, had at least 41 children from seven wives.
- 41 Emperor Gaozu of Tang Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Emperor of the Tang dynasty, fathered 41 children with numerous wives.
- 40 Maha Senanurak Thai royal, son of Rama I, fathered 40 sons and daughters.
- 40 Emperor Daizong of Tang Emperor of the Tang dynasty, fathered 20 sons and 20 daughters from numerous wives.
- 40 Hsinbyushin King of Burma, fathered 20 sons and 20 daughters
- 39+ Emperor Wu of Jin Sima Yan, founder of China's Jin dynasty, had 26 sons and at least 13 daughters. Details are here.
- 38 Emperor Xianzong of Tang Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Fathered a total of 20 sons and 18 daughters from numerous wives.
- 38 Qian Liu Emperor of the Wuyue Kingdom. Fathered at least 38 sons and an uncertain number of daughters.
- 38 Martin Pleyel Martin Pleyel was a schoolmaster from Ruppersthal in Lower Austria in the 18th century. He had 29 children with his first wife, Anna Theresia Pleyel. Their 24th child was composer Ignaz Pleyel (b. 1757). He had another nine children with his second wife, Maria Anna Pleyel.
- 38 Ramon Revilla A Filipino actor and former senator, he fathered children through 16 different women. Claims to have fathered up to 72 children.
- 37 Damrong Rajanubhab Thai royal, son of Mongkut, fathered 37 sons and daughters.
- 37 Robert Gardner Robert Gardner Jr., a Scottish-born Mormon pioneer, had 37 children with 4 wives.
- 36 Emperor Shunzong of Tang Emperor of Tang Dynasty. Fathered 23 sons and 13 daughters from numerous wives.
- 36 Tharrawaddy Min King of Burma, fathered 18 sons and 18 daughters
- 35+ King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia The former King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, born in 1924, he fathered at least 35 children, by thirteen wives.
- 35 Emperor Taizong of Tang Emperor Taizong of Tang, Second Emperor of Tang Dynasty. Fathered 14 sons and 21 daughters from numerous wives. Considered one of the greatest Chinese Emperors, having conquered an Empire up to 12,400,000 squared km in size.
- 35 Horace Martin Alexander Alexander was a Mormon, a corporal in the Mormon Battalion, and was friendly with Joseph Smith. He had thirty-five children with four wives, from 1836 until at least 1871.
- 35 Narathip Praphanphong Thai royal, son of Mongkut, fathered 21 sons and 14 daughters
- 35 Kanaung Mintha Prince of Burma, fathered 20 sons and 15 daughters
- 35 Anurak Devesh Thai royal, Rear Palace
- 34 John Taylor President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he fathered children through his seven wives.
- 34 Taejo of Goryeo Founding as well as first king of Goryeo, he fathered 34 children (25 sons & 9 daughters) through 32 consorts (6 queens & 26 concubines).
- 33 Wilford Woodruff President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he fathered children through his five (possibly six) wives.[
- 33+ Dillion "Dillon" Asher Asher was the keeper of the first toll-gate in Kentucky, near Pineville. He fathered at least 33 children with four women between 1804 and 1845.
- 33 Dr. Jan Muhammad Jan Muhammad is from Quetta, Pakistan. He has 14 sons and 19 daughters.
- 32 Yuan Shikai An important Chinese general and politician, he fathered 32 children (17 sons and 15 daughters) through his wife and nine concubines.
- 32 Gia Long Emperor of Vietnam, he fathered 32 children.
- 32 Albert Emund Barlow A follower of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in Utah, he was arrested for polygamy at age 52 in 1955. He was said to have fathered 32 children by his three wives.
- 32 Mr. Catra Brazilian funk carioca singer, fathered 32 children with 3 wives.
- 32 Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Saudi royal, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia
- 31+ Cao Cao Cao Cao had 25 sons (including Cao Pi, founder of China's Wei dynasty) and at least six daughters. Details are here.
- 31 Prince Fushimi Kuniie Japanese royalty, fathered 17 sons and 14 daughters with ten wives.
- 31 Benjamin Clark A cousin of the explorer William Clark, he fathered 31 children by his two wives; seven of them died in infancy.
- 30+ Jonas Savimbi An Angolan politician and guerrilla leader, he lived 1934–2002, and had fathered 29–31 children by 1999; his number of wives is not recorded.
- 30+ Omar Bongo President of Gabon, he lived 1935–2009; his number of wives is not recorded.
- 30 Taksin, King of Thonburi Taksin, the King of the Thonburi Kingdom, had 21 sons and nine daughters.
- 30 Kashemsri Subhayok Thai royal, son of Mongkut, fathered 18 sons and 12 daughters
- 30 Miles Park Romney A Mormon and great-grandfather of Mitt Romney, he fathered 30 children with five wives; he married the last in 1890, just before the 1890 Manifesto.
- 30 Tom Green A Mormon fundamentalist, he fathered children through ten women.
- 30 Fally Diallo Senegalese Imam El Hadji Fally Diallo has, up to 2014, fathered 30 children with three wives. He campaigns against family planning in Senegal, claiming that it is his God-given duty to multiply.
- 29 Sisowath of Cambodia Sisowath of Cambodia, King of Cambodia, fathered 29 sons and daughters.
- 29 Henry I of England Henry I of England, King of England, had 16 daughters and 11 sons, but only 3 of the children were legitimate
- 28 Emperor Zhaozong of Tang Emperor Zhaozong of Tang, penultimate Emperor of the Tang dynasty fathered 17 sons and 11 daughters from numerous wives. He was the father of Emperor Ai of Tang.
- 28 Mohamed Ali Waranle Waranle is a Somali business who lives in Mogadishu, Somalia. One of the richest men in the country, he had three wives, the first wife has 11 children, the second has 10 and the third one gave birth to 7 children.
- 28 Wichaichan Thai royal, Front Palace
- 28 Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu The reigning king of the Zulu nation has six wives and 28 children (as of 2018).
- 27 Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor, Emperor of the Qing dynasty, fathered 17 sons and 10 daughters from 38 wives.
- 26 Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair King of Connacht and High King of Ireland who had 26 children by 6 known wives.
- 26 Prince Noppawong Thai royal, eldest son of Mongkut, fathered 26 children
- 26 Peter Ellenstein Ellenstein is an American actor who has fathered a confirmed 26 children through sperm donation. In January 2019, Ellenstein and 19 of the children appeared on an episode of Inside Edition.
- 25 Edward Hess Hess was an innkeeper from Safe Harbor, Pennsylvania, who also owned a shad fishery. One of the richest men in the area, he had four children with his first wife Elizabeth Ann Shenk, 17 with his second wife Mary Ann Lewis, and four with his third wife Catherine Rankin, who was 37 years his junior.
- 25 Robert I, Duke of Parma The last sovereign Duke of Parma and Piacenza, he had 25 children from two marriages, 13 with his first wife Princess Maria Pia of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and 12 from his second wife Infanta Maria Antonia of Portugal. 21 lived to adulthood, but six of his children from his first marriage suffered from developmental disabilities.