Aaron Elling
NFL placekicker and University of Wyoming alumnus.
The Baltimore Ravens media guide lists Waconia as Elling's birthplace; Watertown-Mayer is listed as his high school.
Relationship sourceSourced, unranked city directory · September 2026
Famous People From Waconia, Minnesota
This sourced directory covers notable people from Waconia, Minnesota, along with a separate section for public figures with other documented connections to the city. Every record states the exact relationship supported by its source.
15 verified records8 from Waconia0 verified current-base records7 other connections
Relationship standard
Origin is not the same as association
People enter “From Waconia” only when the source supports birth, upbringing, native identity or hometown. School, work, residence and historical relationships appear separately.
Public officials are described factually, neutrally and without ranking.
Unranked directory
People with documented Waconia relationships
Names are alphabetical within each group. The directory does not rank fame, importance or influence.
From Waconia
Birth, upbringing, native identity or a documented hometown supports this group.
Bill Diessner
Minnesota state senator and education administrator.
The Minnesota Legislative Reference Library records that Diessner grew up in Waconia and graduated from Waconia High School.
Relationship sourceBob Stinson
Founding guitarist of the Replacements.
Contemporary independent reporting on Stinson's death identifies Waconia as his birthplace.
Relationship sourceDon Herbert
Television educator known as Mr. Wizard.
The Congressional Record identifies Waconia as Herbert's birthplace and documents his national science-education career.
Relationship sourceHenry Wagener
Minnesota legislator and farmer.
The Minnesota Legislative Reference Library records Wagener as born in Waconia and later residing there.
Relationship sourceJenn Bostic
Singer-songwriter and recording artist.
Waconia Public Schools identifies Bostic as a Waconia High School graduate and documents her professional music career.
Relationship sourceMaxx Williams
NFL tight end and University of Minnesota football standout.
University of Minnesota Athletics lists Waconia as Williams' hometown and Waconia High School as his school.
Relationship sourceRobert O. Ashbach
Minnesota state legislator and municipal attorney.
The Minnesota Legislative Reference Library records Ashbach's birthplace as Waconia.
Relationship sourceOther Notable Waconia Connections
School, residence, professional work and historical association remain distinct from being from Waconia.
Andrew Peterson
Swedish immigrant farmer, orchardist and diarist associated with the Andrew Peterson Farmstead.
The Carver County Historical Society documents Peterson's 1855 settlement near Waconia and the surviving farmstead and diaries.
Relationship sourceEmile Amblard
French-born entrepreneur associated with Coney Island of the West on Lake Waconia.
The Carver County Historical Society documents Amblard's summer residence and business activity on Lake Waconia.
Relationship sourceGeorge Wemeier
College football coach and athletics administrator.
Waconia Public Schools identifies Wemeier as a Waconia High School graduate; Macalester documents his coaching career.
Relationship sourceNathaniel Hendren
Economist and Harvard professor.
Waconia Public Schools' Hall of Fame identifies Hendren as a Waconia High School graduate and documents his academic career.
Relationship sourceNoah McCourt
Disability-rights advocate and former Waconia City Council candidate.
Independent reporting documents McCourt's Waconia residence, local candidacy and invitation to address the United Nations.
Relationship sourceO.D. Sell
Historian and founding leader of the Carver County Historical Society.
The Carver County Historical Society documents Sell's life near Waconia and his work organizing the county historical society.
Relationship sourceSusie Schmitt Hanson
Dressmaker and milliner whose business career spanned Chaska and Waconia.
The Carver County Historical Society records Hanson's nearly 48-year Waconia millinery career; her birthplace was Chaska.
Relationship sourceMethodology
How records qualify
City evidence
Official, institutional, historical-society and strong independent sources establish each relationship.
County identity
Existing parent records reuse the Carver County canonical entity ID. New city records remain pending parent review rather than silently changing the frozen county dataset.
No audience claim
The research did not establish a complete current-base cohort, so no audience ranking or top-person claim is published.