The office of the Mayor of Nantes is a directly elected position. Since 1947 there have been five mayors; the term of office is for a period of six years. The current mayor is Johanna Rolland (PS).
| Period | Name | Party | Other position held |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1565-1566 | Geoffroy Drouet | ||
| 1566-1568 | Yves Rocas | ||
| 1568-1569 | Matthieu André | ||
| 1569-1571 | Pierre Cornulier | ||
| 1571-1572 | Jean Morin | ||
| 1572-1573 | Guillaume Harrouys | ||
| 1573-1574 | Michel Le Lou | ||
| 1574-1575 | Jacques Grignon | ||
| 1575-1576 | Jean Boutin | ||
| 1576-1577 | Robert Poullain | ||
| 1577-1578 | Michel Loriot | ||
| 1578-1580 | François Myron | ||
| 1580-1581 | Antoine de Brezenay | ||
| 1581-1583 | Bonaventure de Compluto | ||
| 1583-1584 | Claude Brossard | ||
| 1584-1585 | Antoine Gravoil | ||
| 1585-1586 | Jacques de Marquès | ||
| 1586-1588 | Jean Fruneau | ||
| 1588-1590 | Charles de Harouys | ||
| 1590-1592 | Pierre André | ||
| 1592-1595 | Jean Laubier | ||
| 1595-1597 | Guillaume Dubot | ||
| 1597-1598 | Jean Fourché | ||
| 1598-1599 | Charles de Harouys | ||
| 1599-1601 | Gabriel Hux | ||
| 1601-1603 | Julien Laurens | ||
| 1603-1605 | Yves Le Lou | ||
| 1605-1607 | Claude Cornulier | ||
| 1607-1609 | Michel Loriot | ||
| 1609-1611 | René Charette | ||
| 1611-1613 | Jean Blanchard | ||
| 1613-1615 | Louis Charette | ||
| 1615-1617 | Pierre Bernard | ||
| 1617-1619 | André Morin | ||
| 1619-1621 | Alexandre Charette | ||
| 1621-1623 | Jacques Raoul | ||
| 1623-1625 | Louis de Harouys | ||
| 1625-1627 | Jean de Harouys | ||
| 1627-1629 | René Ménardeau | ||
| 1629-1631 | René de la Tullaye | ||
| 1631-1633 | Guillaume Blanchard | ||
| 1633-1634 | René Bernard | ||
| 1634-1636 | André Jubot | ||
| 1636-1637 | René Charette | ||
| 1637-1639 | François Bourgogne | ||
| 1639-1642 | Pierre Poullain | ||
| 1642-1644 | Christophe Juchault | ||
| 1644-1647 | Yves Monti | ||
| 1647-1648 | Jacques de Bourges | ||
| 1648-1650 | Mathurin Boux | ||
| 1650-1652 | Jean Charette | ||
| 1652-1654 | Claude Bidé | ||
| 1654-1657 | Jean Fournier | ||
| 1657-1659 | René de Pontual | ||
| 1659-1661 | Jacques Huteau | ||
| 1661-1662 | Jean Poullain | ||
| 1662-1664 | Louis Macé | ||
| 1664-1666 | Mathurin Giraud | ||
| 1666-1668 | François Lorido | ||
| 1668-1671 | Jacques Charette | ||
| 1671-1673 | Gratien Libault | ||
| 1673-1675 | Jean Regnier | ||
| 1675-1676 | Louis Charette | ||
| 1676-1679 | Charles César Chevalier | ||
| 1679-1682 | Jacques Fremon | ||
| 1682-1684 | Louis Mesnard | ||
| 1684-1685 | Claude Bidé | ||
| 1685-1688 | Paul Cassard | ||
| 1688-1690 | Pierre Noblet | ||
| 1690-1716 | Julien Proust | ||
| 1716-1720 | André Boussineau | ||
| 1720-1730 | Gérard Mellier | ||
| 1730-1732 | René Le Ray | ||
| 1732-1735 | Jean François Vedier | ||
| 1735-1736 | René Darquistade | ||
| 1736-1738 | Claude Petit | ||
| 1738-1740 | François Moricaud | ||
| 1740-1747 | René Darquistade | ||
| 1747-1748 | François Pierre Durocher | ||
| 1748-1754 | Mathurin Bellabre | ||
| 1754-1762 | Jean-Baptiste Gellée de Prémion | ||
| 1762-1766 | Léonard Joubert | ||
| 1766-1770 | François Libault | ||
| 1770-1772 | Philippe-Vincent Royer | ||
| 1772-1776 | Pierre de la Ville de Chambardet | ||
| 1776-1782 | Jean-Baptiste Gellée de Prémion | ||
| 1782-1786 | Jean-Jacques Berrouette | ||
| 1786-1787 | Georges Guérin de Beaumont | ||
| 1787-1789 | Pierre Richard | ||
| 1789-1791 | Christophe-Clair Danyel de Kervégan | ||
| 1791-1792 | Pierre-Guillaume Giraud du Plessis | ||
| 1792-1793 | René Gaston Baco de la Chapelle | ||
| 9 Oct 1793 - 6 Dec 1794 | Jean-Louis Renard | ||
| 12 Jan 1795 - 19 Nov 1795 | Pierre-Guillume Giraud du Plessis | ||
| 19 Nov 1795 - 3 May 1797 | Gilbert Beaufranchet | ||
| 4 May 1797 - 22 Sep 1797 | Christophe-Clair Danyel de Kervégan | ||
| 22 Sep 1797 - 25 Nov 1798 | Julien-François Douillard | ||
| 25 Nov 1798 - 19 Jul 1800 | Louis-Maris Saget | ||
| 19 Jul 1800 - 31 Mar 1801 | François Fellonneau | ||
| 2 Jun 1801 - 14 Jun 1803 | Claude-Sylvain Paris | ||
| 15 Jun 1803 - 17 Apr 1805 | Augustin-Louis de Loynes | ||
| 1805-1813 | Jean-Baptiste Bertrand-Geslin | ||
| 1813-1815 | François-Maire de Fou | ||
| 1815 | Jean-Baptiste Bertrand-Geslin | ||
| 1815 | Maurice Etiennez | ||
| 1815-1816 | François-Marie du Fou | ||
| 1816-1819 | Louis Rousseau de Saint-Aignan | ||
| 1819-1830 | Louis-Hyacinthe Lévesque | ||
| 1830 | Maurice Etiennez | ||
| 1830-1832 | Philippe-René Soubzmain | ||
| 1832-1848 | Ferdinand Favre | ||
| 1848-1852 | Evariste Colombel | ||
| 1852-1866 | Ferdinand Favre | ||
| 1866-1870 | Antoine Dufour | ||
| 1870-1871 | René Waldeck-Rousseau | ||
| 1871-1872 | Arsène Leloup | ||
| 1872-1874 | René Waldeck-Rousseau | ||
| 1874-1881 | Julien Charles Marie Claudius Lechat | ||
| 1881 | Mathurin Brissonneau (interim) | ||
| 1881-1885 | Georges Évariste Eugène Colombel | ||
| 1885-1888 | Édouard Normand | ||
| 1888-1892 | Ernest François James Guibourd de Luzinais | ||
| 1892-1896 | Alfred Joseph Riom | ||
| 1896-1899 | Hippolyte Étienne Étiennez | ||
| 1899-1908 | Paul-Émile Sarradin | ||
| 1908 | N. Canal (interim) | ||
| 17 May 1908 - 16 Dec 1910 | Gabriel Guist'hau | ARD | |
| 16 Dec 1910 - 2 May 1928 | Paul Bellamy | PRS | |
| 2 May 1928 - 1 Jun 1928 | Gaston Veil | SFIO | |
| 1928-1929 | Adolphe Moitié | ||
| 1929-1935 | Léopold Cassegrain | ||
| 1935-1940 | Auguste Pageot | SFIO | |
| 24 Dec 1940 - 4 May 1941 | Edmond Prieur | SFIO | |
| 4 May 1941 - 10 Oct 1942 | Gaëtan Rondeau | ||
| 10 Oct 1942 - 31 Aug 1944 | Henry Orrion | ||
| 31 Aug 1944 - 19 May 1945 | Clovis Constant | SFIO | |
| 19 May 1945 - 31 Oct 1947 | Jean Philippot | ||
| 31 Oct 1947 - 26 Mar 1965 | Henry Orrion | RPF | |
| 1965-1977 | André Morice | CR | Senator |
| 1977-1983 | Alain Chénard | PS | Deputy |
| 1983-1989 | Michel Chauty | RPR | Senator |
| 20 Mar 1989-21 Jun 2012 | Jean-Marc Ayrault | PS | Deputy |
| 21 Jun 2012-04 Apr 2014 | Patrick Rimbert | PS | Deputy |
| 04 Apr 2014- | Johanna Rolland | PS |