51.0534° N, 3.7250° E
GENT
Most Famous People Born in Gent, Belgium
- Notable people
- 850
- Peak decade
- 1980s
- Median birth year
- 1897
- Most distinctive
- Rower 9.6×
Charles V's birthplace and a Flemish Primitive stronghold — the Painter bench tracks Van Eyck's altarpiece and the long wake of Hugo van der Goes and Théo van Rysselberghe. The real oddity is a Rower cohort wildly out of proportion to anything else (thank the Watersportbaan) sitting next to a Conductor line that runs from Jacob Obrecht straight through Herreweghe's early-music revival.
One face per century — the most globally famous figure born in Gent during each.
Notable Births by Decade
Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1980s with 64 notable births.
What Gent Is Known For
Click any row to filter the list of people below.
Politician is Gent's biggest profession — 17% of all notables (146).
Gent over-indexes on rower — 9.6× the global rate.
Gent under-produces actor — only 0.4× the global rate.
Profession Mix Over Time
Each band shows a profession family's share of Gent's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.
- Sports
- Politics & Law
- Art & Design
- Music
- Writing
- Science
- Other
- Field: Painter Clear ×
Hugo van der Goes
1440 - 1482
Théo van Rysselberghe
1862 - 1926
Juan de Flandes
1450 - 1519
Justus van Gent
1430 - 1480
Simon Bening
1483 - 1561
Gustave De Smet
1877 - 1943
Jan Porcellis
1583 - 1632
Frits Van den Berghe
1883 - 1939
Lucas de Heere
1534 - 1584
Gustave Van de Woestijne
1881 - 1947
Lucas Horenbout
1490 - 1544
Constant Montald
1862 - 1944
Gerard Horenbout
1465 - 1541
Joseph Paelinck
1781 - 1839
Albert Servaes
1883 - 1966
Lieven van Lathem
1438 - 1493
Albert Baertsoen
1866 - 1922
Alexander Bening
1444 - 1519
Jenny Montigny
1875 - 1937
Anselm van Hulle
1601 - 1674
Liévin De Winne
1821 - 1880
Léon de Smet
1881 - 1966
Jan Janssens
1590 - 1650
Félix De Vigne
1806 - 1862
Anna De Weert
1867 - 1950
Robert van Audenaerde
1663 - 1748
Jean Delvin
1853 - 1922
Jan Frans De Boever
1872 - 1949
Jacques-François Delyen
1684 - 1761
Theodoor Verstraete
1850 - 1907
Jean Vérame
Born 1936
ROA (artist)
Born 1975
Théophile Lybaert
1848 - 1927
Maurice Langaskens
1884 - 1946
David de Noter
1818 - 1892
Pieter van Hanselaere
1786 - 1862
Hugo Debaere
1958 - 1994
César de Cock
1823 - 1904
Arpaïs Du Bois
Born 1973
Antoon van den Heuvel
1600 - 1677
Gillis Neyts
1623 - 1687
Suzanne Van Damme
1901 - 1986
Georges Buysse
1864 - 1916
Adolf Alexander Dillens
1821 - 1877
Hippolyte Daeye
1873 - 1952
Xavier de Cock
1818 - 1896
Albrecht De Vriendt
1843 - 1900
Jodocus Sebastiaen van den Abeele
1797 - 1855
Gustave Den Duyts
1850 - 1897
Melchior de la Mars
1577 - 1627
Willy Bosschem
Born 1930
Cécile Cauterman
1882 - 1957
Nicolas de Liemaker
1601 - 1646
Victor Lagye
1825 - 1896
Jos Verdegem
1897 - 1957
Zacharie Noterman
1820 - 1890
Jacob van Laethem
1460 - 1522
Jan Van Imschoot
Born 1963
Marcus van Vaernewyck
1518 - 1569
Théodore Canneel
1817 - 1892
Jan Frans Cantré
1886 - 1931
Robert Aerens
1883 - 1969
Gustave Vanaise
1854 - 1902
Karel Dierickx
1940 - 2014
Adolphe Pierre Sunaert
1825 - 1876
Edgar Bytebier
1875 - 1940
Lievin Cruyl
1634 - 1709
Julius de Praetere
1879 - 1947
Peter Van Gheluwe
Born 1957
Jan Baptist Lodewyck Maes
1794 - 1856
Désiré de Keghel
1839 - 1901
Caroline Stiénon du Pré
1883 - 1979
Piet Raemdonck
Born 1972
Edouard Verschaffelt
1874 - 1955
Henri Langerock
1830 - 1915
Emma De Vigne
1850 - 1898
Ferdinand Willaert
1861 - 1938
Hendrick Joseph Dillens
1812 - 1872
Victor Papeleu
1810 - 1881
Guillaume Met de Penninghen
1912 - 1990
Petrus Johannes van Reysschoot
1702 - 1772
Emile Pierre Joseph De Cauwer
1828 - 1873
Marie De Keyser
1899 - 1971
Angelus de Baets
1793 - 1855
Alice de Keghel
Born 1869
Jules de Keghel
1835 - 1879
Felix Klipstein
1880 - 1941
Émile Seeldrayers
1847 - 1933
Jules Evarist van Biesbroeck
1848 - 1920
Engelbert van Siclers
1725 - 1796