45.7583° N, 4.8412° E
LYON
Most Famous People Born in Lyon, France
- Notable people
- 2,546
- Peak decade
- 1940s
- Median birth year
- 1907
- Most distinctive
- Architect 3.9×
A Roman foundation that gave the empire two emperors and the modern Republic a silk industry. Lyon's distinctive professions are architects, painters, physicians, botanists, and sculptors — the trades of a medical-and-craft city built around its great hospitals and the silk weavers of the Croix-Rousse. Claudius and Caracalla were both born here, Jacquard invented his loom here, and Saint-Exupéry grew up a few streets from the Rhône; the 18th-century bench is heavier than in most French cities outside Paris.
One face per century — the most globally famous figure born in Lyon during each.
Notable Births by Decade
Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1940s with 208 notable births.
What Lyon Is Known For
Click any row to filter the list of people below.
Politician is Lyon's biggest profession — 11% of all notables (287).
Lyon over-indexes on architect — 3.9× the global rate.
Lyon under-produces football — only 0.6× the global rate.
Profession Mix Over Time
Each band shows a profession family's share of Lyon's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.
- Art & Design
- Sports
- Politics & Law
- Writing
- Science
- Film & TV
- Other
- Field: Architect Clear ×
Hector Guimard
1867 - 1942
Philibert de l'Orme
1514 - 1570
Jean-Baptiste Rondelet
1743 - 1829
Paul Philippe Cret
1876 - 1945
Étienne Martellange
1569 - 1641
Jules Lavirotte
1864 - 1924
Ennemond Alexandre Petitot
1727 - 1801
Pierre Bossan
1814 - 1888
Michel Roux-Spitz
1888 - 1957
Jean-Marie Morel
1728 - 1810
François Cointeraux
1740 - 1830
Gaspard André
1840 - 1896
Antoine Derizet
1685 - 1768
Abraham Hirsch (architect)
1828 - 1913
Jacques Molinos
1743 - 1831
Louis Sainte-Marie Perrin
1835 - 1917
Henri Duchêne (paysagiste)
1841 - 1902
Jean-Baptiste Mathon
1893 - 1971
Victor Lenoir
1805 - 1863
Tony Desjardins
1814 - 1882
Antoine-Marie Chenavard
1787 - 1883
Barthélemy Vignon
1762 - 1846
Georges-Claude Goiffon
1712 - 1776
René Dardel
1796 - 1871
Eugène Joannon Crozier
1860 - 1938
François-Régis Cottin
1920 - 2013
Jean-Marie Pollet
1795 - 1839
Adolphe Thiers (architecte)
1878 - 1957
Christian Drevet
Born 1951
Charles Delfante
1926 - 2012
Auguste Cadet
1881 - 1956
Louis Dupasquier
1800 - 1870
Antonin Louvier
1818 - 1892
Pierre Bourdeix
1906 - 1987
Pascal Gay
1775 - 1832
Christophe Crépet
1807 - 1864
Léon Charvet
1830 - 1916
Claude-Anthelme Benoit
1794 - 1876
Adolphe Coquet
1841 - 1907
Robert Giroud
1890 - 1943
Charles-Louis Roux-Meulien
1842 - 1918
Daniel Grataloup (architecte)
Born 1937
Louis Rogniat
1852 - 1956
Albert Febvre-Longeray
1886 - 1942
Jean-Gabriel Mortamet
1930 - 2007
Claude Cochet
1760 - 1835
Gaspard George
1822 - 1908
Ferdinand Joseph Hippolyte Barqui
1825 - 1885
Jules Chatron
1831 - 1884
Paul Bellemain
1886 - 1953
Jean Bréasson
1848 - 1930
Charles-Marie Franchet
1838 - 1902
Alphonse-François Marie Jaÿ
1789 - 1871
Claude Bertaud de la Vaure
1681 - 1748
Philibert Bellemain
1822 - 1886
Georges Curtelin
1899 - 1968
Paul Desjardins (architecte)
1847 - 1925
Pierre Genton
1924 - 2004
Édouard Arnaud
1864 - 1943
Jean-Prosper Bissuel
1807 - 1872
Jules Exbrayat
1806 - 1857
Antoine-François Bourbon
1834 - 1911
Alphonse-Constance Duboys
1814 - 1853
Louis-Étienne Journoud
1828 - 1897
Jean-Amédée Savoye
1804 - 1878
Joseph-Etienne Malaval
1842 - 1898
Eugène-Toussaint Cateland
1840 - 1922
Paul Pascalon
1838 - 1914
Jean-Marie-Anselme Lablatinière
1829 - 1891
Alfred Audoul
1891 - 1963
Jean-Claude Jamot
1833 - 1913
Henri Feuga
1819 - 1884
Auguste Monvenoux
1827 - 1905
Benoît-Joseph Chatron
1822 - 1882
Antoine-François Gancel
1811 - 1878
François Pascalon
1803 - 1860
Louis Mortamet
1897 - 1956
Gaston Regairaz
1930 - 2013
René Ribollet
1848 - 1890
David-François Panay
1752 - 1822
Joanny Farfouillon
1823 - 1876
Joseph-François Dubuisson
1840 - 1915
François Grivet
1825 - 1886
Pierre Martin (architecte)
1824 - 1871
Jean-Paul-Auguste-Anthelme Jumelin
1818 - 1880
Laurent Vianay
1843 - 1928
Adolph Passavant
1841 - 1926
Antoine Rater
1729 - 1794