35.2064° N, 90.0889° W
MEMPHIS
Most Famous People Born in Memphis, United States
- Notable people
- 950
- Peak decade
- 1940s
- Median birth year
- 1953
- Most distinctive
- Rapper 16.4×
The 7.4× songwriter over-index is Stax and Sun Studio in one number — the city where Aretha Franklin was born and Elvis is buried still disproportionately manufactures the people who write American pop. The 16.4× rapper multiplier is a newer chapter, Three 6 Mafia and a generation of Memphis horror-rap running through the same neighborhoods that taught Morgan Freeman his accent.
One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Memphis during each.
Notable Births by Decade
Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1940s with 127 notable births.
What Memphis Is Known For
Click any row to filter the list of people below.
Football is Memphis's biggest profession — 15% of all notables (140).
Memphis over-indexes on rapper — 16.4× the global rate.
Memphis under-produces politician — only 0.6× the global rate.
Profession Mix Over Time
Each band shows a profession family's share of Memphis's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.
- Sports
- Music
- Film & TV
- Politics & Law
- Writing
- Science
- Other
- Field: Writer Clear ×
Alan Lightman
Born 1948
Louise Fitzhugh
1928 - 1974
Daniel Pinkwater
Born 1941
Mark Dunn
Born 1956
Gwen Shamblin Lara
Born 1955
George Edward Stanley
1942 - 2011
Bette Greene
1934 - 2020
Lloyd Thaxton
1927 - 2008
Daniel Friedman (author)
Born 1980
Sheree Thomas
Born 1972
Beverly Lowry
Born 1938
Thomas McNamee
Born 1947
Mel Watkins (author)
Born 1940
Tom Graves (writer)
Born 1954
Floyd Mahannah
1911 - 1976
Demico Boothe
-
Sophie Wenzel Ellis
1893 - 1984
Adam Jay Harrison
Born 1973
Kenneth A. McArthur
Born 1950
Allie Bates
Born 1957