29.9548° N, 90.0749° W
NEW ORLEANS
Most Famous People Born in New Orleans, United States
- Notable people
- 1,804
- Peak decade
- 1940s
- Median birth year
- 1943
- Most distinctive
- Bandleader 45.7×
The birthplace of jazz, and the numbers make it obvious. New Orleans's distinctive professions are bandleaders, rappers, and musicians at concentrations unmatched by any other city in the dataset — the statistical footprint of Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Fats Domino, Louis Prima, and the Marsalis family all growing up within a few streetcar stops of each other, with Lil Wayne and Master P extending the line into hip-hop. Baseball and basketball round out the sporting bench, and Truman Capote, Anne Rice, and Lillian Hellman hold down the literary side.
One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in New Orleans during each.
Notable Births by Decade
Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1940s with 198 notable births.
What New Orleans Is Known For
Click any row to filter the list of people below.
Football is New Orleans's biggest profession — 13% of all notables (233).
New Orleans over-indexes on bandleader — 45.7× the global rate.
New Orleans under-produces painter — only 0.5× the global rate.
Profession Mix Over Time
Each band shows a profession family's share of New Orleans's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.
- Sports
- Music
- Politics & Law
- Film & TV
- Writing
- Art & Design
- Other
- Field: Basket Clear ×
Clyde Drexler
Born 1962
Avery Johnson
Born 1965
Bo McCalebb
Born 1985
Greg Monroe
Born 1990
Danny Granger
Born 1983
Thaddeus Young
Born 1988
D. J. Augustin
Born 1987
Deron Washington
Born 1985
Will McDonald
Born 1979
Ervin Johnson
Born 1967
Hollis Price
Born 1979
Chris Quinn
Born 1983
Gerard King
Born 1972
De'Aaron Fox
Born 1997
Jason Williams (basketball, born 1983)
Born 1983
Don Newman (basketball)
1957 - 2018
Randy Livingston
Born 1975
Robert Pack (basketball)
Born 1969
Jaren Jackson
Born 1967
Temeka Johnson
Born 1982
Tweety Carter
Born 1986
Carldell Johnson
Born 1983
Ryan Brooks
Born 1988
James Ray (basketball)
Born 1957
Jim King (basketball, born 1943)
Born 1943
Melvin Frazier
Born 1996
Donald Royal
Born 1966
Dwayne Mitchell
Born 1982
Aaron James (basketball)
Born 1952
Roneeka Hodges
Born 1982
Morlon Wiley
Born 1966
Tony Zeno
Born 1957
Harold Keeling
Born 1963
Eldridge Recasner
Born 1967
Theresa Plaisance
Born 1992
Janell Burse
Born 1979
Joe Troy Smith
Born 1977
Bruce Seals
Born 1953
Julian Sensley
Born 1982
Mitchell Robinson
Born 1998
Anthony Miles (basketball)
Born 1989
Stanley Brundy
Born 1967
Brandon Brown (basketball)
Born 1985
Dedric Willoughby
Born 1974
Barbara Farris
Born 1976
John Arthurs
Born 1947
Leroy Chollet
1924 - 1998
Doneeka Lewis
Born 1982
Eugene Edgerson
Born 1978
Rico Gathers
Born 1994
Ron Davis (basket-ball, 1959)
Born 1959
Ashton Mitchell
Born 1988
Chastity Reed
Born 1989
Willie Simmons
Born 1962
Craig Victor II
Born 1995
Don Maestri
Born 1946
Claude Simons Jr.
1914 - 1975
Kyndall Dykes
Born 1987
Alfredo Ott
Born 1983
Nathaniel "Big Easy" Lofton
Born 1981
Joe Pasternack
Born 1977
Jonathan Edwards (basket-ball)
Born 1967
Harold Arceneaux
Born 1977
Gerald Lewis (basketball)
Born 1971
Glynn Cyprien
Born 1966
Bob Richey
Born 1983
Donny Daniels
Born 1954
Ricky Woods
Born 1984
Phillip Ramelli
Born 1981
Wilbert Olinde
Born 1955
Micah Blunt
-
Jimmy Tillette
Born 1950
Bennie Adams
Born 1967
Lionel Green
Born 1984
Grant Simmons
Born 1943
E. W. Foy
1937 - 2014
Paul Landreaux
1943 - 2016
Danero Thomas
Born 1986
Bryce Washington
Born 1996
Quenese Davis
Born 1988