Most Famous People from France

France has produced 13,591 notable individuals throughout history, with politicians and athletes being the most represented categories. The highest-ranked is Napoleon. Rankings are based on a cross-verified academic dataset of 152,953 people.

Top Ranked

  1. Napoleon — French Politician (1769–1821) , ranked #9
  2. Victor Hugo — French Poet (1802–1885) , ranked #47
  3. Voltaire — French Writer (1694–1778) , ranked #51
  4. Jean-Jacques Rousseau — French Writer (1712–1778) , ranked #55
  5. René Descartes — French Philosopher (1596–1650) , ranked #67
  6. Charles de Gaulle — French Statesperson (1890–1970) , ranked #94
  7. Louis XIV of France — French Monarch (1638–1715) , ranked #101
  8. Louis Pasteur — French Biologist (1822–1895) , ranked #120
  9. Jules Verne — French Novelist (1828–1905) , ranked #120
  10. Charlemagne — French Monarch (748–814) , ranked #122
  11. Albert Camus — French Writer (1913–1960) , ranked #129
  12. Michel Foucault — French Philosopher (1926–1984) , ranked #233
  13. Honoré de Balzac — French Novelist (1799–1850) , ranked #234
  14. Émile Zola — French Novelist (1840–1902) , ranked #254
  15. Blaise Pascal — French Mathematician (1623–1662) , ranked #255
  16. Zinedine Zidane — French Football (Born 1972) , ranked #257
  17. Marie Antoinette — French Socialite (1755–1793) , ranked #279
  18. Joan of Arc — French Kirche (1410–1431) , ranked #304
  19. Édith Piaf — French Singer (1915–1963) , ranked #326
  20. Arthur Rimbaud — French Poet (1854–1891) , ranked #340