Jimmy Wales and 37 more famous people were born in Huntsville
237 languages have an article about the co-founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales. With 8 performers, the list holds 2.3 times the share found across U.S. towns. The largest group, 19, was born between 1920 and 1969. The list comes to 1.7 for every 10,000 residents, below the 3 of the typical town in Alabama.
What stands out about Huntsville’s famous people
Born in Huntsville
Ranked by languages covered: Jimmy Wales with 237, then Debby Ryan with 63 and Tallulah Bankhead with 53.
#2
#3When Huntsville’s famous people were born
More were born in the 1960s than in any other decade: 9.
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
What Huntsville is known for
Set against the usual town, performers come out 2.3 times as common.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone else born in Huntsville
Here are 35 more, born from 1812 to 2003.






Margaret Hoelzer
born 1983American swimmer, Olympic silver medalist, world champion, former world record-holder











No one matches both filters.
Also called Huntsville home
5 notable people born elsewhere made the town home, Wernher von Braun the best known.

Wernher von Braun
1912–1977German and later American aerospace engineer and space architect


Who’s the most famous person from Huntsville?
Pick one and say why. Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Be the first to say who Huntsville’s most famous person is.
Famous people from the towns next door
Decatur leads the towns around it, with 50 names.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Huntsville and whose English Wikipedia article agrees, ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. People known mainly for crimes, and adult performers, aren’t listed. “The usual town” = everyone born in the towns gathered so far.
Photo credits (23)
- Debby Ryan: MingleMediaTVNetwork, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tallulah Bankhead: Photographer:Talbot (presumably in New York)-rest of stamp is smudged., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Michael E. Brown: Publishers: Mike Brown prefers the image on his personal website., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Kim Dickens: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Reg E. Cathey: Rach, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Terri Sewell: Maryland GovPics, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bo Bice: Jyle Dupuis from Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Margaret Hoelzer: Patricia Elkins, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Stewart Cink: James Phelps, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- JuVaughn Harrison: The Final Leg, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- David Howard Thornton: Tim Blackmon for Galaxy Con, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- LeRoy Pope Walker: E. and H. T. Anthony (Firm), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Viola Allen: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Bryan Shelton: University Athletic Association, Inc., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- JoAnn H. Morgan: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Bobby Eaton: Xoloz at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Hunt Morgan: Gen._John_Morgan.jpg: George Edward Perine (1837–85)[1] derivative work: Jappalang, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Paula Poundstone: Philkon Phil Konstantin, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jeremiah Clemens: Mathew Benjamin Brady, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Wernher von Braun: NASA/MSFC, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Barbara Askins: NASA, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- James G. Birney: Oliver S. Frazer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Mae Jemison: NASA, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
