#1Writing & Arts
Manly P. Hall
1901–1990Canadian writer and mystic
32 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Famous people · Peterborough, Ontario
Manly P. Hall tops a list of 159 famous people born in Peterborough
Manly P. Hall, the Canadian writer and mystic, is the most widely known, written about in 32 languages. Second and third on the list are Estella Warren and Bobby Roode. Since 1970, 49 were born, the most of any period. For every 10,000 residents the town has 16.3, while at least half the towns in Ontario list nobody born there.
Born here
159
confirmed by Wikipedia
Best known
Manly P. Hall
32 Wikipedia and sister-site articles
First
1840
William J. Morgan
Youngest
2005
Cameron Spalding
Most common field
Sports
75 people
What stands out about Peterborough’s famous people
★ What stands out · Through the years
When Peterborough’s famous people were born
More of them were born in the 1970s than in any other ten years, 23 in all.
SportsPolitics & LawWriting & ArtsNotableFilm, TV & StageScience & MedicineMusicFaithBusinessMilitary
Every person is a dot in the column of the decade they were born.
The best known
Born in Peterborough
By how many languages cover them, Manly P.
#1
#2Film, TV & Stage
Estella Warren
born 1978Canadian actress, model, and synchronized swimmer
30 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
#3Sports
Bobby Roode
born 1977Canadian professional wrestler
29 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Known for
What Peterborough is known for
Set against the usual town, clergy and people of faith come out 1.5 times as common.
Each field is set against the usual town, its share among everyone listed in Canadian towns. Tap one to see who is in it.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Peterborough
Another 156, the earliest born in 1840.
Melville Marks Robinson
1888–1974Sports reporter, founder of the Commonwealth Games
BusinessWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Nearby, Otonabee-South Monaghan has the most on record, with 4.
Questions about famous people from Peterborough
Who is the most famous person from Peterborough?
Manly P. Hall (Canadian writer and mystic) comes first, by the number of Wikipedia languages that cover them. Next come Estella Warren and Bobby Roode.
How many famous people were born in Peterborough?
Wikidata places 200 here in all, and those missing from the list lack a confirming article.
What is Peterborough known for?
47% here, set against 38% for Canadian towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Peterborough?
William J. Morgan, from 1840; the most recent birth on the list is from 2005.
Who counts as from Peterborough?
Wikidata has to place the birth inside Peterborough’s municipal boundary (Statistics Canada’s 2021 census subdivision), counting its hospitals and districts, and an English or French Wikipedia article has to say the same. Adult performers, people known mostly for crimes and anyone who only lived here stay off the list.
Why is someone missing?
Their Wikidata record may stop at the province, point to a rural area we have no page for, or name a different town, and their article may disagree or say nothing. Only a birthplace both sources share is listed; edits to either are picked up at the next refresh.
Birthplaces, descriptions, years, occupations and the count of Wikipedia and sister-site articles come from Wikidata (CC0). Each birthplace is checked against the person’s English Wikipedia article, or the French one where English says nothing or has no article; the articles are linked, never quoted. Wikidata’s Statistics Canada code, the place’s name or its point inside the 2021 census outline puts a birth in a town, and a birth given only as a split city stays on that city’s page. Fields are read from the description and occupations, and the list runs by number of articles. “The usual town” is everyone listed across Canadian towns. Portraits: each person’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (56)
- Manly P. Hall: Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Estella Warren: Tom Hiltz from Geary, N.B., Canada, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Bobby Roode: Tabercil, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Adam Gontier: Craig Noce, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Neil Sanderson: Account2112, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mike Fisher: Guitarmasta666 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bob Gainey: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- J. C. MacKenzie: GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Michael Swift: Voltmetro, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cory Stillman: Benjamin Reed, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- George Sullivan: TGC-Topps Gum Cards, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Barrett Hayton: CloutsnChara Sports Cards, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Trevor McNevan: Thousandfoot1338, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jesse Young: Elemaki, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Owen Tippett: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Michael Mulhall: Buthup, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- David Arthur Brodie: Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Druce: Drucer Doll, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jordan Haynes: John Jacques, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Trevor Kincaid: ? (Life time: ?), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Brian Cherney: Stingdin ( Uploads ), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Bryan Michael Stoller: TaurusEmerald, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- David Epston: David Epston, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dean Morton: Rick Dikeman, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Oscar O'Shea: Jack Votion Productions Inc., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Richard Birdsall Rogers: Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Francis Green: Arthur Roy, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Seán Cullen: TheHYPO, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alexander Bethune: Major James Skitt Matthews, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Laurie Hendren: Panangaden, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rex Harrington: Damien D., CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ryan Ready: Roosterfan, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Abraham Groves: Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Brad Sinopoli: Molsonthemaggot, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Carolyn A. Wilkins: Bank of Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Colin Beardsmore: BKLuis, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Doug Gibson: Boston Bruins, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Frank Heffernan: Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jeff Larmer: Chicago Blackhawks / NHL, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Epping: Krazytea, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mike Reeves: Bryan Green, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Nathan Longpre: Leech44, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Walter Miller: Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Willard Price: Govt. of Brazil, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- William J. Morgan: Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Alexander Haggart: Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Brad Self: Jamo Best, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- David Henry McFadden: Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Reeve Lavell: Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- David B. Mullen: Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Frank Porter Wood: Lenoxi, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John O'Toole: Legislature of Ontario, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- R.M. Fowler: Unknown photographer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William J. White: unknown; image from ”The House of Representatives of the Fifty Third Congress” (detail), The Graphic Chicago, 1893, Collection of U.S. House of Representatives, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Bryan Young: mark6mauno, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jack Coughlin: Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).