#1Famous people · Gainesville
Performers stand out among the 47 famous people born in Gainesville
Most widely known is Tom Petty, the American musician, with articles in 54 languages. The next two names are Maya Rudolph and Noah Lyles. More than half were born since 1970, 26 in all. For every 10,000 residents the town has 3.2, while at least half the towns in Florida list nobody born there.
Born here
47
notable people
Best known
Tom Petty
in 54 Wikipedia languages
First
1911
Coleman Jett Goin
Youngest
1998
Abigail Cowen
Most common field
Sports
23 people
Also called it home
12
notable residents
What stands out about Gainesville’s famous people
Still making namesThe most recent birth on the list came in 1998, among 42 since 1950.A town of performers11 of the 47 people born here are performers, 2.5× the usual share.Known worldwideTom Petty is written about in 54 languages.A chosen home12 more notable people chose to live in Gainesville, including River Phoenix.
★ What stands out · Through the years
When Gainesville’s famous people were born
The 1970s saw the most births of any decade: 13.
SportsFilm, TV & StageMusicScience & MedicineNotableWriting & ArtsPolitics & LawBusiness
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Known for
What Gainesville is known for
Compared with the usual town, performers are the most over-represented field, at 2.5 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
The best known
Born in Gainesville
Counted by languages, Tom Petty is ahead of Maya Rudolph and Noah Lyles: 54, 45 and 45.
#1MR#2
NL#3
Everyone
Everyone else born in Gainesville
Of the other 44, 23 are athletes.
Ricky Nattiel
born 1966All-American college football player, professional football player, wide receiver, high school football coach, real estate broker
SportsWikipedia ↗
Doug Johnson
born 1977American college football player, professional football player, quarterback
SportsWikipedia ↗
Reinard Wilson
born 1973All-American college football player, professional football player, defensive end, linebacker
SportsWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
A chosen home
Also called Gainesville home
Born elsewhere, they lived here: 12 in all, led by River Phoenix.
The town’s pick
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From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Gainesville 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 (8)
- Tom Petty: Ирина Лепнёва, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dustin Moskovitz: Web Summit, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Hoffman: derivative work: Tabercil Robert_Hoffman_LF.jpg: lukeford.net, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Desmond Child: Peter Matthews from New York City, United States, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brittany Daniel: derivative work: Tabercil Brittany_Daniel_LF2.JPG: lukeford.net, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Rodney Mullen: PopTech, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- River Phoenix: Alekassoul, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Katie Ledecky: Mledecky, CC0, Wikimedia Commons