#1From 1785 to 1954, Vals-les-Bains was the birthplace of 6 famous people
The best known is the French athlete Jocelyne Villeton, with articles in 12 languages. Louis Georges Gouy and André Cerdini follow. Between 1914 and 1969, 3 were born, the most of any period. Only 7 of the 85 towns in Ardèche with anyone on record list more.
Born in Vals-les-Bains
By how many languages cover them, Jocelyne Villeton comes first (12), then Louis Georges Gouy (12) and André Cerdini (3).
#1
#2Louis Georges Gouy
1854–1926French physicist (1854–1926)
André Cerdini
1929–2026French magistrate (1929–2026)
When Vals-les-Bains’ famous people were born
No decade has more births than the 1950s, at 1.
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
What Vals-les-Bains is known for
Vals-les-Bains has 2.1× the usual share of leaders.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed in French towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone else born in Vals-les-Bains
3 more, from 1785 to 1916.
No one matches both filters.
Famous people from the towns next door
Of the towns nearby, 2 have famous names listed.
Questions about famous people from Vals-les-Bains
Who is the most famous person from Vals-les-Bains?
Jocelyne Villeton (French athlete) is the best known by our measure: 12 Wikipedia and sister-site articles in different languages. Next come Louis Georges Gouy and André Cerdini.
How many famous people were born in Vals-les-Bains?
6 people born in Vals-les-Bains have a French Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace (and an English one that agrees, when there is one). Wikidata places 8 people here; the rest aren’t listed because an article names somewhere else or no town, or a check couldn’t be completed.
What is Vals-les-Bains known for?
Among its famous people, leaders: 3 of the 6. That is 50% of the town’s list, against 24% across French towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Vals-les-Bains?
Jean André Champanhet, born in 1785. The youngest on the list was born in 1954.
Who counts as from Vals-les-Bains?
People whose Wikidata birthplace is Vals-les-Bains itself, matched by its INSEE code (a commune merged into it counts when the dates allow), whose French Wikipedia article agrees, and their English article too when they have one. A hospital or neighbourhood recorded without its commune isn’t matched. People who only lived here, adult performers and people known mainly for crimes aren’t listed.
Why is someone missing?
Their Wikidata birthplace may be a hospital, a neighbourhood or a wider area, another commune, or missing, or their articles may not name a birthplace. We only list people the sources agree on; editing Wikidata or Wikipedia changes this page at the next refresh.
From Wikidata (CC0: birthplaces, descriptions, years, occupations, how many Wikipedia and sister-site articles cover each person) and French and English Wikipedia (each person’s articles confirm the birthplace; linked, not quoted). Birthplaces are matched to the commune by INSEE code and its history of mergers (INSEE COG 2026). Ranked by the number of articles. Fields are read from Wikidata’s description and occupations. “The usual town”: everyone listed across French towns. Portraits: each person’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the license below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (4)
- Jocelyne Villeton: Michel VILLETON, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Louis Georges Gouy: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Amandine Leynaud: los_bandito_anthony, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Augustin Barruel: Barruel, Augustin, S.J. (1741-1820) (depicted), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.

