7 famous people were born in Soyaux, more of them athletes than in most towns
Articles in 4 languages make the Olympic racewalker Valérie Nadaud the best known. Close behind are Gautier Gibouin and Florent Gibouin. 4 of them were born between 1914 and 1969, more than in any other period. From Paul Tillard to Baptiste Cariat, the births on the list run from 1914 to 1989.

What stands out about Soyaux’s famous people
What Soyaux is known for
Athletes stand out most, at 3 times the usual share.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed in French towns. Tap a field to see its people.
When Soyaux’s famous people were born
No decade has more births than the 1960s, at 3.
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Born in Soyaux
All three are athletes.
Gautier Gibouin
born 1989Rugby union player
Florent Gibouin
born 1986Rugby union player
Everyone else born in Soyaux
The other 4 span the years 1914 to 1989.

Paul Tillard
1914–1966French journalist, writer and concentration camp survivor (1914-1966)
No one matches both filters.
Famous people from the towns next door
The longest list nearby is Angoulême’s, with 136.
Angoulême · 2 miCharles-Augustin Coulomb & 135 more
L'Isle-d'Espagnac · 1 miMaxime Amblard & 4 moreABGond-Pontouvre · 2 miAndré Berland & 3 more
Ruelle-sur-Touvre · 3 miAndré Chevrillon & 3 moreFGSaint-Yrieix-sur-Charente · 4 miFrancis Groux & 2 moreALChampniers · 5 miAndré Lebon & 2 more
La Couronne · 5 miJean-Edmond Laroche-Joubert & 2 more
Saint-Michel · 4 miLaura Badler & 1 moreQuestions about famous people from Soyaux
Who is the most famous person from Soyaux?
Valérie Nadaud (Olympic racewalker) is the best known by our measure: 4 Wikipedia and sister-site articles in different languages. Next come Gautier Gibouin and Florent Gibouin.
How many famous people were born in Soyaux?
7 people born in Soyaux have a French Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace (and an English one that agrees, when there is one). Wikidata places 10 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 Soyaux known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 4 of the 7. That is 57% of the town’s list, against 19% across French towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Soyaux?
Paul Tillard, born in 1914. The youngest on the list was born in 1989.
Who counts as from Soyaux?
People whose Wikidata birthplace is Soyaux 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 (6)
- François Bureloup: Junejourdren, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Charles-Augustin Coulomb: Louis Hierle, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Maxime Amblard: TrisHR, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- André Chevrillon: Henri Manuel, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jean-Edmond Laroche-Joubert: Julien16, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Laura Badler: Coldcream16000, CC BY-SA 4.0, 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.