Of the 71 famous people born in Dreux, an unusual share are athletes
Articles in 55 languages make the French composer and chess player François-André Danican Philidor the best known. 32 of them were born since 1970, more than in any other period. Dreux ranks 2nd of the 100 towns in Eure-et-Loir with anyone listed. From Thibault Métezeau in 1533 to Anissa Belkasmi in 2002, the births cover 469 years.
François-André Danican Philidor (French composer and chess player (1726-1795)) is the best known by our measure: 55 Wikipedia and sister-site articles in different languages. Next come Guerschon Yabusele and Stéphane Courtois.
How many famous people were born in Dreux?
71 people born in Dreux have a French Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace (and an English one that agrees, when there is one). Wikidata places 106 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 Dreux known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 23 of the 71. That is 32% of the town’s list, against 19% across French towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Dreux?
Thibault Métezeau, born in 1533. The youngest on the list was born in 2002.
Who counts as from Dreux?
People whose Wikidata birthplace is Dreux 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).
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.