#1Famous people · Rive-de-Gier, Loire
Of the 22 famous people born in Rive-de-Gier, an unusual share are scientists and doctors
Cyril Dessel, the road bicycle racer, is the most widely known, written about in 23 languages. 11 of them were born between the Revolution and the Second Empire, more than in any other period. Fewer than a quarter of the 98 towns in Loire with famous people list more. From Jean-Claude Verpilleux in 1798 to Cyril Dessel in 1974, the births cover 176 years.
Born here
22
confirmed by Wikipedia
Best known
Cyril Dessel
23 Wikipedia and sister-site articles
First
1798
Jean-Claude Verpilleux
Youngest
1974
Cyril Dessel
Most common field
Politics & Law
8 people
What stands out about Rive-de-Gier’s famous people
★ What stands out · Known for
What Rive-de-Gier is known for
The field furthest above the usual share is scientists and doctors, at 2.5 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed in French towns. Tap a field to see its people.
The best known
Born in Rive-de-Gier
Cyril Dessel leads with articles in 23 languages, ahead of Jean Étienne Valluy (9) and Marie Bonnevial (8).
#1JV#2
Military
Jean Étienne Valluy
1899–1970French general (1899–1970)
9 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
#3Science & Medicine
Marie Bonnevial
1841–1918French teacher and feminist (1841–1918)
8 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Through the years
When Rive-de-Gier’s famous people were born
The 1800s saw the most births of any decade: 3.
Politics & LawSportsScience & MedicineWriting & ArtsMilitaryFilm, TV & StageNotable
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Rive-de-Gier
The rest number 19, with 8 leaders among them.
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Close by, Saint-Chamond counts 47 famous people, the most of its neighbours.
Saint-Chamond · 6 miEdmond Locard & 46 moreAJPélussin · 8 miAndré Jullien & 6 moreJLSaint-Paul-en-Jarez · 3 miJacques Lisfranc & 3 moreJGMornant · 7 miJean Gobet & 3 moreAPLorette · 2 miAlain Prost & 1 more
Chabanière · 4 miClément Bonnand & 1 moreJSSorbiers · 8 miJean Selic & 1 moreGMLa Grand-Croix · 3 miGustave MalécotQuestions about famous people from Rive-de-Gier
Who is the most famous person from Rive-de-Gier?
Cyril Dessel (Road bicycle racer) is the best known by our measure: 23 Wikipedia and sister-site articles in different languages. Next come Jean Étienne Valluy and Marie Bonnevial.
How many famous people were born in Rive-de-Gier?
22 people born in Rive-de-Gier have a French Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace (and an English one that agrees, when there is one). Wikidata places 28 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 Rive-de-Gier known for?
Among its famous people, leaders: 8 of the 22. That is 36% of the town’s list, against 24% across French towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Rive-de-Gier?
Jean-Claude Verpilleux, born in 1798. The youngest on the list was born in 1974.
Who counts as from Rive-de-Gier?
People whose Wikidata birthplace is Rive-de-Gier 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)
- Cyril Dessel: www.instants-cyclistes.fr from France, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Marie Bonnevial: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jean-Baptiste Berlier: La Vie au Grand Air, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Léon Boitel: J. Séon, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Edmond Locard: Unbekannt >100 Jahre, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Clément Bonnand: Unknown author Unknown author, 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.