Of the 72 famous people born in Bar-le-Duc, an unusual share are soldiers and sailors
Best known of all is Raymond Poincaré, written about in 79 languages. The list reaches back to Jean III de Lorraine, born in 1498, one of 19 born before the Revolution. Among the 107 towns in Meuse with anyone listed, none has more. Between the Revolution and the Second Empire, 20 were born, the most of any period.
Raymond Poincaré (French statesman and lawyer, President of France (1860-1934)) is the best known by our measure: 79 Wikipedia and sister-site articles in different languages. Next come Marie de Lorraine and Nicolas-Charles Oudinot.
How many famous people were born in Bar-le-Duc?
72 people born in Bar-le-Duc have a French Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace (and an English one that agrees, when there is one). Wikidata places 117 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 Bar-le-Duc known for?
Among its famous people, leaders: 22 of the 72. That is 31% of the town’s list, against 24% across French towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Bar-le-Duc?
Jean III de Lorraine, born in 1498. The youngest on the list was born in 1994.
Who counts as from Bar-le-Duc?
People whose Wikidata birthplace is Bar-le-Duc 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.