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Famous people · La Madeleine, Nord

Most of the 11 famous people born in La Madeleine came into the world between 1914 and 1969

Most widely known is Marcel Bernard, the French tennis player, with articles in 17 languages. Alphonse Merrheim and Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier follow. From Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier to Pierre Droulers, the births on the list run from 1848 to 1951. Only 30 of the 279 towns in Nord with anyone on record list more.

#1 best knownMarcel BernardSports · 1914–1994
+7more
Born here
11
confirmed by Wikipedia
Best known
Marcel Bernard
17 Wikipedia and sister-site articles
First
1848
Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier
Youngest
1951
Pierre Droulers
Most common field
Writing & Arts
4 people
The best known

Born in La Madeleine

By how many languages cover them, Marcel Bernard comes first (17), then Alphonse Merrheim (6) and Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier (6).

Marcel Bernard#1
Sports

Marcel Bernard

1914–1994

French tennis player (1914–1994)

17 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Alphonse Merrheim#2
Politics & Law

Alphonse Merrheim

1871–1925

French copper smith and trade union leader (1871-1925)

6 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier#3
Writing & Arts

Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier

1848–1930

French sculptor (1848-1930)

6 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Through the years

When La Madeleine’s famous people were born

More of them were born in the 1910s than in any other ten years, 2 in all.

Revolution to EmpireBelle ÉpoqueThe 20th century185019001950Paul Fressanges du BostMarcel BernardAlbert BaertPierre Droulers
Writing & ArtsFilm, TV & StageScience & MedicineSportsPolitics & LawFaith

Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.

Known for

What La Madeleine is known for

Writers and artists stand out most, at 1.5 times the usual share.

The usual town: the share across everyone listed in French towns. Tap a field to see its people.

Everyone

Everyone else born in La Madeleine

8 more names, born between 1863 and 1951.

PD

Pierre Droulers

born 1951

Choreographer, dancer

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Jacques Jourquin

Jacques Jourquin

1935–2021

French publisher, writer and historian (1935–2021)

Next door

Famous people from the towns next door

The most names next door are in Lille: 717.

Questions about famous people from La Madeleine

Who is the most famous person from La Madeleine?

Marcel Bernard (French tennis player (1914–1994)) is the best known by our measure: 17 Wikipedia and sister-site articles in different languages. Next come Alphonse Merrheim and Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier.

How many famous people were born in La Madeleine?

11 people born in La Madeleine have a French Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace (and an English one that agrees, when there is one). Wikidata places 21 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 La Madeleine known for?

Among its famous people, writers and artists: 4 of the 11. That is 36% of the town’s list, against 25% across French towns.

Who is the earliest-born famous person from La Madeleine?

Alphonse-Amédée Cordonnier, born in 1848. The youngest on the list was born in 1951.

Who counts as from La Madeleine?

People whose Wikidata birthplace is La Madeleine 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 (9)

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.