#14 famous people call Orchies their birthplace
Paul Baras, the French cyclist, is the most widely known, written about in 7 languages. Behind the leader come Fernand Herbo and Émile Élie Verhille. The list comes to 4.8 for every 10,000 residents, against 3.2 in the typical town in Nord. Fewer than a quarter of the 279 towns in Nord with famous people list more.
Born in Orchies
Languages with an article: 7 for Paul Baras, 2 for Fernand Herbo, 2 for Émile Élie Verhille.
#1Fernand Herbo
1905–1995French painter (1905-1995)
#3Émile Élie Verhille
1903–1977French catholic missionary
When Orchies’ famous people were born
3 were born in the Belle Époque, and the 1900s alone saw 2.
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
What Orchies is known for
Athletes are the most numerous, 1 of them.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed in French towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone else born in Orchies
1 more, best known first.
No one matches both filters.
Famous people from the towns next door
The neighbour with the most names is Cysoing, at 6.
Questions about famous people from Orchies
Who is the most famous person from Orchies?
Paul Baras (French cyclist (1870–1941)) is the best known by our measure: 7 Wikipedia and sister-site articles in different languages. Next come Fernand Herbo and Émile Élie Verhille.
How many famous people were born in Orchies?
4 people born in Orchies have a French Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace (and an English one that agrees, when there is one). Wikidata places 6 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 Orchies known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 1 of the 4. That is 25% of the town’s list, against 19% across French towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Orchies?
Paul Baras, born in 1870. The youngest on the list was born in 1912.
Who counts as from Orchies?
People whose Wikidata birthplace is Orchies 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)
- Paul Baras: Jules Beau, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Émile Élie Verhille: Spiritains, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Marie-Dominique Philippe: Herwig Reidlinger, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Louis Bonnier: Braun, Clément & Cie, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- José Catieau: Panini, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Nicolas Delmotte: Felineda, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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.



