Born here
127
confirmed by Wikipedia
Best known
Yohan Cabaye
51 Wikipedia and sister-site articles
Most common field
Sports
50 people
What stands out about Tourcoing’s famous people ★ What stands out · Known for What Tourcoing is known for Compared with the usual town, business people are the most over-represented field, at 2.4 times.
Sports 50 people 39%2.1× usual Writing & Arts 24 people 19%about usual Politics & Law 19 people 15%below usual Notable 9 people 7% Faith 8 people 6%2.2× usual Film, TV & Stage 5 people 4%below usual Business 5 people 4%2.4× usual Music 3 people 2%below usual Science & Medicine 3 people 2%below usual Military 1 person 1%below usual The usual town: the share across everyone listed in French towns. Tap a field to see its people.
The best known Born in Tourcoing First, Yohan Cabaye (51 languages), then Marcel Lefebvre (44) and Albert Roussel (35).
#1 Sports Yohan Cabaye born 1986 French footballer (born 1986)
#2 Faith Marcel Lefebvre 1905–1991 French traditionalist Catholic archbishop
#3 Music Albert Roussel 1869–1937 French composer (1869–1937)
Through the years When Tourcoing’s famous people were born More of them were born in the 1900s than in any other ten years, 19 in all.
Ancien Régime Revolution to Empire Belle Époque The 20th century Today 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 Marcel Lefebvre Sports Writing & Arts Politics & Law Notable Faith Film, TV & Stage Business Music Science & Medicine Military
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone Everyone else born in Tourcoing Here are 124 more, born from 1621 to 2005.
All · 124 Politics & Law · 19 Military · 1 Sports · 49 Music · 2 Film, TV & Stage · 5 Writing & Arts · 24 Science & Medicine · 3 Business · 5 Faith · 7 Notable · 9
Any time Ancien Régime · 2 Revolution to Empire · 14 Belle Époque · 45 The 20th century · 43 Today · 19
BF Brigitte Fossey born 1946 French actress
AG Anna Gomis born 1973 Olympic wrestler
DF Didier Flament born 1951 Fencer
JG Jacques Grimonpon 1925–2013 French footballer (1925-2013)
Charles Rampelberg 1909–1982 Olympic cyclist (1909–1982)
René Ghil 1862–1925 French poet (1862–1925)
Jocelyn Delecour born 1935 French athlete
Aloïs Catteau 1877–1939 Cyclist (1877-1939)
Yacine Louati born 1992 French volleyball player
JL Joseph-Charles Lefebvre 1892–1973 French Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church (1892–1973)
Jean-Marc Degraeve born 1971 French chess player
HC Henri Cuvelier 1908–1937 French water polo player (1908–1937)
HP Henri Padou 1928–1999 French swimmer (1928–1999)
Philippe Christory born 1958 French Catholic prelate
ÉB Émile Bulteel 1906–1978 French water polo player (1906–1978)
Albert Parsys 1890–1980 French association football player (1890–1980)
ER Ernest Rogez 1908–1986 French water polo player
AA Alexis Araujo born 1996 French and Portuguese association football player
Christian Vanneste born 1947 French politician and essayist
Jean Sécember 1911–1990 French footballer (1911-1990)
Serge Gruzinski born 1949 French historian (1949-)
Adrien Filez 1885–1965 French association football player (1885-1965)
CL Carima Louami born 1979 French athlete
Ernestine Lebrun 1906–2005 French swimmer
IF Ichem Ferrah born 2005 French and Algerian footballer (born 2005)
VB Vanessa Boubryemm born 1982 Olympic wrestler
VF Victor Farvacques 1902–1940 French association football player (1902-1940)
JL Jules Lecoutre 1878–1962 French gymnast (1878–1962)
SM Simone Martin born 1943 French politician
Daniel Lehu 1896–1979 French water polo player (1896-1979)
Florimond Bonte 1890–1977 French politician
JD Jacques Delepaut 1926–1992 Footballer (1926-1992)
PD Paul Dubrule born 1934 French businessman and politician
Zaïr Kédadouche born 1957 French footballer and diplomat (born 1957)
Alain Bruneel born 1952 Member of French National Assembly
Charles Dujardin 1888–1914 French association football player (1888-1914)
DL Daniel Langrand 1921–1998 French footballer (1921–1998)
EL Edmond Leveugle 1904–1986 French association football player
Henri Lesur 1892–1971 French association football player (1892–1971)
JD Jules Dubly 1889–1953 French association football player (1887-1953)
Lucien Leclercq 1897–1971 Soccer arbiter
Marcel Desrousseaux 1907–1974 French association football player (1907-1974)
BB Benoît Brunet born 1991 French rower
CB Charles Bourgeois 1878–1941 French architect
DD Didier Dobbels born 1954 French basketball player
Gaston Courbe d'Outrelon 1874–1922 French cyclist
GD Gustave Deswazières 1882–1959 French missionary to China
JW Jean Willerval 1924–1996 French architect (1924–1996)
Albert Dhulst 1909–1984 French association football player (1909–1984)
BD Bénédicte Duprez born 1951 French swimmer
GD Georges Delporte 1912–1994 French water polo player (1912-1994)
GR Georgina Roty 1908–1940 French swimmer
ML Maurice Lefèbvre 1913–1983 French water polo player (1913-1983)
Charles Roussel 1861–1936 French artist (1861–1936)
EL Eugène Leroy 1910–2000 French painter (1910-2000)
France Leplat 1895–1953 French painter, designer and sculptor
Jean-Baptiste Maillard 1857–1929 French architect
Jules Tiberghien 1867–1923 French archbishop
Jules Watteeuw 1849–1947 French journalist and Picard poet (1849–1947)
MD Maurice Depaepe 1898–1976 French association football player (1899-1976)
PD Paul Delefortrie 1843–1910 French architect
GL Grégory Labille born 1968 French politician
Albert Masurel 1855–1920 French politician (1855-1920)
AB André Bézu 1943–2007 French singer
Andrée Ghesquière 1910–1971 French painter
Charles Jonglez 1831–1913 French politician
CP Charles Planckaert 1861–1933 French architect
Damien Castelain born 1967 French politician
Félix Vandevenne 1903–1999 French water polo player (1903-1999)
GH Gaston Haustrate 1929–2019 French journalist and film critic (1929-2019)
HB Henri Blary 1913–2009 French politician
HD Henri Delporte 1920–2002 French curator
HD Hugo Dumortier born 1993 French basketball player (born 1993)
JB Jean-Pierre Balduyck born 1941 French politician
JM Jennifer Messelier born 1991 French model
JF Joseph Frys 1906–1987 French politician (1906-1987)
Jules Caffart 1888–1943 French politician
LC Louis Croïn 1843–1902 French architect
Léon Delbecque 1919–1991 French politician (1919-1991)
MC Mathias Cianci born 1982 French athletics competitor
MC Max Carlier 1872–1938 Belgian painter (1872-1938)
MS Maxime Spinnewyn born 1991 French volleyball player
MV Monelle Valentin 1905–1979 French actress (1905–1979)
PD Patrick Delnatte born 1941 French politician
SC Sébastien Cipolla born 1979 French actor
AC Adolphe Choteau 1927–2018 Ivorian rally car driver
AL Albert Libeer 1908–1980 French jockey (1908-1980)
AD Alexandre Delobelle 1887–1970 French trade unionist
AS Antoine Selosse 1621–1687 French Catholic priest and music teacher
Bertrand Dumazy born 1971 Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - Edenred SE
CL Christian Laborie born 1948 French writer
CH Claude Huriez 1907–1984 French physician
CD Constance Devillers born 1977 French athletics competitor
DD Désiré Debuchy 1823–1884 French politician and industrialist (1823-1884)
FM François Masurel-Pollet 1826–1913 French industrialist
FT Frédéric Tiberghien born 1950 French businessperson
GD Georges Deruelle 1925–1991 French association football player (1925-1991)
Henri Leblanc 1825–1902 French writer
HJ Henri-Martin Félix Jenny 1904–1982 Roman Catholic archbishop (1904-1982)
JS Jean Samaille 1925–2005 French immunologist (1925-2005)
JV Joseph Valynseele 1924–1997 French historian and genealogist (1924-1997)
JV Joseph Vandrisse 1927–2010 French catholic priest and journalist (1927-2010)
Juliette Vandekerckhove born 1982 French bicycle racer
LR Louis Rosoor 1850–1918 French organist
LC Léandre Chouya born 1972 French association football player
LM Léon Marescaux 1874–1949 French businessman and politician (1874–1949)
MD Marie-Madeleine Descelers 1901–1972 French painter
MD Michel-François Delannoy born 1963 French politician
MH Monique Horrent 1952–2006 French athletics competitor
NH Naïma Huber-Yahi born 1977 Researcher
PM Pascal Morès born 1946 French photographer
PD Pierre Devilder 1922–2008 French actor (1922–2008)
PF Pierre Fertin 1928–2017 French journalist
PL Pierre Lorthiois 1873–1902 French politician
PS Pierre Saviste born 1958 French writer
PP Pierre Van Poucke 1920–1983 French painter (1920-1983)
Pierre de Guethem 1659–1709 French soldier
Raymond Catteau 1923–2019 French water polo player (1923-2019)
RM Roger Maes 1920–1984 French footballer
RV Roger Vandevelde 1921–1999 French association football player (1921-1999)
RK Romain Kreisz born 1990 French volleyball player
RD Réginald Dortomb born 1945 French association football player
ÉB Émile Bruneau French painter
ÉV Émile Vanrullen 1903–1980 French politician (1903–1980)
No one matches both filters.
Show all 124 Next door Famous people from the towns next door Of the towns around it, Roubaix has the most on record: 241.
Questions about famous people from Tourcoing Who is the most famous person from Tourcoing? Yohan Cabaye (French footballer (born 1986)) is the best known by our measure: 51 Wikipedia and sister-site articles in different languages. Next come Marcel Lefebvre and Albert Roussel.
How many famous people were born in Tourcoing? 127 people born in Tourcoing have a French Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace (and an English one that agrees, when there is one). Wikidata places 183 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 Tourcoing known for? Among its famous people, athletes: 50 of the 127. That is 39% of the town’s list, against 19% across French towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Tourcoing? Antoine Selosse, born in 1621. The youngest on the list was born in 2005.
Who counts as from Tourcoing? People whose Wikidata birthplace is Tourcoing 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 (47) Yohan Cabaye: Stanislav Vedmid, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons Marcel Lefebvre: Antonisse, Marcel / Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons Albert Roussel: unidentified photograph, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Charles Rampelberg: Agence Rol, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons René Ghil: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Jocelyn Delecour: Eric Koch for Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons Aloïs Catteau: Agence Rol. Agence photographique (commanditaire), Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Yacine Louati: Lega Pallavolo Serie A, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons Jean-Marc Degraeve: Zetud, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons Philippe Christory: Renaud Boitouzet, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons Albert Parsys: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Christian Vanneste: Vanneste.jpg : Christian Vanneste derivative work: Wo st 01 ( talk / cont ), Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Jean Sécember: Gabriel Hanot (Le Miroir des sports)., CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons Serge Gruzinski: Étonnants Voyageurs, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons Adrien Filez: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Ernestine Lebrun: Agence Rol, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Daniel Lehu: Agence Rol, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Florimond Bonte: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Zaïr Kédadouche: Céleste Albaret, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons Alain Bruneel: Benjaminvandekerckhove, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons Charles Dujardin: Agence Rol, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Henri Lesur: La Vie au grand air, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Lucien Leclercq: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Marcel Desrousseaux: Non connu, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Gaston Courbe d'Outrelon: Bocquillon, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Albert Dhulst: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Charles Roussel: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons France Leplat: France Leplat, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Jean-Baptiste Maillard: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Jules Tiberghien: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Jules Watteeuw: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Albert Masurel: Maurice Dulac, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Andrée Ghesquière: Photo of painting. Portrait f Andrée Ghesquière by Raymond Tellier., CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons Charles Jonglez: Achille Lemot, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Damien Castelain: Jiel Beaumadier, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons Félix Vandevenne: Agence Rol. Agence photographique (commanditaire), Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Jules Caffart: Unknown author Unknown author , image retouchée par Sailly Fabien, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Léon Delbecque: Lucien desprez, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons Bertrand Dumazy: SantaluciaM, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons Henri Leblanc: E.Serrurier, CC BY 2.5 , Wikimedia Commons Juliette Vandekerckhove: André Gomez, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons Pierre de Guethem: Licorne18570, CC BY-SA 3.0 , Wikimedia Commons Raymond Catteau: Emmeuno, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons Bernard Arnault: Jérémy Barande, CC BY-SA 2.0 , Wikimedia Commons Hector Tiberghien: Agence de presse Meurisse, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Françoise Leclercq: Femmes françaises, Public domain , Wikimedia Commons Henri Dorgères: Agence de presse Meurisse, 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.