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Famous people · Bellême, Orne

Leaders stand out among the 12 famous people born in Bellême

Aristide Boucicaut, the French businessman, is the most widely known, written about in 11 languages. Second place goes to the French surgeon Théodore Tuffier, third to Charles Pitou. As early as 1740, Jean Massard was born here, one of 5 born before the Revolution. The largest group, 6, was born between the Revolution and the Second Empire.

Born here
12
confirmed by Wikipedia
Best known
Aristide Boucicaut
11 Wikipedia and sister-site articles
First
1740
Jean Massard
Youngest
1960
Alain Spault
Most common field
Politics & Law
5 people

What stands out about Bellême’s famous people

★ What stands out · Known for

What Bellême is known for

Compared with the usual town, leaders are the most over-represented field, at 1.8 times.

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

Through the years

When Bellême’s famous people were born

The 1850s alone account for 2 of the births charted here.

Ancien RégimeRevolution to EmpireBelle ÉpoqueThe 20th century17501800185019001950Jean MassardThéodore TuffierGaston DonaAristide Boucicaut
Politics & LawWriting & ArtsBusinessScience & MedicineMusicNotableSports

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

The best known

Born in Bellême

Aristide Boucicaut leads with articles in 11 languages, ahead of Théodore Tuffier (4) and Charles Pitou (3).

AB#1
Business

Aristide Boucicaut

1810–1877

French businessman (1810–1877)

11 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
TT#2
Science & Medicine

Théodore Tuffier

1857–1929

French surgeon

4 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
CP#3
Writing & Arts

Charles Pitou

1849–1927

French poet (1849-1927)

3 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia (French) ↗
Everyone

Everyone else born in Bellême

Another 9, the earliest born in 1740.

CD

Charles François Grégoire, Michel Étienne Desgrouas

1747–1816

French politician

PL

Pierre François Henri Bouvet de Louvigny

1773–1854

French politician and soldier (1773-1854)

Next door

Famous people from the towns next door

The best known from each town within 12 mi of Bellême, with how many people each has.

Questions about famous people from Bellême

Who is the most famous person from Bellême?

Aristide Boucicaut (French businessman (1810–1877)) is the best known by our measure: 11 Wikipedia and sister-site articles in different languages. Next come Théodore Tuffier and Charles Pitou.

How many famous people were born in Bellême?

12 people born in Bellême have a French Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace (and an English one that agrees, when there is one). Wikidata places 17 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 Bellême known for?

Among its famous people, leaders: 5 of the 12. That is 42% of the town’s list, against 24% across French towns.

Who is the earliest-born famous person from Bellême?

Jean Massard, born in 1740. The youngest on the list was born in 1960.

Who counts as from Bellême?

People whose Wikidata birthplace is Bellême 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 (2)

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.