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Famous people · Saint-Genis-Laval, Rhône

Saint-Genis-Laval counts 9 famous people, first among them Éric Abidal

At the top of the list is the French footballer Éric Abidal, covered in 69 languages. Second and third on the list are Marc Riboud and Mathieu Jaboulay. Fewer than a quarter of the 126 towns in Rhône with famous people list more. Éric Abidal, born in 1979, is the youngest, and Alphonse-Charles Gayet, born in 1833, the first on record.

#1 best knownÉric AbidalSports · born 1979
+5more
Born here
9
confirmed by Wikipedia
Best known
Éric Abidal
69 Wikipedia and sister-site articles
First
1833
Alphonse-Charles Gayet
Youngest
1979
Éric Abidal
Most common field
Writing & Arts
3 people

What stands out about Saint-Genis-Laval’s famous people

★ What stands out · The best known

Born in Saint-Genis-Laval

Éric Abidal has articles in 69 languages, Marc Riboud in 23 and Mathieu Jaboulay in 3.

Éric Abidal#1
Sports

Éric Abidal

born 1979

French footballer (born 1979)

69 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Marc Riboud#2
Writing & Arts

Marc Riboud

1923–2016

French photographer (1923–2016)

23 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Mathieu Jaboulay#3
Science & Medicine

Mathieu Jaboulay

1860–1913

French surgeon (1860–1913)

3 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Through the years

When Saint-Genis-Laval’s famous people were born

More of them were born in the 1920s than in any other ten years, 2 in all.

Revolution to EmpireBelle ÉpoqueThe 20th centuryToday1850190019502000Marc RiboudCharles LuizetMathieu JaboulayÉric Abidal
Writing & ArtsScience & MedicineSportsPolitics & LawNotableFilm, TV & Stage

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

Known for

What Saint-Genis-Laval is known for

Writers and artists stand out most, at 1.4 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 Saint-Genis-Laval

6 more names, born between 1833 and 1937.

Next door

Famous people from the towns next door

Close by, the fullest list is Oullins-Pierre-Bénite’s, at 47 names.

Questions about famous people from Saint-Genis-Laval

Who is the most famous person from Saint-Genis-Laval?

Éric Abidal (French footballer (born 1979)) is the best known by our measure: 69 Wikipedia and sister-site articles in different languages. Next come Marc Riboud and Mathieu Jaboulay.

How many famous people were born in Saint-Genis-Laval?

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

Among its famous people, writers and artists: 3 of the 9. That is 33% of the town’s list, against 25% across French towns.

Who is the earliest-born famous person from Saint-Genis-Laval?

Alphonse-Charles Gayet, born in 1833. The youngest on the list was born in 1979.

Who counts as from Saint-Genis-Laval?

People whose Wikidata birthplace is Saint-Genis-Laval 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.