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Famous people · Ham, Somme

Of the 9 famous people born in Ham, an unusual share are leaders

Articles in 32 languages make the French physicist Jean-Charles Peltier the best known. 5 of them were born before the Revolution, more than in any other period. As early as 1494, Antoinette de Bourbon was born here, one of 5 born before the Revolution. The list comes to 20.6 for every 10,000 residents, against 2.3 in the typical town in Somme.

#1 best knownJean-Charles PeltierScience & Medicine · 1785–1845
+5more
Born here
9
confirmed by Wikipedia
Best known
Jean-Charles Peltier
32 Wikipedia and sister-site articles
First
1494
Antoinette de Bourbon
Youngest
1868
Léon Accambray
Most common field
Politics & Law
4 people

What stands out about Ham’s famous people

★ What stands out · Through the years

When Ham’s famous people were born

The 1860s top the chart, with 2 births in the decade.

Ancien RégimeRevolution to Empire15001550160016501700175018001850Marie SurcoufAchille-Joseph BernotJean-Joseph VadéAntoinette de Bourbon
Politics & LawMilitaryScience & MedicineMusicNotable

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

Known for

What Ham is known for

Set against the usual town, leaders come out 1.9 times as common.

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

The best known

Born in Ham

Jean-Charles Peltier leads with articles in 32 languages, ahead of Antoinette de Bourbon (23) and Maximilien Sébastien Foy (17).

Jean-Charles Peltier#1
Science & Medicine

Jean-Charles Peltier

1785–1845

French physicist (1785-1845)

32 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Antoinette de Bourbon#2
Politics & Law

Antoinette de Bourbon

1494–1583

Duchess consort of Guise

23 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Maximilien Sébastien Foy#3
Military

Maximilien Sébastien Foy

1775–1825

French military leader, statesman and writer (1775-1825)

17 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Everyone

Everyone else born in Ham

The other 6 span the years 1720 to 1868.

Jean-Joseph Vadé

Jean-Joseph Vadé

1720–1757

French chansonnier, composer and writer (1720–1757)

Marie Surcouf

Marie Surcouf

1863–1928

French balloonist and feminist

Maximilien Sébastien Auguste Foy

Maximilien Sébastien Auguste Foy

1815–1871

French diplomat and politician (1815-1871)

Next door

Famous people from the towns next door

The most names next door are in Saint-Quentin: 138.

Questions about famous people from Ham

Who is the most famous person from Ham?

Jean-Charles Peltier (French physicist (1785-1845)) is the best known by our measure: 32 Wikipedia and sister-site articles in different languages. Next come Antoinette de Bourbon and Maximilien Sébastien Foy.

How many famous people were born in Ham?

9 people born in Ham have a French Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace (and an English one that agrees, when there is one). Wikidata places 14 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 Ham known for?

Among its famous people, leaders: 4 of the 9. That is 44% of the town’s list, against 24% across French towns.

Who is the earliest-born famous person from Ham?

Antoinette de Bourbon, born in 1494. The youngest on the list was born in 1868.

Who counts as from Ham?

People whose Wikidata birthplace is Ham 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 (10)

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.