#172 famous people were born in Pontoise, more of them athletes than in most towns
Nicolas Flamel, the French scrivener, is the most widely known, written about in 50 languages. Among the 73 towns in Val-d'Oise with famous people on record, the town ranks 2nd. Since 1970, 32 were born, the most of any period. The first birth on record is Nicolas Flamel’s, in 1335, and the last Djibril Coulibaly’s, in 2008.
What stands out about Pontoise’s famous people
Born in Pontoise
Ranked by languages covered: Nicolas Flamel with 50, then Philippe II de Bourgogne with 48 and Céline Sciamma with 40.
#1
#2Philippe II de Bourgogne
1342–1404Duke of Burgundy (1342-1404)
Céline Sciamma
born 1978French director and screenwriter (born 1978)
What Pontoise is known for
Pontoise has 1.8× the usual share of athletes.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed in French towns. Tap a field to see its people.
When Pontoise’s famous people were born
More of them were born in the 1990s than in any other ten years, 16 in all.
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone else born in Pontoise
The other 69 span the years 1564 to 2008.
Jean-Éric Vergne
born 1990French racing driver (Son Of Daniel Ricciardo in STR Ferrari)












Jacques Dubois
1694–1763French master cabinet maker specialized in marquetry (1694-1763)



Louis Nicolas Marin Leclerc des Essarts
1770–1820French soldier and officer (1770-1820)

Denys Pradelle
1913–1999French architect and urban planner (1913-1999)




Jean-Jacques de Bresson
1920–2004French magistrate and official (1920–2004)
Jean-Marcel Champion
1939–1996French academic and trade unionist (1939-1996)
No one matches both filters.
Famous people from the towns next door
Nearby, Conflans-Sainte-Honorine has the most on record, with 16.
Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône · 1 miGustave Brochant de Villiers & 3 morePDAuvers-sur-Oise · 3 miPhilippe Delerm & 3 more
Méry-sur-Oise · 4 miOdile Monguillon & 2 more
Cergy · 2 miNorbert Abramov & 1 moreCLOsny · 2 miChristian Léon
Pierrelaye · 4 miLéon Germain PelouseRDVauréal · 4 miRaymond DupuytremQuestions about famous people from Pontoise
Who is the most famous person from Pontoise?
Nicolas Flamel (French scrivener) is the best known by our measure: 50 Wikipedia and sister-site articles in different languages. Next come Philippe II de Bourgogne and Céline Sciamma.
How many famous people were born in Pontoise?
72 people born in Pontoise have a French Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace (and an English one that agrees, when there is one). Wikidata places 105 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 Pontoise known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 25 of the 72. That is 35% of the town’s list, against 19% across French towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Pontoise?
Nicolas Flamel, born in 1335. The youngest on the list was born in 2008.
Who counts as from Pontoise?
People whose Wikidata birthplace is Pontoise 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 (26)
- Nicolas Flamel: Balthasar Moncornet, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Philippe II de Bourgogne: anonymous, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Amine Harit: Nawfel Ajari, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Charles Victoire Emmanuel Leclerc: François Kinson, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jacques Vallée: Christopher Michel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Édouard-Alfred Martel: Nadar, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jordan Sepho: Sport en France, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Serge-Philippe Raux Yao: Fexedyte, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Félix Pissarro: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Christophe Lebon: Ludoms, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lander Seynaeve: Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Luc Loubaki: René Hourdry, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brice Dessert: Like tears in rain, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Peter Valier: Ludovic Macia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jules Dubois: Beau, Jules (1864-1932). Photographe, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Armand Donon: J. B. Humbert, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Albert Guilbert: Unknown photographer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Étienne Patte: Auteur inconnu, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Georges Truffaut: Braun [& Cie], Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Serge Heftler-Louiche: Studio Harcourt, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Stéphane Gildas: Coulombel Carine, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Zakaria Attou: 2ZK, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gustave Brochant de Villiers: Mayer et Pierson, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Odile Monguillon: Jean Ferand, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Norbert Abramov: Benj05, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Léon Germain Pelouse: Fernand Cormon, 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.