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Famous people · Les Sables-d'Olonne, Vendée

31 famous people were born in Les Sables-d'Olonne, more of them performers than in most towns

At the top of the list is the French pirate of the Caribbean François l'Olonnais, covered in 27 languages. The next two names are Alexis Thébaux and Florelle. 8 of them were born before the Revolution, the first Paul Imbert in 1585. The largest group, 13, was born since 1970.

#1 best knownFrançois l'OlonnaisMilitary · 1630–1667
+27more
Born here
31
confirmed by Wikipedia
Best known
François l'Olonnais
27 Wikipedia and sister-site articles
First
1585
Paul Imbert
Youngest
1997
Alexandre Lauray
Most common field
Politics & Law
11 people

What stands out about Les Sables-d'Olonne’s famous people

★ What stands out · Known for

What Les Sables-d'Olonne is known for

No other field is as far above the usual share as soldiers and sailors, at 2.3 times.

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

Through the years

When Les Sables-d'Olonne’s famous people were born

The 1970s top the chart, with 5 births in the decade.

Ancien RégimeRevolution to EmpireBelle ÉpoqueThe 20th century16001700180019002000Paul ChristopheFlorelleFrançois l'Olonnais
Politics & LawSportsFilm, TV & StageMilitaryWriting & ArtsNotableBusiness

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

The best known

Born in Les Sables-d'Olonne

Ranked by languages covered: François l'Olonnais with 27, then Alexis Thébaux with 11 and Florelle with 8.

François l'Olonnais#1
Military

François l'Olonnais

1630–1667

French pirate of the Caribbean

27 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Alexis Thébaux#2
Sports

Alexis Thébaux

born 1985

French footballer

11 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Florelle#3
Film, TV & Stage

Florelle

1898–1974

French actress and singer

8 Wikipedia and sister-site articlesWikipedia ↗
Everyone

Everyone else born in Les Sables-d'Olonne

28 more, from 1585 to 1997.

Paul Christophe

Paul Christophe

born 1971

French politician

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
AL

Alexandre Lauray

born 1997

French association football player

Alexandre Cougnaud

Alexandre Cougnaud

born 1991

French racing driver

AB

Anne Boileau

born 1975

French table tennis player

FÉ

Frédéric Épaud

born 1970

French actor

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
LG

Louis Guédon

born 1935

French politician

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
OR

Olivier Rossard

born 1965

French volleyball player

Emmanuel Debarre

Emmanuel Debarre

1948–2020

French sculptor

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Pierre de Vaugiraud

Pierre de Vaugiraud

1741–1819

French Navy officer and colonial administrator

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Pierre Aimé Calixte Biroteau des Burondières

Pierre Aimé Calixte Biroteau des Burondières

1743–1829

French politician (1743-1829)

Next door

Famous people from the towns next door

Talmont-Saint-Hilaire leads the towns around it, with 6 names.

Questions about famous people from Les Sables-d'Olonne

Who is the most famous person from Les Sables-d'Olonne?

François l'Olonnais (French pirate of the Caribbean) is the best known by our measure: 27 Wikipedia and sister-site articles in different languages. Next come Alexis Thébaux and Florelle.

How many famous people were born in Les Sables-d'Olonne?

31 people born in Les Sables-d'Olonne have a French Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace (and an English one that agrees, when there is one). Wikidata places 75 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 Les Sables-d'Olonne known for?

Among its famous people, leaders: 11 of the 31. That is 35% of the town’s list, against 24% across French towns.

Who is the earliest-born famous person from Les Sables-d'Olonne?

Paul Imbert, born in 1585. The youngest on the list was born in 1997.

Who counts as from Les Sables-d'Olonne?

People whose Wikidata birthplace is Les Sables-d'Olonne 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 (11)

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.