#154 famous people were born in Bloomington, more of them performers than in most towns
Most widely known is Clinton Davisson, the American physicist, with articles in 83 languages. Close behind are Elbert Green Hubbard and George Lincoln Rockwell. For every 10,000 residents the town has 6.8, while at least half the towns in Illinois list nobody born there. 22 of them were born in the age of mills and railroads, more than in any other period.
What stands out about Bloomington’s famous people
Born in Bloomington
By how many languages cover them, Clinton Davisson comes first (83), then Elbert Green Hubbard (59) and George Lincoln Rockwell (38).
#1
#2Elbert Green Hubbard
1856–1915American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher
#3George Lincoln Rockwell
1918–1967American founder of the American Nazi Party
What Bloomington is known for
The field furthest above the usual share is performers, at 2.2 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
When Bloomington’s famous people were born
The 1950s top the chart, with 7 births in the decade.
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone else born in Bloomington
Of the other 51, 15 are athletes.





















Margaret Merwin Patch
1894–1987Arts administrator, statistician, data visualization, founder of Merwin-Davis Statistical Reports and Charts
No one matches both filters.
Also called Bloomington home
Notable people Wikidata lists as living in Bloomington, though born elsewhere.
Who’s the most famous person from Bloomington?
Pick one and say why. Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Be the first to say who Bloomington’s most famous person is.
Famous people from the towns next door
Of the towns around it, Bloomington City Township has the most on record: 54.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Bloomington and whose English Wikipedia article agrees, ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. People known mainly for crimes, and adult performers, aren’t listed. “The usual town” = everyone born in the towns gathered so far.
Photo credits (25)
- Clinton Davisson: Nobel foundation, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Elbert Green Hubbard: Aalejandro1995, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- George Lincoln Rockwell: Warren K. Leffler, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Kelly Loeffler: Office of Senator Kelly Loeffler, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Richard Webb: CBS Television, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Cleo Madison: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ogonna Nnamani: Eric Draper, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Benjamin Lincoln Robinson: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Frederic Goudy: Arnold Genthe, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Rachel Crothers: Bain News Service, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Irene Delroy: Theatre Magazine, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- James Harvey Robinson: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- James Robert Mann: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Forrest Taylor: Lone Star Productions, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Margaret Illington: Bain News Service, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Kathleen McClellan: Anabelassist, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pokey LaFarge: GuyFrancis, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sidney Smith: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Christin Wurth-Thomas: 800_m_women_2010_ISTAF_Berlin.jpg: André Zehetbauer from Schwerin, Deutschland derivative work: CutOffTies, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Frank H. Funk: National Photo Company, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- James Harbord: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Joel Higgins: Bob Waters Agency-New York (management), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William R. Roy: US Government Printing Office, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Pete Elliott: Photographer not named (unattributed photographs in the 1962 Michiganensian were taken by students working on the Michiganensian staff), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- McLean Stevenson: CBS Television, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

