#1Famous people · Cambridge
Of the 25 famous people born in Cambridge, an unusual share are scientists and doctors
Matt Damon, the American actor, is the most widely known, written about in 114 languages. Second and third on the list are Percy Williams Bridgman and Charles Sanders Peirce. The largest group, 12, was born between 1920 and 1969. The first birth on record is Charles Sanders Peirce’s, in 1839, and the last Mindy Kaling’s, in 1979.
Born here
25
notable people
Best known
Matt Damon
in 114 Wikipedia languages
First
1839
Charles Sanders Peirce
Youngest
1979
Mindy Kaling
Most common field
Film, TV & Stage
7 people
Also called it home
10
notable residents
What stands out about Cambridge’s famous people
★ What stands out · The best known
Born in Cambridge
Scientists and doctors take two of the three places.
#1
#2Science & Medicine
Percy Williams Bridgman
1882–1961American physicist
80 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
#3Science & Medicine
Charles Sanders Peirce
1839–1914American philosopher, logician, mathematician, and scientist
79 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Known for
What Cambridge is known for
Compared with the usual town, scientists and doctors are the most over-represented field, at 3.4 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
Through the years
When Cambridge’s famous people were born
More were born in the 1970s than in any other decade: 5.
Film, TV & StageWriting & ArtsScience & MedicineSportsNotableMusicPolitics & Law
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Cambridge
Still to come: 22 more, from 1857 to 1979.
Bradford Washburn
1910–2007American explorer, mountaineer, photographer, and cartographer
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
A chosen home
Also called Cambridge home
Notable people Wikidata lists as living in Cambridge, though born elsewhere.
Vladimir Nabokov
1899–1977Russian-American novelist, lepidopterist, professor
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
The town’s pick
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Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
The longest list nearby is Arlington’s, with 51.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Cambridge 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 (11)
- Matt Damon: PhilipRomano, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Percy Williams Bridgman: Nobel foundation, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Charles Sanders Peirce: Napoleon Sarony, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Vladimir Nabokov: Walter Mori (Mondadori Publishers), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Walter Gropius: Louis Held, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Neil Gaiman: Kyle Cassidy, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Thomas Kuhn: Bob Bielk, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Malkovich: Elena Ternovaja, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Edgar Allan Poe: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jean Rogers: trailer screenshot (MGM), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Harriet Hosmer: Augustus Robin (engraver; NY), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons