#1Performers stand out among the 28 famous people born in Worcester
At the top of the list is the American physicist Robert H. Goddard, covered in 83 languages. Elizabeth Bishop, the American poet, comes second, with Alicia Witt third. Between 1920 and 1969, 14 were born, the most of any period. Born in 1882, Robert H. Goddard is the first name on record, and Matt Mobley, born in 1994, the most recent.
What stands out about Worcester’s famous people
What Worcester is known for
The field furthest above the usual share is performers, at 3 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
Born in Worcester
Three names lead: Robert H. Goddard (83 languages), Elizabeth Bishop (59) and Alicia Witt (47).
#1
#2
#3Alicia Witt
born 1975American actress and singer-songwriter
When Worcester’s famous people were born
More were born in the 1950s than in any other decade: 5.
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone else born in Worcester
Still to come: 25 more, from 1886 to 1994.




Lillian Asplund
1906–2006One of the last three living survivors:RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912
Diana Der Hovanessian
1934–2018Armenian American poet, translator, and author
No one matches both filters.
Also called Worcester home
Notable people Wikidata lists as living in Worcester, though born elsewhere.

Who’s the most famous person from Worcester?
Pick one and say why. Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Be the first to say who Worcester’s most famous person is.
Famous people from the towns next door
The best known from each town bordering Worcester.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Worcester 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)
- Robert H. Goddard: NASA, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Elizabeth Bishop: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Alicia Witt: Mingle MediaTV, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Arthur Kennedy: ABC Television, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Adams: The original uploader was Macror at English Wikipedia. (Original text: Deborah O'Grady), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ronald Dworkin: David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Denis Leary: Adam Freese at https://www.flickr.com/photos/31582437@N05/, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bob Cousy: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Adams Whipple: Francis D'Avignon (1813-1861), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Mike Birbiglia: Photographer: Brian Friedman. Copyright holder: Mike Lavoie, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jeffrey Lynn: Trailer screenshot Licencing information :https://web.archive.org/web/20080321033709/http://www.sabucat.com/?pg=copyright and http://www.creativeclearance.com/guidelines.html#D2, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons


