#1Famous people · Rochester
Most of the 46 famous people born in Rochester came into the world between 1920 and 1969
Lea Thompson, the American actress, is the most widely known, written about in 45 languages. Among the 426 towns in Minnesota with famous people on record, the town ranks 3rd. For every 10,000 residents the town has 3.8, while at least half the towns in Minnesota list nobody born there. From John Jeremiah Lawler to Raphaël Collignon, the births on the list run from 1862 to 2002.
Born here
46
notable people
Best known
Lea Thompson
in 45 Wikipedia languages
First
1862
John Jeremiah Lawler
Youngest
2002
Raphaël Collignon
Most common field
Sports
14 people
Also called it home
5
notable residents
What stands out about Rochester’s famous people
★ What stands out · Through the years
When Rochester’s famous people were born
No decade has more births than the 1960s, at 7.
SportsPolitics & LawFilm, TV & StageWriting & ArtsNotableScience & MedicineMusicFaith
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
The best known
Born in Rochester
Performers take two of the three places.
#1
#2
#3Known for
What Rochester is known for
Set against the usual town, performers come out 1.4 times as common.
The usual town: the share across everyone born in the towns gathered so far. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Rochester
Still to come: 43 more, from 1862 to 2002.
Joseph Coffey
born 1960American Roman Catholic priest, former Navy chaplain and bishop
FaithWikipedia ↗
Laurinda Hope Spear
born 1950American architect, landscape architect, designer
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
A chosen home
Also called Rochester home
Notable people Wikidata lists as living in Rochester, though born elsewhere.
Judy Onofrio
born 1939American artist, ceramicist, jeweler, sculptor, teacher
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
The town’s pick
Town Square →Who’s the most famous person from Rochester?
Pick one and say why. Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
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Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Only High Forest Township nearby has a name on record.
From Wikidata and Wikipedia: people whose birthplace is Rochester 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 (9)
- Lea Thompson: Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV from Culver City, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bethanie Mattek-Sands: si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sheree J. Wilson: Jdpaschal, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Eric Butorac: si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Michael C. Burgess: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Culver: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Raphaël Collignon: si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Michael York: Jeremiah Garcia, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- William Fawcett: TV episode screenshot (CBS), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons