AD#1
Famous people · Cottenham, Cambridgeshire
2 famous people were born in Cottenham from 1636 to 1978
Adam Drury, the English footballer, is the most widely known, written about in 13 languages. The only other name is the archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Tenison. Nearby, Cambridge, 6 mi away, lists 529, led by John Maynard Keynes. The list’s best known name, Adam Drury, dates from 1978.
Born here
2
notable people
Best known
Adam Drury
in 13 Wikipedia languages
First
1636
Thomas Tenison
Youngest
1978
Adam Drury
Most common field
Sports
1 people
The best known
Born in Cottenham
#2Known for
What Cottenham is known for
Share of Cottenham’s famous people in each field.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Cambridge has the longest list next door: 529.
Questions about famous people from Cottenham
Who is the most famous person from Cottenham?
Adam Drury (English footballer (born 1978)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 13 languages. Next come Thomas Tenison.
How many famous people were born in Cottenham?
2 people born in Cottenham have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace.
What is Cottenham known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 1 of the 2. That is 50% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Cottenham?
Thomas Tenison, born in 1636. The youngest on the list was born in 1978.
Who counts as from Cottenham?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Cottenham’s built-up area (the ONS 2022 boundary), a hospital or district within it included, whose English Wikipedia article agrees. 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 bigger area (“London”), another town, or missing, or their article may give no birthplace. We only list people both sources agree on; editing Wikidata or Wikipedia changes this page at the next refresh.
From Wikidata (CC0: birthplaces, descriptions, years, occupations) and English Wikipedia (each person’s article confirms the birthplace; linked, not quoted). Birthplaces are placed in the town by the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary (Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0). Ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. Fields are read from Wikidata’s description and occupations. “The usual town”: everyone listed across UK towns. Portraits: each person’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (2)
- Thomas Tenison: Unidentified painter, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Maynard Keynes: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.