#1Science & Medicine
Jeremiah Dixon
1733–1779English surveyor and astronomer (1733–1779)
15 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Cockfield, County Durham
From 1733 to 1947, Cockfield was the birthplace of 7 famous people
Most widely known is Jeremiah Dixon, the English surveyor and astronomer, with articles in 15 languages. The largest group, 4, was born in the 20th century. The list’s best known name, Jeremiah Dixon, dates from 1733. More are athletes than anything else, 4 in all.
Born here
7
notable people
Best known
Jeremiah Dixon
in 15 Wikipedia languages
First
1733
Jeremiah Dixon
Youngest
1947
Brian Fletcher
Most common field
Sports
4 people
What stands out about Cockfield’s famous people
★ What stands out · Through the years
When Cockfield’s famous people were born
No decade has more births than the 1940s, at 2.
SportsScience & Medicine
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
The best known
Born in Cockfield
Scientists and doctors take two of the three places.
#1NC#2
#3Science & Medicine
Robert Dixon
1800–1858Australian surveyor and explorer (1800–1858)
5 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Known for
What Cockfield is known for
Cockfield has 5.8× the usual share of scientists and doctors.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Cockfield
Another 4, 3 of them athletes.
John White
1826–1891English-born scholar of Maori language and culture (1826-1891)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Nearby, Bishop Auckland has the most on record, with 95.
Bishop Auckland · 6 miRoss Turnbull & 94 more
Crook · 7 miJack Greenwell & 21 moreBAShildon · 7 miBill Allison & 14 more
Barnard Castle · 6 miC. Northcote Parkinson & 10 moreTAWest Auckland · 4 miTom Alderson & 6 moreHBCoundon and Leeholme · 8 miHarry Bruce & 3 moreCSHeighington · 8 miCharles Surtees & 2 moreQuestions about famous people from Cockfield
Who is the most famous person from Cockfield?
Jeremiah Dixon (English surveyor and astronomer (1733–1779)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 15 languages. Next come Neville Chapman and Robert Dixon.
How many famous people were born in Cockfield?
7 people born in Cockfield have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace.
What is Cockfield known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 4 of the 7. That is 57% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Cockfield?
Jeremiah Dixon, born in 1733. The youngest on the list was born in 1947.
Who counts as from Cockfield?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Cockfield’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 (5)
- Jeremiah Dixon: Illustrator unknown; published by Ginn and Company., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Dixon: Unidentified photographer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Ross Turnbull: Ross_Turnbull_in_2009.jpg: p_a_h from United Kingdom derivative work: Ytoyoda, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jack Greenwell: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- C. Northcote Parkinson: Wim van Rossem for Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl, 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.