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Famous people · Darlington, County Durham

176 famous people come from Darlington, James Morrison the best known

Articles in 25 languages make the association football player James Morrison the best known. Bailey Peacock-Farrell is second and Giuseppe Wilson third. In the 20th century, 73 were born, the most of any period. From William Southerne to Matthew Brennan, the births on the list run from 1569 to 2005.

#1 best knownJames MorrisonSports · born 1986
+172more
Born here
176
notable people
Best known
James Morrison
in 25 Wikipedia languages
First
1569
William Southerne
Youngest
2005
Matthew Brennan
Most common field
Sports
111 people

What stands out about Darlington’s famous people

★ What stands out · Through the years

When Darlington’s famous people were born

The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 18 births.

Before the GeorgiansGeorgianVictorianThe 20th centuryToday16001700180019002000Bailey Peacock-FarrellAl Pease
SportsScience & MedicineWriting & ArtsPolitics & LawFilm, TV & StageMusicNotableBusinessMilitaryFaith

Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.

The best known

Born in Darlington

Counted by languages, James Morrison is ahead of Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Giuseppe Wilson: 25, 22 and 22.

James Morrison#1
Sports

James Morrison

born 1986

Association football player

25 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Bailey Peacock-Farrell#2
Sports

Bailey Peacock-Farrell

born 1996

Northern Irish association football player

22 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Giuseppe Wilson#3
Sports

Giuseppe Wilson

1945–2022

Italian footballer (born 1945)

22 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Known for

What Darlington is known for

Sports leads the fields, with 111 people.

The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.

Everyone

Everyone else born in Darlington

173 more, from 1569 to 2005.

Julie Bindel

Julie Bindel

born 1962

British radical feminist

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
AP

Al Pease

1921–2014

British-born Canadian racing driver

Katherine Routledge

Katherine Routledge

1866–1935

British archaeologist (1866–1935)

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Jann Mardenborough

Jann Mardenborough

born 1991

British racing driver

HC

Harry Catterick

1919–1985

English footballer and manager (1919-1985)

Ronald Brebner

Ronald Brebner

1881–1914

English footballer (1881-1914)

Charlie Roberts

Charlie Roberts

1883–1939

English footballer and manager (1883-1939)

Ralph Hodgson

Ralph Hodgson

1871–1962

British writer (1871-1962)

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Gary Martin

Gary Martin

born 1990

English association football player

AM

Anne Monson

1726–1776

English botanist and collector of plants and insects (1726-1776)

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
JS

John Summerson

1904–1992

British architectural historian (1904–1992)

Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Luis Longstaff

Luis Longstaff

born 2001

English association football player (born 2001)

RH

Richard Hurndall

1910–1984

British actor (1910–1984)

Film, TV & StageWikipedia ↗
Willie Smith

Willie Smith

1886–1982

British snooker and billiard player (1886-1982)

AH

Anthony Havelock-Allan

1904–2003

British Baronet (1904-2003)

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
AJ

Adam Jackson

born 1994

English association football player (born 1994)

CA

Charles Allan

1908–1947

English footballer (born 1910)

Elizabeth Pease Nichol

Elizabeth Pease Nichol

1807–1897

British activist

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
GB

George Barron

1883–1961

English footballer (1883-1961)

Jack Pease, 1st Baron Gainford

Jack Pease, 1st Baron Gainford

1860–1943

British politician (1860-1943)

Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Mary Osborn

Mary Osborn

born 1940

British molecular biologist

Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Next door

Famous people from the towns next door

Of the towns nearby, Stockton-on-Tees lists the most people: 219.

Questions about famous people from Darlington

Who is the most famous person from Darlington?

James Morrison (association football player) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 25 languages. Next come Bailey Peacock-Farrell and Giuseppe Wilson.

How many famous people were born in Darlington?

176 people born in Darlington have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 201 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.

What is Darlington known for?

Among its famous people, athletes: 111 of the 176. That is 63% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.

Who is the earliest-born famous person from Darlington?

William Southerne, born in 1569. The youngest on the list was born in 2005.

Who counts as from Darlington?

People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Darlington’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 (53)

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.