#1Sports
Dean Henderson
born 1997English association football player (born 1997)
44 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Whitehaven, Cumbria
91 famous people were born in Whitehaven, more of them athletes than in most towns
The best known is the English association football player Dean Henderson, with articles in 44 languages. Scott Carson, the English association football player, comes second, with Brad Kavanagh third. The largest group, 37, was born since 1970. For every 10,000 residents there are 39.6 on the list, well above the typical Cumbria town’s 10.4.
Born here
91
notable people
Best known
Dean Henderson
in 44 Wikipedia languages
First
1762
James Boaden
Youngest
2004
Jonny Edgar
Most common field
Sports
67 people
What stands out about Whitehaven’s famous people
Still making namesThe most recent birth on the list came in 2004, among 51 since 1950.Known worldwideDean Henderson has an article in 44 languages, more than anyone else from here.A town of athletesAthletes make up 67 of the 91, 1.5 times the usual share.91 notable peopleMore than most towns: 91 notable people were born in Whitehaven.
★ What stands out · Through the years
When Whitehaven’s famous people were born
Births peak in the 1990s, with 15 people born in that decade.
SportsPolitics & LawScience & MedicineWriting & ArtsFilm, TV & StageMilitaryMusicFaithNotable
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
The best known
Born in Whitehaven
Athletes take two of the three places.
#1
#2
#3Known for
What Whitehaven is known for
Compared with the usual town, athletes are the most over-represented field, at 1.5 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Whitehaven
Of the other 88, 65 are athletes.
Edith Mary Brown
1864–1956British medical doctor and Christian missionary to India (1864-1956)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Mary Grey, Countess Grey
1776–1861British aristocrat and wife of Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (1776-1861)
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
The neighbour with the most names is Workington, at 58.
Questions about famous people from Whitehaven
Who is the most famous person from Whitehaven?
Dean Henderson (English association football player (born 1997)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 44 languages. Next come Scott Carson and Brad Kavanagh.
How many famous people were born in Whitehaven?
91 people born in Whitehaven have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 98 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Whitehaven known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 67 of the 91. That is 74% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Whitehaven?
James Boaden, born in 1762. The youngest on the list was born in 2004.
Who counts as from Whitehaven?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Whitehaven’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 (38)
- Dean Henderson: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Scott Carson: The original uploader was Jonesy702 at English Wikipedia., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Brad Kavanagh: FC Brad Kavanagh, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jonny Edgar: F1Marv, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bob Benson: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jackie Sewell: footysphere from Sheffield, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jack Lawson: Howard Coster, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Edith Mary Brown: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Salmon: Robert Salmon, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Thomson: Alexander Bassano, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Adele Walker: Marcel Laponder, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jordan Clark: Dave Morton, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Mark Jenkinson: Richard Townshend, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paul Nicholson: Hayden Schiff from Cincinnati, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Graham Clark: Dave Morton, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Irving Hexham: Irvinghexham at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ron McGarry: Mark Richards, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- William Nicholson: The original uploader was Adam Carr at English Wikipedia., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Abraham Acton: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Kyle Amor: http://picasaweb.google.com/barrau.gerard, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mary Grey, Countess Grey: Samuel Cousins / After Thomas Lawrence, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- William Valentine: William Valentine - Self Portrait, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- David Bevan: Gtgith, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Frank Hall: Berengaria, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- James Boaden: Vermer & Hood (Mezzotint), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- James Donaldson: Gerard Barrau, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kitty Melrose: No photographer credited in original source., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Lee Mossop: Gerard Barrau, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Peter Lupton: Gerard Barrau, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rod Melvin: Louis Melvin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brett Phillips: Mike Cable, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jamie Doran: Jack86mkII, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jordan Johnstone: Fleets, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Matthew Postlethwaite: RealTVfilms, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Tom Iredale: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Lawrence Arthur Colley Panton: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Edmund Grindal: Attributed to Dirk Vos / Follower of Dirk Vos, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Trudy Harrison: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0, 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.