#1Science & Medicine
William Hyde Wollaston
1766–1828English chemist and physicist (1766–1828)
56 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Famous people · Dereham, Norfolk
17 famous people were born in Dereham, more of them writers and artists than in most towns
The best known is the English chemist and physicist William Hyde Wollaston, with articles in 56 languages. Behind the leader come Brian Aldiss and George Borrow. From William Hyde Wollaston to Freddie Steward, the births on the list run from 1766 to 2000. For every 10,000 residents there are 8.2 on the list, well above the typical Norfolk town’s 1.1.
Born here
17
notable people
Best known
William Hyde Wollaston
in 56 Wikipedia languages
First
1766
William Hyde Wollaston
Youngest
2000
Freddie Steward
Most common field
Writing & Arts
5 people
What stands out about Dereham’s famous people
★ What stands out · Known for
What Dereham is known for
No other field is as far above the usual share as writers and artists, at 2.5 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
The best known
Born in Dereham
Languages with an article: 56 for William Hyde Wollaston, 53 for Brian Aldiss, 28 for George Borrow.
#1
#2Writing & Arts
Brian Aldiss
1925–2017British science fiction writer (1925–2017)
53 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
#3Through the years
When Dereham’s famous people were born
The busiest decade was the 1920s, with 2 births.
Writing & ArtsSportsScience & MedicineMusicBusinessFilm, TV & StageNotableMilitary
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Dereham
14 more, best known first.
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Of the towns nearby, 5 have famous names listed.
Questions about famous people from Dereham
Who is the most famous person from Dereham?
William Hyde Wollaston (English chemist and physicist (1766–1828)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 56 languages. Next come Brian Aldiss and George Borrow.
How many famous people were born in Dereham?
17 people born in Dereham have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 21 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Dereham known for?
Among its famous people, writers and artists: 5 of the 17. That is 29% of the town’s list, against 12% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Dereham?
William Hyde Wollaston, born in 1766. The youngest on the list was born in 2000.
Who counts as from Dereham?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Dereham’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 (13)
- William Hyde Wollaston: John Jackson, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Brian Aldiss: Szymon Sokół, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- George Borrow: Henry Wyndham Phillips, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Todd Cantwell: @cfcunofficial c/o:(Chelsea Debs), CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Beth Orton: Simon Fernandez, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ken Thorne: Bert Verhoeff for Anefo, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Matthew Vassar: Charles Loring Elliott, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Freddie Steward: Stefano Delfrate, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- David Fisher: London Stereoscopic & Photographic Company, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- George Skipper: Northmetpit, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lionel Fanthorpe: Jack1956, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Nelson Goulty: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Adrian Francis Laws: Unknown, taken in 1930's in the UK, CC BY-SA 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.