#1Famous people · Wolverhampton, West Midlands
450 famous people come from Wolverhampton, Liam Payne the best known
Liam Payne, the English singer-songwriter, is the most widely known, written about in 68 languages. Close behind are Ashley Williams and Sam Morsy. The largest group, 206, was born in the 20th century. For every 10,000 residents there are 19.2 on the list, well above the typical West Midlands town’s 5.7.
Born here
450
notable people
Best known
Liam Payne
in 68 Wikipedia languages
First
1642
Bonaventure Giffard
Youngest
2006
Henry Searle
Most common field
Sports
252 people
What stands out about Wolverhampton’s famous people
★ What stands out · The best known
Born in Wolverhampton
Athletes take two of the three places.
#1
#2Sports
Ashley Williams
born 1984Welsh association football player (born 1984)
45 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
#3Sports
Sam Morsy
born 1991Egyptian association football player (born 1991)
36 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
Through the years
When Wolverhampton’s famous people were born
Count by decade and the 1960s come out on top, with 53 births.
SportsPolitics & LawWriting & ArtsMusicFilm, TV & StageScience & MedicineNotableBusinessMilitaryFaith
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born. The 400 best known are plotted.
Known for
What Wolverhampton is known for
Set against the usual town, musicians come out 1.4 times as common.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Wolverhampton
447 more; the 197 best known are listed here.
David Watkins
born 1940Artist, jeweler, and designer of Olympic medal (born 1940)
Writing & ArtsWikipedia ↗
Alison Etheridge
born 1964Professor of Probability at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Ernest Cox
1883–1959Electrical and mechanical engineer and marine salvage expert (1883–1959)
Science & MedicineWikipedia ↗
Bob Jones
1955–2014Police and Crime Commissioner for West Midlands Police (1955-2014)
Politics & LawWikipedia ↗
Jack Hayward
1923–2015Businessman, owner of Wolverhampton Wanderers, philanthropist
BusinessWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
Bilston has the longest list next door: 45.
JFBilston · 3 miJames Fleet & 44 more
Tipton · 5 miMargaret MacDonald & 39 more
Willenhall · 3 miAllan Clarke & 23 more
Sedgley · 4 miBrian Berry & 17 moreBADarlaston · 4 miBill Arblaster & 16 more
Coseley · 4 miKelly Groucutt & 12 more
Codsall · 4 miWilliam Regal & 3 moreIPWombourne · 5 miIan Painter & 1 more
Tipton · 5 miMargaret MacDonald & 39 moreWillenhall · 3 miAllan Clarke & 23 moreSedgley · 4 miBrian Berry & 17 moreBADarlaston · 4 miBill Arblaster & 16 moreCoseley · 4 miKelly Groucutt & 12 moreCodsall · 4 miWilliam Regal & 3 moreIPWombourne · 5 miIan Painter & 1 moreQuestions about famous people from Wolverhampton
Who is the most famous person from Wolverhampton?
Liam Payne (English singer-songwriter (1993–2024)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 68 languages. Next come Ashley Williams and Sam Morsy.
How many famous people were born in Wolverhampton?
450 people born in Wolverhampton have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 497 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Wolverhampton known for?
Among its famous people, athletes: 252 of the 450. That is 56% of the town’s list, against 49% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Wolverhampton?
Bonaventure Giffard, born in 1642. The youngest on the list was born in 2006.
Who counts as from Wolverhampton?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Wolverhampton’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 (94)
- Liam Payne: Soccer Aid for UNICEF, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ashley Williams: Steindy 16:12, 10 November 2016 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sam Morsy: Ben Sutherland from Crystal Palace, London, UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Anya Chalotra: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Stuart Baxter: Mika Heikkinen, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Andre Gray: @cfcunofficial (Chelsea Debs) London, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Catherine Eddowes: Unknown photographer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Robert Jenrick: ©House of Commons / photography by Roger Harris, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dave Holland: Brianmcmillen, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Don Howe: Kroon, Ron for Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl, Wikimedia Commons
- Jack Taylor: Nationaal Archief, Den Haag, Rijksfotoarchief: Fotocollectie Algemeen Nederlands Fotopersbureau (ANEFO), 1945-1989 - negatiefstroken zwart/wit, nummer toegang 2.24.01.05, bestanddeelnummer 927-9042, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl, Wikimedia Commons
- Karl Henry: Bradford City AFC, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Richard Attwood: Raimund Kommer, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Evelyn Underhill: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jack Rowley: Joop van Bilsen for Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl, Wikimedia Commons
- Meera Syal: The Asian Awards, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Richard Stearman: https://www.flickr.com/photos/34517490@N00/, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Scarlxrd: Muzike Org, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fred Pentland: FA, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Maria Miller: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- John Rhodes: Unknown photographer, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Miles Mander: DVD (20th Century Fox), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Alfred Noyes: Unknown (Bain News Service, publisher), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Connor Goldson: Эдгар Брещанов, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Margaret Lee: Lucio Fulci / Alfio Contini, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Beverley Knight: Amy Martin Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jim Lea: AVRO, CC BY-SA 3.0 nl, Wikimedia Commons
- Hugh Porter: Racklever, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Jake Jervis: Will Viles / Will bcfc at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kevin Rowland: user:Egghead06, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Andy Tennant: Cs-wolves, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Frances Barber: Newcastle Libraries, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Simon Hart: Chris McAndrew, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Iskra Lawrence: Sintegrity, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Roger Davies: Dan Wright (credited), CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gary Williams: Marcel Antonisse / Anefo, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kristian Thomas: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Maggie Teyte: Herman Mishkin, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Emma Reynolds: ©House of Commons / photography by Roger Harris, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Nigel Bennett: The original uploader was Heidekraut at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Paul Raven: zimpenfish / rjp, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Carina Round: User mediadisorder, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Mandy Takhar: News18 Punjab, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Trent Seven: TDOldSpice, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bill Etheridge: Derek Bennett, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dean Smith: Skully Collins, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Des Lyttle: Jonesy702 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Henry Searle: Davidjmr, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Scott Brown: Mattythewhite, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alison Young: Stephen and Helen Jones, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Dion Sanderson: Timmy96, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Macka B: Krd, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Sean O'Driscoll: Æthelred, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Willard Wigan: AIB (Association for International Broadcasting), CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Actress: SHARE Conference, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alan Lindsay Mackay: Julyancartwright, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brian Pendleton: Photographer: Joop van Bilsen (ANEFO), CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Georgia Elwiss: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Keith Lowe: Mattythewhite, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Marc Richards: Mattythewhite, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Nathaniel Wedderburn: Exxy, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Philip Pargeter: Fr James Bradley from Southampton, UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Scott Matthews: Emma Farrer, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Alison Etheridge: Royal Society uploader, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Edward Bird: Edward Villiers Rippingille (c. 1790–1859), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Herbert Westren Turnbull: University of St Andrews, Scotland, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jane Stevenson: David Woolfall, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mark Briggs: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Mark O'Shea: Papblak, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Martin Riley: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bluewheelofficial/, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Nathan Fraser: Æthelred, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rob Marris: Alex Latham, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Shaun Perry: Patrick K, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Austin Samuels: Skippo10, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Christopher Gill: Euro Realist Newsletter, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Greville Texidor: Bain News Service, publisher, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Judith Keppel: Hannah Madsen, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- S-X: Mixtape Madness, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Thomas John I'Anson Bromwich: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Wayne Jones: Sven Mandel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- William Bidlake: William Thomas Pike (died 1924), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Amari Morgan-Smith: https://www.flickr.com/photos/60534510@N00/, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Antonio Aakeel: Michael Shelford, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bob Jones: West Midlands Police, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Celeste Dring: Marie Claire UK, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Craig Hinton: JJ Hall from Peckham Rye, London, UK, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Edith Henrietta Fowler: No photographer credited., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Jack Hayward: Elliott Brown from Birmingham, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Matthew Lamb: Dave Morton, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Margaret MacDonald: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Allan Clarke: lufcfilms, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brian Berry: Ybargal, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kelly Groucutt: Alterna2 http://www.alterna2.com, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- William Regal: Jjron, 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.