This is a non-exhaustive list of people who were born in the

Occitania Occitania ( oc, Occitània , , or ) is the historical region in Western and Southern Europe where the Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes still used as a second language. This cultural area roughly encompasse ...

historical territory, or notable people from other regions of France or Europe with Occitan roots, or notable people from other regions of France or Europe who have other significant links with the historical region. One may note that this article, 'Notable people from Occitania', is compound for a large part of personalities from the historical region of Occitania and/or who own an Occitan patronym and/or who lived for the major part of their lives in the Occitania historical territory, yet an important part of the list members still can't be considered as belonging to the Occitan historical heritage, mainly due to their mother-tongue, French. Ingres, Self-portrait

Writers, playwrights and poets

* Petronius,

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official ...

during the reign of

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unti ...

from Massalia, author of the

Satyricon The ''Satyricon'', ''Satyricon'' ''liber'' (''The Book of Satyrlike Adventures''), or ''Satyrica'', is a Latin work of fiction believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius, though the manuscript tradition identifies the author as Titus Petr ...

. *

Ausonius Decimius Magnus Ausonius (; – c. 395) was a Roman poet and teacher of rhetoric from Burdigala in Aquitaine, modern Bordeaux, France. For a time he was tutor to the future emperor Gratian, who afterwards bestowed the consulship on him ...

, 4th century Roman poet from Burdigalia. * Bertran de Born, 12th century

troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairi ...

. * William IX, early troubadour and knight crusader. *

Marcabru Marcabru (; fl. 1130–1150) is one of the earliest troubadours whose poems are known. There is no certain information about him; the two '' vidas'' attached to his poems tell different stories, and both are evidently built on hints in the poems; ...

, early 12th century troubadour. *

Monge de Montaudon The (Lo) Monge de Montaudon (meaning "monk of Montaudon") ( fl. 1193–1210Gaunt and Kay, Appendix I, 287.), born Pèire de Vic, was a nobleman, monk, and troubadour from the Auvergne, born at the castle of Vic-sur-Cère near Aurillac, where ...

, 12th century troubadour. *

Peire Vidal Peire Vidal ( fl. 12th century) was an Old Occitan troubadour. Forty-five of his songs are extant. The twelve that still have melodies bear testament to the deserved nature of his musical reputation. There is no contemporary reference to Peire o ...

, early 13th century troubadour. *

Jaufre Rudel Jaufre Rudel (Jaufré in modern Occitan) was the Prince of Blaye (''Princes de Blaia'') and a troubadour of the early- to mid-12th century, who probably died during the Second Crusade, in or after 1147. He is noted for developing the theme of "lo ...

, major troubadour and crusader. *

Peire d'Alvernhe Peire d'Alvernhe or d'Alvernha (''Pèire'' in modern Occitan; b. c. 1130) was an Auvergnat troubadour (active 1149–1170) with twenty-oneGaunt and Kay, 287. or twenty-fourEgan, 72.Aubrey, ''The Music of the Troubadours'', 8. surviving works ...

, second half of the 12th century troubadour. *

Comtessa de Dia The Comtessa de Dia (Countess of Die), possibly named Beatritz or Isoarda (fl. c. 1175 or c. 1212), was a trobairitz (female troubadour). She is only known as the ''comtessa de Dia'' in contemporary documents, but was most likely the daughter o ...

, 12th century

trobairitz The ''trobairitz'' () were Occitan female troubadours of the 12th and 13th centuries, active from around 1170 to approximately 1260. ''Trobairitz'' is both singular and plural. The word ''trobairitz'' is first attested in the 13th-century ro ...

(female troubadour). *

Raimbaut de Vaqueiras __NOTOC__ Raimbaut de Vaqueiras or Vaqueyras (fl. 1180 – 1207) was a Provençal troubadour and, later in his life, knight. His life was spent mainly in Italian courtsAmelia E. Van Vleck, ''The Lyric Texts'' p. 33, in ''Handbook of the Troub ...

, 13th century troubadour and knight crusader during the Fourth crusade. *

Arnaut Daniel Arnaut Daniel (; fl. 1180–1200) was an Occitan troubadour of the 12th century, praised by Dante as "the best smith" (''miglior fabbro'') and called a "grand master of love" (''gran maestro d'amore'') by Petrarch. In the 20th century he was la ...

, late 12th century major troubadour. * Bernard de Ventadour, 12th century major troubadour. *

Peire Cardenal Peire Cardenal (or Cardinal) (c. 1180 – c. 1278) was a troubadour (fl. 1204 – 1272) known for his satirical ''sirventes'' and his dislike of the clergy. Ninety-six pieces of his remain, a number rarely matched by other poets of the age.Aubrey, ...

, 13th century troubadour. *

Antoine de la Sale Antoine de la Sale (also ''la Salle'', ''de Lasalle''; 1385/861460/61) was a French courtier, educator and writer. He participated in a number of military campaigns in his youth and he only began writing when he had reached middle age, in the late ...

, 15th century courtier, educator and writer. *

Mellin de Saint-Gelais Mellin de Saint-Gelais (or ''Melin de Saint-Gelays'' or ''Sainct-Gelais''; c. 1491 – October, 1558) was a French poet of the Renaissance and Poet Laureate of Francis I of France. Life He was born at Angoulême, most likely the natural ...

Poet Laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...

Francis I of France Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin on ...

. * Augièr Galhard, 16th century writer. *

Clément Marot Clément Marot (23 November 1496 – 12 September 1544) was a French Renaissance poet. Biography Youth Marot was born at Cahors, the capital of the province of Quercy, some time during the winter of 1496–1497. His father, Jean Marot (c.& ...

, 16th century

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

poet. * Théodore Agrippa d'Aubigné, early 17th century Baroque poet. * Bartas, 17th century poet who wrote both in French and in Occitan. *

Honoré d'Urfé Honoré d'Urfé, marquis de Valromey, comte de Châteauneuf (11 February 15681 June 1625) was a French novelist and miscellaneous writer. Life He was born at Marseille, the grandson of Claude d'Urfé, and was educated at the Collège de T ...

, 17th century ''Pastoral'' writer. * Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac, 17th century Baroque author. * La Rochefoucauld, 17th century moralist born in Paris to the famous noble Rochefoucauld family whose origins go back to Charente, where he had his residence. * Théophile de Viau, 17th century Baroque poet and dramatist. *

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...

, 17th century novelist and playwright. He was from a '' Dordognaise'' aristocratic family from Bergerac, although he never lived there in his entire life. * Fénelon, 17th century

writer. * Nicolas Chamfort, 18th century poet, member of the Jacobin club. * Marquis de Sade, 18th century aristocrat, revolutionary politician, philosopher, and writer. Born in Paris, he was the heir of the Provençal Sade house, one of the oldest family of the region. He was thus Lord of Saumane,

Lacoste Lacoste S.A. is a French company, founded in 1933 by tennis player René Lacoste, and entrepreneur Mangkha. It sells clothing, footwear, sportswear, eyewear, leather goods, perfume, towels and watches. The company can be recognised by its g ...

and Co-Lord of

Mazan Mazan (; oc, Masan) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The town is 4 miles (7 km) drive east of Carpentras, one of its neighbouring municipalities, and 21 miles (34&nb ...

where he had several residences, including the famous Château de Lacoste. * Marquis de Pompignan, 18th century man of letter. *

Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenargues (; 6 August 1715 – 28 May 1747) was a French writer and moralist. He died at age 31, in broken health, having published the year prior—anonymously—a collection of essays and aphorisms with the en ...

, 18th century moralist. *

Baron de Montesquieu Charles Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu (; ; 18 January 168910 February 1755), generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French judge, man of letters, historian, and political philosopher. He is the princip ...

, an important writer and philosopher of the 18th century Enlightenment. * Jean-François Marmontel, historian and novelist, member of the

Encyclopédistes The Encyclopédistes () (also known in British English as Encyclopaedists, or in U.S. English as Encyclopedists) were members of the , a French writers' society, who contributed to the development of the ''Encyclopédie'' from June 1751 to Decembe ...

movement. *

Fleury Mesplet Fleury Mesplet (January 10, 1734 – January 24, 1794) was a French-born Canadian printer best known for founding the ''Montreal Gazette'', Quebec's oldest daily newspaper, in 1778.Galarneau, Claude.Mesplet, Fleury, in ''Dictionary of Canadian ...

, founder of the ''

Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...

'' (1778). *

André Chénier André Marie Chénier (; 30 October 176225 July 1794) was a French poet of Greek and Franco-Levantine origin, associated with the events of the French Revolution of which he was a victim. His sensual, emotive poetry marks him as one of the precur ...

, late 18th century poet and figure of

French Romanticism 19th-century French literature concerns the developments in French literature during a dynamic period in French history that saw the rise of Democracy and the fitful end of Monarchy and Empire. The period covered spans the following political re ...

. * Jansemin, 19th century Occitan language poet. *

Comte de Lautréamont Comte de Lautréamont () was the ''nom de plume'' of Isidore Lucien Ducasse (4 April 1846 – 24 November 1870), a French poet born in Uruguay. His only works, ''Les Chants de Maldoror'' and ''Poésies'', had a major influence on modern arts ...

, 19th century poet born in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

to François Ducasse (consular officer) and his wife Jacquette-Célestine Davezac, both from Southwestern France from which they returned when Ducasse was thirteen, in

Tarbes Tarbes (; Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. It is the capital of Bigorre and of the Hautes-Pyrénées. It has been a commune since 1790. It was known as ''Turba ...

and later in Pau where the poet begun to write his first works. *

Émile Augier Guillaume Victor Émile Augier (; 17 September 182025 October 1889) was a French dramatist. He was the thirteenth member to occupy seat 1 of the Académie française on 31 March 1857. Biography Augier was born at Valence, Drôme, the grandson o ...

, 19th century dramatist. *

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly , ; born Honoré Balzac;Jean-Louis Dega, La vie prodigieuse de Bernard-François Balssa, père d'Honoré de Balzac : Aux sources historiques de La Comédie humaine, Rodez, Subervie, 1998, 665 p. 20 May 179 ...

, 19th century realist writer. Born in

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metro ...

, he was the son of Bernard François Balssa, an administrator from the

Tarn department Tarn ( or ; ) is a department in the Occitania region in Southern France. Named after the river Tarn, it had a population of 389,844 as of 2019.

in South West France, who was despatched to Tours to coordinate supplies for the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

during the

Directory Directory may refer to: * Directory (computing), or folder, a file system structure in which to store computer files * Directory (OpenVMS command) * Directory service, a software application for organizing information about a computer network's u ...

. François changed his name to the more noble sounding ''Balzac'', and his son Honoré later added — without official recognition — the nobiliary particle: "''de''". According to André Maurois and Philibert Auberrand, the original family name ''Balssa'' came from the radical ''bals'' which in Occitan means "steep rock". Another commonly admitted theory is that ''Balssa'' came from the Occitan ''balsan'', derived from

Late Latin Late Latin ( la, Latinitas serior) is the scholarly name for the form of Literary Latin of late antiquity.Roberts (1996), p. 537. English dictionary definitions of Late Latin date this period from the , and continuing into the 7th century in t ...

''balteanus'', describing a horse with white patches on its paws. *

André Antoine André Antoine (31 January 185823 October 1943) was a French actor, theatre manager, film director, author, and critic who is considered the father of modern mise en scène in France. Biography André Antoine was a clerk at the Paris Gas Utilit ...

, actor, theatre manager, film director, author, and critic as well as one of the leading member of the Naturalist movement. *

Théophile Gautier Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( , ; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and rema ...

, 19th century poet and writer. *

Jules Vallès Jules Vallès (11 June 1832 – 14 February 1885) was a French journalist, author, and left-wing political activist. Early life Vallès was born in Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire. His father was a supervisor of studies (''pion''), later a teac ...

, 19th century writer. *

Émile Gaboriau Émile Gaboriau (9 November 183228 September 1873) was a French writer, novelist, journalist, and a pioneer of detective fiction. Early life Gaboriau was born in the small town of Saujon, Charente-Maritime. He was the son of Charles Gabriel Gab ...

, 19th century writer, journalist and novelist. *

Jules Laforgue Jules Laforgue (; 16 August 1860 – 20 August 1887) was a Franco-Uruguayan poet, often referred to as a Symbolist poet. Critics and commentators have also pointed to Impressionism as a direct influence and his poetry has been called "part-symbol ...

, 19th century poet. *

Maurice de Guérin Georges-Maurice de Guérin (4 August 181019 July 1839) was a French poet. His works were imbued with a passion for nature whose intensity reached almost to worship and was enriched by pagan elements. According to Sainte-Beuve, no French poet or ...

, 19th century poet. *

Alphonse Daudet Alphonse Daudet (; 13 May 184016 December 1897) was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet. Early life Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the ...

, 19th century novelist. *

Pierre Loti Pierre Loti (; pseudonym of Louis Marie-Julien Viaud ; 14 January 1850 – 10 June 1923) was a French naval officer and novelist, known for his exotic novels and short stories.This article is derived largely from the ''Encyclopædia Britannica El ...

, 19th century novelist and naval officer. *

Frédéric Mistral Joseph Étienne Frédéric Mistral (; oc, Josèp Estève Frederic Mistral, 8 September 1830 – 25 March 1914) was a French writer of Occitan literature and lexicographer of the Provençal form of the language. He received the 1904 Nobel ...

, 19th century and early 20th century Occitan-language poet and 1904 Nobel Prize in Literature winner. Chilean poet

Gabriela Mistral Lucila Godoy Alcayaga (; 7 April 1889 – 10 January 1957), known by her pseudonym Gabriela Mistral (), was a Chilean poet-diplomat, educator and humanist. In 1945 she became the first Latin American author to receive a Nobel Prize in Li ...

chose her pen name after him. * Théodore Aubanel, 19th century poet. * Edmond Rostand, late 19th century playwright and novelist. *

Charles Maurras Charles-Marie-Photius Maurras (; ; 20 April 1868 – 16 November 1952) was a French author, politician, poet, and critic. He was an organizer and principal philosopher of ''Action Française'', a political movement that is monarchist, anti-par ...

, late 19th century and 20th century influential poet, author and critic. *

Saint-Pol-Roux Paul-Pierre Roux, called Saint-Pol-Roux (15 January 1861, quartier de Saint-Henry, Marseille - 18 October 1940, Brest) was a French Symbolist poet. Life Marseille Saint-Pol-Roux was born to a middle-class family in Marseille, where his fath ...

, 20th century poet. *

Paul Valéry Ambroise Paul Toussaint Jules Valéry (; 30 October 1871 – 20 July 1945) was a French poet, essayist, and philosopher. In addition to his poetry and fiction (drama and dialogues), his interests included aphorisms on art, history, letters, mus ...

, 20th century poet. *

Jean Paulhan Jean Paulhan (2 December 1884 – 9 October 1968) was a French writer, literary critic and publisher, director of the literary magazine ''Nouvelle Revue Française'' (NRF) from 1925 to 1940 and from 1946 to 1968. He was a member (Seat 6, 1963–68 ...

, 20th century writer and intellectual. *

Henri Bosco Henri Bosco (16 November 1888 – 4 May 1976) was a French writer. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature four times. Life Bosco was born in Avignon, Vaucluse into a family of Provençal, Ligurian and Piedmontese origin. Through ...

, 20th century writer. *

Pierre Reverdy Pierre Reverdy (; 13 September 1889 – 17 June 1960) was a French poet whose works were inspired by and subsequently proceeded to influence the provocative art movements of the day, Surrealism, Dadaism and Cubism. The loneliness and spiritual a ...

, 20th century poet. *

André Gide André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (in 1947). Gide's career ranged from its beginnings in the symbolist movement, to the advent of anticolonialism ...

, 20th century writer and 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature. Born in Paris, his family was from

Uzès Uzès (; ) is a commune in the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. In 2017, it had a population of 8,454. Uzès lies about north-northeast of Nîmes, west of Avignon and south-east of Alès. History Originally ''Uc ...

, in the Gard department. He was from an old Protestant family from Southern France. His father Paul Gide and his uncle

Charles Gide Charles Gide (; 1847–1932) was a French economist and historian of economic thought. He was a professor at the University of Bordeaux, at Montpellier, at Université de Paris and finally at Collège de France. His nephew was the author André G ...

, were both born in Uzès. ''Gide'' is a popular last name in the Gard and Bouches du Rhône departments. * Francis Jammes, 20th century lyrical poet. *

Jean Giraudoux Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux (; 29 October 1882 – 31 January 1944) was a French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright. He is considered among the most important French dramatists of the period between World War I and World War II. His wo ...

, 20th century novelist, essayist and playwright. *

Jules Romains Jules Romains (born Louis Henri Jean Farigoule; 26 August 1885 – 14 August 1972) was a French poet and writer and the founder of the Unanimism literary movement. His works include the play '' Knock ou le Triomphe de la médecine'', and a cycle ...

, 20th century poet and writer, founder of the

Unanimism Unanimism (French: ''Unanimisme'') is a movement in French literature begun by Jules Romains in the early 1900s, with his first book, ''La vie unanime'', published in 1904. It can be dated to a sudden conception Romains had in October 1903 of a 'com ...

literary movement. *

Francis Ponge Francis Jean Gaston Alfred Ponge (; 27 March 1899 – 6 August 1988) was a French essayist and poet. Influenced by surrealism, he developed a form of prose poem, minutely examining everyday objects. He was the third recipient of the Neustadt Inter ...

, 20th century poet and essayist. *

Léon Bloy Léon Bloy (; 11 July 1846 – 3 November 1917) was a French Catholic novelist, essayist, pamphleteer (or lampoonist), and satirist, known additionally for his eventual (and passionate) defense of Catholicism and for his influence within French C ...

, Christian writer. * Jules Supervielle, 20th century poet. *

Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ''Antigone'', an a ...

, 20th century playwright. * René Char, 20th century poet. *

François Mauriac François Charles Mauriac (, oc, Francés Carles Mauriac; 11 October 1885 – 1 September 1970) was a French novelist, dramatist, critic, poet, and journalist, a member of the'' Académie française'' (from 1933), and laureate of the Nobel Prize ...

, 20th century writer and 1952 Nobel Prize in Literature winner. *

Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionabl ...

, 20th century writer. *

Marguerite Duras Marguerite Germaine Marie Donnadieu (, 4 April 1914 – 3 March 1996), known as Marguerite Duras (), was a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker. Her script for the film '' Hiroshima mon amour'' (1959) e ...

, 20th century writer. Born Marguerite Donnadieu in

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

, she chose her pen name after '' Duras'', the

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

her parents originated from, in the

Lot-et-Garonne Lot-et-Garonne (, oc, Òlt e Garona) is a department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the rivers Lot and Garonne, it had a population of 331,271 in 2019.department. *

Jean Giono Jean Giono (30 March 1895 – 8 October 1970) was a French writer who wrote works of fiction mostly set in the Provence region of France. First period Jean Giono was born to a family of modest means, his father a cobbler of Piedmontese descent a ...

, 20th century writer. * Antonin Artaud, 20th century dramatist, poet, essayist, actor, and theatre director. *

Pierre Boulle Pierre François Marie Louis Boulle (20 February 1912 – 30 January 1994) was a French novelist best known for two works, '' The Bridge over the River Kwai'' (1952) and ''Planet of the Apes'' (1963), that were both made into award-winning films. ...

, 20th century writer. *

Françoise Sagan Françoise Sagan (born Françoise Delphine Quoirez; 21 June 1935 – 24 September 2004) was a French playwright, novelist, and screenwriter. Sagan was known for works with strong romantic themes involving wealthy and disillusioned bourgeois chara ...

, 20th century novelist, screenwriter and playwright. * Marcela Delpastre, 20th century Occitan-language writer. *

Jean Vilar Jean Vilar (25 March 1912– 28 May 1971) was a French actor and theatre director. Vilar trained under actor and theatre director Charles Dullin, then toured with an acting company throughout France. His directorial career began in 1943 in a sma ...

, theatre director and actor, founder of the

Festival d'Avignon The ''Festival d'Avignon'', or Avignon Festival, is an annual arts festival held in the French city of Avignon every summer in July in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes as well as in other locations of the city. Founded in 1947 by Jean Vila ...

. *

Anne Desclos Anne Cécile Desclos (23 September 1907 – 27 April 1998) was a French journalist and novelist who wrote under the pen names Dominique Aury and Pauline Réage. She is best known for her erotic novel '' Story of O'' (1954). Early life Born ...

, 20th century journalist and novelist. * Joan Bodon, 20th century Occitan-language writer. His mother, Albanie Boudou ('' née'' Balssa), was said to be connected by blood with 19th century novelist Honoré de Balzac. * Jean Echenoz, 20th century writer. *

Jean Lacouture Jean Lacouture (9 June 1921 – 16 July 2015) was a journalist, historian and author. He was particularly famous for his biographies. Career Jean Lacouture was born in Bordeaux, France. He began his career in journalism in 1950 in ''Combat'' ...

, 20th century journalist, historian and author, known for his biographies of famous statesmen (including the likes of Charles de Gaulle and of Hô Chi Minh). *

J. M. G. Le Clézio Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio (; 13 April 1940), usually identified as J. M. G. Le Clézio, of French and Mauritian nationality, is a writer and professor. The author of over forty works, he was awarded the 1963 Prix Renaudot for his novel '' Le ...

, 20th century writer and poet, 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature winner. *

Philippe Sollers Philippe Sollers (; born Philippe Joyaux; 28 November 1936) is a French writer and critic. In 1960 he founded the ''avant garde'' literary journal '' Tel Quel'' (along with writer and art critic Marcelin Pleynet), which was published by Le S ...

, 20th century writer and critic. *

René Barjavel René Barjavel (24 January 1911 – 24 November 1985) was a French author, journalist and critic who may have been the first to think of the grandfather paradox in time travel. He was born in Nyons, a town in the Drôme department in southeastern ...

, 20th century science fiction author. *

Renat Nelli Renat Nelli (), who was born in Carcassonne, Aude in 1906 and died in 1982, was one of the major Occitan writers of the 20th century. In Vichy France, Nelli joined the French Resistance and in 1945 was one of the co-founders of the Institut d'Es ...

, 20th century writer and founder of the

Institut d'Estudis Occitans The Institut d'Estudis Occitans (English: Occitan Studies Institute or Institute for Occitan Studies; ), or IEO, is a cultural association that was founded in 1945 by a group of Occitan and French writers including Jean Cassou, Tristan Tzara, Isma ...

. * Romain Puertolas, contemporary writer. * Charles Dantzig, contemporary writer.

Philosophers and thinkers

* Favorinus, Roman

skeptical Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, is a questioning attitude or doubt toward knowledge claims that are seen as mere belief or dogma. For example, if a person is skeptical about claims made by their government about an ongoing war then the p ...

philosopher. *

Isaac the Blind Isaac the Blind ( he, רַבִּי יִצְחַק סַגִּי נְהוֹר ''Rabbī Yīṣḥaq Saggī Nəhōr'', literally "Rabbi Isaac, blind person"; c. 1160–1235 in Provence, France), was a French rabbi and a famous writer on Kabbalah (Jewi ...

, medieval kabbalistic philosopher. *

Samuel ibn Tibbon Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon ( 1150 – c. 1230), more commonly known as Samuel ibn Tibbon ( he, שמואל בן יהודה אבן תבון, ar, ابن تبّون), was a Jewish philosopher and doctor who lived and worked in Provence, later par ...

, medieval philosopher and doctor. *

Gersonides Levi ben Gershon (1288 – 20 April 1344), better known by his Graecized name as Gersonides, or by his Latinized name Magister Leo Hebraeus, or in Hebrew by the abbreviation of first letters as ''RaLBaG'', was a medieval French Jewish philosoph ...

, medieval philosopher,

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

ist, mathematician, physician, astronomer and astrologer. *

Étienne de La Boétie Étienne or Estienne de La Boétie (; oc, Esteve de La Boetiá; 1 November 1530 – 18 August 1563) was a French magistrate, classicist, writer, poet and political theorist, best remembered for his intense and intimate friendship with essayist ...

, judge, writer and philosopher known for his

Discourse on Voluntary Servitude The ''Discourse on Voluntary Servitude'' (french: Discours de la servitude volontaire) is an essay by Étienne de La Boétie. The text was published clandestinely in 1577. The date of preparation of the ''Discourse on Voluntary Servitude'' is un ...

. * Michel de Montaigne, one of the most influential writers of the

French Renaissance The French Renaissance was the cultural and artistic movement in France between the 15th and early 17th centuries. The period is associated with the pan-European Renaissance, a word first used by the French historian Jules Michelet to define th ...

. He is known for popularizing the essay as a

literary genre A literary genre is a category of literature. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or length (especially for fiction). They generally move from more abstract, encompassing classes, which are then further sub-divided in ...

. *

Pierre Bayle Pierre Bayle (; 18 November 1647 – 28 December 1706) was a French philosopher, author, and lexicographer. A Huguenot, Bayle fled to the Dutch Republic in 1681 because of religious persecution in France. He is best known for his '' Histori ...

, philosopher and writer, forerunner of the Encyclopedists and an advocate of the principle of the toleration of divergent beliefs, his works subsequently influenced the development of the Enlightenment. *

Pierre Gassendi Pierre Gassendi (; also Pierre Gassend, Petrus Gassendi; 22 January 1592 – 24 October 1655) was a French philosopher, Catholic priest, astronomer, and mathematician. While he held a church position in south-east France, he also spent much t ...

, philosopher and mathematician. His best known intellectual project attempted to reconcile

Epicurean Epicureanism is a system of philosophy founded around 307 BC based upon the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus. Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism. Later its main opponent became Stoicism. Few writings by Ep ...

ism

atomism Atomism (from Greek , ''atomon'', i.e. "uncuttable, indivisible") is a natural philosophy proposing that the physical universe is composed of fundamental indivisible components known as atoms. References to the concept of atomism and its atoms ...

with Christianity. * Jean Domat, rationalist jurist. * Blaise Pascal, mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and

Christian philosopher Christian philosophy includes all philosophy carried out by Christians, or in relation to the religion of Christianity. Christian philosophy emerged with the aim of reconciling science and faith, starting from natural rational explanations wit ...

. *

Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès (3 May 174820 June 1836), usually known as the Abbé Sieyès (), was a French Roman Catholic '' abbé'', clergyman, and political writer who was the chief political theorist of the French Revolution (1789–1799); he also ...

, essayist and political theorist of the French Revolution. He also made significant theoretical contributions to the nascent

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...

. *

Pierre Jean George Cabanis Pierre Jean Georges Cabanis (; 5 June 1757 – 5 May 1808) was a French physiologist, freemason and materialist philosopher. Life Cabanis was born at Cosnac (Corrèze), the son of Jean Baptiste Cabanis (1723–1786), a lawyer and agronomist. ...

, 18th-century physiologist and Materialist philosopher. * Auguste Comte, philosopher, he was a founder of the discipline of sociology and of the doctrine of positivism. *

Charles Bernard Renouvier Charles Bernard Renouvier (; January 1, 1815 – September 1, 1903) was a French philosopher. He considered himself a "Swedenborg of history" who sought to update the philosophy of Kantian liberalism and individualism for the socio-economic ...

, 19th-century philosopher. *

Lou Andreas-Salomé Lou Andreas-Salomé (born either Louise von Salomé or Luíza Gustavovna Salomé or Lioulia von Salomé, russian: link=no, Луиза Густавовна Саломе; 12 February 1861 – 5 February 1937) was a Russian-born psychoanalyst and a ...

, female psychoanalyst, born in Russia to German parents from partly

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

descent that originated from Avignon. *

Jean Hyppolite Jean Hyppolite (; 8 January 1907 – 26 October 1968) was a French philosopher known for championing the work of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and other German philosophers, and educating some of France's most prominent post-war thinkers. His ...

, philosopher, known for championing the work of

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends ...

. *

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Pierre Teilhard de Chardin ( (); 1 May 1881 – 10 April 1955) was a French Jesuit priest, scientist, paleontologist, theologian, philosopher and teacher. He was Darwinian in outlook and the author of several influential theological and phil ...

, philosopher and Jesuit

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

, who trained as a

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

and geologist and took part in the discovery of

Peking Man Peking Man (''Homo erectus pekinensis'') is a subspecies of '' H. erectus'' which inhabited the Zhoukoudian Cave of northern China during the Middle Pleistocene. The first fossil, a tooth, was discovered in 1921, and the Zhoukoudian Cave has s ...

. He conceived the idea of the Omega Point (a maximum level of complexity and consciousness towards which he believed the universe was evolving) and developed

Vladimir Vernadsky Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky (russian: link=no, Влади́мир Ива́нович Верна́дский) or Volodymyr Ivanovych Vernadsky ( uk, Володи́мир Іва́нович Верна́дський; – 6 January 1945) was ...

's concept of noosphere. *

Louis Lavelle Louis Lavelle (; July 15, 1883 – September 1, 1951) was a French philosopher, considered one of the greatest French metaphysicians of the twentieth century. His magnum opus, ''La Dialectique de l'éternel présent'' (1922), is a systematic met ...

, 20th-century philosopher, influenced by Continental philosophy and Spiritualism. *

Jean Cavaillès Jean Cavaillès (; ; 15 May 1903 – 4 April 1944) was a French philosopher and logician who specialized in philosophy of mathematics and philosophy of science. He took part in the French Resistance within the '' Libération'' movement and was a ...

, 20th-century philosopher and mathematician who took part in the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

within the Libération movement. He came from a long line of

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

from the South West of France. His last name, ''Cavaillès'', derivates from ''cavalh'', the Occitan word for ''horse''. *

Henri Lefebvre Henri Lefebvre ( , ; 16 June 1901 – 29 June 1991) was a French Marxist philosopher and sociologist, best known for pioneering the critique of everyday life, for introducing the concepts of the right to the city and the production of s ...

, 20th-century Marxist philosopher and sociologist. *

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and lit ...

, 20th-century philosopher, playwright, novelist and political activist. Born in Paris, his father originated from

Thiviers Thiviers (; oc, Tivier) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Population Personalities It is notable as being the town in which Jean-Paul Sartre lived as a child. Painter Pierre Bouillon was b ...

, in

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is name ...

where young Sartre spent his holidays. His last name Sartre, came from ''"satre"'', the occitan word for ''"tailor"''. * Paul Ricœur, 20th Century philosopher, best known for combining phenomenological description with

hermeneutics Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. Hermeneutics is more than interpretative principles or methods used when immediate ...

. *

Maurice Merleau-Ponty Maurice Jean Jacques Merleau-Ponty. (; 14 March 1908 – 3 May 1961) was a French phenomenological philosopher, strongly influenced by Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. The constitution of meaning in human experience was his main interest an ...

, 20th-century phenomenological philosopher. *

, Marxist philosopher and sociologist. *

Georges Canguilhem Georges Canguilhem (; ; 4 June 1904 – 11 September 1995) was a French philosopher and physician who specialized in epistemology and the philosophy of science (in particular, biology). Life and work Canguilhem entered the École Normale Supé ...

, philosopher and physician, specialized in the

philosophy of science Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ult ...

. * Georges Bataille, 20th-century influential intellectual and literary figure. *

Pierre Bourdieu Pierre Bourdieu (; 1 August 1930 – 23 January 2002) was a French sociologist and public intellectual. Bourdieu's contributions to the sociology of education, the theory of sociology, and sociology of aesthetics have achieved wide influence ...

, sociologist, anthropologist and philosopher, his sociological work is dominated by the analysis of the reproduction mechanisms of the social

hierarchies A hierarchy (from Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy is an important ...

. *

Jean Wahl Jean André Wahl (; 25 May 188819 June 1974) was a French philosopher. Early career Wahl was educated at the École Normale Supérieure. He was a professor at the Sorbonne from 1936 to 1967, broken by World War II. He was in the U.S. from 1942 ...

, 20th century

existentialist Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and value ...

philosopher and scholar. *

Michel Serres Michel Serres (; 1 September 1930 – 1 June 2019) was a French philosopher, theorist and writer. His works explore themes of science, time and death, and later incorporated prose. Life and career The son of a bargeman, Serres entered France's ...

, 20th-century philosopher, his works are generally focused on the

scientific progress Progress is the movement towards a refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. In the context of progressivism, it refers to the proposition that advancements in technology, science, and social organization have resulted, and by extension wi ...

and its effect on our society. * Georges Dumézil, comparative

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

. He was born in Paris to a

Girondin The Girondins ( , ), or Girondists, were members of a loosely knit political faction during the French Revolution. From 1791 to 1793, the Girondins were active in the Legislative Assembly and the National Convention. Together with the Montagnard ...

family from Bayon. *

René Girard René Noël Théophile Girard (; ; 25 December 1923 – 4 November 2015) was a French polymath, historian, literary critic, and philosopher of social science whose work belongs to the tradition of philosophical anthropology. Girard was the aut ...

, 20th-century anthropological philosopher, historian and literary critic. * Jean Carbonnier, 20th century prominent jurist. *

Jacques Ellul Jacques Ellul (; ; January 6, 1912 – May 19, 1994) was a French philosopher, sociologist, lay theologian, and professor who was a noted Christian anarchist. Ellul was a longtime Professor of History and the Sociology of Institutions on ...

, 20th-century philosopher, law professor, sociologist, lay theologian, and

Christian anarchist Christian anarchism is a Christian movement in political theology that claims anarchism is inherent in Christianity and the Gospels. It is grounded in the belief that there is only one source of authority to which Christians are ultimately an ...

. *

Alain Badiou Alain Badiou (; ; born 17 January 1937) is a French philosopher, formerly chair of Philosophy at the École normale supérieure (ENS) and founder of the faculty of Philosophy of the Université de Paris VIII with Gilles Deleuze, Michel Fouca ...

, 20th-century marxist philosopher. Born in French Morocco, his father Raymond Badiou was mayor of

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

from 1944 to 1958. His last name, ''Badiou'', comes from the Occitan ''badiu'' for ''simpleton''. * Daniel Bensaïd, 20th-century

Trotskyist Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a ...

philosopher. * Marcel Conche, contemporary philosopher, specialist of

Heraclite Heraclitus of Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἡράκλειτος , "Glory of Hera"; ) was an ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher from the city of Ephesus, which was then part of the Persian Empire. Little is known of Heraclitus's life. He wrote ...

and

Pre-Socratic philosophy Pre-Socratic philosophy, also known as early Greek philosophy, is ancient Greek philosophy before Socrates. Pre-Socratic philosophers were mostly interested in cosmology, the beginning and the substance of the universe, but the inquiries of the ...

. *

Jean-Luc Nancy Jean-Luc Nancy ( , ; 26 July 1940 – 23 August 2021) was a French philosopher. Nancy's first book, published in 1973, was ''Le titre de la lettre'' (''The Title of the Letter'', 1992), a reading of the work of French psychoanalyst Jacques Laca ...

, contemporary philosopher.

Scientists

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his two major works—the ...

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

historian, author of the

Annals Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction between ann ...

and the Histories, probably born in Gallia Narbonensis. *

Gennadius of Massilia Gennadius of Massilia (died c. 496), also known as Gennadius Scholasticus or Gennadius Massiliensis, was a 5th-century Christian priest and historian. His best-known work is ''De Viris Illustribus'' ("Of Famous Men"), a biography of over 90 conte ...

, 5th century Christian priest, polemist, theologian and historian. *

Pope Sylvester II Pope Sylvester II ( – 12 May 1003), originally known as Gerbert of Aurillac, was a French-born scholar and teacher who served as the bishop of Rome and ruled the Papal States from 999 to his death. He endorsed and promoted study of Arab and Gre ...

, prolific scholar and teacher who endorsed and promoted study of Arab and Greco-Roman arithmetic, mathematics, and astronomy, reintroducing to Europe the

abacus The abacus (''plural'' abaci or abacuses), also called a counting frame, is a calculating tool which has been used since ancient times. It was used in the ancient Near East, Europe, China, and Russia, centuries before the adoption of the Hi ...

and armillary sphere, which had been lost to Europe. * Gregory of Tours, historian and

Bishop of Tours The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tours ( Latin: ''Archidioecesis Turonensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Tours'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The archdiocese has roots that go back to the 3rd c ...

. He is the main contemporary source for

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

history. His most notable work was his ''Decem Libri Historiarum'' or ''Ten Books of Histories'', better known as the ''Historia Francorum'' ("History of the

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

"). *

Guy de Chauliac Guy de Chauliac (), also called Guido or Guigo de Cauliaco ( 1300 – 25 July 1368), was a French physician and surgeon who wrote a lengthy and influential treatise on surgery in Latin, titled '' Chirurgia Magna''. It was translated into many othe ...

, physician and surgeon, author of the influential treatise '' Chirurgia magna''. *

Jean de Roquetaillade :''Johannes de Rupescissa may also refer to Cardinal Jean de La Rochetaillée'' Jean de Roquetaillade, also known as John of Rupescissa, (ca. 1310 – between 1366 and 1370) was a French Franciscan alchemist and eschatologist. Biography Aft ...

Franciscan , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

alchemist. *

Joseph Justus Scaliger Joseph Justus Scaliger (; 5 August 1540 – 21 January 1609) was a French Calvinist religious leader and scholar, known for expanding the notion of classical history from Greek and Ancient Roman history to include Persian, Babylonian, Jewish a ...

, religious leader and scholar, considered as the father of

chronology Chronology (from Latin ''chronologia'', from Ancient Greek , ''chrónos'', "time"; and , ''-logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of events. I ...

. *

Bernard Palissy Bernard Palissy (c. 1510c. 1589) was a French Huguenot potter, hydraulics engineer and craftsman, famous for having struggled for sixteen years to imitate Chinese porcelain. He is best known for his so-called "rusticware", typically highly decor ...

potter A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US * Potter, Arkansas *Potter, Nebraska * Potters, New Je ...

Hydraulics Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counte ...

engineer and craftsman, famous for his imitations of

Chinese porcelain Chinese ceramics show a continuous development since pre-dynastic times and are one of the most significant forms of Chinese art and ceramics globally. The first pottery was made during the Palaeolithic era. Chinese ceramics range from constru ...

. *

Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book '' Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection ...

, apothecary who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He was also a physician. * Oronce Finé, mathematician and cartographer. * Michel Rolle, mathematician, best known for the 1691 Rolle's theorem. * Olivier de Serres, author and major soil scientist who promoted crop rotation as a way of preserving soil nutrients. * Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, astronomer, Antiquarian, antiquary and savant. * Alexandre de Rhodes, Jesuit missionary and lexicographer who published the Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum, first trilingual Vietnamese–Portuguese–Latin dictionary in 1651. * Henri Pitot, hydraulic engineering, hydraulic engineer, inventor of the Pitot tube and author of the Pitot theorem in plane geometry. * Jean Astruc, professor of medicine, who wrote the first great treatise on syphilis and Sexually transmitted infection, venereal diseases. * Pierre de Fermat, amateur mathematician who is given credit for early developments that led to infinitesimal calculus, including his technique of adequality. * Louis Bertrand Castel, mathematician and physician. * Jean-Antoine Chaptal, chemist, physician, agronomist, industrialist, statesman, educator and philanthropist, discoverer of the ''chaptalizatio procedure''. * Louis Feuillée, botanist, astronomer and geographer. * Michel Adanson, botanist and naturalist; the Adansonia, commonly known as the baobab tree, was named after him. * Jean-Baptiste Denys, physician, notable for having performed the first fully documented human blood transfusion. * René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, Réaumur, scientist who contributed to many different fields, especially entomology and metallography. * Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, one of the most prominent figure of the late 16th century Botany. * Charles Plumier, botanist and botany explorer, after whom the Frangipani genus ''Plumeria'' is named. * François Laurent d'Arlandes, pioneer of hot air ballooning. * Montgolfier brothers, inventors of the Montgolfière-style hot air balloon. * Jean-Charles de Borda, mathematician and physicist, he developed the Borda count voting system and contributed to the construction of the standard ''metre'', basis of the metric system. * Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac, chemist and physicist, famous for his two Gay-Lussac law, gas laws. * François Magendie, physiologist. * Jean-Louis-Marc Alibert, notable Dermatology, dermatologist. * Élie Cartan, notable mathematician, known for the closed-subgroup theorem, among other contributions to group theory and differential geometry. * Eugène Rouché, mathematician, whom the Rouché's theorem was named after. * Camille Jordan, mathematician, known for his works on group theory and for the Jordan curve theorem. The Jordans are a notable family from Die, Drôme, Die where Camille Jordan's father originated from. * Édouard Goursat, mathematician, after whom was named the Goursat tetrahedron. * Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu, notable geologist after whom was the Dolomite (rock), Dolomite rock. * François Mignet, historian and protagonist of the French Revolution about which he wrote a ''History of the French Revolution'' in 1824. * Marc Seguin, engineer, inventor of the wire-Wire rope, cable suspension bridge and the multi-tubular steam-engine fire-tube boiler. * Bernard de Montfaucon, Benedictine monk regarded as one of the founders of modern archaeology. * Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, physician who proposed a painless method for executions that eventually inspired the guillotine. * Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis, mathematician, mechanical engineer and scientist known for the Coriolis force, Coriolis effect. Born in Paris to a noble Provençal family, his uncle Honoré-Gaspard de Coriolis was a local Roman Catholic cleric and historian. * Bertrand Pelletier, pharmacist and chemist. * Jean-Baptiste Dumas, chemist, best known for his works on organic analysis and synthesis, as well as the determination of atomic weights (relative atomic masses) and molecular weights by measuring vapor densities. * Marc René, marquis de Montalembert, military engineer. * Philippe Pinel, physician who was instrumental in the development of a more humane psychological approach to the custody and care of psychiatric patients and pioneer of the Moral treatment, moral therapy. * Augustin Pyramus de Candolle, Swiss botanist, he came from one of the oldest noble families of Provence that moved to Switzerland at the end of the 16th century to escape religious persecution. * Aimé Bonpland, explorer and botanist, who traveled with Alexander von Humboldt in Latin America from 1799 to 1804. * Charles-Augustin de Coulomb, physician, author of the Coulomb's law. He gave the definition of the electrostatics, electrostatic force of attraction and repulsion, and did important work on friction. * Jean-Baptiste Say, economist, famous for his Say's law, law of markets. Born in Lyon, he was from a Protestant family who originated from Florac, in Lozère. The Say family moved to Nîmes after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes to finally reach Geneva, where his father was born. ''Say'' was a particularly popular last name in the Tarn-et-Garonne department at that time and its origins are quite murky. * Antoine-François Bertrand de Molleville, politician and scientist, inventor of the Pruning shears, secateurs. * René Lesson, surgeon, naturalist, ornithologist, and Herpetology, herpetologist. * Louis-Sébastien Lenormand, chemist, physicist, inventor and the first pioneer in modern Parachute, parachuting in the world. * Dominique Jean Larrey, considered as the first modern military surgeon. * François-Vincent Raspail, chemist, naturalist, physician and political figure, founder of Cytochemistry. * François Arago, important mathematician, astronomer and physicist. * Jean Pierre Flourens, physiologist and a pioneer in anesthesia. * Antoine Bussy, chemist, who is credited to have isolated the element beryllium, in 1828, the same year as Friedrich Wöhler. * Élisée Reclus, renowned geographer, writer and Anarchism, anarchist, precursor of Social geography. * Alphonse Borrelly, astronomer, who discovered an important number of asteroids and comets, including the periodic comet 19P/Borrelly. * Philippe de Girard, uncredited inventor of the Tin canning process and inventor of the first flax spinning frame in 1810. The industrial town of Żyrardów in Poland was thus named after him. * Antoine Jérôme Balard, chemist, one of the discoverers of bromine. * Jean Marc Gaspard Itard, physician and pedagogue, notably credited with describing the first case of Tourette syndrome. He was also educator of the deaf, and experienced his theories in the celebrated case of Victor of Aveyron. * Frédéric Bastiat, economist, classical liberalism, classical liberalist, he developed the economic concept of opportunity cost, and introduced the ''Parable of the broken window''. * Pierre Frédéric Sarrus, mathematician, known for having developed the Sarrus linkage. * Jean-François Champollion, decipherer of the Egyptian hieroglyphs. * Paulin Talabot, railway and canal engineer. * Pierre André Latreille, famous Zoology, zoologist, specialising in arthropods. * Antoine Marfan, one of the most important figures of modern pediatrics and first describer of the Marfan syndrome. * Henri Fabre, pilot (aeronautics), aviator and inventor of the first successful seaplane, the Fabre Hydravion. * Charles Cros, poet and inventor, best known for being the first person to conceive a method for reproducing recorded sound, an invention he named the ''Paleophone''. * Charles Gaudichaud-Beaupré, botanist who made several expeditions in Oceania and South America. * Jean Cruveilhier, pathologist and anatomist. * Joseph Monier, gardener and one of the principal inventors of reinforced concrete. * Guillaume Dupuytren, anatomist and military surgeon. * Gabriel Tarde, sociologist, criminologist and social psychologist who conceived sociology as based on small psychological interactions among individuals. * Georges Sagnac, physicist who lent his name to the Sagnac effect. * Édouard Roche, astronomer and mathematician, best known for his work in celestial mechanics. * Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, chemist, discoverer of gallium, samarium and dysprosium. * André-Louis Cholesky, mathematician and military officer, best known for the Cholesky decomposition in linear algebra. * Jacques-Arsène d'Arsonval, physician, physicist, and inventor of the moving-coil D'Arsonval galvanometer and the thermocouple ammeter. * Auguste Charlois, astronomer, who discovered around 99 asteroids. * Jean Gaston Darboux, mathematician, he made several important contributions to geometry and mathematical analysis. * Arthur Fallot, physician, who described in detail the four anatomical characteristics of the tetralogy of Fallot. * Alphonse Beau de Rochas, engineer who originated the principle of the four-stroke internal-combustion engine. * Émile Borel, mathematician, known for being along with Henri Lebesgue and René-Louis Baire one of the pioneers of the Measure (mathematics), measure theory and its application to probability theory. He was also a politician and member of the

, and is regarded as one of the precursors of the Founding fathers of the European Union, European idea. * Édouard Lartet, palaeontologist and one of the founders of modern palaeontology. * Ernest Fourneau, medicinal chemist who made major contributions to the discovery of synthetic local anesthetics, as well as in the synthesis of suramin. * Jean Favard, mathematician, best known for the Favard constant. * Alfred Binet, psychologist who invented the first practical intelligence test, the Binet–Simon scale. * Claude Gay, prominent botanist and naturalist of the Chilean flora. * Michel Chevalier, engineer and economist. * Joseph Valentin Boussinesq, mathematician and physician who made significant contributions to the theory of hydrodynamics and heat. He is the first developer of the Korteweg–de Vries equation. * Albert Calmette Royal Society, ForMemRS, physician, bacteriologist and immunology, immunologist, who discovered the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin used in the BCG vaccine against tuberculosis and conceived the first antivenom for snake venom (poison), venom known as the Calmette's serum. * Émile Duclaux, microbiologist and chemist. * Louis Mékarski, engineer and inventor who patented the Mekarski system of compressed-air powered trams. * Louis Arthur Ducos du Hauron, one of the pioneers of color photography. * Jean-Henri Fabre, prominent entomologist. * Gaston Planté, physicist who invented the lead–acid battery in 1859. The lead-acid battery eventually became the first rechargeable battery, rechargeable electric battery marketed for commercial use. * Guillaume Bigourdan, astronomer who won the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1919. * Clément Ader, aviation precursor. * Charles Fabry, physicist, co-inventor of the Fabry–Pérot interferometer. * Bernard Brunhes, geophysicist who discovered the Earth's magnetic field reversals. * Giuseppe Peano, Italian mathematician, best known for his works in logic, born in Cuneo, Coni, in Piedmontese Occitania. * Georges Jean Marie Darrieus, aerospace engineering, aeronautical engineer and inventor of the Darrieus wind turbine, Darrieus rotor. * Paul Vidal de La Blache, one of the most prominent figure of modern French geography. * Pierre Paul Émile Roux, physician, bacteriologist and immunologist as well as co-founder of the Pasteur Institute and responsible for the Institute's production of the anti-diphtheria serum. * Eugène Freyssinet, structural engineer, structural and civil engineer, precursor of prestressed concrete. * Paul Broca, physician, surgeon, anatomist, and anthropologist. * Madeleine Brès, the first French woman, and one of the first in Europe, to obtain a medical degree. * Paul Sabatier (chemist), Paul Sabatier, chemist, awarded of the 1912 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Victor Grignard. * Jean Cabannes, physicist, specializing in optics. * Paul Dirac, English theoretical physicist who made fundamental contributions to the early development of both quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics. His paternal family originated from Dirac, Charente, Dirac, in South West France, and moved to Switzerland after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes to finally join Bristol where Paul was born. * Henri Dulac, mathematician who refined the Bendixson–Dulac theorem. * Olinde Rodrigues, mathematician, best known for the Rodrigues' rotation formula in vectors. * Marcellin Boule, Palaeontology, palaeontologist. * André Lichnerowicz, Differential geometry and topology, differential geometer and Mathematical physics, mathematical physicist. * Jacques Cousteau, French naval officer and explorer who co-developed the Aqua-Lung, pioneered marine conservation and helped to popularize Oceanography throughout the world. * Pierre Ossian Bonnet, mathematician, best known for the Gauss–Bonnet theorem. * Paul Montel, mathematician, known for his notion of Normal family. * Célestin Freinet, prominent Pedagogy, pedagogue and education reform, educational reformer. * Gaston Julia, mathematician, born in French Algeria to a Pyrenean family. * René Grousset, historian and prominent specialist in Asian history. * Germaine Tillion, ethnology, ethnologist and Resistant. * Jean Dausset, immunologist, awarded the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine along with Baruj Benacerraf and George Davis Snell. * Edmond Malinvaud, economist. * Michel Raynaud, mathematician. * Maurice Duverger, sociologist and jurist, who developed the Duverger's law. * Alexander Grothendieck German-born French mathematician who grew up in Montpellier where he attended the municipal University of Montpellier, University and lived for the rest of his live in Ariège (department), Ariège as a hermit, until his death in 2014. * Alfred Sauvy, demographer, anthropologist and historian who first coined the term Third World. * Jean-Marie Souriau, mathematician, known for works in symplectic geometry, in which he was one of the pioneers. * Jean-Pierre Serre, mathematician, who made fundamental contributions to algebraic topology, algebraic geometry, and algebraic number theory. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 1954, the Wolf Prize in 2000 and the Abel Prize in 2003, making him one of four mathematicians to achieve this (along with Pierre Deligne, John Milnor, and John G. Thompson). * Jacques Le Goff, historian and eminent specialist of the Middle Ages, most specifically the 12th and 13th centuries. * André Neveu, physicist who co-invented the Neveu–Schwarz algebra and the Gross–Neveu model. * Jacques-Louis Lions, mathematician, awarded of the 1991 Japan Prize and Harvey Prize. He is listed as an ISI highly cited researcher. He was elected president of the International Mathematical Union in 1991. * Robèrt Lafont, linguist. * Frank Merle (mathematician), Frank Merle, mathematician, specializing in partial differential equations and mathematical physics, awarded of the 2005 Bôcher Memorial Prize, Bôcher Prize. * Albert Fert, physicist, one of the discoverers of giant magnetoresistance which brought about a breakthrough in gigabyte hard disks, awarded of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics, together with Peter Grünberg. * Alain Connes, mathematician, who revolutionized the Von Neumann algebra, resolving major problems on this field, notably the classification of the Type III factors. He was awarded of the 1982 Fields Medal. * Pierre-Paul Grassé, zoologist. * Bernard Gregory, physicist, former director-general of CERN. * Christian Metz (critic), Christian Metz, film theorist and semiologist. * Pierre-Louis Lions, mathematician, who received the 1994 Fields Medal for his works on nonlinear partial differential equations. * Michel Talagrand, mathematician, specializing in functional analysis and probability theory. * Alain Colmerauer, computer scientist and creator of the logic programming language Prolog. * Michel Broué, mathematician, specializing in algebraic geometry and representation theory. * Cédric Villani, mathematician, awarded of the 2010 Fields Medal for his works on partial differential equations and mathematical physics. * Jean-Jacques Laffont, economist, specializing in public economics and information economics, he was awarded of the 1993 Yrjö Jahnsson Award, Yrjö Jahnsson prize along with his colleague and collaborator Jean Tirole. * Jean-Loup Chrétien, retired ''Général de Brigade'' (brigadier general) in the ''Armée de l'Air'' (French air force), and former CNES spationaut. * Henry de Lumley, notable contemporary archeologist and prehistorian. * Alain Carpentier, surgeon, who is given credit for the development of the first fully implantable artificial heart. * Alfred A. Tomatis, prominent Otorhinolaryngology, otolaryngologist and inventor. * André Turcat, Air Force pilot and test pilot. * Catherine Cesarsky, astronomer and former president of the International Astronomical Union. * Boris Cyrulnik, doctor, ethologist, neurologist, and psychiatrist. * Alain Aspect, physicist, known for his works on Bell test experiments. * Bernard Maris, economist, murdered on 7 January 2015, during the Charlie Hebdo shooting. * Haïm Brezis, mathematician, fellow of the American Mathematical Society since 2012. * Arnaud Denjoy, mathematician, who first defined the Henstock–Kurzweil integral, Denjoy integral. * Jérôme Rota, software developer, co-founder of DivX, Inc. * Thierry Aubin, mathematician, leading expert on Riemannian geometry. * Lucien Le Cam, mathematician, best known for Le Cam's theorem in probability theory. * Jean-Jacques Moreau, mathematician and mechanician. He discovered the Hydrodynamical helicity, helicity invariant in fluid dynamics. * Jacqueline Ferrand, mathematician, who mainly worked on Riemannian manifolds. * Jacques Marescaux, surgeon, believed to be the first one in the world to operate a person without leaving a scar.

Artists

* Trophime Bigot, late 16th century Baroque painter. * Pierre Puget, 17th century Baroque painter and sculptor. * Louis-Michel van Loo, 18th century painter and portraitist. * Jean-Honoré Fragonard, 18th-century rococo painter and printmaking, printmaker. * Claude Joseph Vernet, 18th-century painter. * Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 19th-century neoclassicism, neoclassical painter. * Auguste Renoir, 19th-century artist, one of the leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. * Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 19th-century Post-impressionism, post-impressionist painter, printmaker, drawing, draughtsman and illustrator. * Rosa Bonheur, 19th-century Realism (arts), realist painter. * Frédéric Bazille, 19th-century Impressionism, impressionist painter. * William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 19th-century Academic art, academic painter. * Odilon Redon, 19th-century symbolism (arts), symbolist painter, printmaker, draughtsman and pastellist. * Alexandre Cabanel, 19th-century academic painter. * Jean-Paul Laurens, 19th-century academic painter and sculptor. * Honoré Daumier, printmaker, caricaturist, painter, and sculptor, whose many works offer commentary on social and political life in France in the 19th century. * Paul Cézanne, 19th-century post-impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. * Suzanne Valadon, 19th-century and early 20th-century. * Arthur Batut, early 20th-century photographer and pioneer of aerial photography. * Eugène Atget, early 20th-century photographer, regarded as one of the pioneer of documentary photography. * Sem (artist), Sem, early 20th-century caricaturist. * Albert Marquet, 20th-century Fauvism, Fauvist painter. * Aristide Maillol, 20th-century sculptor, painter and printmaker. * Antoine Bourdelle, 20th-century sculptor, painter, and teacher. * Yves Klein, 20th-century artist, considered an important figure in post-war European art. * César Baldaccini, César, 20th-century sculptor and member of the Nouveau Réalisme. * Arman, 20th-century painter, sculptor and printmaker, member of the Nouveau Réalisme. * Lucien Clergue, photographer. * Edmund Dulac, magazine illustrator and stamp designer. * Pierre Soulages, painter, engraving, engraver and sculptor. * Jean Dieuzaide, photographer. * Jean-Jacques Sempé, Sempé, cartoonist. * Daniel Goossens, cartoonist.

Architects

* Guillaume Cammas, 18th-century painter and architect, author of the Capitole de Toulouse's facade. * Jean-Baptiste Michel Vallin de la Mothe, who became Catherine II official court architect and mainly worked in Saint-Petersburg. * Jean Nouvel, he obtained the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, the Wolf Prize in Arts in 2005 and the Pritzker Prize in 2008. * Pascal Coste, architect, who knew success in his hometown of Marseille. * Dominique Perrault, urban planner and architect, known for the design of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, French National Library. * Paul Andreu, architect, known for his designs of airports.

Musicians

* Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe, Jean de Sainte-Colombe, 17th century celebrated master of the Viol. * André Campra, late 17th century and early 18th century composer and conductor. * Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, 18th century composer and Violon, violinist. * Gabriel Fauré, 19th- and early 20th-century Post-romantic composer and organist. * Déodat de Séverac, 19th- and early 20th-century Impressionist composer, influenced in his works by his native Languedoc. * Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, 19th-century prominent Organ building, organ builder. * Emmanuel Chabrier, 19th-century Romantic composer. * Hortense Schneider, 19th-century operetta star. * Marius Petipa, 19th-century influential ballet choreographer. * Joseph Canteloube, 20th-century composer and Musicology, musicologist. * André Messager, 20th-century composer. * Lily Pons, 20th-century popular Opera soprano. * Georges Auric, 20th-century composer. Member of Les Six. * Darius Milhaud, 20th-century composer and teacher. Member of Les Six. * Emma Calvé, Belle Époque star soprano. * Olivier Messiaen, 20th-century composer and organist. * Michel Petrucciani, 20th-century jazz pianist. * Maurice Ravel, 20th-century composer, pianist and conductor. * David Fray, classical pianist. * Jean-Claude Malgoire, 20th century conductor. * Maurice Béjart, prominent choreographer and opera director. * Maurice André, trumpeter. * Benjamin Millepied, dancer and choreographer. * Les Ablettes, 20th-century punk rock band. * * Alonzo (rapper), Alonzo * Marcel Amont, 20th-century French singer and Occitan-language songwriter. * Ève Angeli * Art Mengo * Thierry Amiel * The Avener, DJ and music producer. * Gilbert Bécaud, 20th-century singer. * Priscilla Betti * Guy Bonnet, 20th-century Occitan-language songwriter. * * Georges Brassens, 20th-century songwriter, known for its poetic lyrics and using of black humor. * Alan Braxe, electronic music artist. * Francis Cabrel, 20th-century singer and songwriter. * Cécilia Cara * Cats on Trees * Chinese Man, trip hop band. * Cocoon (band), Cocoon * Collectif Métissé, Soma Riba. * Caroline Costa * Lou Dalfin * Emma Daumas * Anne-Marie David, singer and winner of the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest. * * Dionysos (French band), Dionysos * Diabologum * Julien Doré, singer and songwriter. * Eiffel (band), Eiffel * Pauline Ester, 20th-century singer. * Eths * Fabulous Trobadors * Faf Larage * :fr:Fascagat, Fascagat * Félicien Taris * Fréro Delavega * Gojira (band), Gojira, heavy metal music, heavy metal band. * Gold (band), Gold * * Gipsy Kings * Hyphen Hyphen, electro-pop band. * IAM (band), IAM, late 20th-century hip hop band. * Images (band), Images * Imany * Jean-Roch, influential DJ. * :oc:Joanda, Joanda * Jul (rapper), Jul * :fr:Kaolin (groupe), Kaolin * Marina Kaye * Kazero * :fr:Kid Wise, Kid Wise * Kungs * Francis Lai, award-winning composer. * La Femme (band), La Femme, psych-punk rock band. * :oc:La Mal Coiffée, La Mal Coiffée, occitan vocal band. * Jean-Jacques Lafon, 20th-century singer. * Marie Laforêt, 20th-century singer. * Francis Lalanne, 20th-century singer. * Serge Lama, 20th-century singer. * Boby Lapointe, 20th-century singer. * M83 (band), M83, Electro (music), electro band. * Jean-Pierre Mader, 20th-century singer. * Christophe Maé, singer and songwriter. * Mans de Breish, 20th-century Occitan-language songwriter. * Mélissa Mars * Claudi Martí, Claude Marti, 20th-century Occitan-language songwriter. * Massilia Sound System * Mireille Mathieu, 20th-century singer. * Møme * Moos (singer), Moos * Jean-Joseph Mouret, composer from the Baroque music, Baroque era. * Jean-Louis Murat, singer and songwriter. * Los de Nadau, Occitan-language band from Gascony (Béarn), one of the main band of Nòva cançon in the 1970s. * , Spi et la Gaudriole, folk band (ex-:fr:OTH, OTH). * Noir Désir, 20th-century rock band. * Claude Nougaro, 20th-century singer and songwriter. * * :fr:OTH, OTH, 20th-century punk rock band. * Patric (singer), Patric, 20th-century Occitan-language songwriter. * Sabine Paturel * Panzer Flower, electro-pop band. * Partenaire Particulier, electronic and new wave band. * Pierre Perret, 20th-century singer and songwriter. * Stéphane Pompougnac, DJ and record producer. * :fr:Sylvie Pullès, Sylvie Pullès * Regg'Lyss * Rinôçérôse * Ringo (singer), Ringo, 20th-century singer. * Dick Rivers, 20th-century singer. * Gaëtan Roussel * Olivia Ruiz * Patrick Sébastien, 20th-century singer. * Hélène Ségara, 20th-century singer. * :fr:Jean Ségurel, Jean Ségurel * Émilie Simon, singer and composer of electronic music. * Soko (singer), Soko, singer and songwriter. * Soprano (rapper), Soprano * Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Stéphanie * Stille Volk * Michèle Torr, 20th-century singer. * Charles Trenet, 20th-century singer and songwriter. * :fr:Wazoo, Wazoo * Zebda

Statesmen, entrepreneurs, religious figures and activists

* Lucius Caesar, grandson and successor of Augustus who unexpectedly died at the age of 18, compelling Augustus to redraw the line of succession by adopting Tiberius. * Marcus Antonius Primus, Roman senator who took an important part as a general in the 69 Year of the Four Emperors, Civil war. * Saint Sebastian, early Christian saint and martyr from Gallia Narbonensis. * Victor of Marseilles, saint of the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. * Saint Faith, saint and martyr during Diocletian persecution of the Christians. * Constantine II (emperor), Constantine II, Roman Emperor from 337 to 340 * Alaric II, second king of the Visigoths. * Saint Eligius, Catholic Saint and Patron saint of the goldsmiths. * Gesalec, king of the Visigoths from 507 to 511. * William I of Provence, Count of Provence, leader of the 973 Battle of Tourtour that expelled the Al-Andalusi pirates out of Fraxinetum. * Richard I, 12th-century List of English monarchs, King of Kingdom of England, England, spent most of his life in Duchy of Aquitaine, Aquitaine and spoke Occitan language. He was an important Patronage, patron of the troubadours. * Garsenda, Countess of Forcalquier, Garsenda, 12th-century countess and trobairitz. * Eleanor of Aquitaine, 12th-century Duchess of Aquitaine, List of French consorts, Queen consort of France and later List of English consorts, Queen consort of England, often regarded as one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. * Beatrice de Planissoles, Cathar minor noble. * Saint Roch, Catholic saint and confessor. * Bernard Gui, Papal Inquisition, inquisitor, diplomat and historian. * Pope Clement V, Pope from 5 June 1305 to 1314, he started the Avignon Papacy. * Pope John XXII, Pope from 1316 to 1334. * Pope Benedict XII, Pope from 1334 to 1342. * Pope Clement VI, Pope from 1342 to 1352. * Pope Innocent VI, Pope from 1352 to 1362. * Pope Urban V, Pope from 1362 to 1370. * Pope Gregory XI, Pope from 1370 to 1379 and last Avignon Pope. * Richard II of England, 14th- century King of England who inspired Shakespeare's Richard II (play), play. * William Farel, Evangelism, evangelist, Protestant reformers, Protestant reformer and a founder of the Calvinism, Reformed Church in the Principality of Canton of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel and in the Republic of Canton of Geneva, Geneva. *

, 16th-century first King of France from the Angoulême branch who paved the way for the

. * Marguerite de Navarre, 16th-century princess of France and patron of Humanism, Humanists and reformers. She is sometimes regarded as the ''"First Modern Woman"'' due to her independence and important role in the spreading of the

in the French Kingdom. * Jeanne d'Albret, 16th-century Queen regnant of Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre and a key-figure of Protestantism in France. * Henry IV of France, 16th-century List of French monarchs, King of Kingdom of France, France, known as ''Le Bon Roi Henri'' (''Good King Henry''), he remains one of the most emblematic King of France, notably for having been raised in the Protestantism, Protestant faith. * Vincent de Paul, Roman Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor. * Jean Nicot, diplomat and scholar who introduced Snuff (tobacco), snuff tobacco to the French royal court. The tobacco plant, ''Nicotiana'', a flowering garden plant, was named after him by Carl Linnaeus, as was nicotine. * Henri Arnaud (pastor), Henri Arnaud, 17th-century pastor of the Waldensians in Piedmont. * Pierre-Esprit Radisson, explorer and fur trader, co-founder of the Hudson's Bay Company. * Olympe de Gouges, 18th-century activist, known as one of the pioneer of Feminism. * Louis de Bonald, 18th-century politician, a counter-revolutionary and conservatism, conservator, known for his social theory, social theories that would later inspire Sociology. * Paul Barras, main executive leader of the

regime. * Étienne Charles de Loménie de Brienne, churchman, politician and finance minister of Louis XVI. * Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, leader of the early stages of the French Revolution. * Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès, nobleman and lawyer, who headed the special commission in charge of establishing the Napoleonic Code. * Charles XIV John of Sweden (Jean Bernadotte), 19th-century Jacobinism, Jacobines leader, Marshal of France, later King Charles XIV of Sweden and founder of the House of Bernadotte, the current royal family of Sweden. * Désirée Clary, Queen of Sweden and of Norway. * Adolphe Thiers, statesman, who came to epitomize by his life-long political career — during which he served under the July monarchy, monarchy, the French Second Republic, republic and the Second French Empire, Empire — the tumultuous dynamics of the 19th century politics in France. * Louis Auguste Blanqui, socialist and political activist, notable for his revolutionary theory of Blanquism. * François Guizot, historian, orator and statesman, key figure in French politics prior to the Revolutions of 1848, Revolution of 1848. * Léon Gambetta, 19th-century Prime minister of France, a prominent political figure during and after the difficult period of the Franco-Prussian War, viewed as a humiliation by the French. He was also the proclaimer of the French Third Republic, Third Republic. * Bernadette Soubirous, Christian mystic and Saint. After her Marian apparition, visions, Lourdes went on to become a major pilgrimage site. * Charles Dupuy, 19th-century statesman, three times Prime Minister of France. * Marie François Sadi Carnot, 19th-century statesman and fifth president of the Third Republic. * Charles de Freycinet, early 20th-century statesman, four times Prime Minister of France. * Théodore Steeg, 20th-century Radical Party (France), Radical politician. * Armand Fallières, 20th-century statesman and President of France, president of the French republic from 1906 to 1913. * Jean Jaurès, 20th-century statesman and one of the most important figure of the French Left. * Émile Combes, statesman, who led the French Left political coalition Bloc des gauches's cabinet from June 1902 – January 1905. * Gaston Doumergue, 20th-century statesman. He was the List of Presidents of France, 13th President of France. * Vincent Auriol, 20th-century French president of France, president. He was the first president of the French Fourth Republic, Fourth Republic. * André Michelin, André and Édouard Michelin (born 1859), Édouard Michelin, Business magnate, industrialists and founders of the Michelin, Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin in 1888 in Clermont-Ferrand. * Édouard Daladier, French Radical-Socialist Party (France), Radical politician and Prime Minister of France at the start of the Second World War. * François Darlan, 20th-century Prime minister of France during the pro-German Vichy regime. * Jean Moulin, hero of the French resistance. * Gabriel Péri, Communist journalist and prominent Resistant, arrested and shot by the German occupier at the Fort Mont-Valérien, Forteresse du Mont-Valérien. * Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, Resistant. * Georges Loustaunau-Lacau, Resistant. * Germaine Tillion, Resistant. * Claude de Baissac, agent of the Special Operations Executive. * Begum Om Habibeh Aga Khan, fourth and last wife of Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan III. * Jean Monnet, 20th-century political economist and diplomat. He is regarded by many as the chief architect of European Union, European unity and the founding father of the European Union. * René Cassin, 1968 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948. * Georges Pompidou, 20th-century French president. * Jeanne Calment, supercentenarian who has the Oldest people, longest confirmed human lifespan on record. * Henrik, Prince Consort of Denmark, husband of List of Danish monarchs, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, Margrethe II. * Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, 20th-century French president. * Simone Veil, 20th-century lawyer and politician, survivor from the Auschwitz concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, she is primary known as the mother of the law legalizing abortion law, abortion in France on 17 January 1975. * Jean-Luc Lagardère, founder and former CEO of the Lagardère Group. * François Mitterrand, President of France from 1981 to 1995. He was, therefore, the longest-serving President of France and the first one from the Left under the Fifth Republic. * Claude Bébéar, founder and former CEO of AXA. * Bernard Kouchner, politician and physician, co-founder of Medecins Sans Frontiers. * Michel Camdessus, applied economist and managing director of the International Monetary Fund, IMF from 1987 to 2000, which makes him the longest serving managing director of this international institution. * Lucien Barrière, heir and founder of the Lucien Barrière group. * François Bayrou, leader of the Centrism, centrist List of political parties in France, political party Democratic Movement (France), MoDem. * Francis Bouygues, businessman and film producer, founder of Bouygues. * Ives Roqueta, Occitan-language author and activist. * Max Roqueta, Occitan-language activist, former president of the :fr:Institut d'études occitanes, Institut d'études occitanes (Occitan research Institute). * Daniel Cohn-Bendit, French-German politician. * Michel Ancel, game design, video game designer, creator of the Rayman game series. * Frédérick Raynal, video game designer, creator of 1992 game ''Alone in the Dark (1992 video game), Alone in the Dark''.

Sport and dance

* Marie Sallé, 18th century dancer * Jules Léotard, 19th century Acrobatic performer who developed the art of trapeze * Madame Saqui, 19th century popular Tightrope walking, funambulist * Mathieu Ganio, ''Danseur Étoile'' of the Paris Opera Ballet * Bernard Laporte, rugby union coach and former French Secretary of State for Sport. He was head coach of the France national rugby union team, France national team, the head coach at RC Toulonnais, Rugby Club Toulonnais and president of the French Rugby Union. * Claude Onesta, handball coach and responsible of France's Men's handball team since 2001. He has won titles in major competitions such as Handball at the Summer Olympics, The Olympics, IHF World Men's Handball Championship, The World Championship, and European Men's Handball Championship, The European Championship. * Claude Puel, current head coach of the OGC Nice * Louis Chiron, successful first half of the 20th century racing driver, after whom was named the Bugatti Chiron * Gustave Sandras, gymnast, first Olympic gold medal in gymnastics of all time, in 1900 * Jean-Pierre Rives, former rugby union footballer. "A cult figure in France," according to the BBC, he came to epitomise the team's spirit and "ultra-committed, guts-and-glory style of play. He was awarded the Legion of Honour, Order of the Legion of Honor and was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame. He is one of the most emblematic rugby union footballers of all time and described by Australian actor Hugh Jackman as "A small guy on the field, he finished every game with blood on face". * Philippe Sella, former rugby league and rugby union footballer. An important figure of the French rugby union team as well as the Saracens F.C., London Saracens. He later became a member of the International Rugby Hall of Fame in 1999 and the IRB Hall of Fame in 2008. * Several rugby union footballers are members of the IRB Hall of Fame such as Jean Prat, Jo Maso and André Boniface as well as contemporary players like Yannick Jauzion, Fabien Pelous, William Servat, Cédric Heymans, Maxime Médard, Aurélien Rougerie, Dimitri Szarzewski, Yoann Huget and Hugo Bonneval * Adolphe Bousquet, two times Olympic medalist in rugby union * Daniel Elena, rally co-driver of Sébastien Loeb who owns the most victories in the history of the WRC * Guy Lacombe, 1984 Olympic champion in football * François Borde, Olympic medalist in rugby union * Several professional swimmers such as Olympic champions Camille Lacourt, Clément Lefert, Alain Bernard and Yannick Agnel * Renaud Lavillenie, pole vaulter, Olympic champion, and current List of world records in athletics, world record holder * Tony Estanguet, slalom canoeing, slalom canoeist, multiple times List of multiple Olympic gold medalists, Olympic gold medalist * Colette Besson, Olympic champion athlete * Joël Bouzou, 1987 World Champion of modern pentathlon * Herman Georges Berger, fencer, 1908 Olympic champion in épée competition * Nicole Duclos, athlete * Joseph Guillemot, Olympic champion long-distance runner * Stéphane Diagana, world champion athlete * Sébastien Ogier, rally driver and current holder of the List of World Rally Championship Drivers' champions, World Rally Drivers' Championship * Nicolas Vouilloz, former rally driver * Gustave Garrigou, cyclist and Tour de France winner * Antonin Magne, cyclist and Tour de France winner * Roger Lapébie, cyclist and Tour de France winner * Jean-Christophe Péraud, cyclist, second of the 2014 overall Tour de France * Raymond Poulidor, iconic cyclist, known as ''The Eternal Second'' * Romain Bardet, cyclist * Manuel Busto, cyclist * Jules Merviel, cyclist * Lucien Aimar, cyclist who won the 1966 Tour de France * Charles Coste, cyclist and Olympic medalist * Johanne Defay, Surfing, surfer who won three World Surf League events * Guillaume Néry, freediving, free-diver * Alain Giresse, retired international footballer and member of the UEFA Euro 1984, Euro 84 winning team * Eric Cantona, former List of France men's international footballers, International footballer and important player of Manchester United F.C. in the mid-1990s * David Ginola, former international footballer * Zinedine Zidane, former international footballer * Laurent Blanc, former international footballer * Didier Deschamps, former international footballer * Vincent Candela, former international footballer * Fabien Barthez, former international footballer * Johan Micoud, former international footballer and member of the UEFA Euro 2000, Euro 2000 winning team * Gaël Clichy, international footballer, currently plays for Manchester City F.C. * Philippe Mexès, international footballer, currently plays for A.C. Milan, Milan * Samir Nasri, international footballer, currently plays for Manchester City F.C. * Mathieu Flamini, international footballer, currently plays for Arsenal F.C. * Aymeric Laporte, professional footballer, currently plays for Athletic Bilbao * Blaise Matuidi, international footballer, currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain * Lucas Hernandez, international footballer, currently plays for Atlético Madrid * Hugo Lloris, international footballer, currently plays for Tottenham Hotspur F.C. * Laurent Koscielny, international footballer, currently plays for Arsenal F.C. * Several handball players such as Xavier Barachet, Michaël Guigou, William Accambray, Théo Derot and Jérôme Fernandez * Richard Gasquet and Gilles Simon, tennis players * Alexandra Lacrabère, female handball player * Thomas Heurtel, international basketball player from Anadolu Efes S.K., Anadolu Efes Istanbul * Louis François (wrestler), Louis François, Greco-Roman wrestler * Céline Dumerc, Sandrine Gruda and Paoline Salagnac, female basketball players * Yoann Jaumel, Earvin N'Gapeth, Pierre Pujol and Kévin Tillie, international List of international volleyball players, volleyball players * Martin Fourcade, Olympic champion Biathlon, biathlete * Adrien Hardy, Olympic medalist rowing (sport), rower * Brigitte Guibal, Olympic medalist slalom canoer * Marion Bartoli, former professional tennis player and winner of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships singles title * Pierre Jonquères d'Oriola and Christian d'Oriola, Olympic medalists in fencing * Jérémie Azou, Olympic champion in rowing * Guy de Luget, Olympic medalist in fencing * Dominique Sarron and Christian Sarron, Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Grand Prix motorcycle road racing, road racers * Gabriella Papadakis, Olympic medalist in ice dancing * Émilie Andéol, judoka * Martin Braud and Cédric Forgit, Whitewater slalom, slalom canoer * Annie Famose, Alpine skiing, Alpine skier and Olympic medalist * Marielle Goitschel, Alpine skier and Olympic champion * Isabelle Delobel, ice dancer * François Gabart, professional offshore yacht racer who won the 2012–13 Vendée Globe * Audrey Prieto, female freestyle wrestling, freestyle wrestler * Gauthier de Tessières, Alpine skiing, alpine ski racer * Emmanuel Hostache, 1999 Olympic champion in bobsleigh * Claude Piquemal, athlete * Wilfrid Forgues, Olympic medalist slalom canoer * René Thomas (racing driver), René Thomas, early 20th-century motor racing champion * Mathieu Crépel, professional snowboarding, snowboarder * Isabelle Blanc, snowboarder and Olympic champion * Erwann Le Péchoux, world champion in fencing * Marie-Laure Brunet, Olympic biathlete * Xavier de Le Rue, big mountain snowboarder * Doriane Vidal, snowboarder and Olympic medalist * Pierre Vaultier, snowboarder and Olympic champion * Marie Marvingt, athlete, mountaineer, aviator and journalist * Johann Zarco, Grand Prix motorcycle racing, Grand Prix motorcycle racer * René Arnoux, motor auto racing, racing driver * Joris Daudet, cyclist, 1997 and 2016 World Cup overall title winner in BMX * Cyril Abidi, kickboxer * Jules Bianchi, motor racing driver * Puig Aubert, prominent rugby league figure * Richard Tardits, former American football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League, NFL * Boris Bede, Canadian football player * Bruce Bochy, former baseball player and current manager of the San Francisco Giants * Jehan Buhan, Olympic champion in Foil (fencing), foil competition * Jacques Lataste, two times Olympic champion in the team foil competition * Jean-Claude Magnan, Olympic champion in foil competition * Pascale Trinquet, Olympic champion in foil competition * Brigitte Latrille-Gaudin, Olympic champion in the team foil competition * Lionel Plumenail, Olympic champion in the team foil competition * Roger François, 1928 Olympic champion in weightlifting * Jean-Noël Ferrari, Olympic champion in the team foil competition * Guy Lapébie, cyclist, two times Olympic Champion in Cycling at the 1936 Summer Olympics, 4000m team pursuit and in Team road race * Arnaud Geyre, racing cyclist, Olympic champion in cycling at the 1956 Summer Olympics men's team road race * Serge Maury, sailor, 1972 Olympic champion in the Finn (dinghy), finn class. * Gaston Aumoitte, Olympic champion in Croquet * Maurice Larrouy (sport shooter), Maurice Larrouy, Olympic champion in Shooting at the 1900 Summer Olympics – Men's 20 metre rapid fire pistol, Shooting * Marguerite Broquedis, 1912 Olympic champion in tennis * Jean Boiteux, 1952 Olympic champion in Swimming at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's 400 metre freestyle, freestyle swimming * Camille Muffat, 2012 Olympic champion in Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metre freestyle, freestyle swimming * Henri Deglane, Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling * Marie-Claire Restoux, 1996 Olympic champion in judo * Boris Sanson, Olympic champion in Fencing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's team sabre, team fencing * Nicolas Lopez (fencer), Nicolas Lopez, Olympic champion in team fencing * André Labatut, Olympic champion in the foil and épée competitions * René Bougnol, Olympic champion in the team foil event * Émile Coste, Olympic champion in the individual foil event * Pierre Durand, Jr., 1988 Olympic champion in Equestrian at the 1988 Summer Olympics, equestrian individual jumping * Jean Teulère, Olympic champion in Equestrian at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Team eventing, equestrian team eventing * Charles Coste, 1948 Olympic champion in Cycling at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Men's team pursuit, team puruit * Fernand Decanali, 1948 Olympic champion in team pursuit * Frank Adisson, 1996 Olympic champion in slalom canoeing * Benoît Peschier, 2004 Olympic champion in slalom canoeing * Sébastien Vieilledent, Olympic champion in rowing * Charles Leclerc, racing driver * Michel Andrieux 2000 Olympic champion in rowing * Laurent Porchier, Olympic champion in rowing * Bernard Malivoire, Olympic champion in rowing * Virginie Dedieu, Olympic medalist in synchronized swimming * Jean-Philippe Gatien, Olympic silver medalist in table tennis * Astier Nicolas and Mathieu Lemoine, Olympic champion during the Equestrian at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Team eventing, 2016 equestrian Team eventing * Dominique Gardères, horse rider, 1900 co-Olympic champion in the high jump event * Didier Courrèges, horse rider, co-Olympic champion in 2004. He was born in Normandy from a Béarnais background, and grew up in Pau. * Denis Gargaud Chanut, Olympic champion in slalom canoeing * Lucas Puig, Adidas-sponsored Skateboarding, skateboarder, who made appearance in the Electronic Arts's games Skate It, Skate 2 and Skate 3 * David Roumieu, rugby union footballer * Richard Jouve, Olympic medalist in Cross-country skiing (sport), Cross-country skiing * Perrine Laffont, Olympic champion in mogul skiing * Jack LaLanne, American fitness expert, he came from a Béarnais background from Oloron-Sainte-Marie

Cinema and actors

* William Abadie, actor. * Ariane Ascaride, actress and screenwriter. * Lionnel Astier, film and television actor, famous for his role of Léodagan in Kaamelott, ''Kaamelot''. Lionnel Astier is the father of Alexandre Astier. * Jacques de Baroncelli, film director of the Silent film era. * Emmanuelle Béart, actress and model. * Bertrand Bonello, film director, member of the New French Extremity movement. * Sandrine Bonnaire, actress, film director and screenwriter. * Charles Boyer, 20th-century actor who had a successful carrier at Cinema of the United States, Hollywood where he played in movies like ''The Garden of Allah (1936 film), The Garden of Allah'' along with actresses such as Marlene Dietrich and Hedy Lamarr. * Robert Bresson, 20th-century film director and probably the most influential figure of the French New Wave. * Capucine, fashion model and actress. * Georges Carrère, actor. * Jean-Claude Carrière, screenwriter, actor and Academy Honorary Award, Academy Award honoree. * André Cayatte, film director from the ''Nouvelle Vague'' who won two Golden Lions in 1950 and 1960. * Nicolas Cazalé, actor and model. * Timothée Chalamet, American actor. His father's side is from Nîmes. He spent his holidays in the family house of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon. * Delphine Chanéac, model and actress. * René Clément, director and screenwriter. * Mireille Darc, actress and model. * Danielle Darrieux, actress and pop icon who had a successful carrier at Hollywood. * Jean-Henri Gourgaud, Dugazon, late 18th century theater actor. * François Dupeyron, film director and screenwriter. * Jean Eustache, film director. * Fernandel, 20th-century actor and singer, who played in classic French, Italian and later American movies such as ''Paris Holiday (1958 film), Paris Holiday'' or again ''Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film), Around the World in 80 Days''. * Louis Feuillade, 20th-century director of the silent film era. * Rémi Gaillard, famous YouTube Practical joke, prankster. * Michel Galabru, actor. * Armand Gatti, playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker. * Robert Guédiguian, film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. * Alain Guiraudie, film director and screenwriter. * Mylène Jampanoï, actress. * Louis Jourdan, film and television actor. * Lou de Laâge, television, film and stage actress. * Bernadette Lafont, actress, famous for her role in 1960s ''French New Wave, Nouvelle Vague'' movies. * Georges Lautner, film director. * Philippe Léotard, actor, poet and singer. * Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, award-winning film director. * Max Linder, 20th-century actor, director, screenwriter, producer and comedian of the Silent film era. * Jean-Pierre Malo, actor. * Simone Mareuil, actress, best known for her role in Luis Buñuel movie Un Chien Andalou. * Gilles Marini, actor. * Jean-Baptiste Maunier, actor and singer. * Jean-Pierre Mocky, film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. * Michel Modo, actor. * Édouard Molinaro, film director and screenwriter. * Clara Morgane, pornographic actress. * Paul Mounet, actor of the early silent film era. * Géraldine Pailhas, actress. * Gina Palerme, actress and dancer of the silent film era. * Gérard Philipe, actor. * Maurice Pialat, film director and screenwriter. * Raimu, actor. * Georges Riquier, actor. * Éric Rohmer, 20th Century film director and one of the most important members of the French New Wave. * Henri Serre, ''Nouvelle Vague'' actor. * Maurice Ronet, actor, director, and writer. * Pierre Schoendoerffer, film director, screenwriter, writer, war reporter and war cameraman who won the Academy Award for Documentary Feature for ''The Anderson Platoon''. * Barbara Schulz, actress. * Simone Simon, actress. * Audrey Tautou, actress and model, she achieved international recognition for her lead role in the 2001 film ''Amélie'' (2001), and later played in movies such as Stephen Frears's ''Dirty Pretty Things (film), Dirty Pretty Things'' (2002) and Ron Howard's ''The Da Vinci Code (film), The Da Vinci Code'' (2006). * André Téchiné, film director from the late ''Nouvelle Vague'' who won the Best Director Award (Cannes Film Festival), Best Director Award at Cannes Film Festival. * Jean-Louis Trintignant, actor, screenwriter and film director. * Jean Vigo, major film director, born in Paris to Languedocian anarchist parents (Miguel Almereyda). * Pierre Woodman, major pornographic films director.

Men of war and explorers

* Pytheas, Greeks, Greek List of Graeco-Roman geographers, geographer from Massalia, who made a voyage of exploration to northwestern Europe in about 325 BC. * Vercingetorix, chieftain of the Arverni tribe who fought against Roman forces during the last phase of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars at the Battle of Gergovia. He was probably born either in Gergovie or Nemossos (nowadays part of Clermont-Ferrand). * Avitus, Roman emperor, Western Roman Emperor from 8 or 9 July 455 to 17 October 456. * Euric, King of the Visigoths from 466 until his death in 484. * Paulinus of Nola, Roman poet, writer and senator. * Odo the Great, Duke of Aquitaine, one of the leader of the 732 Battle of Tours. * Lupus II of Gascony, Duke of Gascony and commander of the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778. * William II Sánchez of Gascony, Duke of Gascony from circa 961 at least until 996, he fought during the ''Reconquista''. He is mainly known to have perpetrated a major defeat of the Vikings at Taller in 982. * Adhemar of Le Puy, one of the major figures of the First Crusade, known for having carried the Holy Lance during the Siege of Antioch in which he took a decisive part. * Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, one of the leaders of the First Crusade. * Gaston IV, Viscount of Béarn, viscount of Béarn and soldier during the First Crusade. * Mercadier, warrior and chief of mercenaries in service of Richard I of England, Richard I, King of England. * James I of Aragon, Kings of Aragon, King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; Kings of Majorca, King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and King of Valencia, Valencia from 1238 to 1276. * Isabella of Angoulême, queen consort of England from 1200 until John of England, John's death in 1216. * Jean Poton de Xaintrailles, minor noble who was appointed Marshal of France and who distinguished himself during the Hundred Years' War, notably at the Battle of Gerberoy. * John II, Duke of Bourbon, commander of the decisive Hundred Years' War Battle of Formigny. * La Hire, major military commander of the late the Hundred Years' War and leader of the Battle of Patay. * Jean III de Grailly, captal de Buch, one of the main commander of the Hundred Years' War who was attached to the English side. * Gaston of Foix, Duke of Nemours, military commander who took brilliantly part in the War of the League of Cambrai. * Jacques de La Palice, nobleman and military commander. * Bertrand de Blanchefort, sixth Grand Master of the Knights Templar, remembered to have been an important reformer of the Order. * Odo de St Amand, eighth Grand Master of the Knights Templar, remembered for his numerous victories, the most famous one being the victory of the Battle of Montgisard against Saladin. * Guillaume de Sonnac, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, who fought at the Siege of Damietta (1249), Siege of Damietta died at the Battle of Mansurah (1250), Battle of Al Mansurah. * Armand de Périgord, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, defeated at the Battle of La Forbie. * Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard, Bayard, legendary soldier, sometimes known as "the knight without fear and beyond reproach". * Pierre d'Aubusson, Grand Master (order), Grand Master of the order of St. John of Jerusalem and revered by all Christendom as ''"the Shield of the Church"''. He was the leader of the 1480 Siege of Rhodes (1480), Siege of Rhodes defence. * Blaise de Lasseran-Massencôme, seigneur de Montluc, List of Marshals of France, Marshal of France, knighted after his service during the Battle of Ceresole. * Guigues Guiffrey, soldier, who won fame through his cavalry charge during the Battle of Ceresole. * Louis des Balbes de Berton de Crillon, soldier, nicknamed ''the man without fear''. * Jean Parisot de la Valette, 49th List of Grand Masters of the Knights Hospitaller, Grand Master of the Order of Malta, from 21 August 1557 to his death in 1568. Knight Hospitaller, he joined the order in the Langue de Provence, he fought with distinction against the Ottoman Empire, Turks at Rhodes. He commanded the resistance against the Ottomans at the Great Siege of Malta, Great Siege of Malta in 1565. Valletta, capital of Malta was named after him. * Samuel de Champlain, navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler, considered as the "Father of New France". * Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin, military leader in New France, who illustrated himself in the raid of New Holland (Acadia), Penobscot and the Battle of Falmouth (1690), Battle of Falmouth during the King William's War. * Louis de Buade de Frontenac, soldier and Governor general of New France from an old noble family from Béarn, who successfully defended Quebec from the British invasions of the King William's War. * Isaac de l'Ostal de Saint-Martin, Honorific, chevalier, in service of the Dutch Republic. * Jean de Gassion, Gascon military, commander at the 1643 battle of Rocroi. * Jean-François Roberval, adventurer and first Lieutenant General of New France. * Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons, merchant, explorer and colonizer who founded the first permanent French settlement in Canada. * Charles de Batz-Castelmore d'Artagnan, d'Artagnan, legendary captain of the Musketeers of the Guard who inspired Alexandre Dumas' d'Artagnan character. * Armand d'Athos, Isaac de Porthau and Henri d'Aramitz, members of the Musketeers of the Guard who inspired Alexandre Dumas for his novel The Three Musketeers. * Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, Vicomte of Turenne, member of the Auvergnat La Tour d'Auvergne family, who distinguished himself during the battles of Battle of Nördlingen (1645), Nördlingen, Battle of Zusmarshausen, Zusmarshausen, Battle of Turckheim, Turckheim and Battle of the Dunes (1658), Dunes. * Daniel Montbars, buccaneer, known as ''Montbars the Destroyer''. * Jean-Baptiste du Casse, buccaneer, admiral, and Colonialism, colonial administrator. * Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, explorer and adventurer in New France, In 1701, he founded Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, the beginnings of modern Detroit, which he commanded until 1710. William H. Murphy and Henry M. Leland, founders of the Cadillac auto company in Detroit, paid homage to him by using his name for their company and his armorial bearings as its logo in 1902. * Claude-Jean Allouez, Jesuit missionary and French explorer of North America, mainly Michigan and Wisconsin. * Pierre Laclède, fur trader who, with his young assistant and stepson Auguste Chouteau, founded St. Louis in 1764. * Marguerite Delaye, heroine of the Siege of Montelimar, during the French Wars of Religion. * Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, commander of the forces in North America during the Seven Years' War, whose North American Theater (warfare), theatre is known as the French and Indian War in the United States. * François Joseph Paul de Grasse, admiral, known for his command of the French Navy, French fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake, which led directly to the Siege of Yorktown, British surrender at Yorktown. * Jean-François de La Pérouse, officer of the French Navy, Royal French Navy. He was chosen by the Charles Eugène Gabriel de La Croix, Marquis de Castries and Louis XVI to lead an expedition around the world to complete James Cook discoveries in the Pacific Ocean. This maritime expedition mysteriously vanished, body and soul, at Vanikoro (Santa Cruz Islands) in 1788, three years after his departure from Brest, France, Brest. Numerous places were named after him, including the La Pérouse Strait between Russia and Japan. * Armand de Gramont, Comte de Guiche, soldier and adventurer. * Claude Louis Hector de Villars, general of Louis XIV of France who illustrated himself during the commanding of the Battle of Malplaquet. * Claude de Forbin, naval commander who illustrated himself during the War of the Spanish Succession and the Nine Years' War, as well as ephemeral governor of Bangkok and challenger of the Makassar revolt of 1686. * Hippolyte Bouchard, sailor and privateer, corsair, praised in Argentina. * Nicolas-Louis d'Assas, captain of the Régiment d'Auvergne and hero of the Battle of Kloster Kampen. * Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette, Lafayette, general and key figure of the American Revolutionary War. He was a close friend of George Washington. He is sometimes known as the ''Hero of the Two Worlds''. * John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier, British soldier who became Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in 1757. * Louis de Freycinet, navigator who published in 1811 the first map to show a full outline of the coastline of Australia. * Guillaume Brune, Marshal of France who distinguished himself as Brigadier general during the late Revolutionary period battles of Battle of Castricum, Castricum and Battle of Pozzolo, Pozzolo. * Louis-Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse, admiral. * Jean Lafitte, French-American pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico who took part in the War of 1812, 1815 Battle of New Orleans. * Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville, Vice-admiral who fought during the American Revolutionary War and under Napoleon during the Raids on Boulogne. * Michel de Beaupuy, soldier during the French Revolutionary Wars. * Several Marshal of France, Marshals of France of the Napoleonic Era, including Joachim Murat, Jean Lannes, Jean-Baptiste Bessières, Jean-Baptiste Jourdan or again André Masséna and Jean-de-Dieu Soult. * Joseph Lagrange (soldier), Joseph Lagrange, successful soldier of the Napoleonic Era. * Jean-Louis-Brigitte Espagne, Napoleonic cavalry commander. * Honoré Charles Reille, Napoleonic Marshal, leader of the Battle of Roncesvalles (1813), Battle of Roncesvalles and key figure of the Peninsular War. * Jean-Antoine Marbot, Napoleonic General and politician. * Jacques Gervais, baron Subervie, Napoleonic general and politician. * Pierre Claude Pajol, Napoleonic cavalry general. * Adolphe Marbot, Napoleonic General, remembered for his courage as a soldier in the Battle of Vitebsk (1812), Battle of Vitebsk. * Marcellin Marbot, Napoleonic General, remembered for his ''Mémoires'' and his role as a soldier during the Battle of Eylau. * Louis Desaix, general and military leader who distinguished himself during the Napoleonic French campaign in Egypt and Syria, Egyptian campaign. * Jean Étienne Championnet and Édouard Jean Baptiste Milhaud, major generals of the Napoleonic Era. * Pierre François Sauret, General of Division under Napoleon who mainly fought during the War of the Pyrenees. * Pierre Daumesnil, one-legged soldier of Napoleon. * François Certain Canrobert, Marshal of France, one of the leaders of the allied forces during the Crimean War, notably in the Battle of Inkerman and the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–55), Siege of Sevastopol. * Pierre Bosquet, Marshal of France, who particularly served during the Crimean War and the French conquest of Algeria, conquest of Algeria. * Thomas Robert Bugeaud, Marshal of France and List of French governors of Algeria, Governor-General of Algeria primary remembered for his key role during the conquest of Algeria and the Battle of Isly. * Jean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul, cavalry general of the Napoleonic wars. * Jean Danjou, decorated captain who fought during the legendary Battle of Camarón. * Abel Douay, general, killed in combat during the Battle of Wissembourg (1870), Battle of Wissembourg where the French defenders, although greatly outnumbered, fought heroically. * Joseph Gallieni, highly decorated soldier, commander and administrator. He took back Madagascar from the rebels in 1896 and played an important role on the French side during the First World War. * Marcel Treich-Laplène, first explorer and first colonial administrator of the Ivory Coast. * Ferdinand Foch, Marshal of France, Marshal of Poland, of Poland and Field Marshal (United Kingdom), of United Kingdom. Hero of the First World War, Addington says, "to a large extent the final Allied strategy which won the war on land in Western Europe in 1918 was Foch's alone." * Maurice Sarrail, general of the First World War, one of the commanders of the Macedonian front, Salonica breakthrough. * Albert Severin Roche, distinguished French soldier, nicknamed by Foch "the first soldier of France". * Noël Édouard, vicomte de Curières de Castelnau, notable general in the First World War, famous for his victories during the Battle of Grand Couronné, the Battle of the Trouée de Charmes and the Battle of Verdun. * Adolphe Guillaumat, general in the First World War, who took part as a commander in the Battle of Verdun, among other battles. * Émile Fayolle, successful First World War general, appointed List of Marshals of France, Marshal of France. * Robert Nivelle, commander-in-chief of the French armies on the Western Front, who was responsible of the inconclusive Nivelle offensive and one of the main commanders of the Battle of Verdun. * Joseph Joffre, Chief of the Defence Staff (France), general who served as Commander-in-Chief of French forces on the Western Front from the start of World War I until the end of 1916, best known for regrouping the retreating allied armies to defeat the Germans at the strategically decisive First Battle of the Marne in September 1914. * Lionel de Marmier, World War I and II flying ace. * Maryse Bastié, aviator and World War I pilot. * Hans-Joachim Marseille, successful German fighter pilot from Occitan

ancestry. * René Prioux, French general, commander of the 1940 Battle of Hannut. * Adolf Galland, successful German flying ace credited with 104 aerial victories during World War II, from Occitan Huguenot ancestry originating from Veynes. * Jean-Marie Charles Abrial, French admiral, one of the commander of the Dunkirk evacuation. * Louis Delfino, fighter ace, member of the Escadron de Chasse 2/30 Normandie-Niemen. * Roland de La Poype, fighter ace, member of the Escadron de Chasse 2/30 Normandie-Niemen, Hero of the Soviet Union. * Georges Bégué, engineer and agent in the Special Operations Executive during World War II. * François Coli, pilot and navigator, best known for his attempt to achieve the first transatlantic flight, along with Charles Nungesser.

Fashion

* Paul Iribe, illustrator and designer. * Ted Lapidus, fashion designer. * André Courrèges, fashion designer, primary remembered for its futuristic creations and his works at Balenciaga. * Marcelle Auclair, co-founder of the fashion magazine Marie Claire. * Christian Lacroix, fashion designer. His creations are often inspired by his native Camargue. * Marithé + François Girbaud, fashion designers, known for their Jeans, denim jeans. * Emanuel Ungaro, fashion designer and founder of the House of Ungaro. * Inès de la Fressange, model and aristocrat. She was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1998. * Christian Audigier, fashion designer. * Simon Porte Jacquemus, fashion designer. * Marine Serre, 2017 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers. * Olivier Rousteing, fashion designer and creative director of Balmain (fashion house), Balmain. * Alexandre Vauthier, fashion designer. * Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, fashion designer and street artist, descendant of an old noble family from Castelbajac, Bigorre. * Cindy Bruna, model. * Aymeline Valade, model. * Sophie Theallet, fashion designer. * Anais Mali, Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, Victoria's Secret model. * Isabelle Caro, model and actress.

Cooking

* Auguste Escoffier, chef, restaurateur and culinary writer who popularized and updated traditional French cooking methods. * Alain Ducasse, chef. * Anne-Sophie Pic, chef. * Pierre Gagnaire, chef. * Michel Bras, chef.

References

{{Reflist People from Occitania (administrative region) Lists of French people, Occitans