Who are the most famous people born in Lyon?

• Claudius (-10 - 54) was born when the city was still called Lugdunum. His complete name was Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. He became the 4th Roman Emperor, reigning from 41 to 54 AD. He proved to be an ambitious administrator and is remembered for starting the Roman conquest of Britain. He was not the only emperor to be born in Lugdunum: Caracalla was born there in 188 and reigned from 198 to 217.
• Juliette Récamier (1777 - 1849), born Jeanne Françoise Julie Adélaïde Bernard, was a prominent figure in Parisian society who was born in Lyon. Her intelligence captivated a circle of literary and political figures of her time, during the First French Empire and Bourbon Restoration. She was acquainted with people like François-René de Chateaubriand. She embodied the elegance and cultural curiosity that characterised much of 19th-century French culture, leaving a legacy of social influence.
• Jean Moulin (1899 - 1943), was not born in Lyon, but left an indelible mark on the city’s history and is now regarded as one of France’s most revered heroes of the Résistance. Born in Béziers, he was a high-ranking civil servant who, following the fall of France in 1940, worked to unify disparate resistance movements under the leadership of Charles de Gaulle. With its strategic position and strong Résistance networks, Lyon became his operational base. However, he was arrested by the Nazi secret services and died at the hands of the Gestapo in 1943.

• Louise Labé (c. 1522 - 1566), known as “La Belle Cordière”, due to her husband’s profession as a rope-maker, she was a remarkable Renaissance poet who received an exceptional education for a woman of her time. She mastered several languages and equestrianism and the military arts. Her surviving works, primarily sonnets and elegies, are celebrated for their exploration of love and the female experience and for challenging the social norms of her time.
• Laurent Mourguet (1769 - 1844) was a pioneering puppeteer and the creator of Guignol, Lyon’s beloved puppet character, still famous to this day. Born into a family of silk workers (known as canuts), he initially worked as a tooth extractor and used puppets to distract his patients during operations. Eventually puppeteering became his main activity.
• Tony Garnier (1869-1948) was a visionary architect and urban planner, mostly renowned for his concept of the Cité Industrielle (Industrial City), a pioneering work that has had a significant impact on modern urban planning worldwide. He is also known for being the architect of some of Lyon’s most iconic buildings including the Halle Tony Garnier and the Stade Gerland. He also designed the Quartiers des États-Unis, cementing his legacy in the city’s architecture.
• Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944), was a writer, poet and pioneering aviator. He is best remembered as the author of The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince), a philosophical tale which he illustrated himself and which was translated in 600 languages, making it one of the most widely translated works of fiction in the world. His passion for aviation led the city of Lyon to honour his memory by naming its international airport after him.
• Paul Bocuse (1926 - 2018) was one of the most influential chefs of the 20th century and a true ambassador of French and Lyonnaise gastronomy. He focused on fresh, high-quality ingredients and lighter preparations, while remaining deeply rooted in tradition. His iconic restaurant, L’Auberge du Pont de Collonges, recognisable by its beautiful colours making it visible from afar, kept its 3 Michelin stars for an incredible 55 consecutive years. His legacy is perpetuated in the Institut Paul Bocuse, now called Institut Lyfe, which trains the next generation of influential chefs.

• André-Marie Ampère (1775 - 1836) was a brilliant French physicist and mathematician, who is widely recognised as one of the founders of classical electromagnetism. His pioneering work in the early 19th century established the theoretical foundations for understanding the relationship between electricity and magnetism. He formulated Ampère’s law, developed the mathematical theories of electrodynamics and invented devices such as the solenoid. In his honour, electric currents are now measured in amperes.
• Auguste (1862 - 1954) and Louis Lumière (1864 - 1948) were born in Besançon but are especially renowned for their work in Lyon, where their family ran photographic plate business. They invented the cinématographe, one of the earliest devices capable of recording, developing and projecting motion pictures. Their first public screening in 1895 in Paris marked the birth of cinema as we know it.

Do you want to find out more about Lyon’s history? The city’s heritage attracts thousands of visitors every year. Plan a trip to Lyon and discover its incredible monuments, parks, museums and thriving night life that also makes it a great place to live!