This Map Shows Who the Biggest Celebrity in Your Area Is

This new online tool reveals the most famous person from any given location worldwide, offering intriguing and sometimes unexpected insights.

Finnish map designer Topi Tjukanov, inspired by curiosity about notable figures in his own city and the famous The People Map of the U.S. by the Pudding, developed this interactive map called Notable People.

This map shows prominent individuals from cities, towns, and even small villages around the globe. Users can explore the map for free and see who stands out in various regions. The map functions similarly to popular digital map services like Google Maps. By navigating, zooming in, and zooming out, you can see names replacing typical place labels, revealing the most famous person from each area.

The map can display notable figures at various scales, from neighborhoods and cities to larger regions and entire countries. It even features four filter categories—culture, discovery & science, leadership, and sports—allowing users to tailor their exploration according to their interests.

The results can range from current celebrities, such as Ariana Grande in Florida, to influential politicians like Barack Obama from Hawaii, or renowned historical figures like Aristotle in Greece. The map's selection criterion is birthplace rather than where the individual lived or worked.

The map's interactive nature and wide-ranging data make it a unique and engaging way to explore local and global history through the lens of famous figures. Whether you're curious about the most notable person from your hometown or interested in discovering influential individuals worldwide, the Notable People map provides a simple yet compelling way to learn more about prominent historical and contemporary figures.

Which Data Is Used for the Map?

The Notable People map is grounded in a 2022 research project that tapped into data from Wikipedia and Wikidata. Various metrics were used to determine fame, including the number of different language editions a Wikipedia page has and the frequency of page visits. These indicators help gauge a person's prominence and build a comprehensive global database of notable figures.