You may find many people are proud to be from the same area as a famous person. In Scotland, if you’ve ever visited Dunblane you’ll know “Andy Murray grew up here” is a commonly referenced fact. Last year, an amazing interactive map was released that shows the birthplaces of the world’s ‘most notable people’.
It uses data from Wikipedia and Wikidata to calculate this notability, and it was further developed by researchers from Paris University, with senior map designer Topi Tjukanov putting the visualisation together. For example, it reveals that Freddie Mercury (born in Tanzania) is the most notable person from Zanzibar.
But who are Scotland’s most ‘notable’ people and where were they born? Here’s a list of 12 big names from Scotland according to this cutting-edge map.
5. James Matthew Barrie (Kirriemuir)
Sir James Matthew Barrie was a Scottish novelist and playwright born in the Angus council area of Scotland in 1860. He is best remembered as the author of ‘Peter Pan’, a children’s novel that follows the adventures of a young boy who never grows up. He also wrote plays that ran successfully during their time such as “Quality Street” (1901) and “The Admirable Crichton” (1902). Photo: National Media Museum (via Wikimedia Commons)
6. Ewan McGregor (Perth)
Ewan Gordon McGregor was born in Perth and raised in Crieff. The Scottish actor is best known for his roles as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars and as Renton in Danny Boyle’s highly-acclaimed hit film “Trainspotting”. Lesser known but powerful works of his include “Long Way Down” (2007), a TV series that captured his motorbike travels across the world with his friend Charley Boorman. Photo: Andrew Milligan
7. Shirley Henderson (Forres)
Born in Forres, a small town twelve miles west of Elgin in northern Scotland, Henderson is a Scottish singer and award-winning stage and film actress. She also featured in Trainspotting, portraying the role of Gail, yet she is better known for playing “Moaning Myrtle” in the Harry Potter movie series. Photo: Matt Crossick
8. John Rae (Orkney)
Doctor John Rae (born in 1813), Scotland’s Arctic explorer, became famous for his remarkable accomplishments travelling the Arctic region, “living off the land” via skills he learned from the local Inuit people. During his Arctic travels he walked more than 23,000 miles and he recounted this in his book “Narrative of an Expedition to the Shores of the Arctic Sea in 1846 and 1847”. Photo: Henry Maull (via Wikimedia Commons)