The Greatest French Economists

This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

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1 Dominique Strauss-Kahn

Famous As: Economist, Politician, Lawyer, University teacher

Birthdate: April 25, 1949

Sun Sign: Taurus

Nationality: French

2 Auguste Comte

Famous As: Philosopher

Birthdate: January 19, 1798

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Nationality: French

Died: September 5, 1857

Known as the pioneer of sociology and positivism, philosopher Auguste Comte had an elite schooling at the prestigious École Polytechnique. Though infamous for being egocentric, he was known for his dedication to society and social upliftment. He authored The Positive Philosophy and was influenced by Henri de Saint-Simon.

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3 Thomas Piketty

Famous As: Economist, University teacher

Birthdate: May 7, 1971

Sun Sign: Taurus

Nationality: French

4 Esther Duflo

Famous As: American-French Economist

Birthdate: October 25, 1972

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Nationality: French, American

Esther Duflo is a French–American economist. She is credited with co-founding the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, a global research center that works towards reducing poverty worldwide. In 2019, she shared the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Michael Kremer and Abhijit Banerjee for their efforts to reduce poverty.

5 Simone Weil

Famous As: Philosopher, mystic and social activist

Birthdate: February 3, 1909

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Nationality: French

Died: August 24, 1943

Paris-born philosopher and activist Simone Weil could speak in Sanskrit and Greek as a student. Called The Martian by her classmates, due to her peculiar nature, she died of cardiac failure at 34, refusing to eat more than the people of German-occupied France, in spite of being diagnosed with tuberculosis.

6 Vilfredo Pareto

Famous As: Economist, Writer, Philosopher, Sociologist, University teacher

Birthdate: July 15, 1848

Sun Sign: Cancer

Nationality: French, Italian

Died: August 19, 1923

7 Jean-Baptiste Colbert

Famous As: Economist, Politician

Birthdate: August 29, 1619

Sun Sign: Virgo

Nationality: French

Died: September 6, 1683

8 Charles Fourier

Famous As: Economist, Sociologist, Philosopher

Birthdate: April 7, 1772

Sun Sign: Aries

Nationality: French

Died: October 10, 1837

9 Frederic Bastiat

Birthdate: June 30, 1801

Sun Sign: Cancer

Nationality: French

Died: December 24, 1850

10 Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau

Famous As: Journalist, Politician, Diplomat, Writer, Economist

Birthdate: March 9, 1749

Sun Sign: Pisces

Nationality: French

Died: April 2, 1791

11 Henri de Castries

Famous As: Entrepreneur, Businessperson, Economist

Birthdate: August 15, 1954

Sun Sign: Leo

Nationality: French

12 James Mayer de Rothschild

Famous As: Banker, Art collector, Economist, Businessperson

Birthdate: May 15, 1792

Sun Sign: Taurus

Nationality: French

Died: November 15, 1868

13 Jean-Baptiste Say

Famous As: Economist

Birthdate: January 5, 1767

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Nationality: French

Died: November 15, 1832

14 Jacques Delors

Famous As: Economist, Politician, Banker, Trade unionist

Birthdate: July 20, 1925

Sun Sign: Cancer

Nationality: French

15 Raymond Aron

Famous As: Journalist, Philosopher, Writer, Political scientist, Sociologist, Professor, Economist

Birthdate: March 14, 1905

Sun Sign: Pisces

Nationality: French

Died: October 17, 1983

16 Jean Tirole

Famous As: Economist, University teacher

Birthdate: August 9, 1953

Sun Sign: Leo

Nationality: French

17 Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours

Famous As: Economist

Birthdate: December 14, 1739

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Nationality: French, American

Died: August 7, 1817

18 Henri de Saint-Simon

Famous As: Political Theorist

Birthdate: October 17, 1760

Sun Sign: Libra

Nationality: French

Died: May 19, 1825

19 Jacques Attali

Famous As: Economist, Banker, Writer, Engineer, University teacher, Musicologist

Birthdate: November 1, 1943

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Nationality: French

20 François Quesnay

Famous As: Philosopher, Economist, Physician, Encyclopédistes

Birthdate: June 4, 1694

Sun Sign: Gemini

Nationality: French

Died: December 16, 1774

21 Cornelius Castoriadis

Famous As: Philosopher, Economist, Writer, University teacher, Psychologist

Birthdate: March 11, 1922

Sun Sign: Pisces

Nationality: French, Greek

Died: December 26, 1997

22 Léon Walras

Famous As: Economist, University teacher, Mathematician

Birthdate: December 16, 1834

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Nationality: French

Died: January 5, 1910

23 Olivier Blanchard

Famous As: Economist, University teacher

Birthdate: December 27, 1948

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Nationality: French

24 Anne Robert Jacques Turgot, Baron de Laune

Famous As: French economist

Birthdate: May 10, 1727

Sun Sign: Taurus

Nationality: French

Died: March 18, 1781

25 Jean-Claude Trichet

Famous As: Economist, Banker

Birthdate: December 20, 1942

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Nationality: French

26 Christiane Taubira

Famous As: Politician, Economist

Birthdate: February 2, 1952

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Nationality: French

27 Pierre Moscovici

Famous As: Politician, Economist

Birthdate: September 16, 1957

Sun Sign: Virgo

Nationality: French

28 Édith Cresson

Famous As: Politician, Diplomat, Economist

Birthdate: January 27, 1934

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Nationality: French

29 Pascal Lamy

Famous As: Economist, Politician

Birthdate: April 8, 1947

Sun Sign: Aries

Nationality: French

30 Louis Bachelier

Famous As: Mathematician, Economist, Non-fiction writer

Birthdate: March 11, 1870

Sun Sign: Pisces

Nationality: French

Died: April 26, 1946

31 Édouard Balladur

Famous As: Economist, Politician

Birthdate: May 2, 1929

Sun Sign: Taurus

Nationality: French, Turkish

32 Charles Alexandre de Calonne

Famous As: Statesman

Birthdate: January 20, 1734

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Nationality: French

Died: October 29, 1802

33 Frédéric Passy

Famous As: Economist & Nobel Peace Prize Winner

Birthdate: May 20, 1822

Sun Sign: Taurus

Nationality: French

Died: June 12, 1912

34 Antoine-Augustin Cournot

Famous As: Philosopher

Birthdate: August 28, 1801

Sun Sign: Virgo

Nationality: French

Died: March 31, 1877

35 Antoine Augustin Cournot

Famous As: Philosopher

Birthdate: August 28, 1801

Sun Sign: Virgo

Nationality: French

Died: March 31, 1877

36 Gerard Debreu

Famous As: Economist

Birthdate: July 4, 1921

Sun Sign: Cancer

Nationality: French, American

Died: December 31, 2004

Born in France, Nobel Memorial Prize-winning economist Gerard Debreu, known for his research on general equilibrium and econometrics, was orphaned as a child. He had also fought for the French army. Initially interested in math, he later deviated to economics and taught at the University of California, Berkeley.

37 Didier Sornette

Famous As: Physicist, Economist

Birthdate: June 25, 1957

Sun Sign: Cancer

Nationality: French

38 Maurice Allais

Famous As: Economist

Birthdate: May 31, 1911

Sun Sign: Gemini

Nationality: French

Died: October 9, 2010

Maurice Allais was a French economist and physicist. Much revered and respected within the realm of economic analysis, Maurice Allais was honored with the prestigious Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1988. Allais' works served as a major influence on popular French economists like Jacques Lesourne, Gérard Debreu, Marcel Boiteux, and Edmond Malinvaud.