Ever wonder who the region’s most searched for locally born celebrities are?
Kobe Bryant? Of course. Sabrina Carpenter? Obviously. But a fighter pilot born in the early 1900s? Not so much.
The Inquirer’s Lizzie Mulvey and Charmaine Runes recently dug into the 2025 most popular celebrities on Wikipedia who were born in the Philadelphia area. The results were a mix of obvious contenders and surprises.
We went even further, looking at the top five most-searched individuals born in Lower Merion or Narberth, with the tiny borough punching above its weight class.
Topping the list is Narberth native Kylie Kelce, who is also among the top 100 searched celebrities in the region, ranking No. 50 overall. Part of her online rise came about after her podcast “Not Gonna Lie” launched in late 2024.
She’s followed by fellow Narberth native James Julien “Pug” Southerland II, a Navy fighter pilot credited with a number of victories in World War II. He reportedly earned his nickname because he was a pugnacious boxer at the U.S. Naval Academy. Sutherland died in 1949 at the age of 37 during a flight training accident, according to his page.
Beck Dorey-Stein, another Narberth native, has the third-most page views among area residents. A Lower Merion High School alum, Dorey-Stein gained acclaim after penning her 2018 memoir From the Corner of the Ovalabout her time as a stenographer in the White House, predominantly under former President Barack Obama. Her most recent book, Spectacular Things, came out last year.
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Former Phillies minor leaguer and Houston Astros player Taylor Buchholz and former Cleveland Browns president Alec Scheiner, both from Lower Merion, come in numbers four and five, respectively.
While Kobe Bryant was born in Philadelphia, he famously attended Lower Merion High School. The 18-time NBA All-Star is the No. 2 most-viewed page among all locally born celebrities.
See the full list of the most-searched celebrities born locally.
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This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer’s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters.
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