WHEN it comes to famous people, some celebrities immediately come to mind - but the most Googled Welsh star may not be who you think it is.

Tom Jones, Gareth Bale and Shirley Bassey might be the some of the most recognisible Welsh figures, but the number one most searched celebrity from Wales is a lot closer to home.

Haverfordwest born actor Christian Bale is the most Googled Welsh celebrity across the world, according to comparison site JohnSlots.

The site compiled a list of more than 300 well-known Welsh public figures including actors, musicians and athletes - and found that Christian Bale was searched on Google 2.1 million times each month across the world.

Catherine Zeta-Jones (1.23 million) and Tom Ellis (1.2 million) came in second and third most-searched.

Christian Bale, who was born in and lived in Haverfordwest until the age of two, lives in Los Angeles, but following his departure from the Welsh town, he lived in England, Portugal and the USA before the family settled in Bournemouth.

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He is most known for playing Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and Batman in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.

Haverfordwest actor and musician Rhys Ifans is the only other Pembrokeshire mention in the top 20 in 11th place with 401,000 searches.

A JohnSlots spokesperson said: “Christian Bale deservedly takes the top spot as the most searched Welsh celebrity.

"However, with the actor perfecting his American accent in order to secure numerous Hollywood roles, many are often surprised when they learn of his Welsh roots.

“His longstanding contribution to film has evidently cemented his place as a worldwide household name.

“Wales should remain proud of the eclectic mix of talent that it has cultivated over the years, with many of those born in the country going on to become global celebrities, who continue to attract interest from fans all over the world.”

JohnSlots ran 364 Welsh celebrities through Ahrefs Keyword Tool to find the most Googled celebrities. You can see the study here.