Claim profile
1400–1499

The 15th century

Whose working lives fell in the 15th century. Books are measured from 1800 and readers from 2015, so for this period we can say who lived then, not who was talked about then.

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 15th century, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.

CountryAll🇫🇷 France🇩🇪 Germany🇮🇹 Italy🇹🇷 Turkey🇬🇧 United Kingdom🇪🇸 Spain🇯🇵 Japan🇸🇪 Sweden🇨🇭 Switzerland🇵🇹 Portugal
FieldAllHistorical FiguresPoliticiansWritersArtistsReligious FiguresAcademicsModelsMusiciansArchitectsScientists
  1. 1Sesshū TōyōSesshū Tōyō1420–1506 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Artists0 decades
  2. 2Ikkyū SōjunIkkyū Sōjun1394–1481 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Writers0 decades
  3. 3Go-KomatsuGo-Komatsu1377–1433 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Historical Figures0 decades
  4. 4Ashikaga YoshimasaAshikaga Yoshimasa1435–1490 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  5. 5Go-KashiwabaraGo-Kashiwabara1464–1526 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Historical Figures0 decades
  6. 6Go-HanazonoGo-Hanazono1419–1471 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Historical Figures0 decades
  7. 7ShōkōShōkō1401–1428 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Historical Figuresnot measured—
  8. 8Go-TsuchimikadoGo-Tsuchimikado1442–1500 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Models0 decades
  9. 9Ashikaga YoshinoriAshikaga Yoshinori1394–1441 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  10. 10Ashikaga YoshimochiAshikaga Yoshimochi1386–1428 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  11. 11Ashikaga YoshihisaAshikaga Yoshihisa1465–1489 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  12. 12Hōjō SōunHōjō Sōun1456–1519 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  13. 13Ashikaga YoshikazuAshikaga Yoshikazu1407–1425 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  14. 14Ashikaga YoshikatsuAshikaga Yoshikatsu1434–1443 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  15. 15Ōta DōkanŌta Dōkan1432–1486 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  16. 16Kanō MasanobuKanō Masanobu1434–1530 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Artistsnot measured—
  17. 17Hosokawa KatsumotoHosokawa Katsumoto1430–1473 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  18. 18Yamana SōzenYamana Sōzen1404–1473 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  19. 19Tenshō ShūbunTenshō Shūbun1414–1463 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Artistsnot measured—
  20. 20Tosa MitsunobuTosa Mitsunobu1434–1525 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Artists0 decades
  21. 21RennyoRennyo1415–1499 · 🇯🇵 Japan3 decades
  22. 22IKIchijō Kaneyoshi1402–1481 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Writers0 decades
  23. 23HTHino Tomiko1440–1496 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Politicians0 decades
  24. 24SōgiSōgi1421–1502 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Writersnot measured—
  25. 25Amago TsunehisaAmago Tsunehisa1458–1541 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  26. 26JosetsuJosetsu1386–1428 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Artists0 decades
  27. 27Ashikaga MochiujiAshikaga Mochiuji1398–1439 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  28. 28Akamatsu MitsusukeAkamatsu Mitsusuke1381–1441 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  29. 29Uesugi NorizaneUesugi Norizane1410–1466 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  30. 30Iizasa IenaoIizasa Ienao1387–1488 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  31. 31Yoshida KanetomoYoshida Kanetomo1435–1511 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  32. 32Ichijō NorifusaIchijō Norifusa1423–1480 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Politiciansnot measured—
  33. 33Ashikaga YoshimiAshikaga Yoshimi1439–1491 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  34. 34Ashikaga ShigeujiAshikaga Shigeuji1434–1497 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  35. 35Asakura TakakageAsakura Takakage1428–1481 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  36. 36Ōuchi MasahiroŌuchi Masahiro1446–1495 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  37. 37Murata JukōMurata Jukō1423–1502 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  38. 38SōamiSōami1455–1525 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Artists0 decades
  39. 39IYImagawa Yoshitada1436–1476 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  40. 40UAUesugi Akisada1454–1510 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  41. 41KZKomparu Zenchiku1405–1470 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Writers0 decades
  42. 42Sanjōnishi SanetakaSanjōnishi Sanetaka1455–1537 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  43. 43KMKonoe Masaie1444–1505 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Politicians0 decades
  44. 44HGHiraga Genshin1450–1537 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  45. 45Hatakeyama YoshinariHatakeyama Yoshinari1437–1491 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  46. 46HMHatakeyama Masanaga1442–1493 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  47. 47AMAshikaga Masatomo1435–1491 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  48. 48Ashikaga MitsukaneAshikaga Mitsukane1378–1409 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  49. 49Sō SadamoriSō Sadamori1385–1452 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  50. 50KMKojima Motoshigeborn 1450 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  51. 51NōamiNōami1397–1471 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Artistsnot measured—
  52. 52CKChōsokabe Kanetsugu1450–1518 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  53. 53Motomasa JūrōMotomasa Jūrō1401–1432 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Actorsnot measured—
  54. 54ACAshikaga Chachamaru1475–1498 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  55. 55GeiamiGeiami1431–1485 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Artists0 decades
  56. 56AYAshikaga Yoshiaki1450–1538 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  57. 57ShōtetsuShōtetsu1381–1459 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Writers0 decades
  58. 58HMHino Munekodied 1447 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  59. 59HYHino Yasuko1369–1419 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  60. 60AJAshikaga Jundoshi1450–1491 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  61. 61ShinkeiShinkei1406–1475 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Writers5 decades
  62. 62KNKanze Nobumitsu1450–1516 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Writers0 decades
  63. 63TSTen-Ō Sōtan1413–1481 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Artistsnot measured—
  64. 64HEHino Eishi1390–1431 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  65. 65TFTakatsukasa Fuyuie1367–1428 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  66. 66HSHino Shigeko1411–1463 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  67. 67NNNakamikado Nobutane1442–1525 · 🇯🇵 Japan0 decades
  68. 68JJunnyo1442–1483 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—
  69. 69YYoshiyasu-shinnō1370–1443 · 🇯🇵 Japannot measured—

How this is measured

  • Placing people in time. Each person belongs to the century in which they were most active — around age 35, and never after their death.
  • Who ranks highest. Within a century, people are ranked where two independent signals agree: how many of the world’s Wikipedia language editions cover them, and how many people actually read about them. Article counts alone can be lifted by a person’s own circle; readers cannot.
  • Fame in print. The curves count how often a name appears in Google Books from 1800 to 2019, as a share of all the words printed each year, in the person’s own language wherever that corpus exists. Those decades are over, so each measurement is made once and kept.
  • What is left out. A lifetime is measured only from 1820, when there is enough print to judge; the five years after a death are skipped as obituaries; and a name shared with someone equally notable is credited to neither.