1500–1599
The 16th century
Whose working lives fell in the 16th 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 16th century, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.
#PersonIn print, 1800–2019Echoed
- 1
Henry IV of France1553–1610 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures10 decades - 2
Nostradamus1503–1566 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics22 decades - 3
Francis I of France1494–1547 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures0 decades - 4
Michel de Montaigne1533–1592 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 5
Jacques Cartier1491–1557 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures22 decades - 6
François Rabelais1500–1553 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 7
John Calvin1509–1564 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics22 decades - 8
Catherine de' Medici1519–1589 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures22 decades - 9
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Henry II of France1519–1559 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians22 decades - 10
Henry III of France1551–1589 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures4 decades - 11
Charles IX of France1550–1574 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures0 decades - 12
Francis II of France1544–1560 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians22 decades - 13
Margaret of Valois1553–1615 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 14
Pierre de Ronsard1524–1585 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers21 decades - 15
Étienne de La Boétie1530–1563 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers3 decades - 16
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Anne of Brittany1477–1514 · 🇫🇷 France22 decades - 17
Mary Tudor, Queen of France1496–1533 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures22 decades - 18
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Marguerite de Navarre1492–1549 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 19
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Joachim du Bellay1522–1560 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers9 decades - 20
Diane de Poitiers1499–1566 · 🇫🇷 France22 decades - 21
Louise Labé1524–1566 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers21 decades - 22
Ambroise Paré1510–1590 · 🇫🇷 France · Doctors22 decades - 23
Claude of France1499–1524 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians22 decades - 24
Jean Bodin1530–1596 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics22 decades - 25
Jeanne d'Albret1528–1572 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians22 decades - 26
Elisabeth of Valois1545–1568 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures22 decades - 27
Mary of Lorraine1515–1560 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures15 decades - 28
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Antoine of Navarre1518–1562 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians22 decades - 29
Gaspard II de Coligny1519–1572 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures0 decades - 30
Henry I, Duke of Guise1550–1588 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians0 decades - 31
François de Malherbe1555–1628 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers18 decades - 32
Agrippa d'Aubigné1552–1630 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers8 decades - 33
François Viète1540–1603 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics0 decades - 34
Jean de Valette Parisot1494–1568 · 🇫🇷 France · Politiciansnot measured— - 35
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Francis, Duke of Guise1519–1563 · 🇫🇷 France · Politiciansnot measured— - 36
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Gabrielle d'Estrées1573–1599 · 🇫🇷 France22 decades - 37
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Louise of Savoy1476–1531 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians17 decades - 38
Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully1560–1641 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians22 decades - 39
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Louis, Prince of Condé1530–1569 · 🇫🇷 France · Politiciansnot measured— - 40
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Elisabeth of Austria, Queen of France1554–1592 · 🇫🇷 France14 decades - 41
Francis, Duke of Anjou1555–1584 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures14 decades - 42
Charles III, Duke of Bourbon1490–1527 · 🇫🇷 Francenot measured— - 43
Giambologna1529–1608 · 🇫🇷 France · Artists19 decades - 44
Charles, Duke of Vendôme1489–1537 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures0 decades - 45
Anne de Montmorency1493–1567 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians22 decades - 46
Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard1476–1524 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures0 decades - 47
Renee of France1510–1574 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures22 decades - 48
Theodore Beza1519–1605 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics21 decades - 49
Jean Nicot1530–1605 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians22 decades - 50
Louise of Lorraine1553–1601 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures22 decades - 51
François Clouet1510–1572 · 🇫🇷 France · Artists17 decades - 52
Matteo Bandello1485–1561 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 53
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Peter Faber1506–1546 · 🇫🇷 France · Religious Figures2 decades - 54
Francis III1518–1536 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures14 decades - 55
Margaret of France, Duchess of Berry1523–1574 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures22 decades - 56
Catherine de Bourbon1559–1604 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 57
Michel de l'Hôpital1505–1573 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians20 decades - 58
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Alessandro Farnese1520–1589 · 🇫🇷 France · Religious Figuresnot measured— - 59
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William Farel1489–1565 · 🇫🇷 France · Actors22 decades - 60CJClément Janequin1485–1558 · 🇫🇷 France · Musicians10 decades
- 61
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Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme1540–1614 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 62
Charles III, Duke of Lorraine1543–1608 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures12 decades - 63
Jacques Clément1567–1589 · 🇫🇷 France22 decades - 64
Carolus Clusius1526–1609 · 🇫🇷 France · Scientists0 decades - 65
Claude of Lorraine, duke of Guise1496–1550 · 🇫🇷 France22 decades - 66
Anne of Foix-Candale1484–1506 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 67
Germaine of Foix1488–1536 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures20 decades - 68
Sebastian Castellio1515–1563 · 🇫🇷 France0 decades - 69
Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon1523–1590 · 🇫🇷 France · Religious Figuresnot measured— - 70
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John III of Navarre1469–1516 · 🇫🇷 France · Models0 decades - 71
Francis I, Duke of Lorraine1517–1545 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures0 decades - 72
Étienne Dolet1509–1546 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics0 decades - 73
Emanuele Filiberto I, Duke of Savoy1528–1580 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians17 decades - 74
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Jean Clouet1480–1541 · 🇫🇷 France · Artists17 decades - 75
Bernard Palissy1510–1589 · 🇫🇷 France · Scientists22 decades - 76
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Francesco Primaticcio1504–1570 · 🇫🇷 France · Artists18 decades - 77
Claude Garamond1499–1561 · 🇫🇷 France0 decades - 78
Christophe Plantin1520–1589 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 79
Balthasar Gérard1557–1584 · 🇫🇷 France0 decades - 80
Blaise de Vigenère1523–1596 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics0 decades - 81
Henry II, Duke of Lorraine1563–1624 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures5 decades - 82
Antoine, Duke of Lorraine1489–1544 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures20 decades - 83
Anne de Pisseleu d'Heilly1508–1580 · 🇫🇷 France22 decades - 84
Diane de France, Duchess of Angoulême1538–1619 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians21 decades - 85
Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine1524–1574 · 🇫🇷 France · Religious Figuresnot measured— - 86
Antoinette de Bourbon1494–1583 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures21 decades - 87
Oronce Finé1494–1555 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics14 decades - 88
Anna of Este1531–1607 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures0 decades - 89
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Gaston of Foix, Duke of Nemours1489–1512 · 🇫🇷 France22 decades - 90
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Charles II, Duke of Orléans1522–1545 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 91
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Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne1498–1519 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 92
Isaac Casaubon1559–1614 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics18 decades
- 93
Charles of Lorraine, duke of Mayenne1554–1611 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures20 decades - 94
Gabriel de Lorges, Count of Montgommery1530–1574 · 🇫🇷 Francenot measured— - 95
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Louise de Coligny1555–1620 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures21 decades - 96
Antoine Perrenot de Granvelle1517–1586 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers9 decades - 97
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Robert Estienne1503–1559 · 🇫🇷 France22 decades - 98
Ippolito II d'Este1509–1572 · 🇫🇷 France · Religious Figures19 decades - 99
Henriette of Cleves1542–1601 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures0 decades - 100
Charlotte of Bourbon1546–1582 · 🇫🇷 France1 decades
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.