← Fame through time1500-1599
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 coverage and readership agree.
- 1
Martin Luther22 decades - 2
Albrecht Dürer22 decades - 3
Anne of Cleves4 decades - 4
William the Silentnot measured- - 5
Hans Holbein the Younger18 decades - 6
Thomas Müntzer15 decades - 7
Lucas Cranach the Elder6 decades - 8
Philip Melanchthon22 decades - 9
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa0 decades - 10
Katharina von Bora21 decades - 11
Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tillynot measured- - 12
Matthias Grünewald1 decades - 13
Johann Georg Faust0 decades - 14
Albert, Duke of Prussianot measured- - 15
Georgius Agricola22 decades - 16
Hans Sachs22 decades - 17
Ulrich von Hutten22 decades - 18
Götz von Berlichingen12 decades - 19
Johann Tetzel20 decades - 20
Florian Geyer18 decades - 21
Albrecht Altdorfer19 decades - 22
Martin Bucer22 decades - 23
Hans Holbein the Elder5 decades - 24
Hans Baldung20 decades - 25
Bianca Maria Sforza0 decades - 26
John Frederick I6 decades - 27
Adam Ries7 decades - 28
John, Elector of Saxony22 decades - 29
Sebastian Münster22 decades - 30
Joachim Frederick, Elector of Brandenburg22 decades - 31
Johann Weyer0 decades - 32
Johann Eck0 decades - 33
Christopher Clavius1 decades - 34
William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Berg0 decades - 35
George, Duke of Saxony15 decades - 36
Johannes Bugenhagen18 decades - 37
Andreas Karlstadt0 decades - 38
Joachim I Nestor, Elector of Brandenburg22 decades - 39
Sibylle of Clevesnot measured- - 40
Hans Staden13 decades - 41
John William, Duke of Saxe-Weimarnot measured- - 42
Ludolph van Ceulen0 decades - 43
Frederick III of the Palatinatenot measured- - 44
Hans Leo Hassler12 decades - 45
Peter Stumpp0 decades - 46
Otto Henry19 decades - 47
Balthasar Hubmaier16 decades - 48
Wolfgang, Count Palatine of Zweibrückennot measured- - 49
Hans Burgkmair the Elder0 decades - 50
Louis VI of the Palatinatenot measured- - 51
Barbara Blomberg13 decades - 52
Philippine Welser22 decades - 53
Anton Praetorius0 decades - 54
William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel22 decades - 55
Martin Chemnitz22 decades - 56
Christine of Saxonynot measured- - 57
Andreas Osiander20 decades - 58
Christine of Hesse0 decades - 59
Johannes Agricola9 decades - 60
John VI, Count of Nassau-Siegennot measured- - 61
John William, Duke of Jülich-Cleves-Bergnot measured- - 62
William the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg6 decades - 63
Elizabeth of Denmark, Electress of Brandenburgnot measured- - 64
Albert Alcibiades, Margrave of Brandenburg-Kulmbach0 decades - 65
Jost Amman5 decades - 66
Henry V, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburgnot measured- - 67
Johannes Aventinus0 decades - 68
Johann von Staupitz0 decades - 69
Charles I, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Birkenfeldnot measured- - 70
Maria Anna of Bavarianot measured- - 71
Melchior Hoffman19 decades - 72
Sebastian Franck19 decades - 73
Juliana of Stolbergnot measured- - 74
John Casimir of the Palatinate-Simmernnot measured- - 75
Hans Sebald Beham19 decades - 76
Ernest of Bavaria19 decades - 77
Philip Louis, Count Palatine of Neuburgnot measured- - 78
Duke Friedrich Wilhelm I, Duke of Saxe-Weimarnot measured- - 79
Heinrich Khunrath0 decades - 80
Paul Luther2 decades - 81
Sabina of Bavaria0 decades - 82
Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburgnot measured- - 83
Louis X, Duke of Bavaria22 decades - 84
Louis II, Count Palatine of Zweibrückennot measured- - 85
Anton Fugger20 decades - 86
Johannes Pfefferkorn7 decades - 87
George Spalatin0 decades - 88
Philip, Duke of Palatinate-Neuburgnot measured- - 89
Philipp Nicolai18 decades - 90
William Louis, Count of Nassau-Dillenburgnot measured- - 91
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John I, Count Palatine of Zweibrückennot measured- - 92
Zacharias Ursinus10 decades - 93Elia Levita0 decades
- 94
Gebhard Truchsess of Waldburgnot measured- - 95
Otto Brunfels22 decades - 96Johann Walter20 decades
- 97
Johann Fischart20 decades - 98
Henry III of Nassau-Bredanot measured- - 99
Rudolph Goclenius0 decades - 100
Henry the Middle, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburgnot measured-
How to read these rankings
- Attention, not reputation. A place on these lists reflects the attention a person still draws in the public record. It is not a judgement on the life.
- Fame in print. The curves show how often a name appeared in the books of each decade from 1800 to 2019, drawn from the Google Books Ngram corpus.
- Gaps are left as gaps. Where the record is too thin to be fair, we would rather show nothing than guess.