Claim profile
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.

CountryAll🇪🇸 Spain🇫🇷 France🇯🇵 Japan🇩🇪 Germany🇮🇹 Italy🇹🇷 Turkey🇬🇧 United Kingdom🇸🇪 Sweden🇨🇭 Switzerland🇮🇳 India
FieldAllHistorical FiguresWritersPoliticiansArtistsAcademicsReligious FiguresMusiciansScientistsModelsActors
  1. 1MichelangeloMichelangelo1475–1564 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  2. 2RaphaelRaphael1483–1520 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  3. 3TitianTitian1490–1576 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  4. 4Giorgio VasariGiorgio Vasari1511–1574 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  5. 5TintorettoTintoretto1519–1594 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  6. 6Giuseppe ArcimboldoGiuseppe Arcimboldo1527–1593 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists4 decades
  7. 7Paolo VeronesePaolo Veronese1528–1588 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  8. 8Sofonisba AnguissolaSofonisba Anguissola1532–1625 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists19 decades
  9. 9GiorgioneGiorgione1478–1510 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  10. 10Antonio da CorreggioAntonio da Correggio1489–1534 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  11. 11ParmigianinoParmigianino1503–1540 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  12. 12PontormoPontormo1494–1556 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  13. 13Annibale CarracciAnnibale Carracci1560–1609 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  14. 14Isabella d'EsteIsabella d'Este1474–1539 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  15. 15Vittore CarpaccioVittore Carpaccio1465–1526 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  16. 16Giulio RomanoGiulio Romano1499–1546 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  17. 17Lavinia FontanaLavinia Fontana1552–1614 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  18. 18Rosso FiorentinoRosso Fiorentino1494–1540 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists19 decades
  19. 19Il SodomaIl Sodoma1477–1549 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0 decades
  20. 20Federico BarocciFederico Barocci1535–1612 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  21. 21Federico ZuccariFederico Zuccari1539–1609 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  22. 22Marcantonio RaimondiMarcantonio Raimondi1480–1534 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  23. 23Pietro BerniniPietro Bernini1562–1629 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0 decades
  24. 24CigoliCigoli1559–1613 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists15 decades
  25. 25Andrea SansovinoAndrea Sansovino1467–1529 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  26. 26Gian Paolo LomazzoGian Paolo Lomazzo1538–1592 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists3 decades
  27. 27BramantinoBramantino1465–1536 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  28. 28Leone LeoniLeone Leoni1509–1590 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0 decades
  29. 29Taddeo ZuccariTaddeo Zuccari1529–1566 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  30. 30ACAscanio Condivi1525–1574 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  31. 31Niccolò CircignaniNiccolò Circignani1517–1597 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0 decades
  32. 32Raffaello da MontelupoRaffaello da Montelupo1504–1566 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  33. 33Girolamo da CarpiGirolamo da Carpi1501–1556 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  34. 34Antonio CampiAntonio Campi1524–1587 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  35. 35Girolamo GengaGirolamo Genga1476–1551 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists5 decades
  36. 36Girolamo da Treviso the YoungerGirolamo da Treviso the Younger1497–1544 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists20 decades
  37. 37Cesare CesarianoCesare Cesariano1475–1543 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  38. 38Francesco VanniFrancesco Vanni1564–1610 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  39. 39Vincenzo DantiVincenzo Danti1530–1576 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists20 decades
  40. 40LorenzettoLorenzetto1490–1541 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  41. 41Bastiano MainardiBastiano Mainardi1466–1513 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0 decades
  42. 42Guglielmo della PortaGuglielmo della Porta1500–1577 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0 decades
  43. 43Ugo da CarpiUgo da Carpi1480–1523 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists21 decades
  44. 44Bastiano da SangalloBastiano da Sangallo1481–1551 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists5 decades
  45. 45Antonello GaginiAntonello Gagini1478–1536 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  46. 46Baccio da MontelupoBaccio da Montelupo1469–1535 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists21 decades
  47. 47Lelio OrsiLelio Orsi1508–1587 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists21 decades
  48. 48Francesco da SangalloFrancesco da Sangallo1494–1576 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists19 decades
  49. 49Agostino BustiAgostino Busti1483–1548 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0 decades
  50. 50ScarsellinoScarsellino1550–1620 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  51. 51Jacopo da TrezzoJacopo da Trezzo1515–1589 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  52. 52Vincenzo de' RossiVincenzo de' Rossi1525–1587 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  53. 53Giovanni Battista CacciniGiovanni Battista Caccini1556–1613 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  54. 54Giovanni Battista TrottiGiovanni Battista Trotti1555–1619 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  55. 55Alessandro CasolaniAlessandro Casolani1552–1607 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  56. 56Raffaellino da ReggioRaffaellino da Reggio1550–1578 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  57. 57Francesco Xanto AvelliFrancesco Xanto Avelli1480–1540 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  58. 58Girolamo SantacroceGirolamo Santacroce1502–1537 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  59. 59TCTiberio Calcagni1532–1565 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  60. 60Taddeo LandiniTaddeo Landini1550–1596 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  61. 61Pietro Paolo AgabitoPietro Paolo Agabito1470–1540 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  62. 62Tommaso VincidorTommaso Vincidor1493–1536 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  63. 63Giuseppe ValerianoGiuseppe Valeriano1526–1596 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  64. 64Vincenzo CiverchioVincenzo Civerchio1470–1544 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  65. 65Simone MoscaSimone Mosca1492–1553 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot measured—
  66. 66Giovanni GuerraGiovanni Guerra1544–1618 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artistsnot 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.