← 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
Erasmusnot measured- - 2
Pieter Bruegel the Elder0 decades - 3
Willem Barentsz0 decades - 4
Menno Simons18 decades - 5
Peter Canisius7 decades - 6
Jacobus Arminius0 decades - 7
Johan van Oldenbarnevelt0 decades - 8
Joseph Justus Scaliger0 decades - 9
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck0 decades - 10
Cornelis de Houtman0 decades - 11
Jodocus Hondius Inot measured- - 12
Cornelis van Haarlem0 decades - 13
Pieter Aertsen0 decades - 14
Karel van Mander the Eldernot measured- - 15
Petrus Plancius0 decades - 16
Jan Joosten van Lodensteijnnot measured- - 17
Hendrik Goltzius0 decades - 18
Abraham Bloemaert0 decades - 19
Jan Huyghen van Linschoten0 decades - 20
Jan Matthys0 decades - 21
Adriaen de Vries0 decades - 22Nicolas Gombert0 decades
- 23
Olivier van Noort0 decades - 24
Franciscus Gomarus0 decades - 25
Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom0 decades - 26
Gillis van Coninxloo0 decades - 27
Cornelis Cort0 decades - 28
Gerrit de Veer1 decades - 29
Philip Galle16 decades - 30
Cornelis Ketel0 decades - 31Pieter Dirkszoon Keyser0 decades
- 32
Isaac Le Maire0 decades - 33
Philippe van Lansbergenot measured- - 34
Dirck Barendsz.0 decades - 35Dirck Gerritsz Pomp0 decades
- 36
Janus Dousa3 decades - 37
Roemer Visscher0 decades - 38Hubert Gerhard12 decades
- 39
Amalia of Neuenahrnot measured- - 40Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer0 decades
- 41
Steven van der Hagen0 decades - 42
Philip of Hohenlohe-Neuensteinnot measured- - 43
Jacob Cornelisz. van Necknot measured- - 44
Crispijn van de Passe the Eldernot measured- - 45
Gerard de Jode0 decades - 46
Philip, Count of Egmontnot measured- - 47
Philip of Nassau0 decades - 48
Pieter van der Doesnot measured- - 49Cornelius Loos0 decades
- 50
Jacob van Utrecht0 decades - 51
Jacob Savery0 decades - 52
Diederik Jansz. Graeffnot measured- - 53
Jan Kraecknot measured- - 54
Lodewijk Elzevirnot measured- - 55
Menso Alting0 decades - 56
Hendrik Laurenszoon Spiegelnot measured- - 57
Trijn van Leemputnot measured- - 58
Isaac van Swanenburgnot measured- - 59
Johannes Wtenbogaertnot measured- - 60
Jan Soensnot measured- - 61
Martin Becanusnot measured- - 62Jacob Quaeckernaecknot measured-
- 63
Johannes van den Drieschenot measured- - 64
Rudolph Snelliusnot measured- - 65
Pieter Pauw0 decades
- 66
Johannes Corputiusnot measured- - 67
Anneken Hendriksnot measured- - 68Cornelis Bos0 decades
- 69Rombertus van Uylenburghnot measured-
- 70
Johannes Heurnius0 decades - 71
Rombout Hogerbeetsnot measured- - 72Cornelis Corneliszoon van Uitgeestnot measured-
- 73
Cornelis Hooftnot measured- - 74
Reynier Pauwnot measured- - 75Anthonie Duycknot measured-
- 76
Willem Hessels van Estnot measured- - 77
Cornelis Schuytnot measured- - 78Simon de Cordesnot measured-
- 79
Lancelot de Casteaunot measured- - 80Herman van den Berghnot measured-
- 81
Jacob Willemsz Delffnot measured- - 82
Paulus Merula0 decades - 83
Nicolaus Mulerius0 decades - 84
Pieter Bornot measured- - 85Johannes Lupinot measured-
- 86
Jan Nagelnot measured- - 87
Maria van Utrechtnot measured- - 88
Emanuel Sweertnot measured- - 89
Lamoral von Taxisnot measured- - 90
Adriaen Anthonisznot measured- - 91
Gerrit Bickernot measured- - 92
Dirck Hendricksznot measured- - 93
Pieter Pietersz the Eldernot measured- - 94
Jan Cornets de Grootnot measured- - 95Cornelis de Hooghenot measured-
- 96
Joost de Soetenot measured- - 97
Cornelis van Aarsensnot measured- - 98Henricus Canisiusnot measured-
- 99
Pieter Jacobsz Bastnot measured- - 100Claes Janszoon Visscher Inot 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.