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
Hernán Cortés1485–1547 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures22 decades - 2
Henry VIII of England1491–1547 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figures13 decades - 3
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Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor1500–1558 · Historical Figures22 decades - 4
Mary, Queen of Scots1542–1587 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figures22 decades - 5
Ferdinand Magellan1480–1521 · 🇵🇹 Portugal · Historical Figures22 decades - 6
Anne Boleyn1501–1536 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figures22 decades - 7
Henry IV of France1553–1610 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures10 decades - 8
Vasco da Gama1469–1524 · 🇵🇹 Portugal · Historical Figures22 decades - 9
Mary I of England1516–1558 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figures22 decades - 10
Francis I of France1494–1547 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures0 decades - 11
Edward VI of England1537–1553 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figures0 decades - 12
Jacques Cartier1491–1557 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures22 decades - 13
Francisco Pizarro1478–1541 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures22 decades - 14
Francis Drake1540–1596 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figures22 decades - 15
Catherine de' Medici1519–1589 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures22 decades - 16
Joanna of Castile1479–1555 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures3 decades - 17
Henry III of France1551–1589 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures4 decades - 18
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Lucrezia Borgia1480–1519 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Historical Figures22 decades - 19
Charles IX of France1550–1574 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures0 decades - 20
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Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor1503–1564 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures0 decades - 21
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Catherine Howard1523–1542 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figures22 decades - 22
Tokugawa Ieyasu1543–1616 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Historical Figures8 decades - 23
Oda Nobunaga1534–1582 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Historical Figures8 decades - 24
Anne of Cleves1515–1557 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Historical Figures4 decades - 25
Catherine Parr1512–1548 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figures22 decades - 26
Elizabeth Báthory1560–1614 · Historical Figures0 decades - 27
Cesare Borgia1475–1507 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Historical Figures22 decades - 28
Juan Sebastián Elcano1486–1526 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures14 decades - 29
Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor1552–1612 · 🇦🇹 Austria · Historical Figures22 decades - 30
Vasili IV of Russia1552–1612 · Historical Figures21 decades - 31
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Selim I1470–1520 · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Historical Figures11 decades - 32
Mary Tudor, Queen of France1496–1533 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures22 decades - 33
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Vasco Núñez de Balboa1475–1519 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures19 decades - 34
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Bartolomeu Dias1467–1500 · 🇵🇹 Portugal · Historical Figures3 decades - 35
Akbar1542–1605 · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 36
Atahualpa1500–1533 · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 37
Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor1527–1576 · 🇦🇹 Austria · Historical Figures22 decades - 38
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James V of Scotland1512–1542 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figures1 decades - 39
Pedro Álvares Cabral1467–1520 · 🇵🇹 Portugal · Historical Figures0 decades - 40
Hernando de Soto1500–1542 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures22 decades - 41
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Pedro de Alvarado1486–1541 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures22 decades - 42
Gustav I of Sweden1496–1560 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Historical Figures0 decades - 43
Diego de Almagro1475–1538 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures22 decades - 44
Elisabeth of Valois1545–1568 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures22 decades - 45
Matteo Ricci1552–1610 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Historical Figures22 decades - 46
Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca1485–1559 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures8 decades - 47
Mary of Lorraine1515–1560 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures15 decades - 48
Ismail I1487–1524 · Historical Figures0 decades - 49
James IV of Scotland1473–1513 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figures7 decades - 50
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Maria of Aragon, Queen of Portugal1482–1517 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 51
Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly1559–1632 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 52
Gaspard II de Coligny1519–1572 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures0 decades - 53
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Manuel I of Portugal1469–1521 · 🇵🇹 Portugal · Historical Figures0 decades - 54
Giovanni da Verrazzano1491–1528 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Historical Figures19 decades - 55
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Christian II of Denmark1481–1559 · 🇳🇴 Norway · Historical Figures0 decades - 56
Bernal Díaz del Brawl1492–1584 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures22 decades - 57
Nurhaci1559–1626 · Historical Figures4 decades - 58
William Adams1564–1620 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figures22 decades - 59
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Willem Barentsz1550–1597 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Historical Figures0 decades - 60
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Louis II of Hungary1506–1526 · Historical Figures0 decades - 61
Miguel López de Legazpi1502–1572 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures14 decades - 62
Yi Sun-sin1545–1598 · 🇰🇷 South Korea · Historical Figures0 decades - 63
Francisco Vázquez de Coronado1510–1554 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures14 decades - 64
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Mary of Hungary1505–1558 · Historical Figures10 decades - 65
Bona Sforza1494–1557 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Historical Figures22 decades - 66
Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany1541–1587 · Historical Figures18 decades - 67
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Christian III of Denmark1503–1559 · 🇳🇴 Norway · Historical Figures0 decades - 68
Grace O'Malley1539–1603 · Historical Figures0 decades - 69
Charles II, Archduke of Austria1540–1590 · 🇦🇹 Austria · Historical Figures22 decades - 70
Beatrice Cenci1577–1599 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Historical Figures22 decades - 71
Túpac Amaru1545–1572 · Historical Figures2 decades - 72
Christina of Denmark1521–1590 · 🇳🇴 Norway · Historical Figures0 decades - 73
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Isabella of Austria1501–1526 · Historical Figures0 decades - 74
Philip I of Hesse1504–1567 · Historical Figures0 decades - 75
Hattori Hanzō1542–1597 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Historical Figures0 decades - 76
Charles IX of Sweden1550–1611 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Historical Figures0 decades - 77
Frederick I of Denmark1471–1533 · 🇳🇴 Norway · Historical Figures0 decades - 78
Francis, Duke of Anjou1555–1584 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures14 decades - 79
Juan Díaz de Solís1470–1516 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures15 decades - 80
Pedro de Mendoza1487–1537 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures0 decades - 81
Sigismund I the Old1467–1548 · Historical Figures0 decades - 82
James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell1534–1578 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 83
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Humayun1508–1556 · Historical Figures21 decades - 84
Akechi Mitsuhide1516–1582 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Historical Figures0 decades - 85
Charles, Duke of Vendôme1489–1537 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures0 decades - 86
Dragut1485–1565 · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Historical Figures18 decades - 87
George Boleyn, 2nd Viscount Rochford1504–1536 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 88
Catherine of Austria, Queen of Portugal1507–1578 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures0 decades - 89
Margaret of Parma1522–1586 · Historical Figures22 decades - 90
Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy1562–1630 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 91
Ahmad al-Mansur1549–1603 · Historical Figures0 decades - 92
Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard1476–1524 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures0 decades - 93
Renee of France1510–1574 · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures22 decades - 94
Sebastián de Belalcázar1480–1551 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Historical Figures15 decades - 95
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Tahmasp I1514–1576 · Historical Figures0 decades - 96
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Eric XIV of Sweden1533–1577 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Historical Figures0 decades - 97
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset1519–1536 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 98
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Martin Frobisher1535–1594 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Historical Figures22 decades - 99
John Frederick I1503–1554 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Historical Figures6 decades - 100
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo1497–1543 · Historical Figures13 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.