1600–1699
The 17th century
Whose working lives fell in the 17th 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 17th century, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.
#PersonIn print, 1800–2019Echoed
- 1
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Molière1622–1673 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 2
Jean de La Fontaine1621–1695 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 3
Pierre Corneille1606–1684 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 4
Jean Racine1639–1699 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 5
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Charles Perrault1628–1703 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 6
François de La Rochefoucauld1613–1680 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers18 decades - 7
Cyrano de Bergerac1619–1655 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 8
Madame de Sévigné1626–1696 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers13 decades - 9
Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux1636–1711 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 10
Jean de La Bruyère1645–1696 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers17 decades - 11
Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle1657–1757 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 12
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Ninon de Lenclos1620–1705 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 13
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Charles de Batz de Castelmore d'Artagnan1611–1673 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured— - 14
Madame de La Fayette1634–1693 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers17 decades - 15
Madeleine de Scudéry1607–1701 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers17 decades - 16
Paul Scarron1610–1660 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 17
Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans1627–1693 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 18
Honoré d'Urfé1568–1625 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 19
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Roger de Rabutin, Comte de Bussy1618–1693 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 20
Théophile de Viau1590–1626 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers19 decades - 21
Thomas Corneille1625–1709 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 22
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Jean Mabillon1632–1707 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers21 decades - 23
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier1605–1689 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers5 decades - 24
Marie de Gournay1565–1645 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers15 decades - 25
Jeanne-Marie Bouvier de La Motte Guyon1648–1717 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured— - 26
Hortense Mancini1646–1699 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 27
Jean Chardin1643–1713 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers5 decades - 28
Alexandre Exquemelin1646–1707 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 29
Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac1597–1654 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured— - 30
Brother Lawrence1614–1691 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers1 decades - 31
Louis Bourdaloue1632–1704 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers2 decades - 32
Marie Anne de La Trémoille, princesse des Ursins1642–1722 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured— - 33
Camille d'Hostun, duc de Tallard1652–1728 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 34
Charles de Valois, Duke of Angoulême1573–1650 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers11 decades - 35
Philippe Quinault1635–1688 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers15 decades - 36
Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange1610–1688 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 37
Charles de Saint-Évremond1613–1703 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 38
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François de Bassompierre1579–1646 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers12 decades - 39
Anne Dacier1645–1720 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers3 decades - 40FPFrançois Poullain de la Barre1647–1723 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
- 41
Jean-Baptiste Massillon1663–1742 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 42
Henri de Boulainvilliers1658–1722 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers2 decades - 43
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Jacqueline Pascal1625–1661 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers18 decades - 44
Charles-Irénée Castel de Saint-Pierre1658–1743 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured— - 45
Jean-François Regnard1655–1709 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers4 decades - 46
Antoine Furetière1619–1688 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers12 decades - 47
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Pierre Daniel Huet1630–1721 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers14 decades - 48
Charles Rollin1661–1741 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers8 decades - 49
Peter Fourier1565–1640 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers20 decades - 50
François-Timoléon de Choisy1644–1724 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers1 decades - 51
Antoinette du Ligier de la Garde Deshoulières1638–1694 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured— - 52
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Anne-Thérèse de Marguenat de Courcelles1647–1733 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured— - 53
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Henri de Massue, Earl of Galway1648–1720 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 54
Jean-Baptiste Labat1663–1738 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers3 decades - 55
Michiel de Swaen1654–1707 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 56
Ferdinand de Marsin1656–1706 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 57GDGatien de Courtilz de Sandras1644–1712 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades
- 58
Melchior de Polignac1661–1742 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers20 decades - 59AGAntoine Girard de Saint-Amant1594–1661 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured—
- 60
Gilles Ménage1613–1692 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers22 decades - 61
Madeleine de Souvré, marquise de Sablé1599–1678 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers4 decades - 62
Jean-Jacques Olier1608–1657 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers12 decades - 63
Honorat de Bueil, seigneur de Racan1589–1670 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 64
Louise Marguerite of Lorraine1588–1631 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 65
Philippe de Courcillon de Dangeau1638–1720 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 66
Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux1619–1692 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers1 decades - 67
Valentin Conrart1603–1675 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers20 decades - 68
Charles Sorel1600–1674 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers20 decades - 69
Barthélemy d'Herbelot1625–1695 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 70
Charlotte-Rose de Caumont La Force1650–1724 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured— - 71
Marie-Catherine de Villedieu1640–1683 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured— - 72
Charles Colbert, marquis de Croissy1629–1696 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers1 decades - 73
Jean Desmarets1595–1676 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured— - 74
Mathurin Régnier1573–1613 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers20 decades - 75
Claude Fleury1640–1723 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers21 decades - 76
Louis-Sébastien Le Nain de Tillemont1637–1698 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured— - 77
François Hédelin, abbé d'Aubignac1604–1676 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers3 decades - 78
Roger de Piles1635–1709 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers17 decades - 79
René de Froulay de Tessé1648–1725 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured— - 80CVCésar Vichard de Saint-Réal1643–1692 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured—
- 81
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Dominique Bouhours1628–1702 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers2 decades - 82
Henry Sydney, 1st Earl of Romney1641–1704 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 83
Jean-Pierre Camus1584–1652 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers20 decades - 84NCNicolas Chorier1612–1692 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers21 decades
- 85
Paul Pellisson1624–1693 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers9 decades - 86
François Annibal d'Estrées1573–1670 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 87
Esprit Fléchier1632–1710 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers14 decades - 88
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Gauthier de Costes, seigneur de la Calprenède1609–1663 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured— - 89
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Jean-Baptiste de Santeul1630–1697 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 90
César d'Estrées1628–1714 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers13 decades - 91AHAlexandre Hardy1570–1632 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers20 decades
- 92
Étienne Baluze1630–1718 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 93
Caesar, duc de Choiseul1598–1675 · 🇫🇷 France · Writersnot measured— - 94
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Jean Armand de Maillé-Brézé1619–1646 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 95FPFrançois Pétis de la Croix1653–1713 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers2 decades
- 96
Charles Alphonse du Fresnoy1611–1668 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers0 decades - 97
Simon de la Loubère1642–1729 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers1 decades - 98
Benoît de Maillet1656–1738 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers9 decades - 99
Robert Arnauld d'Andilly1589–1674 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers15 decades - 100
François de Callières1645–1717 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers7 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.