← Fame through time1600-1699
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 coverage and readership agree.
- 1
Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperornot measured- - 2
Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburgnot measured- - 3
Frederick V of the Palatinatenot measured- - 4
Maximilian I, Elector of Bavarianot measured- - 5
John Sigismund, Elector of Brandenburg22 decades - 6
Ernest Augustus, Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg22 decades - 7
Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gothanot measured- - 8
Christian Albert I of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorpnot measured- - 9
John, Duke of Saxe-Weimarnot measured- - 10
Princess Anna Sophie of Denmark0 decades - 11
Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern0 decades
- 12
Benedicta Henrietta of the Palatinatenot measured- - 13
Louis VI of Hesse-Darmstadtnot measured-
- 14
John Casimir, Count Palatine of Kleeburgnot measured- - 15
Frederick I of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburgnot measured- - 16
Princess Eleonore Erdmuthe of Saxe-Eisenach0 decades - 17
John Frederick, Duke of Württembergnot measured- - 18
Elizabeth of Denmark, Duchess of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel0 decades - 19
John Frederick, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburgnot measured- - 20
Augusta Maria of Holstein-Gottorpnot measured- - 21
Adolph John I, Count Palatine of Kleeburgnot measured- - 22
Duchess Magdalene Sibylle of Prussianot measured- - 23
Landgravine Elisabeth Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadtnot measured- - 24
William Louis, Duke of Württembergnot measured- - 25
Duke Johann Philipp I, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg0 decades - 26
Frederick Ulrich, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg22 decades - 27
Maurice, Duke of Saxe-Zeitznot measured- - 28
Duke Adolf Friedrich II, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz0 decades - 29
Sophia Eleonore of Saxony0 decades
- 30
Duke Friedrich Wilhelm II, Duke of Saxe-Altenburgnot measured- - 31
John George I, Duke of Saxe-Eisenachnot measured- - 32
Charles, Electoral Prince of Brandenburgnot measured- - 33
Augustus, Count Palatine of Sulzbach0 decades - 34Philip, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburgnot measured-
- 35
William Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Weimar22 decades - 36
Magdalene Sibylle of Holstein-Gottorpnot measured- - 37
Augustus William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburgnot measured- - 38
John Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Eisenachnot measured- - 39
John Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar0 decades - 40
Dorothea of Anhalt-Zerbst0 decades - 41
Countess Palatine Anna Maria of Neuburgnot measured- - 42
Rudolph Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg22 decades - 43
Johann Ernst III, Duke of Saxe-Weimar0 decades - 44
Frederick William III, Duke of Saxe-Altenburgnot measured- - 45
Christine Wilhelmine of Hesse-Homburgnot measured- - 46
Albert VI, Duke of Bavarianot measured- - 47
Countess Palatine Dorothea of Simmernnot measured- - 48
William Christoph, Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg18 decades - 49
Sophie Henriette of Waldeck-Eisenbergnot measured- - 50
Luise Marie of the Palatinatenot measured- - 51
John Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar1 decades - 52
Moritz William, Duke of Saxe-Zeitznot measured- - 53
Julius Frederick, Duke of Württemberg-Weiltingen22 decades - 54
Augustus the Elder, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburgnot measured- - 55
Sophia Hedwig of Brunswick-Lüneburgnot measured- - 56
Hedwig of the Palatinate-Sulzbachnot measured- - 57Frederick of Nassau-Weilburgnot measured-
- 58
Albert IV, Duke of Saxe-Eisenachnot measured- - 59
John George II, Duke of Saxe-Eisenach0 decades - 60
Elisabeth Magdalena of Pomeranianot measured- - 61
Frederick Christian, Count of Schaumburg-Lippenot measured- - 62
Countess Palatine Magdalene Catherine of Zweibrückennot measured- - 63
Philip Ernest, Count of Hohenlohe-Langenburg22 decades - 64
Maria of Brunswick-Lüneburg0 decades - 65August, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Becknot measured-
- 66
Countess Charlotte Johanna of Waldeck-Wildungennot measured- - 67John William, Duke of Saxe-Jenanot measured-
- 68Albert Wolfgang, Count of Hohenlohe-Langenburgnot measured-
- 69
Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburgnot measured- - 70
Margaret of Brunswick-Lüneburg0 decades - 71
Emmanuel, Prince of Anhalt-Köthennot measured- - 72
Philip Louis, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Wiesenburgnot measured- - 73
Simon VII, Count of Lippe1 decades - 74
Sophie Elisabeth of Brandenburgnot measured- - 75
Hedwig of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel0 decades - 76
George II, Duke of Pomeranianot measured- - 77
Rudolf Christian, Count of East Frisia7 decades - 78
Christian Louis, Count of Waldecknot measured- - 79William August, Duke of Saxe-Eisenachnot measured-
- 80
Enno Louis, Prince of East Frisia4 decades - 81
Frederick William, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingennot measured- - 82
Erdmuthe Dorothea of Saxe-Zeitznot measured- - 83Wolrad IV of Waldeck-Eisenberg2 decades
- 84
Anna of Pomeranianot measured- - 85
John Francis Desideratus, Prince of Nassau-Siegen0 decades - 86
Frederick Augustus, Duke of Württemberg-Neuenstadtnot measured- - 87
John Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Weimarnot measured- - 88
Simon Henry, Count of Lippe10 decades - 89
Herman Adolf van Lippe-Detmold14 decades - 90Anna Maria of Solms-Sonnenwaldenot measured-
- 91Christine Friederike of Württemberg-Winnentalnot measured-
- 92
Otto, Count of Lippe-Brakenot measured- - 93
Frederick Casimir, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg19 decades - 94
Philip Reinhard, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg17 decades - 95
Adolph, Prince of Nassau-Schaumburgnot measured- - 96
Philip Maurice, Count of Hanau-Münzenberg22 decades - 97George Louis, Prince of Nassau-Dillenburgnot measured-
- 98August, Duke of Saxe-Merseburg-Zörbignot measured-
- 99Marie Eleonore von Brandenburgnot measured-
- 100George Albert I of Erbach-Erbachnot 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.