Claim profile
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.

CountryAll🇫🇷 France🇩🇪 Germany🇬🇧 United Kingdom🇯🇵 Japan🇹🇷 Turkey🇳🇱 Netherlands🇪🇸 Spain🇮🇹 Italy🇸🇪 Sweden🇨🇳 China
FieldAllWritersPoliticiansHistorical FiguresArtistsAcademicsScientistsMusiciansReligious FiguresActorsModels
  1. 1Baruch SpinozaBaruch Spinoza1632–1677 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academics16 decades
  2. 2Christiaan HuygensChristiaan Huygens1629–1695 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academics7 decades
  3. 3Hugo GrotiusHugo Grotius1583–1645 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academics22 decades
  4. 4Johan de WittJohan de Witt1625–1672 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academics0 decades
  5. 5Marcus Zuerius van BoxhornMarcus Zuerius van Boxhorn1612–1653 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academics0 decades
  6. 6Albert GirardAlbert Girard1595–1632 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academics19 decades
  7. 7Thomas van ErpeThomas van Erpe1584–1624 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academics0 decades
  8. 8AKAdriaan Koerbagh1633–1669 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academics0 decades
  9. 9Pieter de la CourtPieter de la Court1618–1685 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academicsnot measured—
  10. 10André TacquetAndré Tacquet1612–1660 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academics0 decades
  11. 11Johannes VoetJohannes Voet1647–1713 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academicsnot measured—
  12. 12Aernout van BuchelAernout van Buchel1565–1641 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academicsnot measured—
  13. 13Bernard NieuwentytBernard Nieuwentyt1654–1718 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academicsnot measured—
  14. 14Franco BurgersdijkFranco Burgersdijk1590–1635 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academicsnot measured—
  15. 15Johann Heinrich AltingJohann Heinrich Alting1583–1644 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academicsnot measured—
  16. 16Gerhard NoodtGerhard Noodt1647–1725 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academics0 decades
  17. 17Hendrik van HeuraetHendrik van Heuraet1634–1660 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academics0 decades
  18. 18Friedrich Spanheim the YoungerFriedrich Spanheim the Younger1632–1701 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academicsnot measured—
  19. 19Antonius WalaeusAntonius Walaeus1573–1639 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academicsnot measured—
  20. 20Arnold VinniusArnold Vinnius1588–1657 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academicsnot measured—
  21. 21Petrus SerrariusPetrus Serrarius1600–1669 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academicsnot measured—
  22. 22Antonius Thysius the ElderAntonius Thysius the Elder1565–1640 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academicsnot measured—
  23. 23Samuel MaroloisSamuel Marolois1572–1627 · 🇳🇱 Netherlands · Academicsnot 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.