← 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
Oliver Cromwell22 decades - 2
Guy Fawkes22 decades - 3
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John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlboroughnot measured- - 4
Henry Morgan22 decades - 5
Richard Cromwell22 decades - 6
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckinghamnot measured- - 7
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlboroughnot measured- - 8
Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales0 decades - 9
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essexnot measured- - 10
Edward Colston12 decades - 11
Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Graftonnot measured- - 12
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essexnot measured- - 13
Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somersetnot measured- - 14
George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreysnot measured- - 15
Sir William Temple, 1st Baronetnot measured- - 16
Gilbert Burnet22 decades - 17
John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanbynot measured- - 18
Thomas Hooker22 decades - 19
Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufortnot measured- - 20
David Leslie, 1st Lord Newarknot measured- - 21
Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennoxnot measured- - 22
Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuchnot measured- - 23
William Cavendish, 3rd Earl of Devonshirenot measured- - 24
John Murray, 1st Duke of Athollnot measured- - 25
William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberrynot measured- - 26
Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyllnot measured- - 27
Everard Digbynot measured- - 28
Lionel Cranfield, 1st Earl of Middlesexnot measured- - 29
Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesburynot measured- - 30
Thomas Clifford, 1st Baron Clifford of Chudleighnot measured- - 31
Mary Scott, 3rd Countess of Buccleuchnot measured- - 32
Robert Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesburynot measured- - 33
Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadhamnot measured- - 34
Bulstrode Whitelockenot measured- - 35
Robert Kerr, 1st Marquess of Lothiannot measured- - 36
Anne Russell, Countess of Bedfordnot measured- - 37
Isaac Allertonnot measured- - 38George Gordon, 1st Earl of Aberdeennot measured-
- 39
George Berkeley, 1st Earl of Berkeleynot measured- - 40
John Hay, 2nd Marquess of Tweeddalenot measured- - 41
James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercornnot measured- - 42
Francis Rousnot measured- - 43Nathaniel Butlernot measured-
- 44
Edmund Sheffield, 1st Earl of Mulgravenot measured- - 45Maurice Abbotnot measured-
- 46Elizabeth Lilburnenot measured-
- 47
Robert Atkynsnot 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.