215,950 profiles ranked

← Fame through time1800-1809

The 1800s

Whose names filled the books of the 1800s - anyone at all, however long dead - counted as mentions per million words printed, so a period that simply published more does not inflate anyone.

Talked about then

Whose names appeared most in French books during the 1800s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Voltaire1694-1778 · 18th century · France · Writers50
  2. 2Louis XIV of France1638-1715 · 17th century · France · Historical Figures32
  3. 3Louis XVI of France1754-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures19
  4. 4Molière1622-1673 · 17th century · France · Writers13
  5. 5Louis XV of France1710-1774 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures11
  6. 6Montesquieu1689-1755 · 18th century · France · Academics8.6
  7. 7Louis XII of France1462-1515 · 15th century · France · Historical Figures5.1
  8. 8Philip V of Spain1683-1746 · 18th century · France · Politicians3.0
  9. 9Olivier de Serres1539-1619 · 16th century · Writers2.0
  10. 10Marie de' Medici1575-1642 · 17th century · France · Politicians1.9
  11. 11Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon1635-1719 · 17th century · France · Academics1.8
  12. 12Pierre de Marivaux1688-1763 · 18th century · France · Writers1.6
  13. 13Francis II of France1544-1560 · 16th century · France · Politicians1.6
  14. 14Pope Julius II1443-1513 · 15th century · Italy · Religious Figures1.3
  15. 15François Fénelon1651-1715 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures1.2
  16. 16Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme1540-1614 · 16th century · France · Writers1.1
  17. 17Marie Antoinette1755-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures1.1
  18. 18Francis de Sales1567-1622 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures1.1
  19. 19Gustav III of Sweden1746-1792 · 18th century · Sweden · Politicians0.93
  20. 20Louis XVIII of France1755-1824 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.92
  21. 21Françoise-Athénaïs de Rochechouart, Marquise de Montespan1640-1707 · 17th century · France0.80
  22. 22Claude Michel1738-1814 · 18th century · France · Artists0.74
  23. 23Johann Bernoulli1667-1748 · 18th century · Switzerland · Academics0.68
  24. 24Anne of Brittany1477-1514 · 16th century · France0.66
  25. 25Pope John XXII1244-1334 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures0.61
  26. 26Thomas Corneille1625-1709 · 17th century · France · Writers0.60
  27. 27Vincent de Paul1581-1660 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures0.59
  28. 28Lucien Bonaparte1775-1840 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.57
  29. 29Firmin Didot1764-1836 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.55
  30. 30Joseph Bonaparte1768-1844 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.55
  31. 31Joan of Arc1412-1431 · 15th century · France0.54
  32. 32Pope Clement V1264-1314 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures0.54
  33. 33Diane de Poitiers1499-1566 · 16th century · France0.52
  34. 34Louis Racine1692-1763 · 18th century · France · Writers0.52
  35. 35Margaret of Valois1553-1615 · 16th century · France · Writers0.49
  36. 36Louis XVII of France1785-1795 · 18th century · France0.46
  37. 37Germain Pilon1525-1590 · 16th century · France · Artists0.46
  38. 38Bernard de Jussieu1699-1777 · 18th century · France · Scientists0.41
  39. 39Nostradamus1503-1566 · 16th century · France · Academics0.40
  40. 40Pierre Corneille1606-1684 · 17th century · France · Writers0.40
  41. 41La Grange1635-1692 · 17th century · France · Actors0.39
  42. 42Madame de Pompadour1721-1764 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.38
  43. 43Camille Desmoulins1760-1794 · 18th century · France · Journalists0.36
  44. 44Jean-Jacques Rousseau1712-1778 · 18th century · Switzerland · Academics0.36
  45. 45Mary of Burgundy1457-1482 · 15th century · France · Politicians0.35
  46. 46Jacob Bernoulli1655-1705 · 17th century · Switzerland · Academics0.34
  47. 47Ambroise Paré1510-1590 · 16th century · France · Doctors0.33
  48. 48Charlotte Corday1768-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures0.33
  49. 49Jacques Clément1567-1589 · 16th century · France0.32
  50. 50Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy1480-1530 · 16th century · Spain · Artists0.30
  51. 51Anne de Montmorency1493-1567 · 16th century · France · Politicians0.27
  52. 52Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor1500-1558 · 16th century · Historical Figures0.27
  53. 53Gaston of Foix, Duke of Nemours1489-1512 · 16th century · France0.24
  54. 54Jean Goujon1510-1567 · 16th century · France · Architects0.24
  55. 55Charles Perrault1628-1703 · 17th century · France · Writers0.22
  56. 56Pope Gregory XI1329-1378 · 14th century · France · Religious Figures0.22
  57. 57Jeanne d'Albret1528-1572 · 16th century · France · Politicians0.21
  58. 58Charles Bonnet1720-1793 · 18th century · Academics0.20
  59. 59Charles X of France1757-1836 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.20
  60. 60Henrietta of England1644-1670 · 17th century · France0.19
  61. 61Pope Clement IV1190-1268 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures0.19
  62. 62Antoine Quentin Fouquier-Tinville1746-1795 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.19
  63. 63Pope Urban V1310-1370 · 14th century · France · Religious Figures0.19
  64. 64Louis Bonaparte1778-1846 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.19
  65. 65Nicolas Poussin1594-1665 · 17th century · France · Artists0.18
  66. 66Antoine of Navarre1518-1562 · 16th century · France · Politicians0.18
  67. 67Charles, Count of Soissons1566-1612 · 17th century · France0.18
  68. 68Peter of Navarre1366-1412 · 15th century0.18
  69. 69Jean Racine1639-1699 · 17th century · France · Writers0.17
  70. 70Clémence Isaure1450-1513 · 15th century · France · Musicians0.16
  71. 71Louis of Toulouse1274-1297 · 13th century · France0.16
  72. 72Richard Simon1638-1712 · 17th century · Actors0.16
  73. 73Gabrielle d'Estrées1573-1599 · 16th century · France0.16
  74. 74Toussaint Louverture1743-1803 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.16
  75. 75La Clairon1723-1803 · 18th century · France · Actors0.16
  76. 76Bernard Palissy1510-1589 · 16th century · France · Scientists0.15
  77. 77Charles, Duke of Orléans1394-1465 · 15th century · France · Writers0.14
  78. 78Cardinal Mazarin1602-1661 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures0.14
  79. 79Jeanne de Navarre1326-1387 · 14th century0.14
  80. 80Ferdinand Berthoud1727-1807 · 18th century · France · Scientists0.14
  81. 81Claude of France1499-1524 · 16th century · France · Politicians0.14
  82. 82Blanche of Castile1188-1252 · 13th century · Spain · Historical Figures0.14
  83. 83Charles of France, Duke of Berry1686-1714 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures0.13
  84. 84Claude Perrault1613-1688 · 17th century · France · Architects0.13
  85. 85Jacques Roux1752-1794 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.13
  86. 86Benjamin Constant1767-1830 · 19th century · Switzerland · Politicians0.13
  87. 87Godfrey of Bouillon1060-1100 · 11th century · France · Historical Figures0.13
  88. 88Jean-Baptiste Rousseau1670-1741 · 18th century · France · Writers0.13
  89. 89Jean-Baptiste Robert Lindet1746-1825 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.13
  90. 90Joanna of Bourbon1338-1378 · 14th century · France · Historical Figures0.12
  91. 91Mathieu Dumas1753-1837 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.12
  92. 92Charles the Bold1433-1477 · 15th century · France · Politicians0.12
  93. 93Jean Bart1650-1702 · 17th century0.12
  94. 94Alexandre Brongniart1770-1847 · 19th century · France · Scientists0.12
  95. 95Theodor de Bry1528-1598 · 16th century · Actors0.12
  96. 96Nicolaus II Bernoulli1695-1726 · 18th century · Switzerland · Academics0.12
  97. 97Drogo801-855 · 9th century · France · Religious Figures0.12
  98. 98Pierre Bayle1647-1706 · 17th century · France · Academics0.12
  99. 99Guy Patin1601-1672 · 17th century · France · Doctors0.12
  100. 100Georges d'Amboise1460-1510 · 15th century · France · Politicians0.11

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 1800s, ranked where coverage and readership agree.

  1. 1Napoleon1769-1821 · France · Historical Figures22 decades
  2. 2Ludwig van Beethoven1770-1827 · Germany · Musicians21 decades
  3. 3Andrew Jackson1767-1845 · United States · Politicians22 decades
  4. 4John Quincy Adams1767-1848 · United States · Politicians22 decades
  5. 5William Henry Harrison1773-1841 · United States · Politicians22 decades
  6. 6Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel1770-1831 · Germany · Academics21 decades
  7. 7Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington1769-1852 · Politiciansnot measured-
  8. 8William Wordsworth1770-1850 · United Kingdom · Writers22 decades
  9. 9Walter Scott1771-1832 · United Kingdom · Writers22 decades
  10. 10Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor1768-183522 decades
  11. 11Louis Philippe I1773-1850 · France · Models19 decades
  12. 12Alexander von Humboldt1769-1859 · Historical Figures8 decades
  13. 13Samuel Taylor Coleridge1772-1834 · United Kingdom · Writers19 decades
  14. 14Caspar David Friedrich1774-1840 · Sweden · Artists11 decades
  15. 15Klemens von Metternich1773-1859 · Germany · Politicians0 decades
  16. 16Muhammad Ali of Egypt1769-1849 · Turkey · Politicians0 decades
  17. 17Joachim Murat1767-1815 · France · Politicians21 decades
  18. 18François-René de Chateaubriand1768-1848 · France · Writers11 decades
  19. 19John Dalton1766-1844 · United Kingdom · Scientists22 decades
  20. 20Joseph Bonaparte1768-1844 · France · Politicians22 decades
  21. 21Pope Gregory XVI1765-1846 · Italy · Religious Figures19 decades
  22. 22Germaine de Staël1766-1817 · France · Writers10 decades
  23. 23Thomas Robert Malthus1766-1834 · United Kingdom · Academics8 decades
  24. 24Frederick William III of Prussia1770-1840 · Germany · Historical Figuresnot measured-
  25. 25Joseph Fourier1768-1830 · France · Academics11 decades
Show 75 more

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.