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← Fame through time1840-1849

The 1840s

Whose names filled the books of the 1840s - 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 1840s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Louis XIV of France1638-1715 · 17th century · France · Historical Figures37
  2. 2Voltaire1694-1778 · 18th century · France · Writers24
  3. 3Louis XVI of France1754-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures17
  4. 4Louis XV of France1710-1774 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures11
  5. 5Molière1622-1673 · 17th century · France · Writers9.8
  6. 6Louis XVIII of France1755-1824 · 18th century · France · Politicians7.6
  7. 7Montesquieu1689-1755 · 18th century · France · Academics7.0
  8. 8Louis XII of France1462-1515 · 15th century · France · Historical Figures6.3
  9. 9François Fénelon1651-1715 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures5.9
  10. 10Charles X of France1757-1836 · 18th century · France · Politicians5.0
  11. 11Louis Blanc1811-1882 · 19th century · Spain · Politicians3.5
  12. 12Philip V of Spain1683-1746 · 18th century · France · Politicians2.5
  13. 13Francis de Sales1567-1622 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures2.3
  14. 14Marie Antoinette1755-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures2.3
  15. 15Francis II of France1544-1560 · 16th century · France · Politicians2.1
  16. 16Joan of Arc1412-1431 · 15th century · France2.0
  17. 17Marie de' Medici1575-1642 · 17th century · France · Politicians1.8
  18. 18Victor Hugo1802-1885 · 19th century · France · Writers1.8
  19. 19Pope Julius II1443-1513 · 15th century · Italy · Religious Figures1.7
  20. 20Odilon Barrot1791-1873 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.7
  21. 21Vincent de Paul1581-1660 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures1.6
  22. 22Louis Bonaparte1778-1846 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.6
  23. 23Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme1540-1614 · 16th century · France · Writers1.6
  24. 24Benjamin Constant1767-1830 · 19th century · Switzerland · Politicians1.5
  25. 25Camille Desmoulins1760-1794 · 18th century · France · Journalists1.4
  26. 26Pierre Leroux1797-1871 · 19th century · France · Academics1.3
  27. 27Pope John XXII1244-1334 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures1.1
  28. 28Pope Clement V1264-1314 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures0.93
  29. 29Charles the Bold1433-1477 · 15th century · France · Politicians0.79
  30. 30Anne of Brittany1477-1514 · 16th century · France0.78
  31. 31Charles Dupin1784-1873 · 19th century · France · Academics0.75
  32. 32Jules Favre1809-1880 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.73
  33. 33Joseph Bonaparte1768-1844 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.72
  34. 34Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy1480-1530 · 16th century · Spain · Artists0.71
  35. 35Jean-Jacques Rousseau1712-1778 · 18th century · Switzerland · Academics0.70
  36. 36André Chénier1762-1794 · 18th century · France · Writers0.69
  37. 37Louis XVII of France1785-1795 · 18th century · France0.65
  38. 38Firmin Didot1764-1836 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.64
  39. 39Charlotte Corday1768-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures0.63
  40. 40Mary of Burgundy1457-1482 · 15th century · France · Politicians0.62
  41. 41Augustin Thierry1795-1856 · 19th century · France · Writers0.62
  42. 42Nostradamus1503-1566 · 16th century · France · Academics0.61
  43. 43Margaret of Valois1553-1615 · 16th century · France · Writers0.60
  44. 44George Sand1804-1876 · 19th century · France · Writers0.60
  45. 45Charles Nodier1780-1844 · 19th century · France · Writers0.59
  46. 46Pope Clement IV1190-1268 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures0.58
  47. 47Vincent of Beauvais1190-1264 · 13th century · Educators0.57
  48. 48Diane de Poitiers1499-1566 · 16th century · France0.56
  49. 49Casimir Delavigne1793-1843 · 19th century · France · Writers0.54
  50. 50Ambroise Paré1510-1590 · 16th century · France · Doctors0.54
  51. 51Charles, Duke of Orléans1394-1465 · 15th century · France · Writers0.53
  52. 52Lucien Bonaparte1775-1840 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.52
  53. 53Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon1635-1719 · 17th century · France · Academics0.52
  54. 54Pierre de Marivaux1688-1763 · 18th century · France · Writers0.48
  55. 55Jean Bart1650-1702 · 17th century0.48
  56. 56Jean Goujon1510-1567 · 16th century · France · Architects0.45
  57. 57Philip I, Count of Flanders1142-1191 · 12th century · Politicians0.45
  58. 58Gustav III of Sweden1746-1792 · 18th century · Sweden · Politicians0.45
  59. 59Pope Gregory XI1329-1378 · 14th century · France · Religious Figures0.44
  60. 60Jeanne d'Albret1528-1572 · 16th century · France · Politicians0.44
  61. 61Blanche of Castile1188-1252 · 13th century · Spain · Historical Figures0.43
  62. 62Godfrey of Bouillon1060-1100 · 11th century · France · Historical Figures0.43
  63. 63Eugène Sue1804-1857 · 19th century · France · Writers0.43
  64. 64Jacques Clément1567-1589 · 16th century · France0.42
  65. 65Charles, Count of Soissons1566-1612 · 17th century · France0.41
  66. 66Antoine Quentin Fouquier-Tinville1746-1795 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.40
  67. 67Drogo801-855 · 9th century · France · Religious Figures0.40
  68. 68Pope Urban V1310-1370 · 14th century · France · Religious Figures0.39
  69. 69Robert Estienne1503-1559 · 16th century · France0.39
  70. 70La Grange1635-1692 · 17th century · France · Actors0.36
  71. 71Antoine of Navarre1518-1562 · 16th century · France · Politicians0.36
  72. 72Maine de Biran1766-1824 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.36
  73. 73Horace Vernet1789-1863 · 19th century · France · Artists0.36
  74. 74Rutebeuf1245-1285 · 13th century · France · Writers0.36
  75. 75Philip of Burgundy1323-1346 · 14th century · France0.35
  76. 76Claude Michel1738-1814 · 18th century · France · Artists0.33
  77. 77Gaston of Foix, Duke of Nemours1489-1512 · 16th century · France0.33
  78. 78Peter the Hermit1050-1115 · 11th century · France · Religious Figures0.32
  79. 79Pierre Corneille1606-1684 · 17th century · France · Writers0.32
  80. 80Olivier de Serres1539-1619 · 16th century · Writers0.31
  81. 81Charles Fourier1772-1837 · 19th century · France · Academics0.30
  82. 82Quatremère de Quincy1755-1849 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.30
  83. 83Jean de Vienne1340-1396 · 14th century · Politicians0.30
  84. 84John of Luxembourg, Lord of Beauvoir1370-1397 · 14th century · France · Politicians0.29
  85. 85Jean de Montfort-Castres1250-1300 · 13th century · France0.28
  86. 86John of Burgundy1231-1267 · 13th century · France0.28
  87. 87Isabeau of Bavaria1370-1435 · 15th century · France · Historical Figures0.27
  88. 88Anne de Montmorency1493-1567 · 16th century · France · Politicians0.27
  89. 89Thomas Corneille1625-1709 · 17th century · France · Writers0.27
  90. 90Charles of France, Duke of Berry1686-1714 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures0.26
  91. 91Pope Martin IV1220-1285 · 13th century · France · Politicians0.26
  92. 92Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor1500-1558 · 16th century · Historical Figures0.25
  93. 93Jules Simon1814-1896 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.24
  94. 94Joseph de Maistre1753-1821 · 18th century · France · Academics0.23
  95. 95Louis of Toulouse1274-1297 · 13th century · France0.23
  96. 96Richard Simon1638-1712 · 17th century · Actors0.22
  97. 97Fabre d'Églantine1750-1794 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.22
  98. 98Gabrielle d'Estrées1573-1599 · 16th century · France0.21
  99. 99Jean-Baptiste Robert Lindet1746-1825 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.21
  100. 100Claude of France1499-1524 · 16th century · France · Politicians0.21

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 1840s, ranked where coverage and readership agree.

  1. 1Abraham Lincoln1809-1865 · United States · Politicians22 decades
  2. 2Edgar Allan Poe1809-1849 · United States · Writers17 decades
  3. 3Charles Dickens1812-1870 · United Kingdom · Writers20 decades
  4. 4Charles Darwin1809-1882 · United Kingdom · Scientists21 decades
  5. 5Frédéric Chopin1810-1849 · France · Musicians16 decades
  6. 6Richard Wagner1813-1883 · Germany · Musicians19 decades
  7. 7Hans Christian Andersen1805-1875 · Denmark · Writers18 decades
  8. 8Andrew Johnson1808-1875 · United States · Politicians22 decades
  9. 9Nikolai Gogol1809-1852 · Russia · Writers19 decades
  10. 10Napoleon III1808-1873 · France · Politicians21 decades
  11. 11Pope Leo XIII1810-1903 · Italy · Religious Figures15 decades
  12. 12Søren Kierkegaard1813-1855 · Denmark · Academics3 decades
  13. 13Emily Brontë1818-1848 · United Kingdom · Writers14 decades
  14. 14Giuseppe Garibaldi1807-1882 · France11 decades
  15. 15Joseph Smith1805-1844 · United States · Politicians22 decades
  16. 16Mikhail Lermontov1814-1841 · Russia · Writers15 decades
  17. 17Robert E. Lee1807-1870 · United States16 decades
  18. 18Giuseppe Verdi1813-1901 · Italy · Musicians18 decades
  19. 19Franz Liszt1811-1886 · Austria · Musicians19 decades
  20. 20John Stuart Mill1806-1873 · United Kingdom · Academics18 decades
  21. 21Felix Mendelssohn1809-1847 · Musicians18 decades
  22. 22P. T. Barnum1810-1891 · United States · Politicians17 decades
  23. 23Robert Schumann1810-1856 · Germany · Musicians19 decades
  24. 24Jefferson Davis1808-1889 · United States · Politicians20 decades
  25. 25Taras Shevchenko1814-1861 · Russia · Writers13 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.