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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 Hebrew books during the 1840s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Habakkuk626 BC-600 BC · 1st millennium BC · Religious Figures15
  2. 2Haggaiborn 550 BC · 1st millennium BC · Religious Figures13
  3. 3Simeon ben Gamliel IIborn 100 · 2nd century12
  4. 4Nathan the Babylonianborn 101 · 2nd century11
  5. 5Rav Ashi352-427 · 4th century8.3
  6. 6Johanan ben Zakai50 BC-70 · 1st millennium BC5.0
  7. 7Joseph Caspi1280-1345 · 14th century · France · Academics3.2
  8. 8Hillel the Elder50 BC-100 · 1st millennium BC3.0
  9. 9Saadia Gaon882-942 · 10th century · Academics2.8
  10. 10Simeon ben Zomadied 200 · 2nd century2.5
  11. 11Hai Gaon939-1038 · 10th century · Writers2.0
  12. 12Hanina ben Dosa40-75 · 1st century1.6
  13. 13Abraham bar Hiyya1070-1136 · 12th century · Academics1.4
  14. 14Samuel ibn Naghrillah993-1055 · 11th century · Writers1.3
  15. 15Menasseh Ben Israel1604-1657 · 17th century · Netherlands · Academics1.1
  16. 16Eliezer ben Hurcanus100-200 · 2nd century0.94
  17. 17Isaac Abrabanel1437-1508 · 15th century · Academics0.87
  18. 18Joseph Kimhi1105-1170 · 12th century · France · Writers0.85
  19. 19Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg1150-1217 · 12th century · Academics0.66
  20. 20Eleazar ben Arach100-200 · 2nd century0.63
  21. 21Hayyim ben Joseph Vital1542-1620 · 16th century · Turkey · Musicians0.57
  22. 22Moshe Alshich1508-1593 · 16th century · Turkey0.53
  23. 23Isaac ben Moses Arama1420-1494 · 15th century0.48
  24. 24Joseph Albo1380-1444 · 15th century · Academics0.46
  25. 25Chaim Joseph David Azulai1724-1806 · 18th century · Turkey · Historical Figures0.46
  26. 26Eleazar ben Killir600-700 · 7th century · Writers0.46
  27. 27Hasdai Crescas1340-1410 · 14th century · Academics0.46
  28. 28Yanaiborn 600 · 7th century · Writers0.44
  29. 29Jedaiah ben Abraham Bedersi1270-1340 · 14th century · France · Academics0.41
  30. 30Amram Gaon810-875 · 9th century0.37
  31. 31Azariah dei Rossi1513-1578 · 16th century · Writers0.37
  32. 32Moses Kimhi1127-1190 · 12th century · France0.36
  33. 33Menahem ben Aaron ibn Zerah1310-1385 · 14th century · Writers0.28
  34. 34Rabbeinu Tam1100-1171 · 12th century · France · Writers0.25
  35. 35Sabbatai Zevi1626-1676 · 17th century · Turkey · Religious Figures0.24
  36. 36Moses ben Joshua1300-1362 · 14th century · Academics0.23
  37. 37Zerachiah haLevi of Girona1130-1186 · 12th century · France · Writers0.22
  38. 38Dunash ben Labrat920-990 · 10th century · Morocco · Writers0.19
  39. 39Moses Sofer1762-1839 · 18th century0.18
  40. 40Profiat Duran1350-1415 · 14th century · Musicians0.18
  41. 41Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno1470-1549 · 16th century · Doctors0.17
  42. 42Shabbethai Donnoloborn 913 · 10th century · Scientists0.16
  43. 43Herod Archelaus23 BC-18 · 1st century · Models0.15
  44. 44Isaac Albalag1300-1300 · 14th century · Academics0.12
  45. 45Abraham de Balmes1440-1523 · 15th century · Doctors0.11
  46. 46Isaac the Blind1160-1235 · 12th century · France · Writers0.11
  47. 47Mordecai Yoffe1530-1612 · 16th century · Poland0.11
  48. 48Josephus37-100 · 1st century · Writers0.10
  49. 49Menaḥem ben Shelomoh Meʾiri1249-1306 · 13th century · France · Musicians0.08
  50. 50Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz1505-1576 · 16th century · Turkey · Writers0.08
  51. 51Shimon bar Yochai100-160 · 2nd century0.07
  52. 52Baal Shem Tov1698-1760 · 18th century0.05
  53. 53Chaim ibn Attar1696-1743 · 18th century · Morocco0.04
  54. 54Yehuda Alharizi1165-1225 · 13th century · Writers0.04
  55. 55Jacob Emden1697-1776 · 18th century · Germany0.03
  56. 56Solomon Molcho1500-1532 · 16th century · Academics0.03
  57. 57Jacob ben Asher1269-1343 · 14th century · Writers0.02
  58. 58Nathan of Gaza1644-1680 · 17th century · Turkey · Writers0.02
  59. 59Abraham ben Mordecai Farissol1451-1525 · 15th century · Musicians0.02
  60. 60Yonah Gerondi1210-1263 · 13th century · Academics0.02
  61. 61Judas Maccabeus500 BC-160 BC · 1st millennium BC · Religious Figures0.02

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.