215,950 profiles ranked

← Fame through time1850-1859

The 1850s

Whose names filled the books of the 1850s - 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 Italian books during the 1850s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Giotto1267-1337 · 14th century · Italy · Artists4.1
  2. 2Antonio da Correggio1489-1534 · 16th century · Italy · Artists3.7
  3. 3Torquato Tasso1544-1595 · 16th century · Italy · Writers3.2
  4. 4Pietro Perugino1448-1523 · 15th century · Italy · Artists2.9
  5. 5Lorenzo de' Medici1449-1492 · 15th century · Politicians2.9
  6. 6Charles Borromeo1538-1584 · 16th century · Italy · Religious Figures2.8
  7. 7Dante Alighieri1265-1321 · 14th century · Writers2.6
  8. 8Donato Bramante1444-1514 · 15th century · Italy · Architects2.5
  9. 9Cesare Balbo1789-1853 · 19th century · Politicians2.2
  10. 10Caravaggio1571-1610 · 17th century · Italy · Artists2.1
  11. 11Tintoretto1519-1594 · 16th century · Italy · Artists2.0
  12. 12Ugo Foscolo1778-1827 · 19th century · Writers1.9
  13. 13Philip Neri1515-1595 · 16th century · Religious Figures1.8
  14. 14Paul the Deacon720-799 · 8th century · Writers1.8
  15. 15Giuseppe Mazzini1805-1872 · 19th century · Italy · Activists1.8
  16. 16Vincenzo Gioberti1801-1852 · 19th century · Italy · Academics1.8
  17. 17Andrea Doria1466-1560 · 16th century · Italy · Politicians1.7
  18. 18Cosimo de' Medici1389-1464 · 15th century · Politicians1.6
  19. 19Donatello1386-1466 · 15th century · Artists1.5
  20. 20Leonardo da Vinci1452-1519 · 15th century · Italy · Artists1.4
  21. 21Francesco Guicciardini1483-1540 · 16th century · Writers1.4
  22. 22Marco Polo1254-1324 · 13th century · Italy · Historical Figures1.4
  23. 23Cesare Borgia1475-1507 · 16th century · Italy · Historical Figures1.4
  24. 24Silvio Pellico1789-1854 · 19th century · Writers1.3
  25. 25Apostolo Zeno1668-1750 · 18th century · Writers1.3
  26. 26Giulio Romano1499-1546 · 16th century · Italy · Artists1.3
  27. 27Niccolò Machiavelli1469-1527 · 16th century · Politicians1.2
  28. 28Cimabue1240-1302 · 13th century · Artists1.2
  29. 29Vittorio Alfieri1749-1803 · 18th century · Italy · Historical Figures1.2
  30. 30Guercino1591-1666 · 17th century · Italy · Artists1.2
  31. 31Galileo Galilei1564-1642 · 16th century · Italy · Scientists1.2
  32. 32Scipione Gonzaga1542-1593 · 16th century · Religious Figures1.1
  33. 33Filippo Maria Visconti1392-1447 · 15th century · Politicians1.1
  34. 34Teodato Ipato750-800 · 8th century · Politicians1.1
  35. 35Francis of Assisi1182-1226 · 13th century · Italy · Writers1.1
  36. 36Dino Compagni1255-1324 · 13th century · Writers1.1
  37. 37Girolamo Savonarola1452-1498 · 15th century · Italy · Politicians1.1
  38. 38Paolo Veronese1528-1588 · 16th century · Italy · Artists1.0
  39. 39Lucrezia Borgia1480-1519 · 16th century · Italy · Historical Figures1.0
  40. 40Benvenuto Cellini1500-1571 · 16th century · France · Artists1.00
  41. 41Massimo d'Azeglio1798-1866 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians0.99
  42. 42Domenichino1581-1641 · 17th century · Artists0.98
  43. 43Petrarch1304-1374 · 14th century · Italy · Academics0.98
  44. 44Prospero Colonna1452-1523 · 15th century0.97
  45. 45Paolo Sarpi1552-1623 · 16th century · Academics0.97
  46. 46Masaccio1401-1428 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.96
  47. 47Aloysius Gonzaga1568-1591 · 16th century · Italy · Religious Figures0.96
  48. 48Giorgio Vasari1511-1574 · 16th century · Italy · Artists0.94
  49. 49Cesare Cantù1804-1895 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.94
  50. 50Guido Cavalcanti1258-1300 · 13th century · Writers0.92
  51. 51Andrea del Sarto1486-1530 · 16th century · Artists0.92
  52. 52Pietro Verri1728-1797 · 18th century · Academics0.92
  53. 53Benedetto Varchi1503-1565 · 16th century · Italy · Writers0.91
  54. 54Francesco Gonzaga1444-1483 · 15th century0.88
  55. 55Bernardo Tasso1493-1569 · 16th century · Writers0.85
  56. 56Luigi Alamanni1495-1556 · 16th century · Writers0.84
  57. 57Alessandro Manzoni1785-1873 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.84
  58. 58Marsilio Ficino1433-1499 · 15th century · Italy · Academics0.82
  59. 59Franco Sacchetti1332-1400 · 14th century · Writers0.80
  60. 60Giovanni Boccaccio1313-1375 · 14th century · Italy · Writers0.80
  61. 61Matteo Villani1283-1363 · 14th century · Writers0.79
  62. 62Pietro Bembo1470-1547 · 16th century · Italy · Religious Figures0.78
  63. 63Scipione Ammirato1531-1601 · 16th century · Writers0.77
  64. 64Federico Borromeo1564-1631 · 16th century · Religious Figures0.76
  65. 65Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei1675-1755 · 18th century · Writers0.76
  66. 66Guido Reni1575-1642 · 17th century · Italy · Artists0.75
  67. 67Andrea Gritti1455-1538 · 15th century · Politicians0.73
  68. 68Pietro Aretino1492-1556 · 16th century · Italy · Writers0.73
  69. 69Baldassare Franceschini1611-1690 · 17th century · Artists0.73
  70. 70Giacomo Leopardi1798-1837 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.70
  71. 71Francesco Foscari1373-1457 · 15th century · Italy · Politicians0.70
  72. 72Catherine de' Medici1519-1589 · 16th century · France · Historical Figures0.66
  73. 73Paolo Giovio1483-1552 · 16th century · Writers0.66
  74. 74Salvator Rosa1615-1673 · 17th century · Italy · Artists0.66
  75. 75Andrea Dandolo1306-1354 · 14th century · Politicians0.65
  76. 76Antonio Rosmini1797-1855 · 19th century · Academics0.65
  77. 77Francesco Vettori1474-1540 · 16th century · Writers0.64
  78. 78Guido Bonatti1210-1296 · 13th century · Scientists0.64
  79. 79Bernardino of Siena1380-1444 · 15th century · Italy · Academics0.63
  80. 80Pinturicchio1454-1513 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.59
  81. 81Domenico Passignano1559-1638 · 16th century · Artists0.58
  82. 82Giuliano de' Medici1453-1478 · 15th century · Politicians0.58
  83. 83Francesca da Rimini1259-1285 · 13th century · Italy · Writers0.57
  84. 84Filippo Villani1325-1407 · 14th century · Italy · Writers0.57
  85. 85Pietro Lombardo1435-1515 · 15th century · Artists0.57
  86. 86Alessandro Cagliostro1743-1795 · 18th century · France · Doctors0.57
  87. 87Pope Clement VII1478-1534 · 16th century · Religious Figures0.56
  88. 88Francesco Morosini1619-1694 · 17th century · Politicians0.55
  89. 89Erasmo of Narni1370-1443 · 15th century · Italy0.54
  90. 90Vittoria Colonna1492-1547 · 16th century · Italy · Writers0.54
  91. 91Angelo Grillo1557-1629 · 16th century · Writers0.53
  92. 92Francesco Ferrucci1489-1530 · 16th century0.52
  93. 93Marco Foscarini1696-1763 · 18th century · Writers0.51
  94. 94Giordano Bruno1548-1600 · 16th century · Italy · Academics0.49
  95. 95Giuseppe Giusti1809-1850 · 19th century · Writers0.48
  96. 96Leon Battista Alberti1404-1472 · 15th century · Italy · Architects0.47
  97. 97Ippolito Pindemonte1753-1828 · 18th century · Writers0.46
  98. 98Parmigianino1503-1540 · 16th century · Italy · Artists0.45
  99. 99Pontormo1494-1556 · 16th century · Italy · Artists0.45
  100. 100Andrea Mantegna1431-1506 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.44

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 1850s, ranked where coverage and readership agree.

  1. 1Karl Marx1818-1883 · Germany · Academics17 decades
  2. 2Fyodor Dostoevsky1821-1881 · Russia · Writers17 decades
  3. 3Queen Victoria1819-1901 · United Kingdom · Historical Figuresnot measured-
  4. 4Otto von Bismarck1815-1898 · Germany · Politicians16 decades
  5. 5Ulysses S. Grant1822-1885 · United States · Politicians16 decades
  6. 6Florence Nightingale1820-1910 · Writers17 decades
  7. 7Louis Pasteur1822-1895 · France · Scientists14 decades
  8. 8Ada Lovelace1815-1852 · Academics3 decades
  9. 9Rutherford B. Hayes1822-1893 · United States · Politicians16 decades
  10. 10Charlotte Brontë1816-1855 · United Kingdom · Writers17 decades
  11. 11Friedrich Engels1820-1895 · United Kingdom · Academics17 decades
  12. 12Henry David Thoreau1817-1862 · United States · Writers13 decades
  13. 13Walt Whitman1819-1892 · United States · Writers17 decades
  14. 14Alexander II of Russia1818-1881 · Russia · Historical Figures17 decades
  15. 15Harriet Tubman1821-1913 · United States · Writers9 decades
  16. 16Charles Baudelaire1821-1867 · France · Writers17 decades
  17. 17George Eliot1819-1880 · United Kingdom · Writers19 decades
  18. 18Herman Melville1819-1891 · United States · Writers18 decades
  19. 19Frederick Douglass1818-1895 · United States · Writers18 decades
  20. 20Gregor Mendel1822-1884 · Scientists12 decades
  21. 21Gustave Flaubert1821-1880 · France · Writers17 decades
  22. 22John Ruskin1819-1900 · United Kingdom · Writers18 decades
  23. 23Susan B. Anthony1820-1906 · United States · Activists16 decades
  24. 24Rani of Jhansi1828-1858 · India · Activists8 decades
  25. 25William Tecumseh Sherman1820-1891 · United States · Writers14 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.