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← Fame through time1860-1869

The 1860s

Whose names filled the books of the 1860s - 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 1860s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Louis XIV of France1638-1715 · 17th century · France · Historical Figures35
  2. 2Voltaire1694-1778 · 18th century · France · Writers34
  3. 3Molière1622-1673 · 17th century · France · Writers15
  4. 4Louis XVI of France1754-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures14
  5. 5Louis XV of France1710-1774 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures11
  6. 6François Fénelon1651-1715 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures8.9
  7. 7Montesquieu1689-1755 · 18th century · France · Academics7.2
  8. 8Louis XVIII of France1755-1824 · 18th century · France · Politicians5.8
  9. 9Victor Hugo1802-1885 · 19th century · France · Writers4.2
  10. 10Louis XII of France1462-1515 · 15th century · France · Historical Figures3.9
  11. 11Marie Antoinette1755-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures3.9
  12. 12Francis de Sales1567-1622 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures3.8
  13. 13Napoleon III1808-1873 · 19th century · France · Politicians3.7
  14. 14Charles X of France1757-1836 · 18th century · France · Politicians3.1
  15. 15Vincent de Paul1581-1660 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures3.0
  16. 16Francis II of France1544-1560 · 16th century · France · Politicians2.6
  17. 17Benjamin Constant1767-1830 · 19th century · Switzerland · Politicians2.5
  18. 18Joan of Arc1412-1431 · 15th century · France2.4
  19. 19Marie de' Medici1575-1642 · 17th century · France · Politicians2.0
  20. 20Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme1540-1614 · 16th century · France · Writers1.9
  21. 21Jules Favre1809-1880 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.9
  22. 22Jules Simon1814-1896 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.8
  23. 23Louis Blanc1811-1882 · 19th century · Spain · Politicians1.8
  24. 24Philip V of Spain1683-1746 · 18th century · France · Politicians1.6
  25. 25Camille Desmoulins1760-1794 · 18th century · France · Journalists1.4
  26. 26Pope Julius II1443-1513 · 15th century · Italy · Religious Figures1.4
  27. 27Napoleon1769-1821 · 19th century · France · Historical Figures1.3
  28. 28Claude Bernard1813-1878 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.3
  29. 29Auguste Comte1798-1857 · 19th century · France · Academics1.1
  30. 30Charles the Bold1433-1477 · 15th century · France · Politicians1.0
  31. 31Firmin Didot1764-1836 · 18th century · France · Politicians1.0
  32. 32Louis Bonaparte1778-1846 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.00
  33. 33Alfred de Musset1810-1857 · 19th century · France · Writers0.98
  34. 34Odilon Barrot1791-1873 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.97
  35. 35Pope John XXII1244-1334 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures0.96
  36. 36Charlotte Corday1768-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures0.93
  37. 37Jean-Jacques Rousseau1712-1778 · 18th century · Switzerland · Academics0.92
  38. 38Pope Clement V1264-1314 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures0.90
  39. 39André Chénier1762-1794 · 18th century · France · Writers0.90
  40. 40Maine de Biran1766-1824 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.88
  41. 41George Sand1804-1876 · 19th century · France · Writers0.88
  42. 42Augustin Thierry1795-1856 · 19th century · France · Writers0.86
  43. 43Joseph de Maistre1753-1821 · 18th century · France · Academics0.84
  44. 44Charles Nodier1780-1844 · 19th century · France · Writers0.83
  45. 45Gustav III of Sweden1746-1792 · 18th century · Sweden · Politicians0.81
  46. 46Horace Vernet1789-1863 · 19th century · France · Artists0.79
  47. 47Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de Maintenon1635-1719 · 17th century · France · Academics0.76
  48. 48Anne of Brittany1477-1514 · 16th century · France0.75
  49. 49Diane de Poitiers1499-1566 · 16th century · France0.73
  50. 50La Grange1635-1692 · 17th century · France · Actors0.70
  51. 51Antoine Quentin Fouquier-Tinville1746-1795 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.65
  52. 52Nostradamus1503-1566 · 16th century · France · Academics0.65
  53. 53Pierre de Marivaux1688-1763 · 18th century · France · Writers0.65
  54. 54Théophile Gautier1811-1872 · 19th century · France · Writers0.63
  55. 55Stendhal1783-1842 · 19th century · France · Writers0.62
  56. 56Louis Racine1692-1763 · 18th century · France · Writers0.61
  57. 57Pope Urban V1310-1370 · 14th century · France · Religious Figures0.59
  58. 58Margaret of Valois1553-1615 · 16th century · France · Writers0.59
  59. 59Louis XVII of France1785-1795 · 18th century · France0.56
  60. 60Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy1480-1530 · 16th century · Spain · Artists0.54
  61. 61Jeanne d'Albret1528-1572 · 16th century · France · Politicians0.50
  62. 62Mary of Burgundy1457-1482 · 15th century · France · Politicians0.50
  63. 63Jean Goujon1510-1567 · 16th century · France · Architects0.50
  64. 64Bernard Palissy1510-1589 · 16th century · France · Scientists0.48
  65. 65Casimir Delavigne1793-1843 · 19th century · France · Writers0.48
  66. 66Eugène Delacroix1798-1863 · 19th century · France · Artists0.48
  67. 67Joseph Vernet1714-1789 · 18th century · Artists0.47
  68. 68Pierre Corneille1606-1684 · 17th century · France · Writers0.47
  69. 69Pierre Leroux1797-1871 · 19th century · France · Academics0.47
  70. 70Alfred de Vigny1797-1863 · 19th century · France · Writers0.47
  71. 71Ambroise Paré1510-1590 · 16th century · France · Doctors0.45
  72. 72Drogo801-855 · 9th century · France · Religious Figures0.44
  73. 73Charles, Count of Soissons1566-1612 · 17th century · France0.43
  74. 74Jean Bart1650-1702 · 17th century0.43
  75. 75Lucien Bonaparte1775-1840 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.42
  76. 76Vincent of Beauvais1190-1264 · 13th century · Educators0.42
  77. 77Octave Feuillet1821-1890 · 19th century · France · Writers0.41
  78. 78Charles, Duke of Orléans1394-1465 · 15th century · France · Writers0.40
  79. 79Robert Estienne1503-1559 · 16th century · France0.39
  80. 80Joseph Bonaparte1768-1844 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.39
  81. 81Pope Clement IV1190-1268 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures0.39
  82. 82Godfrey of Bouillon1060-1100 · 11th century · France · Historical Figures0.39
  83. 83Victor Cousin1792-1867 · 19th century · France · Academics0.37
  84. 84Thomas Corneille1625-1709 · 17th century · France · Writers0.36
  85. 85Paul Delaroche1797-1856 · 19th century · France · Artists0.36
  86. 86Olivier de Serres1539-1619 · 16th century · Writers0.36
  87. 87Jacques Clément1567-1589 · 16th century · France0.36
  88. 88Eugène Sue1804-1857 · 19th century · France · Writers0.36
  89. 89Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor1500-1558 · 16th century · Historical Figures0.35
  90. 90Blanche of Castile1188-1252 · 13th century · Spain · Historical Figures0.35
  91. 91Pope Gregory XI1329-1378 · 14th century · France · Religious Figures0.35
  92. 92Claude Michel1738-1814 · 18th century · France · Artists0.33
  93. 93Guy Patin1601-1672 · 17th century · France · Doctors0.33
  94. 94Ary Scheffer1795-1858 · 19th century · France · Artists0.33
  95. 95Richard Simon1638-1712 · 17th century · Actors0.32
  96. 96Ernest Renan1823-1892 · 19th century · France · Academics0.31
  97. 97Quatremère de Quincy1755-1849 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.30
  98. 98Jérôme Bonaparte1784-1860 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.29
  99. 99Albert, 4th duc de Broglie1821-1901 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.28
  100. 100Gustave Doré1832-1883 · 19th century · France · Artists0.28

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 1860s, ranked where coverage and readership agree.

  1. 1Leo Tolstoy1828-1910 · Russia · Writers18 decades
  2. 2James A. Garfield1831-1881 · United States · Politicians16 decades
  3. 3Jules Verne1828-1905 · France · Writers16 decades
  4. 4Chester A. Arthur1829-1886 · United States · Politicians15 decades
  5. 5Alfred Nobel1833-1896 · Sweden · Scientists13 decades
  6. 6Lewis Carroll1832-1898 · United Kingdom · Writers16 decades
  7. 7Emily Dickinson1830-1886 · United States · Writers13 decades
  8. 8Benjamin Harrison1833-1901 · United States · Politicians19 decades
  9. 9Dmitri Mendeleev1834-1907 · Russia · Scientists11 decades
  10. 10Franz Joseph I of Austria1830-1916 · Austria · Historical Figures18 decades
  11. 11Johannes Brahms1833-1897 · Germany · Musicians17 decades
  12. 12James Clerk Maxwell1831-1879 · United Kingdom · Scientists14 decades
  13. 13Henrik Ibsen1828-1906 · Norway · Writers14 decades
  14. 14Sitting Bull1831-1890 · United States15 decades
  15. 15Louisa May Alcott1832-1888 · United States · Writers14 decades
  16. 16Gustave Eiffel1832-1923 · France · Scientists10 decades
  17. 17Édouard Manet1832-1883 · France · Artists15 decades
  18. 18Porfirio Díaz1830-1915 · Mexico · Politicians16 decades
  19. 19Edgar Degas1834-1917 · France · Artists11 decades
  20. 20Frederick III, German Emperor1831-1888 · Germany · Politiciansnot measured-
  21. 21Johann Strauss II1825-1899 · Austria · Musicians16 decades
  22. 22Geronimo1829-1909 · United States · Actorsnot measured-
  23. 23Isabella II of Spain1830-1904 · Spain · Models11 decades
  24. 24Maximilian I of Mexico1832-1867 · Austria · Politiciansnot measured-
  25. 25William Morris1834-1896 · United Kingdom · Artists19 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.