← Fame through time1700-1799
The 18th century
Whose working lives fell in the 18th century. Books are measured from 1800 and readers from 2015, so for this period we can say who lived then, not who was talked about then.
Lived then
The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 18th century, ranked where coverage and readership agree.
- 1
Voltaire22 decades - 2
Olympe de Gouges22 decades - 3
Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeaunot measured- - 4
Pierre Beaumarchaisnot measured- - 5
Marie Leszczyńska13 decades - 6
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffonnot measured- - 7
Pierre de Marivaux22 decades - 8
Antoine François Prévost12 decades - 9
Pierre Choderlos de Laclos2 decades - 10
Manon Roland10 decades - 11
André Chénier22 decades - 12
Charles François Dumouriez0 decades - 13
Jeanne Marie Leprince de Beaumontnot measured- - 14
Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simonnot measured- - 15
Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierrenot measured- - 16
Nicolas-Edme Rétifnot measured- - 17
Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Rémynot measured- - 18
Antoine de Rivarol3 decades - 19
Stéphanie Félicité Ducrest de Saint-Aubin de Genlis0 decades - 20
Alain-René Lesage2 decades - 21
Joseph Joubert14 decades - 22
Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuvenot measured- - 23
Luc de Clapiers, marquis de Vauvenarguesnot measured- - 24
Jean-Pierre Claris de Floriannot measured- - 25
Adamantios Koraisnot measured- - 26
Anna Laetitia Barbauld4 decades - 27
Louis-Sébastien Mercier8 decades - 28
Jean-François Marmontel6 decades - 29
Valentin Haüy15 decades - 30
Louis François, Prince of Continot measured- - 31
Joseph Fesch6 decades - 32
François Hanriot0 decades - 33
Jeanne Julie Éléonore de Lespinasse12 decades - 34
Claude Prosper Jolyot de Crébillonnot measured- - 35
Louise d'Épinay2 decades - 36
Jean-Jacques Barthélemy0 decades - 37
Jean-Baptiste Rousseau22 decades - 38
Louis Auguste Le Tonnelier de Breteuilnot measured- - 39
Abraham Hyacinthe Anquetil-Duperron0 decades - 40
Abbé Delille22 decades - 41
Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon4 decades - 42
Louis François II de Bourbonnot measured- - 43
Charles de Brosses20 decades - 44
François-Joachim de Pierre de Bernisnot measured- - 45
François Claude Amour, marquis de Bouillénot measured- - 46
George Psalmanazar0 decades - 47
Jean Joseph Marie Amiot0 decades - 48
Jean-François de La Harpenot measured- - 49
J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœurnot measured- - 50
Jean François de Saint-Lambertnot measured- - 51
Évariste de Parny0 decades - 52
Antoine Augustin Calmet18 decades - 53
Martinez de Pasqually10 decades - 54
Charles Pinot Duclos4 decades - 55
Philippe Néricault Destouches2 decades - 56
Alexis Piron22 decades - 57
Adrien Maurice de Noailles0 decades - 58
Louise Anne de Bourbon0 decades - 59
Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argensnot measured- - 60
Antoine Houdar de La Motte1 decades - 61
Armand Marc, Count of Montmorinnot measured- - 62
Jacques Antoine Hippolyte, Comte de Guibertnot measured- - 63
Marc René, marquis de Montalembert0 decades - 64
Friederike Brion17 decades - 65
François Just Marie Raynouard0 decades - 66
Alexandre Lenoir22 decades - 67
Jean-Baptiste Dubos1 decades - 68
Edmond-Charles Genêt0 decades - 69
Charles Simon Favart2 decades - 70
Jean-Baptiste-Louis Gresset0 decades - 71
François-Marie, 1st duc de Broglie0 decades - 72
Michel-Jean Sedaine0 decades - 73
Jean-Baptiste Colbert, marquis de Torcynot measured- - 74
Jean-Baptiste Du Halde0 decades - 75
Jean-Baptiste Willermoz5 decades - 76
Ennio Quirino Visconti22 decades - 77
Jacques-André Naigeon0 decades - 78
Marc-Antoine Laugier0 decades - 79
Adélaïde Filleul, Marquise de Souza-Botelho0 decades - 80
Jean-Jacques Lefranc, Marquis de Pompignannot measured- - 81
Mademoiselle Aïssénot measured- - 82
Jean-François Ducis2 decades - 83
Marie-Gabriel-Florent-Auguste de Choiseul-Gouffiernot measured- - 84
Dominique-Georges-Frédéric Dufour de Pradt0 decades - 85
Etteillanot measured- - 86
François Barbé-Marbois0 decades - 87
Pigault-Lebrun22 decades - 88
Louis Jules Mancini Mazarininot measured- - 89
Philippe de Noailles2 decades - 90
Jean Baptiste Camille Canclauxnot measured- - 91
Charlotte de Robespierrenot measured- - 92
Antoine-Joseph Pernety0 decades - 93François Baron de Tott0 decades
- 94
Jacques-Joachim Trotti, marquis de La Chétardienot measured- - 95
Louis, comte de Narbonne-Laranot measured- - 96
Karol Kniaziewicznot measured- - 97
Marie Françoise Catherine de Beauvau-Craonnot measured- - 98
Charles Palissot de Montenoy3 decades - 99
Jean d'Estrées18 decades - 100
Charles-Philippe Ronsin0 decades
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.