← 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
Frederick the Great22 decades - 2
George II of Great Britainnot measured- - 3
Peter III of Russia21 decades - 4
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitznot measured- - 5
Augustus II the Strong19 decades - 6
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher3 decades - 7
Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria8 decades - 8
Frederick, Prince of Wales0 decades - 9
Augustus III of Poland22 decades - 10
Caroline of Ansbach0 decades - 11
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gothanot measured- - 12
Sophia Dorothea of Hanover0 decades - 13
Francis, Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeldnot measured- - 14
Maria Josepha of Saxony, Dauphine of France0 decades - 15
Maria Josepha of Bavaria0 decades - 16
Karl Friedrich I, Grand Duke of Baden0 decades - 17
Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orangenot measured- - 18
Marie Clotilde of France13 decades - 19
Anna Leopoldovna0 decades - 20
Louis IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadtnot measured- - 21
William I, Elector of Hessenot measured- - 22
Louis I, Grand Duke of Hessenot measured- - 23
Princess Amelia of Great Britainnot measured- - 24
Christiane Eberhardine of Brandenburg-Bayreuthnot measured- - 25
Friedrich II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel17 decades - 26
Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria0 decades - 27
Princess Philippine Charlotte of Prussia0 decades - 28
Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttelnot measured- - 29
Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschennot measured- - 30
Duchess Elisabeth of Württemberg5 decades - 31
Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburgnot measured- - 32
Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg0 decades - 33
Frederick Michael, Count Palatine of Zweibrückennot measured- - 34
Landgravine Augusta Wilhelmina of Hesse-Darmstadtnot measured- - 35
Duchess Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin0 decades - 36
Countess Palatine Maria Franziska of Sulzbachnot measured- - 37
Charles II August, Duke of Zweibrücken3 decades - 38
Maria Amalia of Austria0 decades - 39
Sophia Louise of Mecklenburg-Schwerinnot measured- - 40
Ernest Augustus II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach5 decades - 41
Frederick III, Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburgnot measured- - 42
Frederick William Kettler0 decades - 43
Adolf Friedrich IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz1 decades - 44
Princess Luise Dorothea of Prussia0 decades - 45
Ernest Augustus I, Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach6 decades - 46
Countess Sophia Albertine of Erbach-Erbachnot measured- - 47
Anton Ulrich, Duke of Saxe-Meiningennot measured- - 48
Princess Charlotte Sophie of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeldnot measured- - 49
Louis Rudolph, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg19 decades - 50
Karl Leopold, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin22 decades - 51
Duchess Frederica of Württemberg0 decades - 52
Caroline of Nassau-Saarbrückennot measured- - 53
Philip William of Brandenburg-Schwedtnot measured- - 54
George I, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmontnot measured- - 55
Anne Christine of Sulzbachnot measured- - 56
Charlotte Felicitas of Brunswick-Lüneburgnot measured- - 57
Maximilian William of Brunswick-Lüneburgnot measured- - 58
Louis George, Margrave of Baden-Baden0 decades - 59
Augustus George, Margrave of Baden-Baden0 decades - 60
Anna Karolina Orzelskanot measured- - 61
Duchess Maria Anna Josepha of Bavarianot measured- - 62
Charles of Nassau-Usingen0 decades - 63
John William III of Saxe-Eisenachnot measured- - 64
Princess Amalia of Nassau-Dietznot measured- - 65
Friedrich Anton Ulrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont4 decades - 66
Gustav Samuel Leopold, Duke of Zweibrücken1 decades - 67
Louise of Brandenburg-Schwedt0 decades - 68
Ernest Frederick I, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen1 decades - 69
Charles William Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach12 decades - 70
Louis, Hereditary Prince of Mecklenburg-Schwerin0 decades - 71
Ernest Frederick II, Duke of Saxe-Hildburghausen1 decades - 72
Charles William, Duke of Saxe-Meiningennot measured- - 73
John, Count Palatine of Gelnhausennot measured- - 74
Augustus Louis, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen22 decades - 75
Dorothea Wilhelmine of Saxe-Zeitznot measured-
- 76
George William, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuthnot measured- - 77
Christiane Charlotte of Württemberg-Winnentalnot measured- - 78
Melusina von der Schulenburg, Countess of Walsinghamnot measured- - 79
Johann Georg, Duke of Saxe-Weissenfelsnot measured- - 80
Anna Sophie of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburgnot measured- - 81
Dorothea Friederike of Brandenburg-Ansbachnot measured- - 82
Henriette Marie of Brandenburg-Schwedtnot measured- - 83
Ernest Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg22 decades - 84
Duchess Auguste Elisabeth of Württembergnot measured- - 85
Adolphus Frederick III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz0 decades - 86
Johann Reinhard III, Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg0 decades - 87
Princess Catherine of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Becknot measured- - 88
Duke Clement Francis of Bavarianot measured- - 89
John Frederick, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadtnot measured- - 90
Duke Friedrich Ludwig, Hereditary Duke of Württembergnot measured- - 91
Johanna Elisabeth of Baden-Durlachnot measured- - 92
Sophie Caroline of Brandenburg-Kulmbachnot measured- - 93
Ernest Leopold, Landgrave of Hesse-Rotenburgnot measured- - 94
Therese of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttelnot measured- - 95
Prince John August of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburgnot measured- - 96
Prince Ludwig I, Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburgnot measured- - 97
Frederick William II, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Becknot measured- - 98
Eleonore Wilhelmine of Anhalt-Köthennot measured- - 99
George Frederick II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach0 decades - 100
Frederick William of Saxe-Meiningennot measured-
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.