← 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
Johann Sebastian Bach22 decades - 2
George Frideric Handel21 decades - 3
Leopold Mozart20 decades - 4
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach15 decades - 5
Christoph Willibald Gluck9 decades - 6
Georg Philipp Telemann12 decades - 7
Johann Christian Bach12 decades - 8
Constanze Mozart6 decades - 9
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach13 decades - 10
Anna Magdalena Bach10 decades - 11
Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach6 decades - 12
Maria Antonia Walpurgis of Bavaria0 decades - 13
Maria Barbara Bach0 decades - 14
Johann van Beethoven12 decades - 15
Johann Joachim Quantz7 decades - 16
Carl Stamitz6 decades - 17
Friedrich Wilhelm Bülow von Dennewitznot measured- - 18
Johann Mattheson9 decades - 19
Ernest Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadtnot measured- - 20
Carl Heinrich Graun8 decades - 21
Christoph Graupner6 decades - 22
Georg Benda0 decades - 23
Sylvius Leopold Weiss0 decades - 24
Reinhard Keiser17 decades - 25Johann David Heinichen4 decades
- 26Johann Christoph Bach IIInot measured-
- 27
Johann Ludwig Bach1 decades - 28Gottfried Heinrich Bach0 decades
- 29Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach0 decades
- 30
Johann Friedrich Reichardt17 decades - 31Johann Gottfried Walther7 decades
- 32
Johann Georg Pisendel3 decades - 33
Johann Kirnberger5 decades - 34
Johann Christoph Pepusch0 decades - 35
Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach0 decades - 36
Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel4 decades - 37
Johann Adam Hiller19 decades - 38
Georg Joseph Vogler6 decades - 39
Johann Andreas Stein5 decades - 40
Johann Schobert0 decades - 41
Franz Anton Hoffmeister5 decades - 42
Christian Cannabich5 decades - 43
Johann Gottlieb Naumann3 decades - 44Johann Gottlieb Graun3 decades
- 45
Johann Abraham Peter Schulz7 decades - 46
Daniel Gottlob Türk5 decades - 47
Johann Adolf Scheibe5 decades - 48
Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg6 decades - 49
Francesca Lebrun0 decades - 50
Carl Friedrich Christian Fasch1 decades - 51Johann Christoph Altnickol0 decades
- 52
Johann Wilhelm Hertel2 decades - 53Johann Bernhard Bach the elder0 decades
- 54
Franz Ignaz Beck0 decades - 55Johann Nicolaus Bach0 decades
- 56Anton Fils1 decades
- 57
Johann Christian Kittel4 decades - 58
Johann Christian Schickhardt0 decades - 59
Gottfried Reichenot measured- - 60
Ernst Wilhelm Wolf3 decades - 61
Johann André4 decades - 62
Princess Louise of Saxe-Meiningennot measured- - 63Johann Peter Kellner2 decades
- 64
Johann Georg Wille5 decades - 65
Martin Gerbert21 decades - 66Johann Heinrich Buttstett0 decades
- 67Christoph Schaffrath0 decades
- 68
Johann Gottfried Müthelnot measured- - 69
Friedrich Wilhelm Rustnot measured- - 70Wilhelm Hieronymus Pachelbelnot measured-
- 71
Johann Friedrich Doles3 decades - 72
Johann Christian Fischernot measured- - 73
Wilhelm Cramernot measured- - 74
Christian Ferdinand Abel0 decades - 75
Joseph Schusternot measured- - 76
Ernst Gottlieb Baron0 decades - 77Georg Friedrich Kauffmannnot measured-
- 78
Anton Schweitzer8 decades - 79
Johann Heinrich Rolle4 decades - 80
Adam Falckenhagennot measured- - 81
Ignaz Fränzlnot measured- - 82Johann Bernhard Bach the youngernot measured-
- 83Francesco Venturininot measured-
- 84
Johann Anastasius Freylinghausennot measured- - 85Ernst Eichnernot measured-
- 86
Leopold August Abelnot measured- - 87Sophia Maria Westenholznot measured-
- 88Johann Evangelist Haydnnot measured-
- 89Johann Samuel Schröternot measured-
- 90Johann Christian Schieferdeckernot measured-
- 91
Johann Ernst Galliardnot measured- - 92
Johann Lorenz Bachnot measured- - 93
Johann George Tromlitznot measured- - 94
Jacob Dennernot measured- - 95Johann Gottlob Harrernot measured-
- 96Juliane Reichardtnot measured-
- 97Charles Theodore Pachelbelnot measured-
- 98Christian Kalkbrennernot measured-
- 99
Ernst Christoph Dresslernot measured- - 100Johann Ernst Altenburgnot 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.