215,950 profiles ranked

← Fame through time1900-1909

The 1900s

Whose names filled the books of the 1900s - 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 1900s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Dante Alighieri1265-1321 · 14th century · Writers8.5
  2. 2Giotto1267-1337 · 14th century · Italy · Artists5.8
  3. 3Antonio da Correggio1489-1534 · 16th century · Italy · Artists4.7
  4. 4Leonardo da Vinci1452-1519 · 15th century · Italy · Artists4.1
  5. 5Giuseppe Mazzini1805-1872 · 19th century · Italy · Activists3.3
  6. 6Donatello1386-1466 · 15th century · Artists3.0
  7. 7Galileo Galilei1564-1642 · 16th century · Italy · Scientists2.7
  8. 8Giosuè Carducci1835-1907 · 19th century · Italy · Writers2.4
  9. 9Giuseppe Verdi1813-1901 · 19th century · Italy · Musicians2.3
  10. 10Pietro Perugino1448-1523 · 15th century · Italy · Artists2.2
  11. 11Vittorio Alfieri1749-1803 · 18th century · Italy · Historical Figures2.2
  12. 12Ugo Foscolo1778-1827 · 19th century · Writers2.2
  13. 13Silvio Pellico1789-1854 · 19th century · Writers2.2
  14. 14Petrarch1304-1374 · 14th century · Italy · Academics2.2
  15. 15Alessandro Manzoni1785-1873 · 19th century · Italy · Writers2.1
  16. 16Giacomo Leopardi1798-1837 · 19th century · Italy · Writers2.0
  17. 17Donato Bramante1444-1514 · 15th century · Italy · Architects2.0
  18. 18Francis of Assisi1182-1226 · 13th century · Italy · Writers1.7
  19. 19Carlo Goldoni1707-1793 · 18th century · Italy · Writers1.6
  20. 20Francesco Crispi1818-1901 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians1.5
  21. 21Torquato Tasso1544-1595 · 16th century · Italy · Writers1.5
  22. 22Lorenzo de' Medici1449-1492 · 15th century · Politicians1.5
  23. 23Paul the Deacon720-799 · 8th century · Writers1.5
  24. 24Cimabue1240-1302 · 13th century · Artists1.4
  25. 25Giordano Bruno1548-1600 · 16th century · Italy · Academics1.4
  26. 26Marco Polo1254-1324 · 13th century · Italy · Historical Figures1.3
  27. 27Margaret of Savoy1851-1926 · 19th century · Italy · Artists1.2
  28. 28Caravaggio1571-1610 · 17th century · Italy · Artists1.2
  29. 29Masaccio1401-1428 · 15th century · Italy · Artists1.2
  30. 30Vincenzo Gioberti1801-1852 · 19th century · Italy · Academics1.2
  31. 31Francesca da Rimini1259-1285 · 13th century · Italy · Writers1.2
  32. 32Tintoretto1519-1594 · 16th century · Italy · Artists1.2
  33. 33Charles Borromeo1538-1584 · 16th century · Italy · Religious Figures1.1
  34. 34Vittoria Colonna1492-1547 · 16th century · Italy · Writers1.0
  35. 35Enrico Ferri1856-1929 · 19th century · Italy · Journalists1.0
  36. 36Cesare Lombroso1835-1909 · 19th century · Italy · Doctors1.0
  37. 37Cesare Borgia1475-1507 · 16th century · Italy · Historical Figures0.98
  38. 38Guido Cavalcanti1258-1300 · 13th century · Writers0.97
  39. 39Cosimo de' Medici1389-1464 · 15th century · Politicians0.96
  40. 40Lucrezia Borgia1480-1519 · 16th century · Italy · Historical Figures0.94
  41. 41Pietro Aretino1492-1556 · 16th century · Italy · Writers0.91
  42. 42Francesco Gonzaga1444-1483 · 15th century0.89
  43. 43Pinturicchio1454-1513 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.89
  44. 44Cesare Cantù1804-1895 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.89
  45. 45Matilde Serao1856-1927 · 19th century · Greece · Journalists0.86
  46. 46Edmondo De Amicis1846-1908 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.86
  47. 47Farinelli1705-1782 · 18th century · Italy · Musicians0.85
  48. 48Philip Neri1515-1595 · 16th century · Religious Figures0.84
  49. 49Alessandro Volta1745-1827 · 18th century · Italy · Scientists0.84
  50. 50Luigi Luzzatti1841-1927 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians0.84
  51. 51Grazia Deledda1871-1936 · 20th century · Italy · Writers0.84
  52. 52Benedetto Croce1866-1952 · 20th century · Italy · Academics0.83
  53. 53Baldassare Franceschini1611-1690 · 17th century · Artists0.83
  54. 54Filippo Maria Visconti1392-1447 · 15th century · Politicians0.81
  55. 55Dino Compagni1255-1324 · 13th century · Writers0.81
  56. 56Andrea Doria1466-1560 · 16th century · Italy · Politicians0.80
  57. 57Antonio Fogazzaro1842-1911 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.80
  58. 58Giovanni Boccaccio1313-1375 · 14th century · Italy · Writers0.79
  59. 59Gabriele D'Annunzio1863-1938 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.79
  60. 60Salvator Rosa1615-1673 · 17th century · Italy · Artists0.76
  61. 61Benvenuto Cellini1500-1571 · 16th century · France · Artists0.75
  62. 62Giovanni Pascoli1855-1912 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.74
  63. 63Antonio Rosmini1797-1855 · 19th century · Academics0.73
  64. 64Pisanello1395-1455 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.71
  65. 65Giuseppe Giusti1809-1850 · 19th century · Writers0.71
  66. 66Niccolò Tommaseo1802-1874 · 19th century · Italy · Academics0.70
  67. 67Girolamo Savonarola1452-1498 · 15th century · Italy · Politicians0.70
  68. 68Pietro Verri1728-1797 · 18th century · Academics0.69
  69. 69Pietro Bembo1470-1547 · 16th century · Italy · Religious Figures0.69
  70. 70Massimo d'Azeglio1798-1866 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians0.69
  71. 71Giulio Romano1499-1546 · 16th century · Italy · Artists0.64
  72. 72Domenichino1581-1641 · 17th century · Artists0.62
  73. 73Apostolo Zeno1668-1750 · 18th century · Writers0.62
  74. 74Cesare Balbo1789-1853 · 19th century · Politicians0.62
  75. 75Giuseppe Parini1729-1799 · 18th century · Italy · Writers0.61
  76. 76Federico Cesi1585-1630 · 17th century0.60
  77. 77Paolo Veronese1528-1588 · 16th century · Italy · Artists0.60
  78. 78Bernardino of Siena1380-1444 · 15th century · Italy · Academics0.60
  79. 79Antonello da Messina1430-1479 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.59
  80. 80Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei1675-1755 · 18th century · Writers0.59
  81. 81Galileo Ferraris1847-1897 · 19th century · Italy · Scientists0.58
  82. 82Arturo Graf1848-1913 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.58
  83. 83Leon Battista Alberti1404-1472 · 15th century · Italy · Architects0.58
  84. 84Giuseppe Zanardelli1826-1903 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians0.58
  85. 85Giovanni Sforza1466-1510 · 16th century · Italy0.57
  86. 86Paolo Sarpi1552-1623 · 16th century · Academics0.55
  87. 87Marco Minghetti1818-1886 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians0.55
  88. 88Prospero Colonna1452-1523 · 15th century0.54
  89. 89Giorgio Vasari1511-1574 · 16th century · Italy · Artists0.53
  90. 90Andrea del Sarto1486-1530 · 16th century · Artists0.53
  91. 91Goffredo Mameli1827-1849 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.53
  92. 92Domenico Passignano1559-1638 · 16th century · Artists0.52
  93. 93Giovanni Pisano1248-1315 · 13th century · Italy · Artists0.51
  94. 94Galeazzo Maria Sforza1444-1476 · 15th century · Italy · Politicians0.51
  95. 95Gentile da Fabriano1370-1427 · 15th century · Artists0.51
  96. 96Franco Sacchetti1332-1400 · 14th century · Writers0.51
  97. 97Pietro Giannone1676-1748 · 18th century · Academics0.51
  98. 98Guglielmo Marconi1874-1937 · 20th century · Italy · Scientists0.51
  99. 99Giuseppe Giacosa1847-1906 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.49
  100. 100Carlo Gozzi1720-1806 · 18th century · Writers0.49

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 1900s, ranked where coverage and readership agree.

  1. 1Winston Churchill1874-1965 · United Kingdom · Politicians13 decades
  2. 2Vladimir Lenin1870-1924 · Russia · Politicians12 decades
  3. 3Mahatma Gandhi1869-1948 · India · Activists10 decades
  4. 4Marie Curie1867-1934 · France · Scientists4 decades
  5. 5George V1865-1936 · United Kingdom · Historical Figures16 decades
  6. 6Grigori Rasputin1869-1916 · Russia · Politicians11 decades
  7. 7Herbert Hoover1874-1964 · United States · Politicians11 decades
  8. 8Nicholas II of Russia1868-1918 · Russia · Historical Figures14 decades
  9. 9Sun Yat-sen1866-1925 · China · Politicians12 decades
  10. 10Calvin Coolidge1872-1933 · United States · Politicians11 decades
  11. 11Warren G. Harding1865-1923 · United States · Politicians11 decades
  12. 12Rudyard Kipling1865-1936 · United Kingdom · Writers13 decades
  13. 13Frank Lloyd Wright1867-1959 · United States · Architects12 decades
  14. 14Rosa Luxemburg1871-1919 · Germany · Activists13 decades
  15. 15Neville Chamberlain1869-1940 · United Kingdom · Politicians16 decades
  16. 16H. G. Wells1866-1946 · United Kingdom · Writers16 decades
  17. 17Bertrand Russell1872-1970 · United Kingdom · Academics13 decades
  18. 18Harry Houdini1874-1926 · United States · Actors7 decades
  19. 19Marcel Proust1871-1922 · France · Writers12 decades
  20. 20Henri Matisse1869-1954 · France · Artists12 decades
  21. 21Sergei Rachmaninoff1873-1943 · United States · Musiciansnot measured-
  22. 22Robert Frost1874-1963 · United States · Writers13 decades
  23. 23W. B. Yeats1865-1939 · Writers12 decades
  24. 24G. K. Chesterton1874-1936 · United Kingdom · Writers12 decades
  25. 25Beatrix Potter1866-1943 · United Kingdom · Writers10 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.