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← Fame through time1920-1929

The 1920s

Whose names filled the books of the 1920s - 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 1920s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Voltaire1694-1778 · 18th century · France · Writers22
  2. 2Louis XIV of France1638-1715 · 17th century · France · Historical Figures19
  3. 3Molière1622-1673 · 17th century · France · Writers17
  4. 4Victor Hugo1802-1885 · 19th century · France · Writers12
  5. 5Stendhal1783-1842 · 19th century · France · Writers11
  6. 6Louis XVI of France1754-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures8.4
  7. 7Louis XV of France1710-1774 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures7.8
  8. 8Montesquieu1689-1755 · 18th century · France · Academics5.5
  9. 9François Fénelon1651-1715 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures5.1
  10. 10Joan of Arc1412-1431 · 15th century · France5.0
  11. 11Anatole France1844-1924 · 19th century · France · Writers4.9
  12. 12George Sand1804-1876 · 19th century · France · Writers4.0
  13. 13Napoleon III1808-1873 · 19th century · France · Politicians3.9
  14. 14Louis XVIII of France1755-1824 · 18th century · France · Politicians3.8
  15. 15Charles Marie René Leconte de Lisle1818-1894 · 19th century · France · Writers3.1
  16. 16Francis de Sales1567-1622 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures2.9
  17. 17Marie Antoinette1755-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures2.3
  18. 18Auguste Comte1798-1857 · 19th century · France · Academics2.3
  19. 19Marcel Proust1871-1922 · 20th century · France · Writers2.3
  20. 20Charles X of France1757-1836 · 18th century · France · Politicians2.1
  21. 21Paul Bourget1852-1935 · 19th century · France · Writers2.1
  22. 22Théophile Gautier1811-1872 · 19th century · France · Writers1.9
  23. 23Vincent de Paul1581-1660 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures1.9
  24. 24Louis XII of France1462-1515 · 15th century · France · Historical Figures1.9
  25. 25Claude Bernard1813-1878 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.6
  26. 26Pierre de Marivaux1688-1763 · 18th century · France · Writers1.6
  27. 27Benjamin Constant1767-1830 · 19th century · Switzerland · Politicians1.6
  28. 28Alfred de Vigny1797-1863 · 19th century · France · Writers1.6
  29. 29Paul Valéry1871-1945 · 20th century · France · Writers1.5
  30. 30Maine de Biran1766-1824 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.4
  31. 31André Gide1869-1951 · 20th century · France · Writers1.4
  32. 32Alfred de Musset1810-1857 · 19th century · France · Writers1.4
  33. 33Joseph de Maistre1753-1821 · 18th century · France · Academics1.4
  34. 34Raymond Poincaré1860-1934 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.3
  35. 35Louis Blanc1811-1882 · 19th century · Spain · Politicians1.3
  36. 36Jean-Jacques Rousseau1712-1778 · 18th century · Switzerland · Academics1.3
  37. 37Léon Blum1872-1950 · 20th century · France · Politicians1.3
  38. 38Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme1540-1614 · 16th century · France · Writers1.3
  39. 39Francis II of France1544-1560 · 16th century · France · Politicians1.3
  40. 40Alphonse Daudet1840-1897 · 19th century · France · Writers1.3
  41. 41Charles Maurras1868-1952 · 20th century · France · Writers1.2
  42. 42André Chénier1762-1794 · 18th century · France · Writers1.2
  43. 43Maurice Barrès1862-1923 · 19th century · France · Writers1.2
  44. 44Léon Bourgeois1851-1925 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.2
  45. 45Jules Lemaître1853-1914 · 19th century · France · Writers1.2
  46. 46Philip V of Spain1683-1746 · 18th century · France · Politicians1.1
  47. 47Henri de Régnier1864-1936 · 19th century · France · Writers1.1
  48. 48Marie de' Medici1575-1642 · 17th century · France · Politicians1.1
  49. 49Romain Rolland1866-1944 · 20th century · France · Writers1.1
  50. 50Pope John XXII1244-1334 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures1.1
  51. 51Jules Ferry1832-1893 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.0
  52. 52Gérard de Nerval1808-1855 · 19th century · France · Writers1.0
  53. 53Pierre Loti1850-1923 · 19th century · France · Writers1.00
  54. 54Vincent Auriol1884-1966 · 20th century · France · Politicians0.95
  55. 55Aristide Briand1862-1932 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.94
  56. 56Augustin Thierry1795-1856 · 19th century · France · Writers0.89
  57. 57Paul Adam1862-1920 · 19th century · France · Writers0.88
  58. 58Gaston Paris1839-1903 · 19th century · France · Writers0.87
  59. 59Charles the Bold1433-1477 · 15th century · France · Politicians0.86
  60. 60Napoleon1769-1821 · 19th century · France · Historical Figures0.86
  61. 61Ernest Renan1823-1892 · 19th century · France · Academics0.84
  62. 62Paul Claudel1868-1955 · 20th century · France · Politicians0.79
  63. 63Sarah Bernhardt1844-1923 · 19th century · France · Actors0.78
  64. 64Pope Julius II1443-1513 · 15th century · Italy · Religious Figures0.78
  65. 65Jules Simon1814-1896 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.78
  66. 66Henri Poincaré1854-1912 · 19th century · France · Academics0.76
  67. 67Salomon Reinach1858-1932 · 19th century · France · Writers0.74
  68. 68Léon Bloy1846-1917 · 19th century · France · Writers0.74
  69. 69Prosper Mérimée1803-1870 · 19th century · France · Writers0.74
  70. 70Paul Verlaine1844-1896 · 19th century · France · Writers0.72
  71. 71Victor Cousin1792-1867 · 19th century · France · Academics0.71
  72. 72Louis XVII of France1785-1795 · 18th century · France0.70
  73. 73Gustave Flaubert1821-1880 · 19th century · France · Writers0.70
  74. 74Louis Barthou1862-1934 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.70
  75. 75La Grange1635-1692 · 17th century · France · Actors0.68
  76. 76Remy de Gourmont1858-1915 · 19th century · France · Writers0.67
  77. 77Jules Favre1809-1880 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.67
  78. 78Charles Nodier1780-1844 · 19th century · France · Writers0.65
  79. 79Théodore de Banville1823-1891 · 19th century · France · Writers0.64
  80. 80Paul Doumer1857-1932 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.63
  81. 81César Franck1822-1890 · 19th century · France · Musicians0.63
  82. 82Marcel Prévost1862-1941 · 19th century · France · Writers0.63
  83. 83Jules Verne1828-1905 · 19th century · France · Writers0.63
  84. 84Claude Monet1840-1926 · 19th century · France · Artists0.63
  85. 85Sully Prudhomme1839-1907 · 19th century · France · Writers0.62
  86. 86Sacha Guitry1885-1957 · 20th century · France · Writers0.62
  87. 87Pope Clement V1264-1314 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures0.62
  88. 88Jules Renard1864-1910 · 19th century · France · Writers0.60
  89. 89Edmond Rostand1868-1918 · 20th century · France · Writers0.60
  90. 90Jean Cocteau1889-1963 · 20th century · France · Writers0.58
  91. 91François Coppée1842-1908 · 19th century · France · Writers0.57
  92. 92Charles, Duke of Orléans1394-1465 · 15th century · France · Writers0.56
  93. 93Edmond de Goncourt1822-1896 · 19th century · France · Writers0.54
  94. 94Gabriel Hanotaux1853-1944 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.54
  95. 95Eugène Delacroix1798-1863 · 19th century · France · Artists0.53
  96. 96Guy de Maupassant1850-1893 · 19th century · France · Writers0.53
  97. 97Paul Deschanel1855-1922 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.53
  98. 98Georges Duhamel1884-1966 · 20th century · France · Writers0.53
  99. 99Camille Desmoulins1760-1794 · 18th century · France · Journalists0.52
  100. 100Catulle Mendès1841-1909 · 19th century · France · Writers0.52

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 1920s, ranked where coverage and readership agree.

  1. 1Adolf Hitler1889-1945 · Austria · Politicians10 decades
  2. 2Mao Zedong1893-1976 · China · Politicians13 decades
  3. 3Charlie Chaplin1889-1977 · United Kingdom · Actors11 decades
  4. 4Dwight D. Eisenhower1890-1969 · United States · Politicians9 decades
  5. 5J. R. R. Tolkien1892-1973 · United Kingdom · Writers7 decades
  6. 6Charles de Gaulle1890-1970 · France · Politicians9 decades
  7. 7Agatha Christie1890-1976 · United Kingdom · Writers10 decades
  8. 8Nikita Khrushchev1894-1971 · Russia · Politicians10 decades
  9. 9Hermann Göring1893-1946 · Germany · Politicians9 decades
  10. 10Chiang Kai-shek1887-1975 · Taiwan · Politicians4 decades
  11. 11Francisco Franco1892-1975 · Spain · Politicians9 decades
  12. 12Edward VIII1894-1972 · United Kingdom · Historical Figures9 decades
  13. 13Jawaharlal Nehru1889-1964 · India · Politicians10 decades
  14. 14B. R. Ambedkar1891-1956 · India · Academics8 decades
  15. 15Srinivasa Ramanujan1887-1920 · India · Academics0 decades
  16. 16Ho Chi Minh1890-1969 · Politicians8 decades
  17. 17Erwin Rommel1891-1944 · Germany · Historical Figures8 decades
  18. 18Josip Broz Tito1892-1980 · Hungary · Activists8 decades
  19. 19H. P. Lovecraft1890-1937 · United States · Writers6 decades
  20. 20Haile Selassie1892-1975 · Historical Figures0 decades
  21. 21Sergei Yesenin1895-1925 · Russia · Writers11 decades
  22. 22Rudolf Hess1894-1987 · Egypt · Politicians9 decades
  23. 23George S. Patton1885-1945 · United States · Writers8 decades
  24. 24David Ben-Gurion1886-1973 · Israel · Politiciansnot measured-
  25. 25Karl Dönitz1891-1980 · Germany · Politicians8 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.