215,950 profiles ranked

← Fame through time1930-1939

The 1930s

Whose names filled the books of the 1930s - 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 1930s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Voltaire1694-1778 · 18th century · France · Writers20
  2. 2Louis XIV of France1638-1715 · 17th century · France · Historical Figures16
  3. 3Molière1622-1673 · 17th century · France · Writers12
  4. 4Victor Hugo1802-1885 · 19th century · France · Writers11
  5. 5Stendhal1783-1842 · 19th century · France · Writers8.5
  6. 6Louis XVI of France1754-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures6.8
  7. 7Louis XV of France1710-1774 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures6.4
  8. 8François Fénelon1651-1715 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures4.8
  9. 9Montesquieu1689-1755 · 18th century · France · Academics4.8
  10. 10Napoleon III1808-1873 · 19th century · France · Politicians4.4
  11. 11Joan of Arc1412-1431 · 15th century · France3.5
  12. 12George Sand1804-1876 · 19th century · France · Writers3.1
  13. 13Louis XVIII of France1755-1824 · 18th century · France · Politicians3.1
  14. 14Anatole France1844-1924 · 19th century · France · Writers2.6
  15. 15Marie Antoinette1755-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures2.6
  16. 16Léon Blum1872-1950 · 20th century · France · Politicians2.6
  17. 17Vincent de Paul1581-1660 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures2.5
  18. 18Francis de Sales1567-1622 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures2.3
  19. 19Charles X of France1757-1836 · 18th century · France · Politicians2.1
  20. 20Auguste Comte1798-1857 · 19th century · France · Academics2.1
  21. 21Paul Valéry1871-1945 · 20th century · France · Writers1.9
  22. 22Marcel Proust1871-1922 · 20th century · France · Writers1.8
  23. 23Louis XII of France1462-1515 · 15th century · France · Historical Figures1.8
  24. 24Jules Ferry1832-1893 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.7
  25. 25Benjamin Constant1767-1830 · 19th century · Switzerland · Politicians1.6
  26. 26Charles Marie René Leconte de Lisle1818-1894 · 19th century · France · Writers1.6
  27. 27André Gide1869-1951 · 20th century · France · Writers1.5
  28. 28Théophile Gautier1811-1872 · 19th century · France · Writers1.5
  29. 29Pierre de Marivaux1688-1763 · 18th century · France · Writers1.4
  30. 30Marie de' Medici1575-1642 · 17th century · France · Politicians1.4
  31. 31Paul Bourget1852-1935 · 19th century · France · Writers1.3
  32. 32André Chénier1762-1794 · 18th century · France · Writers1.2
  33. 33Claude Bernard1813-1878 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.2
  34. 34Pope John XXII1244-1334 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures1.2
  35. 35Maine de Biran1766-1824 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.2
  36. 36Léon Bloy1846-1917 · 19th century · France · Writers1.2
  37. 37Francis II of France1544-1560 · 16th century · France · Politicians1.1
  38. 38Alfred de Vigny1797-1863 · 19th century · France · Writers1.1
  39. 39Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme1540-1614 · 16th century · France · Writers1.1
  40. 40Pierre Laval1883-1945 · 20th century · France · Politicians1.1
  41. 41Alfred de Musset1810-1857 · 19th century · France · Writers1.1
  42. 42Joseph de Maistre1753-1821 · 18th century · France · Academics1.0
  43. 43Vincent Auriol1884-1966 · 20th century · France · Politicians1.0
  44. 44Charles Maurras1868-1952 · 20th century · France · Writers1.0
  45. 45Jean-Jacques Rousseau1712-1778 · 18th century · Switzerland · Academics1.00
  46. 46Alphonse Daudet1840-1897 · 19th century · France · Writers1.00
  47. 47Albert Lebrun1871-1950 · 20th century · France · Politicians0.99
  48. 48La Grange1635-1692 · 17th century · France · Actors0.95
  49. 49Charles the Bold1433-1477 · 15th century · France · Politicians0.93
  50. 50Aristide Briand1862-1932 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.88
  51. 51Philip V of Spain1683-1746 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.87
  52. 52Jacques Cartier1491-1557 · 16th century · France · Historical Figures0.87
  53. 53Gaston Paris1839-1903 · 19th century · France · Writers0.85
  54. 54Napoleon1769-1821 · 19th century · France · Historical Figures0.84
  55. 55Joseph Caillaux1863-1944 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.82
  56. 56Gérard de Nerval1808-1855 · 19th century · France · Writers0.81
  57. 57Louis Barthou1862-1934 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.80
  58. 58Paul Claudel1868-1955 · 20th century · France · Politicians0.78
  59. 59Louis Blanc1811-1882 · 19th century · Spain · Politicians0.77
  60. 60Henri de Régnier1864-1936 · 19th century · France · Writers0.76
  61. 61Raymond Poincaré1860-1934 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.75
  62. 62Georges Duhamel1884-1966 · 20th century · France · Writers0.74
  63. 63Romain Rolland1866-1944 · 20th century · France · Writers0.73
  64. 64Pope Julius II1443-1513 · 15th century · Italy · Religious Figures0.72
  65. 65Henri Pirenne1862-1935 · 19th century · Belgium · Writers0.72
  66. 66Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy1480-1530 · 16th century · Spain · Artists0.70
  67. 67Victor Cousin1792-1867 · 19th century · France · Academics0.69
  68. 68Jules Simon1814-1896 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.68
  69. 69Jules Lemaître1853-1914 · 19th century · France · Writers0.68
  70. 70André Maurois1885-1967 · 20th century · France · Writers0.67
  71. 71François Mauriac1885-1970 · 20th century · France · Writers0.66
  72. 72Marie Guyart1599-1672 · 17th century · France0.62
  73. 73Gustave Flaubert1821-1880 · 19th century · France · Writers0.61
  74. 74Gaston Doumergue1863-1937 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.59
  75. 75Jules Favre1809-1880 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.59
  76. 76Pierre Loti1850-1923 · 19th century · France · Writers0.58
  77. 77Henri Poincaré1854-1912 · 19th century · France · Academics0.58
  78. 78Maurice Barrès1862-1923 · 19th century · France · Writers0.56
  79. 79Pope Clement V1264-1314 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures0.55
  80. 80Paul Doumer1857-1932 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.54
  81. 81Louis Bonaparte1778-1846 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.54
  82. 82Jules Renard1864-1910 · 19th century · France · Writers0.53
  83. 83Charles Baudelaire1821-1867 · 19th century · France · Writers0.53
  84. 84Chrétien de Troyes1135-1181 · 12th century · France · Writers0.52
  85. 85Léon Bourgeois1851-1925 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.52
  86. 86René Bazin1853-1932 · 19th century · France · Writers0.51
  87. 87Salomon Reinach1858-1932 · 19th century · France · Writers0.49
  88. 88Marc Bloch1886-1944 · 20th century · France · Writers0.48
  89. 89Gabriel Hanotaux1853-1944 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.48
  90. 90Ernest Renan1823-1892 · 19th century · France · Academics0.47
  91. 91Eugène Delacroix1798-1863 · 19th century · France · Artists0.47
  92. 92François Villon1431-1463 · 15th century · France · Writers0.47
  93. 93Jean Renart1175-1300 · 13th century · France · Writers0.47
  94. 94Charles Nodier1780-1844 · 19th century · France · Writers0.47
  95. 95Sacha Guitry1885-1957 · 20th century · France · Writers0.47
  96. 96Pope Urban V1310-1370 · 14th century · France · Religious Figures0.46
  97. 97Jules Verne1828-1905 · 19th century · France · Writers0.46
  98. 98Sarah Bernhardt1844-1923 · 19th century · France · Actors0.45
  99. 99Camille Desmoulins1760-1794 · 18th century · France · Journalists0.45
  100. 100François Coppée1842-1908 · 19th century · France · Writers0.45

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 1930s, ranked where coverage and readership agree.

  1. 1Ernest Hemingway1899-1961 · United States · Writers10 decades
  2. 2Alfred Hitchcock1899-1980 · United Kingdom · Directors9 decades
  3. 3Walt Disney1901-1966 · United States · Directors10 decades
  4. 4J. Robert Oppenheimer1904-1967 · United States · Scientists8 decades
  5. 5Ruhollah Khomeini1902-1989 · Iran · Politicians5 decades
  6. 6George VI1895-1952 · United Kingdom · Historical Figures10 decades
  7. 7Joseph Goebbels1897-1945 · Germany · Politicians9 decades
  8. 8George Orwell1903-1950 · United Kingdom · Writers9 decades
  9. 9Heinrich Himmler1900-1945 · Germany · Politicians9 decades
  10. 10Hirohito1901-1989 · Japan · Historical Figures10 decades
  11. 11Deng Xiaoping1904-1997 · China · Politicians11 decades
  12. 12Amelia Earhart1897-1939 · United States · Writers10 decades
  13. 13Salvador Dalí1904-1989 · Spain · Artists10 decades
  14. 14Al Capone1899-1947 · United States9 decades
  15. 15C. S. Lewis1898-1963 · United Kingdom · Writers10 decades
  16. 16Cary Grant1904-1986 · United States · Actors9 decades
  17. 17Marlene Dietrich1901-1992 · United States · Actors9 decades
  18. 18Humphrey Bogart1899-1957 · United States · Actors9 decades
  19. 19Georgy Zhukov1896-1974 · Russia · Politicians6 decades
  20. 20Louis Armstrong1901-1971 · United States · Musicians9 decades
  21. 21Pope Paul VI1897-1978 · Italy · Religious Figures6 decades
  22. 22Bing Crosby1903-1977 · United States · Musicians9 decades
  23. 23Clark Gable1901-1960 · United States · Actors9 decades
  24. 24Werner Heisenberg1901-1976 · Germany · Scientists10 decades
  25. 25John Steinbeck1902-1968 · United States · Writers9 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.