215,950 profiles ranked

← Fame through time1940-1949

The 1940s

Whose names filled the books of the 1940s - 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 Spanish books during the 1940s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Lope de Vega1562-1635 · 16th century · Spain · Writers7.9
  2. 2John of God1495-1550 · 16th century · Portugal7.0
  3. 3Francis Xavier1506-1552 · 16th century · Spain · Religious Figures5.8
  4. 4Rubén Darío1867-1916 · 20th century · Nicaragua · Writers5.1
  5. 5Christopher Columbus1451-1506 · 15th century · Italy · Historical Figures4.8
  6. 6Hernán Cortés1485-1547 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures4.6
  7. 7Simón Bolívar1783-1830 · 19th century · Spain · Politicians4.1
  8. 8John of the Cross1542-1591 · 16th century · Spain · Writers3.3
  9. 9José de San Martín1778-1850 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians3.3
  10. 10Andrés Bello1781-1865 · 19th century · Chile · Politicians3.1
  11. 11Gonzalo Pizarro1502-1548 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures2.8
  12. 12Bartolomé Mitre1821-1906 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians2.7
  13. 13Miguel de Cervantes1547-1616 · 16th century · Spain · Writers2.6
  14. 14Francisco Pizarro1478-1541 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures2.5
  15. 15Juan Fernández1529-1602 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures2.3
  16. 16Bernardino Rivadavia1780-1845 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians2.3
  17. 17John of Austria1547-1578 · 16th century · Spain · Politicians2.2
  18. 18Porfirio Díaz1830-1915 · 19th century · Mexico · Politicians2.1
  19. 19Juan Manuel de Rosas1793-1877 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians2.0
  20. 20Bartolomé de las Casas1484-1566 · 16th century · Spain · Writers2.0
  21. 21Pedro de Alvarado1486-1541 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures1.9
  22. 22Tirso de Molina1583-1648 · 17th century · Spain · Writers1.9
  23. 23Teresa of Ávila1515-1582 · 16th century · Spain · Writers1.8
  24. 24Diego Velázquez1599-1660 · 17th century · Spain · Artists1.8
  25. 25Garcilaso de la Vega1503-1536 · 16th century · Spain · Writers1.7
  26. 26Antonio Machado1875-1939 · 20th century · Spain · Writers1.7
  27. 27Gabriela Mistral1889-1957 · 20th century · Chile · Writers1.7
  28. 28Ricardo Palma1833-1919 · 19th century · Peru · Writers1.7
  29. 29Pedro de Valdivia1497-1553 · 16th century · Spain · Politicians1.6
  30. 30Luis de León1527-1591 · 16th century · Spain · Writers1.6
  31. 31Ignatius of Loyola1491-1556 · 16th century · Spain · Religious Figures1.6
  32. 32Manuel Belgrano1770-1820 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians1.5
  33. 33Bernardo O'Higgins1778-1842 · 19th century · Spain · Politicians1.5
  34. 34Pope Alexander VI1431-1503 · 15th century · Spain · Religious Figures1.5
  35. 35Miguel de Unamuno1864-1936 · 19th century · Spain · Writers1.5
  36. 36Francisco de Vitoria1480-1546 · 16th century · Spain · Academics1.5
  37. 37Diego de Almagro1475-1538 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures1.5
  38. 38Benito Juárez1806-1872 · 19th century · Mexico · Politicians1.4
  39. 39Nicolás Antonio1617-1684 · 17th century · Spain · Politicians1.4
  40. 40Juan Ramón Jiménez1881-1958 · 20th century · Spain · Writers1.4
  41. 41Domingo Faustino Sarmiento1811-1888 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians1.3
  42. 42Francis Solanus1549-1610 · 16th century · Spain1.3
  43. 43Francisco Quevedo1584-1645 · 17th century · Spain · Writers1.3
  44. 44Francisco de Toledo, Count of Oropesa1515-1582 · 16th century · Spain · Politicians1.3
  45. 45José Hernández1834-1886 · 19th century · Argentina · Writers1.3
  46. 46Fernán González of Castile910-970 · 10th century1.2
  47. 47Roque Sáenz Peña1851-1914 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians1.2
  48. 48Bernal Díaz del Brawl1492-1584 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures1.2
  49. 49Venustiano Carranza1859-1920 · 19th century · Mexico · Politicians1.2
  50. 50Juan Bautista Alberdi1810-1884 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians1.1
  51. 51Juan Montalvo1832-1889 · 19th century · Ecuador · Writers1.1
  52. 52Lope de Aguirre1510-1561 · 16th century · Spain1.0
  53. 53Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz1651-1695 · 17th century · Mexico · Writers1.0
  54. 54Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés1478-1557 · 16th century · Spain · Writers1.0
  55. 55Vasco de Quiroga1470-1565 · 16th century · Religious Figures0.99
  56. 56Carlos Pellegrini1846-1906 · 19th century · Argentina · Journalists0.99
  57. 57Hernando Pizarro1502-1578 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures0.98
  58. 58María de Jesús1560-1640 · 16th century · Spain0.94
  59. 59Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo1856-1912 · 19th century · Spain · Academics0.94
  60. 60Vincent Ferrer1350-1419 · 14th century · Spain · Religious Figures0.91
  61. 61Juan de Garay1528-1583 · 16th century · Spain0.91
  62. 62Tomás Estrada Palma1835-1908 · 19th century · Cuba · Politicians0.90
  63. 63Manuel Oribe1792-1857 · 19th century · Uruguay · Politicians0.89
  64. 64Nicolás Avellaneda1837-1885 · 19th century · Argentina · Journalists0.89
  65. 65Antonio José de Sucre1795-1830 · 19th century · Politicians0.89
  66. 66John I of France1316-1316 · 14th century · France · Historical Figures0.89
  67. 67Juan de Zumárraga1468-1548 · 16th century · Spain · Religious Figures0.88
  68. 68Justo José de Urquiza1801-1870 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians0.86
  69. 69Francisco de Paula Santander1792-1840 · 19th century · Colombia · Politicians0.85
  70. 70Manuel Montt1809-1880 · 19th century · Chile · Politicians0.84
  71. 71Jorge Juan y Santacilia1713-1773 · 18th century · Spain · Scientists0.82
  72. 72Pío Baroja1872-1956 · 20th century · Spain · Writers0.82
  73. 73Esteban Echeverría Mamani1805-1851 · 19th century · Argentina · Writers0.82
  74. 74Hipólito Yrigoyen1850-1933 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians0.81
  75. 75Francisco Suárez1548-1617 · 16th century · Spain · Religious Figures0.81
  76. 76Juan de la Cosa1450-1510 · 15th century · Historical Figures0.79
  77. 77Fructuoso Rivera1784-1854 · 19th century · Uruguay · Politicians0.79
  78. 78Jose Miguel Carrera1785-1821 · 19th century · Chile · Politicians0.76
  79. 79Gil Vicente1465-1536 · 16th century · Portugal · Writers0.75
  80. 80Pablo Neruda1904-1973 · 20th century · Chile · Writers0.75
  81. 81Juan Andrés1740-1817 · 18th century · Spain · Academics0.75
  82. 82César Vallejo1892-1938 · 20th century · Peru · Writers0.74
  83. 83Vicente Rocafuerte1783-1847 · 19th century · Ecuador · Politicians0.72
  84. 84Francisco Morazán1792-1842 · 19th century · Spain · Politicians0.71
  85. 85Diego Rivera1886-1957 · 20th century · Mexico · Designers0.71
  86. 86Juan Antonio Lavalleja1784-1853 · 19th century · Uruguay · Writers0.71
  87. 87Francisco de Aguirre1507-1581 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures0.70
  88. 88Lope de Rueda1505-1566 · 16th century · Spain · Writers0.68
  89. 89Victoriano Huerta1850-1916 · 19th century · Mexico · Politicians0.68
  90. 90Federico García Lorca1898-1936 · 20th century · Spain · Writers0.68
  91. 91Domingo de Soto1494-1560 · 16th century · Spain · Academics0.66
  92. 92Francisco I. Madero1873-1913 · 20th century · Mexico · Activists0.65
  93. 93Hernando de Soto1500-1542 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures0.64
  94. 94Rose of Lima1586-1617 · 17th century · Religious Figures0.64
  95. 95Nuño de Guzmán1490-1544 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures0.64
  96. 96Antonio de Nebrija1444-1522 · 15th century · Spain · Academics0.63
  97. 97Luis de Góngora1561-1627 · 16th century · Spain · Writers0.63
  98. 98José Ortega y Gasset1883-1955 · 20th century · Spain · Academics0.62
  99. 99Rafael Urdaneta1788-1845 · 19th century · Venezuela0.61
  100. 100Juan de Valdés1505-1541 · 16th century · Spain · Actors0.61

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 1940s, ranked where coverage and readership agree.

  1. 1Ronald Reagan1911-2004 · United States · Politicians9 decades
  2. 2Richard Nixon1913-1994 · United States · Politicians8 decades
  3. 3Frida Kahlo1907-1954 · Mexico · Artists8 decades
  4. 4Lyndon B. Johnson1908-1973 · United States · Politicians8 decades
  5. 5Alan Turing1912-1954 · United Kingdom · Academics4 decades
  6. 6Gerald Ford1913-2006 · United States · Politicians6 decades
  7. 7Anne Frank1929-1945 · Germany · Writers7 decades
  8. 8Mother Teresa1910-1997 · Albania · Musicians9 decades
  9. 9Leonid Brezhnev1906-1982 · Russia · Politicians7 decades
  10. 10John Wayne1907-1979 · United States · Actors9 decades
  11. 11Albert Camus1913-1960 · France · Academics8 decades
  12. 12Pope John Paul I1912-1978 · Italy · Religious Figures2 decades
  13. 13Katharine Hepburn1907-2003 · United States · Actors9 decades
  14. 14Rosa Parks1913-2005 · United States · Activists6 decades
  15. 15Ayn Rand1905-1982 · United States · Writers3 decades
  16. 16James Stewart1908-1997 · United States · Actorsnot measured-
  17. 17Adolf Eichmann1906-1962 · Austria · Politicians8 decades
  18. 18Hedy Lamarr1914-2000 · Austria · Actors3 decades
  19. 19Bette Davis1908-1989 · United States · Actors9 decades
  20. 20Wernher von Braun1912-1977 · United States · Scientists7 decades
  21. 21Hannah Arendt1906-1975 · United States · Academics8 decades
  22. 22Jean-Paul Sartre1905-1980 · France · Academics9 decades
  23. 23Ian Fleming1908-1964 · United Kingdom · Writers7 decades
  24. 24Vivien Leigh1913-1967 · United Kingdom · Actors8 decades
  25. 25Akira Kurosawa1910-1998 · Japan · Directors6 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.