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 French books during the 1940s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Voltaire1694-1778 · 18th century · France · Writers19
  2. 2Louis XIV of France1638-1715 · 17th century · France · Historical Figures14
  3. 3Molière1622-1673 · 17th century · France · Writers13
  4. 4Stendhal1783-1842 · 19th century · France · Writers12
  5. 5Victor Hugo1802-1885 · 19th century · France · Writers10
  6. 6Montesquieu1689-1755 · 18th century · France · Academics7.3
  7. 7Louis XVI of France1754-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures6.1
  8. 8Louis XV of France1710-1774 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures5.6
  9. 9Joan of Arc1412-1431 · 15th century · France4.6
  10. 10François Fénelon1651-1715 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures4.1
  11. 11Louis XVIII of France1755-1824 · 18th century · France · Politicians3.5
  12. 12Napoleon III1808-1873 · 19th century · France · Politicians3.4
  13. 13Léon Blum1872-1950 · 20th century · France · Politicians3.2
  14. 14George Sand1804-1876 · 19th century · France · Writers3.2
  15. 15Maine de Biran1766-1824 · 19th century · France · Politicians2.8
  16. 16Paul Valéry1871-1945 · 20th century · France · Writers2.6
  17. 17André Gide1869-1951 · 20th century · France · Writers2.6
  18. 18Francis de Sales1567-1622 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures2.5
  19. 19Anatole France1844-1924 · 19th century · France · Writers2.3
  20. 20Pierre Laval1883-1945 · 20th century · France · Politicians2.2
  21. 21Pierre de Marivaux1688-1763 · 18th century · France · Writers2.2
  22. 22Léon Bloy1846-1917 · 19th century · France · Writers2.1
  23. 23Marcel Proust1871-1922 · 20th century · France · Writers2.1
  24. 24Louis XII of France1462-1515 · 15th century · France · Historical Figures2.0
  25. 25Charles X of France1757-1836 · 18th century · France · Politicians1.9
  26. 26Marie Antoinette1755-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures1.9
  27. 27Claude Bernard1813-1878 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.8
  28. 28Paul Claudel1868-1955 · 20th century · France · Politicians1.7
  29. 29Vincent de Paul1581-1660 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures1.6
  30. 30Benjamin Constant1767-1830 · 19th century · Switzerland · Politicians1.6
  31. 31Louis Blanc1811-1882 · 19th century · Spain · Politicians1.6
  32. 32Charles Marie René Leconte de Lisle1818-1894 · 19th century · France · Writers1.5
  33. 33Romain Rolland1866-1944 · 20th century · France · Writers1.5
  34. 34Auguste Comte1798-1857 · 19th century · France · Academics1.5
  35. 35Théophile Gautier1811-1872 · 19th century · France · Writers1.5
  36. 36Alphonse Daudet1840-1897 · 19th century · France · Writers1.2
  37. 37Jean-Jacques Rousseau1712-1778 · 18th century · Switzerland · Academics1.1
  38. 38Jules Ferry1832-1893 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.1
  39. 39Henri de Régnier1864-1936 · 19th century · France · Writers1.1
  40. 40La Grange1635-1692 · 17th century · France · Actors1.1
  41. 41François Mauriac1885-1970 · 20th century · France · Writers1.1
  42. 42Jean de Montreuil1354-1418 · 14th century · Politicians1.1
  43. 43Marie de' Medici1575-1642 · 17th century · France · Politicians1.0
  44. 44Paul Bourget1852-1935 · 19th century · France · Writers1.0
  45. 45Charles the Bold1433-1477 · 15th century · France · Politicians1.00
  46. 46Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme1540-1614 · 16th century · France · Writers0.95
  47. 47Joseph de Maistre1753-1821 · 18th century · France · Academics0.94
  48. 48Francis II of France1544-1560 · 16th century · France · Politicians0.94
  49. 49Charles Maurras1868-1952 · 20th century · France · Writers0.90
  50. 50Alfred de Musset1810-1857 · 19th century · France · Writers0.89
  51. 51Alfred de Vigny1797-1863 · 19th century · France · Writers0.89
  52. 52Georges Duhamel1884-1966 · 20th century · France · Writers0.89
  53. 53Gérard de Nerval1808-1855 · 19th century · France · Writers0.88
  54. 54Sarah Bernhardt1844-1923 · 19th century · France · Actors0.88
  55. 55Jules Renard1864-1910 · 19th century · France · Writers0.88
  56. 56Pope John XXII1244-1334 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures0.86
  57. 57Philip V of Spain1683-1746 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.84
  58. 58Marc Bloch1886-1944 · 20th century · France · Writers0.82
  59. 59Toussaint Louverture1743-1803 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.81
  60. 60Jacques Maritain1882-1973 · 20th century · France · Academics0.81
  61. 61Jean Cocteau1889-1963 · 20th century · France · Writers0.80
  62. 62André Breton1896-1966 · 20th century · France · Writers0.78
  63. 63Gabriel Marcel1889-1973 · 20th century · France · Academics0.78
  64. 64Stéphane Mallarmé1842-1898 · 19th century · France · Writers0.77
  65. 65Jacques Cartier1491-1557 · 16th century · France · Historical Figures0.76
  66. 66Charles Péguy1873-1914 · 20th century · France · Writers0.74
  67. 67Max Jacob1876-1944 · 20th century · France · Writers0.73
  68. 68Louis de Broglie1892-1987 · 20th century · France · Scientists0.72
  69. 69André Chénier1762-1794 · 18th century · France · Writers0.71
  70. 70Jean Giraudoux1882-1944 · 20th century · France · Writers0.70
  71. 71Gaston Paris1839-1903 · 19th century · France · Writers0.69
  72. 72Alain-Fournier1886-1914 · 20th century · France · Writers0.68
  73. 73Vincent Auriol1884-1966 · 20th century · France · Politicians0.67
  74. 74Napoleon1769-1821 · 19th century · France · Historical Figures0.65
  75. 75Pope Julius II1443-1513 · 15th century · Italy · Religious Figures0.63
  76. 76Victor Cousin1792-1867 · 19th century · France · Academics0.63
  77. 77Henri Bergson1859-1941 · 19th century · France · Academics0.63
  78. 78André Maurois1885-1967 · 20th century · France · Writers0.62
  79. 79Jean Eudes1601-1680 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures0.62
  80. 80Jules Lemaître1853-1914 · 19th century · France · Writers0.61
  81. 81Charles de Gaulle1890-1970 · 20th century · France · Politicians0.61
  82. 82Anne of Brittany1477-1514 · 16th century · France0.60
  83. 83César Franck1822-1890 · 19th century · France · Musicians0.60
  84. 84Robert Schuman1886-1963 · 20th century · France · Politicians0.58
  85. 85Louis XVII of France1785-1795 · 18th century · France0.58
  86. 86Jules Verne1828-1905 · 19th century · France · Writers0.56
  87. 87Sacha Guitry1885-1957 · 20th century · France · Writers0.56
  88. 88Jules Simon1814-1896 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.56
  89. 89Peter Fourier1565-1640 · 17th century · France · Writers0.56
  90. 90Eugène Sue1804-1857 · 19th century · France · Writers0.54
  91. 91Vincent d'Indy1851-1931 · 19th century · France · Musicians0.54
  92. 92Gustave Flaubert1821-1880 · 19th century · France · Writers0.54
  93. 93Arthur Rimbaud1854-1891 · 19th century · France · Writers0.53
  94. 94Paul Verlaine1844-1896 · 19th century · France · Writers0.53
  95. 95Henri Poincaré1854-1912 · 19th century · France · Academics0.52
  96. 96Olivier de Serres1539-1619 · 16th century · Writers0.52
  97. 97Louis Bonaparte1778-1846 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.51
  98. 98Camille Flammarion1842-1925 · 19th century · France · Scientists0.51
  99. 99Pierre Loti1850-1923 · 19th century · France · Writers0.51
  100. 100Pierre Leroux1797-1871 · 19th century · France · Academics0.51

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.