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 Italian books during the 1940s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Giotto1267-1337 · 14th century · Italy · Artists5.0
  2. 2Dante Alighieri1265-1321 · 14th century · Writers3.3
  3. 3Leonardo da Vinci1452-1519 · 15th century · Italy · Artists3.1
  4. 4Benedetto Croce1866-1952 · 20th century · Italy · Academics3.0
  5. 5Caravaggio1571-1610 · 17th century · Italy · Artists2.8
  6. 6Donato Bramante1444-1514 · 15th century · Italy · Architects2.8
  7. 7Donatello1386-1466 · 15th century · Artists2.7
  8. 8Antonio da Correggio1489-1534 · 16th century · Italy · Artists2.6
  9. 9Alessandro Manzoni1785-1873 · 19th century · Italy · Writers2.5
  10. 10Giuseppe Mazzini1805-1872 · 19th century · Italy · Activists2.4
  11. 11Pietro Perugino1448-1523 · 15th century · Italy · Artists2.3
  12. 12Masaccio1401-1428 · 15th century · Italy · Artists2.0
  13. 13Ugo Foscolo1778-1827 · 19th century · Writers1.9
  14. 14Tintoretto1519-1594 · 16th century · Italy · Artists1.9
  15. 15Filippo Turati1857-1932 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians1.7
  16. 16Giacomo Leopardi1798-1837 · 19th century · Italy · Writers1.7
  17. 17Lorenzo de' Medici1449-1492 · 15th century · Politicians1.6
  18. 18Benito Mussolini1883-1945 · 20th century · Italy · Politicians1.6
  19. 19Giosuè Carducci1835-1907 · 19th century · Italy · Writers1.6
  20. 20Francis of Assisi1182-1226 · 13th century · Italy · Writers1.5
  21. 21Bernardino of Siena1380-1444 · 15th century · Italy · Academics1.5
  22. 22Giordano Bruno1548-1600 · 16th century · Italy · Academics1.5
  23. 23Vittorio Alfieri1749-1803 · 18th century · Italy · Historical Figures1.5
  24. 24Giuseppe Verdi1813-1901 · 19th century · Italy · Musicians1.4
  25. 25Torquato Tasso1544-1595 · 16th century · Italy · Writers1.4
  26. 26Farinelli1705-1782 · 18th century · Italy · Musicians1.4
  27. 27Galileo Galilei1564-1642 · 16th century · Italy · Scientists1.4
  28. 28Bettino Ricasoli1809-1880 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians1.3
  29. 29Philip Neri1515-1595 · 16th century · Religious Figures1.3
  30. 30Petrarch1304-1374 · 14th century · Italy · Academics1.2
  31. 31Marco Polo1254-1324 · 13th century · Italy · Historical Figures1.2
  32. 32Marco Minghetti1818-1886 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians1.2
  33. 33Francesco Crispi1818-1901 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians1.1
  34. 34Vittoria Colonna1492-1547 · 16th century · Italy · Writers1.0
  35. 35Charles Borromeo1538-1584 · 16th century · Italy · Religious Figures1.0
  36. 36Piero della Francesca1415-1492 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.98
  37. 37Cimabue1240-1302 · 13th century · Artists0.97
  38. 38Silvio Pellico1789-1854 · 19th century · Writers0.96
  39. 39Vincenzo Gioberti1801-1852 · 19th century · Italy · Academics0.96
  40. 40Gabriele D'Annunzio1863-1938 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.95
  41. 41Giambattista Vico1668-1744 · 18th century · Italy · Academics0.95
  42. 42Pietro Metastasio1698-1782 · 18th century · Italy · Writers0.93
  43. 43Anna Kuliscioff1853-1925 · 19th century · Russia · Doctors0.92
  44. 44Cesare Borgia1475-1507 · 16th century · Italy · Historical Figures0.88
  45. 45Cesare Balbo1789-1853 · 19th century · Politicians0.85
  46. 46Giovanni Pascoli1855-1912 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.84
  47. 47Paul the Deacon720-799 · 8th century · Writers0.81
  48. 48Francesco Guicciardini1483-1540 · 16th century · Writers0.81
  49. 49Pontormo1494-1556 · 16th century · Italy · Artists0.81
  50. 50Niccolò Tommaseo1802-1874 · 19th century · Italy · Academics0.81
  51. 51Carlo Goldoni1707-1793 · 18th century · Italy · Writers0.79
  52. 52Salvator Rosa1615-1673 · 17th century · Italy · Artists0.79
  53. 53Antonio Rosmini1797-1855 · 19th century · Academics0.75
  54. 54Pietro Verri1728-1797 · 18th century · Academics0.74
  55. 55Tommaso Campanella1568-1639 · 17th century · Italy · Academics0.71
  56. 56Cosimo de' Medici1389-1464 · 15th century · Politicians0.70
  57. 57Guglielmo Marconi1874-1937 · 20th century · Italy · Scientists0.69
  58. 58Apostolo Zeno1668-1750 · 18th century · Writers0.66
  59. 59Pisanello1395-1455 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.65
  60. 60Galileo Ferraris1847-1897 · 19th century · Italy · Scientists0.65
  61. 61Giovanni Bellini1430-1516 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.65
  62. 62Leon Battista Alberti1404-1472 · 15th century · Italy · Architects0.65
  63. 63Marsilio Ficino1433-1499 · 15th century · Italy · Academics0.64
  64. 64Andrea Doria1466-1560 · 16th century · Italy · Politicians0.63
  65. 65Massimo d'Azeglio1798-1866 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians0.63
  66. 66Pinturicchio1454-1513 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.62
  67. 67Guido Cavalcanti1258-1300 · 13th century · Writers0.62
  68. 68Arrigo Boito1842-1918 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.61
  69. 69Paolo Sarpi1552-1623 · 16th century · Academics0.61
  70. 70Paolo Uccello1397-1475 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.61
  71. 71Parmigianino1503-1540 · 16th century · Italy · Artists0.61
  72. 72Simone Martini1284-1344 · 14th century · Italy · Artists0.60
  73. 73Giovanni Pisano1248-1315 · 13th century · Italy · Artists0.60
  74. 74Giulio Romano1499-1546 · 16th century · Italy · Artists0.60
  75. 75Niccolò Machiavelli1469-1527 · 16th century · Politicians0.58
  76. 76Pietro Aretino1492-1556 · 16th century · Italy · Writers0.57
  77. 77Alessandro Volta1745-1827 · 18th century · Italy · Scientists0.57
  78. 78Luigi Einaudi1874-1961 · 20th century · Italy · Politicians0.56
  79. 79Margaret of Savoy1851-1926 · 19th century · Italy · Artists0.56
  80. 80Francesca da Rimini1259-1285 · 13th century · Italy · Writers0.56
  81. 81Federico Cesi1585-1630 · 17th century0.56
  82. 82Lucrezia Borgia1480-1519 · 16th century · Italy · Historical Figures0.55
  83. 83Paolo Veronese1528-1588 · 16th century · Italy · Artists0.55
  84. 84Sassetta1392-1450 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.55
  85. 85Giovanni Verga1840-1922 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.55
  86. 86Carlo Gozzi1720-1806 · 18th century · Writers0.54
  87. 87Pietro Bembo1470-1547 · 16th century · Italy · Religious Figures0.54
  88. 88Antonio Fogazzaro1842-1911 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.54
  89. 89Enrico Ferri1856-1929 · 19th century · Italy · Journalists0.52
  90. 90Antonio Labriola1843-1904 · 19th century · Italy · Academics0.52
  91. 91Fra Angelico1390-1455 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.52
  92. 92Giovanni Boccaccio1313-1375 · 14th century · Italy · Writers0.52
  93. 93Domenichino1581-1641 · 17th century · Artists0.52
  94. 94Canaletto1697-1768 · 18th century · Italy · Artists0.50
  95. 95Guercino1591-1666 · 17th century · Italy · Artists0.50
  96. 96Leonardo Bruni1369-1444 · 15th century · Writers0.50
  97. 97Franco Sacchetti1332-1400 · 14th century · Writers0.49
  98. 98Eleonora Duse1858-1924 · 19th century · Italy · Actors0.49
  99. 99Goffredo Mameli1827-1849 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.49
  100. 100John Bosco1815-1888 · 19th century · Italy · Religious Figures0.48

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.