215,950 profiles ranked

← Fame through time1950-1959

The 1950s

Whose names filled the books of the 1950s - 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 1950s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Voltaire1694-1778 · 18th century · France · Writers26
  2. 2Louis XIV of France1638-1715 · 17th century · France · Historical Figures13
  3. 3Molière1622-1673 · 17th century · France · Writers13
  4. 4Stendhal1783-1842 · 19th century · France · Writers13
  5. 5Victor Hugo1802-1885 · 19th century · France · Writers9.9
  6. 6Montesquieu1689-1755 · 18th century · France · Academics8.1
  7. 7Louis XVI of France1754-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures5.9
  8. 8Louis XV of France1710-1774 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures5.5
  9. 9François Fénelon1651-1715 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures4.8
  10. 10George Sand1804-1876 · 19th century · France · Writers3.9
  11. 11Napoleon III1808-1873 · 19th century · France · Politicians3.7
  12. 12André Gide1869-1951 · 20th century · France · Writers3.3
  13. 13Joan of Arc1412-1431 · 15th century · France3.1
  14. 14Paul Valéry1871-1945 · 20th century · France · Writers2.9
  15. 15Louis XVIII of France1755-1824 · 18th century · France · Politicians2.8
  16. 16Pierre de Marivaux1688-1763 · 18th century · France · Writers2.7
  17. 17Marcel Proust1871-1922 · 20th century · France · Writers2.5
  18. 18Romain Rolland1866-1944 · 20th century · France · Writers2.3
  19. 19Paul Claudel1868-1955 · 20th century · France · Politicians2.2
  20. 20Anatole France1844-1924 · 19th century · France · Writers2.1
  21. 21Marie Antoinette1755-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures2.0
  22. 22Francis de Sales1567-1622 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures1.8
  23. 23Léon Blum1872-1950 · 20th century · France · Politicians1.7
  24. 24Charles X of France1757-1836 · 18th century · France · Politicians1.6
  25. 25Benjamin Constant1767-1830 · 19th century · Switzerland · Politicians1.6
  26. 26Antonin Artaud1896-1948 · 20th century · France · Writers1.6
  27. 27Léon Bloy1846-1917 · 19th century · France · Writers1.6
  28. 28Claude Bernard1813-1878 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.4
  29. 29Jean Cocteau1889-1963 · 20th century · France · Writers1.4
  30. 30Théophile Gautier1811-1872 · 19th century · France · Writers1.4
  31. 31Gérard de Nerval1808-1855 · 19th century · France · Writers1.4
  32. 32Gabriel Marcel1889-1973 · 20th century · France · Academics1.4
  33. 33Auguste Comte1798-1857 · 19th century · France · Academics1.3
  34. 34Charles Marie René Leconte de Lisle1818-1894 · 19th century · France · Writers1.3
  35. 35François Mauriac1885-1970 · 20th century · France · Writers1.3
  36. 36Simone Weil1909-1943 · 20th century · France · Academics1.3
  37. 37Louis XII of France1462-1515 · 15th century · France · Historical Figures1.2
  38. 38Vincent de Paul1581-1660 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures1.1
  39. 39Jules Verne1828-1905 · 19th century · France · Writers1.1
  40. 40Max Jacob1876-1944 · 20th century · France · Writers1.1
  41. 41Alfred de Musset1810-1857 · 19th century · France · Writers1.1
  42. 42Louis de Broglie1892-1987 · 20th century · France · Scientists1.1
  43. 43Robert Schuman1886-1963 · 20th century · France · Politicians1.1
  44. 44Jean-Jacques Rousseau1712-1778 · 18th century · Switzerland · Academics1.0
  45. 45André Breton1896-1966 · 20th century · France · Writers0.97
  46. 46Jules Ferry1832-1893 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.94
  47. 47Pierre Laval1883-1945 · 20th century · France · Politicians0.93
  48. 48Maine de Biran1766-1824 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.91
  49. 49La Grange1635-1692 · 17th century · France · Actors0.88
  50. 50André Maurois1885-1967 · 20th century · France · Writers0.87
  51. 51Paul Bourget1852-1935 · 19th century · France · Writers0.86
  52. 52Louis Blanc1811-1882 · 19th century · Spain · Politicians0.85
  53. 53Arthur Rimbaud1854-1891 · 19th century · France · Writers0.85
  54. 54Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor1500-1558 · 16th century · Historical Figures0.84
  55. 55Georges Duhamel1884-1966 · 20th century · France · Writers0.82
  56. 56Albert Camus1913-1960 · 20th century · France · Academics0.80
  57. 57Charles Péguy1873-1914 · 20th century · France · Writers0.79
  58. 58Charles Maurras1868-1952 · 20th century · France · Writers0.78
  59. 59Francis II of France1544-1560 · 16th century · France · Politicians0.75
  60. 60Chrétien de Troyes1135-1181 · 12th century · France · Writers0.74
  61. 61Philip V of Spain1683-1746 · 18th century · France · Politicians0.73
  62. 62Louis XVII of France1785-1795 · 18th century · France0.73
  63. 63Marc Bloch1886-1944 · 20th century · France · Writers0.73
  64. 64Jules Renard1864-1910 · 19th century · France · Writers0.72
  65. 65Le Corbusier1887-1965 · 20th century · Switzerland · Architects0.72
  66. 66Henri Poincaré1854-1912 · 19th century · France · Academics0.70
  67. 67Joseph de Maistre1753-1821 · 18th century · France · Academics0.70
  68. 68Alphonse Daudet1840-1897 · 19th century · France · Writers0.66
  69. 69Guillaume Apollinaire1880-1918 · 20th century · France · Writers0.65
  70. 70Alfred de Vigny1797-1863 · 19th century · France · Writers0.65
  71. 71Vincent Auriol1884-1966 · 20th century · France · Politicians0.64
  72. 72Marie de' Medici1575-1642 · 17th century · France · Politicians0.64
  73. 73André Chénier1762-1794 · 18th century · France · Writers0.64
  74. 74Maurice Barrès1862-1923 · 19th century · France · Writers0.63
  75. 75Charles the Bold1433-1477 · 15th century · France · Politicians0.63
  76. 76Jean-Paul Sartre1905-1980 · 20th century · France · Academics0.63
  77. 77Pope John XXII1244-1334 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures0.63
  78. 78Napoleon1769-1821 · 19th century · France · Historical Figures0.61
  79. 79André Malraux1901-1976 · 20th century · France · Writers0.61
  80. 80Jean Giraudoux1882-1944 · 20th century · France · Writers0.61
  81. 81Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme1540-1614 · 16th century · France · Writers0.60
  82. 82Henri de Régnier1864-1936 · 19th century · France · Writers0.59
  83. 83Sacha Guitry1885-1957 · 20th century · France · Writers0.58
  84. 84Pope Julius II1443-1513 · 15th century · Italy · Religious Figures0.57
  85. 85Maurice Blondel1861-1949 · 19th century · France · Academics0.57
  86. 86Jules Favre1809-1880 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.56
  87. 87Victor Cousin1792-1867 · 19th century · France · Academics0.56
  88. 88Sarah Bernhardt1844-1923 · 19th century · France · Actors0.56
  89. 89Stéphane Mallarmé1842-1898 · 19th century · France · Writers0.55
  90. 90René Clair1898-1981 · 20th century · France · Directors0.54
  91. 91Charles de Foucauld1858-1916 · 19th century · France · Historical Figures0.53
  92. 92Gustave Flaubert1821-1880 · 19th century · France · Writers0.53
  93. 93Jean Monnet1888-1979 · 20th century · France · Academics0.53
  94. 94Marie d'Agoult1805-1876 · 19th century · France · Writers0.53
  95. 95Pierre Loti1850-1923 · 19th century · France · Writers0.52
  96. 96Louis Bonaparte1778-1846 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.51
  97. 97Raymond Aron1905-1983 · 20th century · France · Academics0.51
  98. 98Roger Martin du Gard1881-1958 · 20th century · France · Writers0.51
  99. 99Ferdinand de Lesseps1805-1894 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.50
  100. 100Jean Bodin1530-1596 · 16th century · France · Academics0.49

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 1950s, ranked where coverage and readership agree.

  1. 1John F. Kennedy1917-1963 · United States · Politicians11 decades
  2. 2Jimmy Carter1924-2024 · United States · Politicians7 decades
  3. 3Pope John Paul II1920-2005 · Poland · Religious Figures5 decades
  4. 4George H. W. Bush1924-2018 · United States · Politicians2 decades
  5. 5Nelson Mandela1918-2013 · South Africa · Politicians6 decades
  6. 6Judy Garland1922-1969 · United States · Actors9 decades
  7. 7Marlon Brando1924-2004 · United States · Actors7 decades
  8. 8Frank Sinatra1915-1998 · United States · Musicians8 decades
  9. 9Indira Gandhi1917-1984 · India · Politicians7 decades
  10. 10Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh1921-2021 · United Kingdom0 decades
  11. 11Mohammad Reza Pahlavi1919-1980 · Historical Figures4 decades
  12. 12Henry Kissinger1923-2023 · United States · Politicians7 decades
  13. 13Christopher Lee1922-2015 · United Kingdom · Actors6 decades
  14. 14Roald Dahl1916-1990 · Norway · Writers6 decades
  15. 15Isaac Asimov1920-1992 · United States · Writers7 decades
  16. 16Ingrid Bergman1915-1982 · Sweden · Actors8 decades
  17. 17James Dean1931-1955 · United States · Actors9 decades
  18. 18Richard Feynman1918-1988 · United States · Scientists4 decades
  19. 19Nicolae Ceaușescu1918-1989 · Politiciansnot measured-
  20. 20Orson Welles1915-1985 · United States · Directors9 decades
  21. 21Lee Kuan Yew1923-2015 · Singapore · Politicians7 decades
  22. 22Kirk Douglas1916-2020 · United States · Actors8 decades
  23. 23Eva Perón1919-1952 · Argentina · Actors8 decades
  24. 24Édith Piaf1915-1963 · France · Musicians6 decades
  25. 25Charles Bronson1921-2003 · United States · Actors5 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.