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 Italian books during the 1950s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Caravaggio1571-1610 · 17th century · Italy · Artists5.5
  2. 2Giotto1267-1337 · 14th century · Italy · Artists4.6
  3. 3Leonardo da Vinci1452-1519 · 15th century · Italy · Artists4.2
  4. 4Benedetto Croce1866-1952 · 20th century · Italy · Academics4.0
  5. 5Dante Alighieri1265-1321 · 14th century · Writers3.6
  6. 6Antonio da Correggio1489-1534 · 16th century · Italy · Artists3.3
  7. 7Donato Bramante1444-1514 · 15th century · Italy · Architects2.5
  8. 8Donatello1386-1466 · 15th century · Artists2.5
  9. 9Ugo Foscolo1778-1827 · 19th century · Writers2.3
  10. 10Tintoretto1519-1594 · 16th century · Italy · Artists2.3
  11. 11Masaccio1401-1428 · 15th century · Italy · Artists2.2
  12. 12Marco Polo1254-1324 · 13th century · Italy · Historical Figures2.1
  13. 13Alessandro Manzoni1785-1873 · 19th century · Italy · Writers2.1
  14. 14Giuseppe Mazzini1805-1872 · 19th century · Italy · Activists1.8
  15. 15Torquato Tasso1544-1595 · 16th century · Italy · Writers1.8
  16. 16Giordano Bruno1548-1600 · 16th century · Italy · Academics1.7
  17. 17Lorenzo de' Medici1449-1492 · 15th century · Politicians1.7
  18. 18Pietro Perugino1448-1523 · 15th century · Italy · Artists1.7
  19. 19Vittorio Alfieri1749-1803 · 18th century · Italy · Historical Figures1.5
  20. 20Benito Mussolini1883-1945 · 20th century · Italy · Politicians1.5
  21. 21Giacomo Leopardi1798-1837 · 19th century · Italy · Writers1.5
  22. 22Giovanni Pascoli1855-1912 · 19th century · Italy · Writers1.5
  23. 23Giosuè Carducci1835-1907 · 19th century · Italy · Writers1.4
  24. 24Paul the Deacon720-799 · 8th century · Writers1.4
  25. 25Francis of Assisi1182-1226 · 13th century · Italy · Writers1.3
  26. 26Bettino Ricasoli1809-1880 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians1.3
  27. 27Piero della Francesca1415-1492 · 15th century · Italy · Artists1.3
  28. 28Galileo Galilei1564-1642 · 16th century · Italy · Scientists1.3
  29. 29Cesare Borgia1475-1507 · 16th century · Italy · Historical Figures1.2
  30. 30Silvio Pellico1789-1854 · 19th century · Writers1.2
  31. 31Luigi Einaudi1874-1961 · 20th century · Italy · Politicians1.2
  32. 32Cimabue1240-1302 · 13th century · Artists1.2
  33. 33Charles Borromeo1538-1584 · 16th century · Italy · Religious Figures1.1
  34. 34Marco Minghetti1818-1886 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians1.1
  35. 35Philip Neri1515-1595 · 16th century · Religious Figures1.1
  36. 36Pisanello1395-1455 · 15th century · Italy · Artists1.0
  37. 37Pontormo1494-1556 · 16th century · Italy · Artists1.0
  38. 38Guercino1591-1666 · 17th century · Italy · Artists1.0
  39. 39Filippo Turati1857-1932 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians1.0
  40. 40Domenichino1581-1641 · 17th century · Artists1.00
  41. 41Petrarch1304-1374 · 14th century · Italy · Academics0.98
  42. 42Farinelli1705-1782 · 18th century · Italy · Musicians0.98
  43. 43Antonio Rosmini1797-1855 · 19th century · Academics0.96
  44. 44Vincenzo Gioberti1801-1852 · 19th century · Italy · Academics0.95
  45. 45Salvator Rosa1615-1673 · 17th century · Italy · Artists0.93
  46. 46Paolo Uccello1397-1475 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.93
  47. 47Carlo Goldoni1707-1793 · 18th century · Italy · Writers0.92
  48. 48Massimo d'Azeglio1798-1866 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians0.90
  49. 49Bernardino of Siena1380-1444 · 15th century · Italy · Academics0.90
  50. 50Canaletto1697-1768 · 18th century · Italy · Artists0.88
  51. 51Parmigianino1503-1540 · 16th century · Italy · Artists0.87
  52. 52Guido Cavalcanti1258-1300 · 13th century · Writers0.86
  53. 53Giuseppe Verdi1813-1901 · 19th century · Italy · Musicians0.86
  54. 54Marsilio Ficino1433-1499 · 15th century · Italy · Academics0.86
  55. 55Girolamo Savonarola1452-1498 · 15th century · Italy · Politicians0.86
  56. 56Pietro Verri1728-1797 · 18th century · Academics0.84
  57. 57Guido Reni1575-1642 · 17th century · Italy · Artists0.83
  58. 58Bramantino1465-1536 · 16th century · Italy · Artists0.81
  59. 59Gabriele D'Annunzio1863-1938 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.78
  60. 60Antonio Labriola1843-1904 · 19th century · Italy · Academics0.78
  61. 61Francesca da Rimini1259-1285 · 13th century · Italy · Writers0.77
  62. 62Giovanni Bellini1430-1516 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.75
  63. 63Cosimo de' Medici1389-1464 · 15th century · Politicians0.75
  64. 64Leon Battista Alberti1404-1472 · 15th century · Italy · Architects0.75
  65. 65Giambattista Vico1668-1744 · 18th century · Italy · Academics0.74
  66. 66Cesare Balbo1789-1853 · 19th century · Politicians0.74
  67. 67Andrea Costa1851-1910 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians0.73
  68. 68Antonio Gramsci1891-1937 · 20th century · Italy · Academics0.73
  69. 69Giulio Romano1499-1546 · 16th century · Italy · Artists0.72
  70. 70Pietro da Cortona1596-1669 · 17th century · Italy · Artists0.70
  71. 71Francesco Crispi1818-1901 · 19th century · Italy · Politicians0.70
  72. 72Francesco Guicciardini1483-1540 · 16th century · Writers0.69
  73. 73Pietro Aretino1492-1556 · 16th century · Italy · Writers0.68
  74. 74Vittoria Colonna1492-1547 · 16th century · Italy · Writers0.67
  75. 75Paolo Sarpi1552-1623 · 16th century · Academics0.67
  76. 76Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei1675-1755 · 18th century · Writers0.67
  77. 77Andrea Doria1466-1560 · 16th century · Italy · Politicians0.66
  78. 78Alcide De Gasperi1881-1954 · 20th century · Italy · Politicians0.66
  79. 79Niccolò Machiavelli1469-1527 · 16th century · Politicians0.65
  80. 80Luigi Pirandello1867-1936 · 20th century · Italy · Writers0.64
  81. 81Niccolò Tommaseo1802-1874 · 19th century · Italy · Academics0.64
  82. 82Pietro Bembo1470-1547 · 16th century · Italy · Religious Figures0.63
  83. 83Domenico Passignano1559-1638 · 16th century · Artists0.63
  84. 84Paolo Veronese1528-1588 · 16th century · Italy · Artists0.63
  85. 85Tommaso Campanella1568-1639 · 17th century · Italy · Academics0.63
  86. 86Fra Angelico1390-1455 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.63
  87. 87Leonardo Bruni1369-1444 · 15th century · Writers0.62
  88. 88Giovanni Boccaccio1313-1375 · 14th century · Italy · Writers0.61
  89. 89Andrea del Sarto1486-1530 · 16th century · Artists0.60
  90. 90Giovanni Verga1840-1922 · 19th century · Italy · Writers0.57
  91. 91Andrea del Castagno1420-1457 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.57
  92. 92Amerigo Vespucci1454-1512 · 15th century · Historical Figures0.55
  93. 93Eleonora Duse1858-1924 · 19th century · Italy · Actors0.54
  94. 94Girolamo Romanino1485-1562 · 16th century · Artists0.54
  95. 95Carlo Gozzi1720-1806 · 18th century · Writers0.53
  96. 96Dino Compagni1255-1324 · 13th century · Writers0.53
  97. 97Piero di Cosimo1462-1522 · 15th century · Artists0.52
  98. 98Pinturicchio1454-1513 · 15th century · Italy · Artists0.51
  99. 99Simone Martini1284-1344 · 14th century · Italy · Artists0.51
  100. 100Lazzaro Spallanzani1729-1799 · 18th century · Italy · Scientists0.51

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.