215,950 profiles ranked

← Fame through time1960-1969

The 1960s

Whose names filled the books of the 1960s - 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 1960s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Voltaire1694-1778 · 18th century · France · Writers31
  2. 2Molière1622-1673 · 17th century · France · Writers14
  3. 3Louis XIV of France1638-1715 · 17th century · France · Historical Figures14
  4. 4Stendhal1783-1842 · 19th century · France · Writers13
  5. 5Victor Hugo1802-1885 · 19th century · France · Writers8.3
  6. 6Montesquieu1689-1755 · 18th century · France · Academics6.2
  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. 9François Fénelon1651-1715 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures4.0
  10. 10Napoleon III1808-1873 · 19th century · France · Politicians3.7
  11. 11Joan of Arc1412-1431 · 15th century · France3.6
  12. 12George Sand1804-1876 · 19th century · France · Writers3.3
  13. 13Pierre de Marivaux1688-1763 · 18th century · France · Writers3.2
  14. 14Léon Blum1872-1950 · 20th century · France · Politicians2.9
  15. 15Louis XVIII of France1755-1824 · 18th century · France · Politicians2.9
  16. 16Romain Rolland1866-1944 · 20th century · France · Writers2.4
  17. 17Paul Valéry1871-1945 · 20th century · France · Writers2.0
  18. 18Anatole France1844-1924 · 19th century · France · Writers1.9
  19. 19Marie Antoinette1755-1793 · 18th century · France · Historical Figures1.8
  20. 20Paul Claudel1868-1955 · 20th century · France · Politicians1.8
  21. 21André Gide1869-1951 · 20th century · France · Writers1.8
  22. 22Francis de Sales1567-1622 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures1.8
  23. 23Marcel Proust1871-1922 · 20th century · France · Writers1.7
  24. 24Benjamin Constant1767-1830 · 19th century · Switzerland · Politicians1.7
  25. 25Charles X of France1757-1836 · 18th century · France · Politicians1.7
  26. 26Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor1500-1558 · 16th century · Historical Figures1.6
  27. 27Louis XII of France1462-1515 · 15th century · France · Historical Figures1.5
  28. 28Jean-Jacques Rousseau1712-1778 · 18th century · Switzerland · Academics1.4
  29. 29Claude Bernard1813-1878 · 19th century · France · Politicians1.4
  30. 30Charles Marie René Leconte de Lisle1818-1894 · 19th century · France · Writers1.3
  31. 31Théophile Gautier1811-1872 · 19th century · France · Writers1.3
  32. 32François Mauriac1885-1970 · 20th century · France · Writers1.3
  33. 33André Breton1896-1966 · 20th century · France · Writers1.3
  34. 34Auguste Comte1798-1857 · 19th century · France · Academics1.3
  35. 35Le Corbusier1887-1965 · 20th century · Switzerland · Architects1.3
  36. 36Jean Cocteau1889-1963 · 20th century · France · Writers1.2
  37. 37Vincent de Paul1581-1660 · 17th century · France · Religious Figures1.1
  38. 38Jules Verne1828-1905 · 19th century · France · Writers1.1
  39. 39Gérard de Nerval1808-1855 · 19th century · France · Writers1.1
  40. 40Philip V of Spain1683-1746 · 18th century · France · Politicians1.0
  41. 41Albert Camus1913-1960 · 20th century · France · Academics1.0
  42. 42Georges Pompidou1911-1974 · 20th century · France · Politicians1.0
  43. 43André Malraux1901-1976 · 20th century · France · Writers0.99
  44. 44Léon Bloy1846-1917 · 19th century · France · Writers0.96
  45. 45Charles de Gaulle1890-1970 · 20th century · France · Politicians0.95
  46. 46Jules Ferry1832-1893 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.91
  47. 47Max Jacob1876-1944 · 20th century · France · Writers0.90
  48. 48Marie de' Medici1575-1642 · 17th century · France · Politicians0.88
  49. 49Pierre de Bourdeille, seigneur de Brantôme1540-1614 · 16th century · France · Writers0.87
  50. 50Francis II of France1544-1560 · 16th century · France · Politicians0.87
  51. 51Charles Péguy1873-1914 · 20th century · France · Writers0.86
  52. 52Simone de Beauvoir1908-1986 · 20th century · France · Academics0.84
  53. 53Louis Blanc1811-1882 · 19th century · Spain · Politicians0.83
  54. 54Simone Weil1909-1943 · 20th century · France · Academics0.82
  55. 55Joseph de Maistre1753-1821 · 18th century · France · Academics0.82
  56. 56Pope John XXII1244-1334 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures0.79
  57. 57Charles Maurras1868-1952 · 20th century · France · Writers0.78
  58. 58Alfred de Musset1810-1857 · 19th century · France · Writers0.77
  59. 59Robert Schuman1886-1963 · 20th century · France · Politicians0.77
  60. 60Saint-John Perse1887-1975 · 20th century · France · Writers0.77
  61. 61La Grange1635-1692 · 17th century · France · Actors0.77
  62. 62Raymond Aron1905-1983 · 20th century · France · Academics0.76
  63. 63Maine de Biran1766-1824 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.76
  64. 64Guillaume Apollinaire1880-1918 · 20th century · France · Writers0.75
  65. 65Pierre Laval1883-1945 · 20th century · France · Politicians0.75
  66. 66Alfred de Vigny1797-1863 · 19th century · France · Writers0.74
  67. 67Gabriel Marcel1889-1973 · 20th century · France · Academics0.74
  68. 68Jean-Paul Sartre1905-1980 · 20th century · France · Academics0.72
  69. 69Jules Renard1864-1910 · 19th century · France · Writers0.72
  70. 70André Maurois1885-1967 · 20th century · France · Writers0.71
  71. 71Chrétien de Troyes1135-1181 · 12th century · France · Writers0.68
  72. 72Charles the Bold1433-1477 · 15th century · France · Politicians0.67
  73. 73Marc Bloch1886-1944 · 20th century · France · Writers0.66
  74. 74François Mitterrand1916-1996 · 20th century · France · Politicians0.65
  75. 75Jules Favre1809-1880 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.65
  76. 76Paul Bourget1852-1935 · 19th century · France · Writers0.64
  77. 77Pope Julius II1443-1513 · 15th century · Italy · Religious Figures0.63
  78. 78Napoleon1769-1821 · 19th century · France · Historical Figures0.62
  79. 79Patrice Lumumba1925-1961 · 20th century · Politicians0.61
  80. 80Stéphane Mallarmé1842-1898 · 19th century · France · Writers0.61
  81. 81Louis de Broglie1892-1987 · 20th century · France · Scientists0.60
  82. 82André Chénier1762-1794 · 18th century · France · Writers0.60
  83. 83Ferhat Abbas1899-1985 · 20th century · Algeria · Politicians0.59
  84. 84Maurice Barrès1862-1923 · 19th century · France · Writers0.55
  85. 85Gustave Flaubert1821-1880 · 19th century · France · Writers0.53
  86. 86Alphonse Daudet1840-1897 · 19th century · France · Writers0.53
  87. 87Louis Bonaparte1778-1846 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.53
  88. 88Victor Cousin1792-1867 · 19th century · France · Academics0.52
  89. 89Jean Giraudoux1882-1944 · 20th century · France · Writers0.50
  90. 90Arthur Rimbaud1854-1891 · 19th century · France · Writers0.50
  91. 91Jean Bodin1530-1596 · 16th century · France · Academics0.49
  92. 92Vincent Auriol1884-1966 · 20th century · France · Politicians0.49
  93. 93Henri de Régnier1864-1936 · 19th century · France · Writers0.49
  94. 94Charles, Duke of Orléans1394-1465 · 15th century · France · Writers0.49
  95. 95Eugène Sue1804-1857 · 19th century · France · Writers0.49
  96. 96Sarah Bernhardt1844-1923 · 19th century · France · Actors0.48
  97. 97Pope Clement V1264-1314 · 13th century · France · Religious Figures0.47
  98. 98René Clair1898-1981 · 20th century · France · Directors0.47
  99. 99Jules Simon1814-1896 · 19th century · France · Politicians0.47
  100. 100Roger Martin du Gard1881-1958 · 20th century · France · Writers0.47

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 1960s, ranked where coverage and readership agree.

  1. 1Elizabeth II1926-2022 · United Kingdom · Historical Figures8 decades
  2. 2Marilyn Monroe1926-1962 · United States · Actors7 decades
  3. 3Martin Luther King Jr.1929-1968 · United States · Activists6 decades
  4. 4Pope Benedict XVI1927-2022 · Germany · Religious Figures2 decades
  5. 5Che Guevara1928-1967 · Cuba · Activists7 decades
  6. 6Brigitte Bardot1934-2025 · France · Actors7 decades
  7. 7Margaret Thatcher1925-2013 · United Kingdom · Politicians6 decades
  8. 8Clint Eastwoodborn 1930 · United States · Actors6 decades
  9. 9Mikhail Gorbachev1931-2022 · Russia · Politicians4 decades
  10. 10Fidel Castro1926-2016 · Cuba · Politicians10 decades
  11. 11Audrey Hepburn1929-1993 · United Kingdom · Actors7 decades
  12. 12Elizabeth Taylor1932-2011 · United Kingdom · Actors9 decades
  13. 13Sean Connery1930-2020 · United Kingdom · Actors6 decades
  14. 14Warren Buffettborn 1930 · United States · Investors3 decades
  15. 15Stanley Kubrick1928-1999 · United States · Directors6 decades
  16. 16Malcolm X1925-1965 · United States · Activists6 decades
  17. 17Neil Armstrong1930-2012 · United States · Astronauts6 decades
  18. 18Jane Goodall1934-2025 · United Kingdom · Academics5 decades
  19. 19Noam Chomskyborn 1928 · United States · Academics6 decades
  20. 20Yuri Gagarin1934-1968 · Russia · Astronauts6 decades
  21. 21Andy Warhol1928-1987 · United States · Artists6 decades
  22. 22Johnny Cash1932-2003 · United States · Musicians6 decades
  23. 23Pol Pot1925-1998 · Cambodia · Politicians5 decades
  24. 24Boris Yeltsin1931-2007 · Russia · Politicians4 decades
  25. 25Sophia Lorenborn 1934 · Italy · Actors7 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.