215,950 profiles ranked

← Fame through time1970-1979

The 1970s

Whose names filled the books of the 1970s - 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 Spanish books during the 1970s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Francis Xavier1506-1552 · 16th century · Spain · Religious Figures6.1
  2. 2Lope de Vega1562-1635 · 16th century · Spain · Writers6.0
  3. 3John of God1495-1550 · 16th century · Portugal5.5
  4. 4Fidel Castro1926-2016 · 20th century · Cuba · Politicians5.4
  5. 5Rubén Darío1867-1916 · 20th century · Nicaragua · Writers5.4
  6. 6Simón Bolívar1783-1830 · 19th century · Spain · Politicians5.4
  7. 7Andrés Bello1781-1865 · 19th century · Chile · Politicians4.9
  8. 8Antonio Machado1875-1939 · 20th century · Spain · Writers4.5
  9. 9Benito Juárez1806-1872 · 19th century · Mexico · Politicians3.6
  10. 10Porfirio Díaz1830-1915 · 19th century · Mexico · Politicians3.4
  11. 11Pablo Neruda1904-1973 · 20th century · Chile · Writers3.1
  12. 12Christopher Columbus1451-1506 · 15th century · Italy · Historical Figures2.9
  13. 13Salvador Allende1908-1973 · 20th century · Chile · Politicians2.9
  14. 14Octavio Paz1914-1998 · 20th century · Mexico · Writers2.8
  15. 15Hernán Cortés1485-1547 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures2.7
  16. 16Juan Ramón Jiménez1881-1958 · 20th century · Spain · Writers2.5
  17. 17John of the Cross1542-1591 · 16th century · Spain · Writers2.4
  18. 18Venustiano Carranza1859-1920 · 19th century · Mexico · Politicians2.3
  19. 19Miguel de Unamuno1864-1936 · 19th century · Spain · Writers2.2
  20. 20Juan Fernández1529-1602 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures2.2
  21. 21Gabriela Mistral1889-1957 · 20th century · Chile · Writers2.0
  22. 22Cipriano Castro1858-1924 · 19th century · Venezuela · Politicians2.0
  23. 23Jorge Luis Borges1899-1986 · 20th century · Argentina · Writers1.9
  24. 24Bartolomé de las Casas1484-1566 · 16th century · Spain · Writers1.8
  25. 25José de San Martín1778-1850 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians1.8
  26. 26Garcilaso de la Vega1503-1536 · 16th century · Spain · Writers1.7
  27. 27José Hernández1834-1886 · 19th century · Argentina · Writers1.6
  28. 28Federico García Lorca1898-1936 · 20th century · Spain · Writers1.6
  29. 29Emiliano Zapata1879-1919 · 20th century · Mexico · Activists1.5
  30. 30Juan Manuel de Rosas1793-1877 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians1.5
  31. 31Francisco Pizarro1478-1541 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures1.5
  32. 32Juan Vicente Gómez1857-1935 · 19th century · Venezuela · Politicians1.5
  33. 33Bartolomé Mitre1821-1906 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians1.5
  34. 34Teresa of Ávila1515-1582 · 16th century · Spain · Writers1.5
  35. 35Francisco I. Madero1873-1913 · 20th century · Mexico · Activists1.5
  36. 36Miguel de Cervantes1547-1616 · 16th century · Spain · Writers1.5
  37. 37Che Guevara1928-1967 · 20th century · Cuba · Activists1.4
  38. 38César Vallejo1892-1938 · 20th century · Peru · Writers1.4
  39. 39Carlos Fuentes1928-2012 · 20th century · Mexico · Writers1.3
  40. 40Tirso de Molina1583-1648 · 17th century · Spain · Writers1.3
  41. 41Julio Cortázar1914-1984 · 20th century · Argentina · Writers1.3
  42. 42Pío Baroja1872-1956 · 20th century · Spain · Writers1.3
  43. 43Fernán González of Castile910-970 · 10th century1.2
  44. 44Pedro de Alvarado1486-1541 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures1.2
  45. 45Vicente Aleixandre1898-1984 · 20th century · Spain · Writers1.2
  46. 46Victoriano Huerta1850-1916 · 19th century · Mexico · Politicians1.2
  47. 47Luis de León1527-1591 · 16th century · Spain · Writers1.1
  48. 48Gonzalo Pizarro1502-1548 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures1.1
  49. 49Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz1651-1695 · 17th century · Mexico · Writers1.1
  50. 50Gabriel García Márquez1927-2014 · 20th century · Colombia · Writers1.0
  51. 51Diego Rivera1886-1957 · 20th century · Mexico · Designers1.0
  52. 52Ignatius of Loyola1491-1556 · 16th century · Spain · Religious Figures1.0
  53. 53John of Austria1547-1578 · 16th century · Spain · Politicians1.0
  54. 54John I of France1316-1316 · 14th century · France · Historical Figures1.0
  55. 55Mario Vargas Llosa1936-2025 · 20th century · Spain · Writers1.00
  56. 56Francis Solanus1549-1610 · 16th century · Spain0.99
  57. 57Hipólito Yrigoyen1850-1933 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians0.99
  58. 58Ricardo Palma1833-1919 · 19th century · Peru · Writers0.99
  59. 59Francisco de Miranda1750-1816 · 18th century · Spain · Politicians0.98
  60. 60Pancho Villa1878-1923 · 20th century · Mexico · Activists0.98
  61. 61José Ortega y Gasset1883-1955 · 20th century · Spain · Academics0.98
  62. 62Bernardo O'Higgins1778-1842 · 19th century · Spain · Politicians0.97
  63. 63Diego Velázquez1599-1660 · 17th century · Spain · Artists0.95
  64. 64Eva Perón1919-1952 · 20th century · Argentina · Actors0.95
  65. 65Nicolás Antonio1617-1684 · 17th century · Spain · Politicians0.93
  66. 66Manuel Belgrano1770-1820 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians0.92
  67. 67Pedro de Valdivia1497-1553 · 16th century · Spain · Politicians0.91
  68. 68Francisco de Toledo, Count of Oropesa1515-1582 · 16th century · Spain · Politicians0.89
  69. 69Antonio José de Sucre1795-1830 · 19th century · Politicians0.88
  70. 70Camilo José Cela1916-2002 · 20th century · Spain · Writers0.86
  71. 71José Antonio Primo de Rivera1903-1936 · 20th century · Spain · Politicians0.84
  72. 72Juan Rulfo1917-1986 · 20th century · Mexico · Writers0.84
  73. 73Bernal Díaz del Brawl1492-1584 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures0.83
  74. 74Pope Alexander VI1431-1503 · 15th century · Spain · Religious Figures0.83
  75. 75José Antonio Páez1790-1873 · 19th century · Spain · Politicians0.82
  76. 76Jorge Juan y Santacilia1713-1773 · 18th century · Spain · Scientists0.81
  77. 77Manuel Azaña1880-1940 · 20th century · Spain · Politicians0.78
  78. 78Francisco de Vitoria1480-1546 · 16th century · Spain · Academics0.75
  79. 79Diego de Almagro1475-1538 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures0.74
  80. 80María de Jesús1560-1640 · 16th century · Spain0.74
  81. 81Juan Ponce de León1460-1521 · 15th century · Spain · Historical Figures0.74
  82. 82Francisco de Paula Santander1792-1840 · 19th century · Colombia · Politicians0.73
  83. 83Francisco Quevedo1584-1645 · 17th century · Spain · Writers0.72
  84. 84Vincent Ferrer1350-1419 · 14th century · Spain · Religious Figures0.71
  85. 85Bernardino Rivadavia1780-1845 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians0.71
  86. 86El Greco1541-1614 · 16th century · Artists0.70
  87. 87Vicente Guerrero1782-1831 · 19th century · Mexico · Politicians0.69
  88. 88Lope de Aguirre1510-1561 · 16th century · Spain0.69
  89. 89Francisco Suárez1548-1617 · 16th century · Spain · Religious Figures0.68
  90. 90Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés1478-1557 · 16th century · Spain · Writers0.68
  91. 91Juan Andrés1740-1817 · 18th century · Spain · Academics0.67
  92. 92Juan de Garay1528-1583 · 16th century · Spain0.65
  93. 93Domingo Faustino Sarmiento1811-1888 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians0.64
  94. 94Mateo Alemán1547-1614 · 16th century · Spain · Writers0.63
  95. 95Carlos Pellegrini1846-1906 · 19th century · Argentina · Journalists0.62
  96. 96Roque Sáenz Peña1851-1914 · 19th century · Argentina · Politicians0.62
  97. 97Benito Pérez Galdós1843-1920 · 19th century · Spain · Writers0.62
  98. 98Hernando Pizarro1502-1578 · 16th century · Spain · Historical Figures0.61
  99. 99Vasco de Quiroga1470-1565 · 16th century · Religious Figures0.60
  100. 100Luis de Góngora1561-1627 · 16th century · Spain · Writers0.59

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 1970s, ranked where coverage and readership agree.

  1. 1Pope Francis1936-2025 · Argentina · Religious Figuresnot measured-
  2. 2Joe Bidenborn 1942 · United States · Politicians4 decades
  3. 3Elvis Presley1935-1977 · United States · Musicians7 decades
  4. 4Bob Dylanborn 1941 · United States · Musicians6 decades
  5. 5Ali Khamenei1939-2026 · Iran · Politicians4 decades
  6. 6Bruce Lee1940-1973 · United States · Actors5 decades
  7. 7Stephen Hawking1942-2018 · United Kingdom · Scientists4 decades
  8. 8John Lennon1940-1980 · United Kingdom · Musicians6 decades
  9. 9Muhammad Ali1942-2016 · United States · Athletes8 decades
  10. 10Saddam Hussein1937-2006 · Iraq · Politicians6 decades
  11. 11Paul McCartneyborn 1942 · United Kingdom · Musicians6 decades
  12. 12Muammar Gaddafi1942-2011 · Politicians2 decades
  13. 13Robert De Niroborn 1943 · United States · Actors5 decades
  14. 14Woody Allenborn 1935 · United States · Directors6 decades
  15. 15Pelé1940-2022 · Brazil · Footballers3 decades
  16. 16Al Pacinoborn 1940 · United States · Actors5 decades
  17. 17Jack Nicholsonborn 1937 · United States · Actors5 decades
  18. 18Bernie Sandersborn 1941 · United States · Politicians3 decades
  19. 19Harrison Fordborn 1942 · United States · Actors4 decades
  20. 20Morgan Freemanborn 1937 · United States · Actors3 decades
  21. 21George Harrison1943-2001 · United Kingdom · Musiciansnot measured-
  22. 22Chuck Norris1940-2026 · United States · Actors4 decades
  23. 23Jane Fondaborn 1937 · United States · Actors6 decades
  24. 24Jimi Hendrix1942-1970 · United States · Musicians5 decades
  25. 2514th Dalai Lamaborn 1935 · China · Politiciansnot measured-
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.