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 Russian books during the 1970s, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Vladimir Lenin1870-1924 · 20th century · Russia · Politicians2.6
  2. 2Leo Tolstoy1828-1910 · 19th century · Russia · Writers2.1
  3. 3Leonid Brezhnev1906-1982 · 20th century · Russia · Politicians1.4
  4. 4Peter the Great1672-1725 · 18th century · Russia · Politicians1.3
  5. 5Boris Godunov1552-1605 · 16th century · Politicians1.0
  6. 6Maxim Gorky1868-1936 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.91
  7. 7Sergo Ordzhonikidze1886-1937 · 20th century · Russia · Politicians0.90
  8. 8Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia1904-1918 · 20th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.87
  9. 9Ivan I of Tver1357-1425 · 14th century · Historical Figures0.82
  10. 10Hyacinth1777-1853 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.79
  11. 11Patriarch Nikon of Moscow1605-1681 · 17th century · Religious Figures0.75
  12. 12Nicholas I of Russia1796-1855 · 19th century · Russia · Models0.74
  13. 13Alexander Blok1880-1921 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.72
  14. 14Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia1690-1718 · 18th century · Politicians0.70
  15. 15Ivan the Terrible1530-1584 · 16th century · Politicians0.68
  16. 16Alexander I of Russia1777-1825 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.65
  17. 17Sergei Yesenin1895-1925 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.62
  18. 18Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia1832-1909 · 19th century · Russia · Politicians0.59
  19. 19Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia1899-1918 · 20th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.55
  20. 20Alexis of Russia1629-1676 · 17th century · Historical Figures0.54
  21. 21Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia1847-1909 · 19th century · Russia · Politicians0.54
  22. 22Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia1857-1905 · 19th century · Russia · Politicians0.53
  23. 23Ivan I Aleksandrovich, Prince of Smolenskdied 1359 · 14th century0.52
  24. 24Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow1482-1563 · 16th century · Writers0.52
  25. 25Vladimir Mayakovsky1893-1930 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.52
  26. 26Alexander II of Russia1818-1881 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.51
  27. 27Aleksey Tolstoy1882-1945 · 20th century · France · Writers0.50
  28. 28Nicholas II of Russia1868-1918 · 20th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.50
  29. 29Andrei Bely1880-1934 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.50
  30. 30Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia1850-1908 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.48
  31. 31Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy1817-1875 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.47
  32. 32Georgi Dimitrov1882-1949 · 20th century · Bulgaria · Politicians0.45
  33. 33Yuri Gagarin1934-1968 · 20th century · Russia · Astronauts0.42
  34. 34Michael of Russia1596-1645 · 17th century · Historical Figures0.42
  35. 35Maria Feodorovna1847-1928 · 19th century · Denmark · Historical Figures0.42
  36. 36Valery Bryusov1873-1924 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.39
  37. 37Mikhail Sholokhov1905-1984 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.39
  38. 38Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia1864-1931 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.38
  39. 39Maximus the Greek1475-1556 · 16th century · Writers0.37
  40. 40Ivan Fyodorov1510-1583 · 16th century0.35
  41. 41Dmitri Mendeleev1834-1907 · 19th century · Russia · Scientists0.33
  42. 42Leonid Andreyev1871-1919 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.32
  43. 43Stepan Razin1630-1671 · 17th century0.31
  44. 44Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia1827-1892 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.30
  45. 45Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia1860-1919 · 19th century · Russia · Politicians0.30
  46. 46Béla Kun1886-1938 · 20th century · Hungary · Activists0.29
  47. 47Boris of Tver1400-1461 · 15th century0.29
  48. 48Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia1858-1915 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.28
  49. 49Mikhail Kalinin1875-1946 · 20th century · Russia · Politicians0.28
  50. 50Alexandra Velyaminova1301-1364 · 14th century0.28
  51. 51Alexander Pushkin1799-1837 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.27
  52. 52Taras Shevchenko1814-1861 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.27
  53. 53Anton Chekhov1860-1904 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.26
  54. 54Mikhail Lomonosov1711-1765 · 18th century · Russia · Scientists0.26
  55. 55Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia1779-1831 · 19th century · Russia · Politicians0.26
  56. 56Nadezhda Krupskaya1869-1939 · 20th century · Russia · Politicians0.26
  57. 57Alexander III of Russia1845-1894 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.25
  58. 58Symeon of Polotsk1629-1680 · 17th century · Writers0.25
  59. 59Konstantin Simonov1915-1979 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.25
  60. 60Gleb Uspensky1843-1902 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.24
  61. 61Nikolai Ostrovsky1904-1936 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.23
  62. 62Elizabeth of Russia1709-1761 · 18th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.23
  63. 63Rasul Gamzatov1923-2003 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.22
  64. 64Denis Davydov1784-1839 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.22
  65. 65Nâzım Hikmet1902-1963 · 20th century · Turkey · Writers0.21
  66. 66Anna Akhmatova1889-1966 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.21
  67. 67Yanka Kupala1882-1942 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.21
  68. 68Ilya Ehrenburg1891-1967 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.20
  69. 69Catherine Pavlovna of Russia1788-1819 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.19
  70. 70Yemelyan Pugachev1742-1775 · 18th century · Russia · Activists0.19
  71. 71Paul I of Russia1754-1801 · 18th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.19
  72. 72Yakub Kolas1882-1956 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.18
  73. 73Marina Tsvetaeva1892-1941 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.18
  74. 74Korney Chukovsky1882-1969 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.17
  75. 75Ilia Chavchavadze1837-1907 · 19th century · Writers0.16
  76. 76Felix Dzerzhinsky1877-1926 · 20th century · Russia · Activists0.16
  77. 77Kosta Khetagurov1859-1906 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.16
  78. 78Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna of Russia1825-1844 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.15
  79. 79Vasili IV of Russia1552-1612 · 16th century · Historical Figures0.14
  80. 80Avraamy Palitsyn1550-1626 · 16th century · Writers0.14
  81. 81Konstantin of Uglich1389-1434 · 15th century0.14
  82. 82Patriarch Joachim1621-1690 · 17th century0.14
  83. 83Fyodor Dostoevsky1821-1881 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.14
  84. 84Vasily Shukshin1929-1974 · 20th century · Russia · Actors0.13
  85. 85Vasili III of Russia1479-1533 · 16th century · Politicians0.13
  86. 86Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia1871-1899 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.13
  87. 87Vladimir Solovyov1853-1900 · 19th century · Russia · Academics0.12
  88. 88Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia1863-1919 · 19th century · Russia · Politicians0.12
  89. 89Ivan Bunin1870-1953 · 20th century · France · Writers0.12
  90. 90Anatoly Lunacharsky1875-1933 · 20th century · Russia · Activists0.12
  91. 91Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya1923-1941 · 20th century · Russia0.11
  92. 92Alexey Leonov1934-2019 · 20th century · Russia · Artists0.11
  93. 93Sergei Korolev1906-1966 · 20th century · Russia · Scientists0.11
  94. 94Mikhail Alekseyev1857-1918 · 19th century · Russia · Politicians0.11
  95. 95Alexander Bestuzhev1797-1837 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.11
  96. 96Konstantin Paustovsky1892-1968 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.10
  97. 97Alexander Ulyanov1866-1887 · 19th century · Russia · Activists0.10
  98. 98Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia1783-1801 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.10
  99. 99Grand Duke Dimitri Constantinovich of Russia1860-1919 · 19th century · Russia · Politicians0.10
  100. 100Alexander Ivanov1806-1858 · 19th century · Russia · Artists0.10

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.