1800–1899
The 19th century
Whose names filled the books of the 19th century — 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 19th century — whenever they lived.
In books written inEnglish18,114German3,599French3,347Italian1,787Spanish1,162Russian325Hebrew105Chinese9
#PersonIn print, 1800–2019Per million words
- 1
Giotto1267–1337 · 14th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists5.5 - 2
Antonio da Correggio1489–1534 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists5.0 - 3
Lorenzo de' Medici1449–1492 · 15th century · Politicians3.0 - 4
Dante Alighieri1265–1321 · 14th century · Writers2.9 - 5
Pietro Perugino1448–1523 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists2.9 - 6
Donato Bramante1444–1514 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Architects2.6 - 7
Torquato Tasso1544–1595 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers2.6 - 8
Caravaggio1571–1610 · 17th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists2.1 - 9
Apostolo Zeno1668–1750 · 18th century · Writers2.1 - 10
Cimabue1240–1302 · 13th century · Artists2.1 - 11
Tintoretto1519–1594 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists1.9 - 12
Charles Borromeo1538–1584 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Religious Figures1.8 - 13
Donatello1386–1466 · 15th century · Artists1.8 - 14
Paul the Deacon720–799 · 8th century · Writers1.8 - 15
Leonardo da Vinci1452–1519 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists1.7 - 16
Philip Neri1515–1595 · 16th century · Religious Figures1.7 - 17
Marco Polo1254–1324 · 13th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians1.7 - 18
Cosimo de' Medici1389–1464 · 15th century · Politicians1.7 - 19
Galileo Galilei1564–1642 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Scientists1.7 - 20
Andrea Doria1466–1560 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians1.6 - 21
Giulio Romano1499–1546 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists1.6 - 22
Guercino1591–1666 · 17th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists1.5 - 23
Domenichino1581–1641 · 17th century · Artists1.5 - 24
Ugo Foscolo1778–1827 · 19th century · Writers1.4 - 25
Petrarch1304–1374 · 14th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics1.4 - 26
Andrea del Sarto1486–1530 · 16th century · Artists1.2 - 27
Pietro Aretino1492–1556 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers1.2 - 28
Alessandro Manzoni1785–1873 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers1.2 - 29
Giorgio Vasari1511–1574 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists1.2 - 30
Masaccio1401–1428 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists1.1 - 31
Baldassare Franceschini1611–1690 · 17th century · Artists1.1 - 32
Francis of Assisi1182–1226 · 13th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers1.1 - 33
Cesare Borgia1475–1507 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Historical Figures1.1 - 34
Paolo Veronese1528–1588 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists1.1 - 35
Guido Reni1575–1642 · 17th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists1.0 - 36
Dino Compagni1255–1324 · 13th century · Writers1.0 - 37
Pietro Bembo1470–1547 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Religious Figures1.00 - 38
Guido Cavalcanti1258–1300 · 13th century · Writers0.99 - 39
Niccolò Machiavelli1469–1527 · 16th century · Politicians0.99 - 40
Filippo Maria Visconti1392–1447 · 15th century · Politicians0.97 - 41
Cesare Balbo1789–1853 · 19th century · Politicians0.97 - 42
Giuseppe Mazzini1805–1872 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Activists0.93 - 43
Prospero Colonna1452–1523 · 15th century0.90 - 44
Benvenuto Cellini1500–1571 · 16th century · Artists0.90 - 45
Benedetto Varchi1503–1565 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.88 - 46
Francesco Guicciardini1483–1540 · 16th century · Writers0.88 - 47
Aloysius Gonzaga1568–1591 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Religious Figures0.88 - 48
Vittorio Alfieri1749–1803 · 18th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Historical Figures0.87 - 49
Silvio Pellico1789–1854 · 19th century · Writers0.87 - 50
Cesare Cantù1804–1895 · 19th century · Writers0.87 - 51
Giacomo Leopardi1798–1837 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.85 - 52
Vincenzo Gioberti1801–1852 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics0.85 - 53
Giovanni Boccaccio1313–1375 · 14th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.85 - 54
Francesco Redi1626–1697 · 17th century · Doctors0.85 - 55
Francesco Gonzaga1444–1483 · 15th century0.84 - 56
Franco Sacchetti1332–1400 · 14th century · Writers0.82 - 57
Teodato Ipato750–800 · 8th century · Politicians0.80 - 58
Salvator Rosa1615–1673 · 17th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.76 - 59
Giordano Bruno1548–1600 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics0.75 - 60
Girolamo Savonarola1452–1498 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians0.74 - 61
Domenico Passignano1559–1638 · 16th century · Artists0.74 - 62
Paolo Sarpi1552–1623 · 16th century · Academics0.73 - 63
Parmigianino1503–1540 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.72 - 64
Paolo Giovio1483–1552 · 16th century · Writers0.71 - 65
Massimo d'Azeglio1798–1866 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians0.71 - 66
Aldus Manutius1449–1515 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy0.71 - 67AMAldus Manutius the Younger1547–1597 · 16th century0.71
- 68
Bernardo Tasso1493–1569 · 16th century · Writers0.71 - 69
Lucrezia Borgia1480–1519 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Historical Figures0.69 - 70
Pietro da Cortona1596–1669 · 17th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.69
- 71MVMatteo Villani1283–1363 · 14th century · Writers0.68
- 72
Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei1675–1755 · 18th century · Writers0.66 - 73
Luigi Alamanni1495–1556 · 16th century · Writers0.65 - 74
Vittoria Colonna1492–1547 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.64 - 75
Pietro Verri1728–1797 · 18th century · Academics0.64 - 76
Pinturicchio1454–1513 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.64 - 77
Giuliano de' Medici1453–1478 · 15th century · Politicians0.62 - 78
Marsilio Ficino1433–1499 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics0.62 - 79
Filippo Villani1325–1407 · 14th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.62 - 80
Paulus Manutius1512–1574 · 16th century · Writers0.61 - 81
Catherine de' Medici1519–1589 · 16th century · 🇫🇷 France · Historical Figures0.60 - 82
Scipione Ammirato1531–1601 · 16th century · Writers0.58 - 83
Bernardino of Siena1380–1444 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics0.58 - 84
Francesco Filelfo1398–1481 · 15th century · Academics0.56 - 85
Andrea Gritti1455–1538 · 15th century · Politicians0.56 - 86
Pontormo1494–1556 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.52 - 87
Antonio Rosmini1797–1855 · 19th century · Academics0.51 - 88
Leon Battista Alberti1404–1472 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Architects0.49 - 89
Francesco Foscari1373–1457 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians0.47 - 90
Giosuè Carducci1835–1907 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.47 - 91
Andrea Dandolo1306–1354 · 14th century · Politicians0.45 - 92
Alessandro Cagliostro1743–1795 · 18th century · 🇫🇷 France · Doctors0.45 - 93
Francesco Vettori1474–1540 · 16th century · Writers0.45 - 94
Leandro Alberti1479–1552 · 16th century · Writers0.45 - 95
Amerigo Vespucci1454–1512 · 15th century · Historical Figures0.44 - 96
Erasmo of Narni1370–1443 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy0.44 - 97
Anton Maria Salvini1653–1729 · 17th century · Writers0.43 - 98
Michelangelo1475–1564 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.43 - 99
Francesca da Rimini1259–1285 · 13th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.42 - 100
Antonio Canova1757–1822 · 18th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.42
Lived then
The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 19th century, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.
#PersonIn print, 1800–2019Echoed
- 1
Ludwig van Beethoven1770–1827 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians21 decades - 2
Richard Wagner1813–1883 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians19 decades - 3
Johannes Brahms1833–1897 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians17 decades - 4
Robert Schumann1810–1856 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians19 decades - 5
Richard Strauss1864–1949 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians13 decades - 6
Carl Maria von Weber1786–1826 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians21 decades - 7
Annette von Droste-Hülshoff1797–1848 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians14 decades - 8
Max Bruch1838–1920 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians17 decades - 9
Giacomo Meyerbeer1791–1864 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians15 decades - 10
Hans von Bülow1830–1894 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians17 decades - 11
Carl Reinecke1824–1910 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians17 decades - 12
Arthur Nikisch1855–1922 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians13 decades - 13
Friedrich Kalkbrenner1785–1849 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 14
Carl Loewe1796–1869 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians15 decades - 15
Eugen d'Albert1864–1932 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians13 decades - 16
Hugo Riemann1849–1919 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians15 decades - 17
Heinrich August Marschner1795–1861 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians0 decades - 18
Xaver Scharwenka1850–1924 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 19
Conradin Kreutzer1780–1849 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musicians15 decades - 20
Johannes Lepsius1858–1926 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 21
Julius Klengel1859–1933 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 22
Lilli Lehmann1848–1929 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 23
Kuno von Moltke1847–1923 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 24
Princess Marie Elisabeth of Saxe-Meiningen1853–1923 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 25
Hans von Koessler1853–1926 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 26
Martin Krause1853–1918 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 27
Alexander Frederick, Landgrave of Hesse1863–1945 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 28
Carl Teike1864–1922 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 29
Pauline de Ahna1863–1950 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 30
Walther Wolfgang von Goethe1818–1885 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 31
Karl Heinrich Barth1847–1922 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 32
Luise Adolpha Le Beau1850–1927 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 33
Arthur Friedheim1859–1932 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 34
Louis Köhler1820–1886 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 35
Carl Bohm1844–1920 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 36
Ignaz Lachner1807–1895 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 37
William Balck1858–1924 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 38
Otto von Moser1860–1931 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 39
August Gottfried Ritter1811–1885 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 40
Hermann Kretzschmar1848–1924 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 41
Louise Reichardt1779–1826 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 42
Hermann Grädener1844–1929 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 43
Fritz Spindler1817–1905 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 44
Conrad Ansorge1862–1930 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 45
Albert Methfessel1785–1869 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 46
Agnes Zimmermann1847–1925 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 47
Siegfried Ochs1858–1929 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 48
Ludwig Wilhelm Maurer1789–1878 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 49LVLudwig von Brenner1833–1902 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured—
- 50
Angelo Neumann1838–1910 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 51
Hans Sommer1837–1922 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 52
Henri Berger1844–1929 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 53
Marianne Kirchgessner1769–1808 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 54
John Brinckman1814–1870 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 55
James Kwast1852–1927 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 56MDMargarethe Danzi1768–1800 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured—
- 57
Hugo Kaun1863–1932 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 58
Carl Albert Löschhorn1819–1905 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 59
Felicita Vestvali1831–1880 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 60JVJohanna van Beethoven1786–1869 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured—
- 61KKKaspar Kummer1795–1870 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured—
- 62
Richard Eilenberg1848–1927 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 63HLHelene Liebmann1795–1835 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured—
- 64
Ida Marie Lipsius1837–1927 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 65
Hermann Ritter1849–1926 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 66
Dorothea von Ertmann1781–1849 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 67
Stephan Krehl1864–1924 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 68
Wilhelm Altmann1862–1951 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 69
Ludwig Erk1807–1883 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 70
Robert Radecke1830–1911 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 71
Karl Anton Eckert1820–1879 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 72
Heinrich Werner1800–1833 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 73
Gustav Hollaender1855–1915 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 74
Heinrich Panofka1807–1887 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 75
Theodor Döhler1814–1856 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 76
Moritz Brosig1815–1887 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 77AMAndreas Moser1859–1925 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured—
- 78
Bertha Schwarz1855–1947 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 79
Bernhard Cossmann1822–1910 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 80
Johann Christian Lobe1797–1881 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 81
Carl Cannabich1771–1806 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 82
Jean Louis Nicodé1853–1919 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 83
Heinrich Ehrlich1822–1899 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 84
Ludwig Deppe1828–1890 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 85
Franz von Blon1861–1945 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 86
Eugen Gura1842–1906 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 87
Ferdinand Pfohl1862–1949 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 88
Friedrich Koch1862–1927 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 89
Philipp Wolfrum1854–1919 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 90
Ferdinand Thieriot1838–1919 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 91
Meno Burg1789–1853 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 92
Theodor Avé-Lallemant1806–1890 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 93FBFranz Behr1837–1898 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured—
- 94
Carl Herman Unthan1848–1929 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 95
Oskar Fleischer1856–1933 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 96
Otto Singer1833–1894 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 97JHJohann Heinrich Walch1775–1855 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured—
- 98
Heinrich Schulz-Beuthen1838–1915 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 99
Julius Eichberg1824–1893 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured— - 100
Heinrich Reimann1850–1906 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Musiciansnot measured—
How this is measured
- Placing people in time. Each person belongs to the century in which they were most active — around age 35, and never after their death.
- Who ranks highest. Within a century, people are ranked where two independent signals agree: how many of the world’s Wikipedia language editions cover them, and how many people actually read about them. Article counts alone can be lifted by a person’s own circle; readers cannot.
- Fame in print. The curves count how often a name appears in Google Books from 1800 to 2019, as a share of all the words printed each year, in the person’s own language wherever that corpus exists. Those decades are over, so each measurement is made once and kept.
- What is left out. A lifetime is measured only from 1820, when there is enough print to judge; the five years after a death are skipped as obituaries; and a name shared with someone equally notable is credited to neither.