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 - 66AMAldus Manutius the Younger1547–1597 · 16th century0.71
- 67
Aldus Manutius1449–1515 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy0.71 - 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
Elizabeth Blackwell1821–1910 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctors17 decades - 2
H. H. Holmes1861–1896 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctors2 decades - 3
Doc Holliday1851–1887 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctors8 decades - 4
John Harvey Kellogg1852–1943 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctors5 decades - 5
William Walker1824–1860 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctors20 decades - 6
Mary Edwards Walker1832–1919 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctors0 decades - 7
James Curtis Hepburn1815–1911 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctors0 decades - 8
Leonard Wood1860–1927 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctors13 decades - 9
William T. G. Morton1819–1868 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctors2 decades - 10
William Stewart Halsted1852–1922 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 11
J. Marion Sims1813–1883 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 12
Charles Eastman1858–1939 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 13
Hawley Harvey Crippen1862–1910 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 14
George Huntington1850–1916 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctors9 decades - 15
Crawford Williamson Long1815–1878 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctors0 decades - 16
Andrew Taylor Still1828–1917 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 17
Samuel Mudd1833–1883 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 18
William Beaumont1785–1853 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 19
Ramón Emeterio Betances1827–1898 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 20
Samuel Gridley Howe1801–1876 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 21
Joel Roberts Poinsett1779–1851 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 22
John Gorrie1803–1855 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 23
Henry Draper1837–1882 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctors16 decades - 24
William Crawford Gorgas1854–1920 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctors4 decades - 25
Rebecca Lee Crumpler1831–1895 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctors0 decades - 26
William Bates1860–1931 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 27
William Henry Welch1850–1934 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 28
William James Mayo1861–1939 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 29
Howard Atwood Kelly1858–1943 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 30
John Jacob Abel1857–1938 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctors0 decades - 31
Mary Corinna Putnam Jacobi1842–1906 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 32
Henry Solomon Wellcome1853–1936 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 33
Emily Blackwell1826–1910 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 34
Albert Mackey1807–1881 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 35
Simon Flexner1863–1946 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 36
Greene Vardiman Black1836–1915 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 37
Harriot Kezia Hunt1805–1875 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 38
John Lawrence LeConte1825–1883 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 39
Ephraim McDowell1771–1830 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 40
Marcus Whitman1802–1847 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 41
Robert Wilson Shufeldt1850–1934 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 42
William Coley1862–1936 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 43
Marie Zakrzewska1829–1902 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 44
George Washington Crile1864–1943 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 45
James McCune Smith1813–1865 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 46
James Tyler Kent1849–1916 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 47
Thomas C. Durant1820–1885 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 48
Bernard Sachs1858–1944 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 49
William Williams Keen1837–1932 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 50
Samuel A. Cartwright1793–1863 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 51
Eliza Ann Grier1864–1902 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 52
John Collins Warren1778–1856 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 53
Samuel W. Crawford, Jr.1829–1892 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 54
David Hosack1769–1835 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 55
Solon Borland1808–1864 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 56
Cyrus Teed1839–1908 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 57
John Shaw Billings1838–1913 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 58SFStubbins Ffirth1782–1820 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured—
- 59
Albert Abrams1863–1924 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 60
Daniel Hale Williams1858–1931 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 61
Mary Ann Bickerdyke1817–1901 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 62
Augustus Addison Gould1805–1866 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 63
Charles Leale1842–1932 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 64
Mahlon Loomis1826–1886 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 65
Hans Kudlich1823–1917 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 66
John Edwards Holbrook1794–1871 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 67
John Benjamin Murphy1857–1916 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 68
Ann Preston1813–1872 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 69
Samuel David Gross1805–1884 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 70
James Ellsworth De Kay1792–1851 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 71
Rosa Welt-Straus1856–1938 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 72
Henry Jacob Bigelow1818–1890 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 73
Anita Newcomb McGee1864–1940 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 74
George Miller Sternberg1838–1915 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 75
Caroline Still Anderson1848–1919 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 76
George Vasey1822–1893 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 77
John Addison Fordyce1858–1925 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured—
- 78
Doc Adams1814–1899 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 79
William Henry Howell1860–1945 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 80
Henry Bryant1820–1867 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 81
Samuel Washington Woodhouse1821–1904 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 82
Mary E. Britton1855–1925 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 83EHEdward Hallowell1808–1860 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured—
- 84
Albert James Myer1828–1880 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 85
William Pepper1843–1898 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 86
Edward Livingston Trudeau1848–1915 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 87
Susan McKinney Steward1847–1918 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 88
William Harkness1837–1903 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 89
Robert Abbe1851–1928 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 90
Rebecca Cole1846–1922 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 91WOWilliam Orville Ayres1817–1887 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured—
- 92
John Henry Tilden1851–1940 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 93
Halle Tanner Dillon Johnson1864–1901 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 94
James G. Blunt1826–1881 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 95
Jacob Mendes Da Costa1833–1900 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 96
Thaddeus William Harris1795–1856 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 97
Lydia Folger Fowler1822–1879 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 98CBCatherine Brewer Benson1822–1908 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured—
- 99
William E. Upjohn1853–1932 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot measured— - 100
William Francis Channing1820–1901 · 🇺🇸 United States · Doctorsnot 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.