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 Chinese books during the 19th century — whenever they lived.
In books written inEnglish18,114German3,599French3,347Italian1,787Spanish1,162Russian325Hebrew105Chinese9
#PersonIn print, 1800–2019Per million words
- 1
Zhu Xi1130–1200 · 12th century · 🇨🇳 China · Writers870 - 2
Li Hongzhang1823–1901 · 19th century · 🇨🇳 China · Politicians149 - 3
Zhang Zhidong1837–1909 · 19th century · Politicians86 - 4
Zuo Zongtang1812–1885 · 19th century · 🇨🇳 China · Politicians43 - 5
Ban Gu32–92 · 1st century · Writers40 - 6
Ge Hong284–364 · 4th century · Academics40 - 7CSChen Shou233–297 · 3rd century · Writers14
- 8
Mao Zedong1893–1976 · 20th century · 🇨🇳 China · Politicians12 - 9
Lu Xun1881–1936 · 20th century · 🇨🇳 China · Writers11
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
Alfred Nobel1833–1896 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists13 decades - 2
Svante Arrhenius1859–1927 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists6 decades - 3
Jöns Jacob Berzelius1779–1848 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists0 decades - 4
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Salomon August Andrée1854–1897 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists0 decades - 5
John Ericsson1803–1889 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists19 decades - 6
Anders Jonas Ångström1814–1874 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists0 decades - 7
Lars Levi Læstadius1800–1861 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists0 decades - 8
Gustaf de Laval1845–1913 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists0 decades - 9
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Johannes Rydberg1854–1919 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists0 decades - 10
Lars Magnus Ericsson1846–1926 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 11
Elias Magnus Fries1794–1878 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists0 decades - 12
Per Teodor Cleve1840–1905 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists0 decades - 13
Johan August Arfwedson1792–1841 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists0 decades - 14
Carl Gustaf Mosander1797–1858 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists0 decades - 15
Carl Adolph Agardh1785–1859 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists0 decades - 16
Nils Strindberg1872–1897 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 17
Knut Frænkel1870–1897 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 18
Johan Petter Johansson1853–1943 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 19
Thorsten Nordenfelt1842–1920 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 20
Nils Ericson1802–1870 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 21
Carl Edvard Johansson1864–1943 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 22
Anders Gustaf Ekeberg1767–1813 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists0 decades - 23
Lars Fredrik Nilson1840–1899 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists0 decades - 24
Emil Oskar Nobel1843–1864 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 25
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Jacob Georg Agardh1813–1901 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists0 decades - 26
Carl Axel Magnus Lindman1856–1928 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 27
Amalia Eriksson1824–1923 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 28
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Nils Gabriel Sefström1787–1845 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientists0 decades - 29
Anders Retzius1796–1860 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 30
Johan August Brinell1849–1925 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 31
Oskar Backlund1846–1916 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 32
Knut Ångström1857–1910 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 33
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Carl Vilhelm Ludvig Charlier1862–1934 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 34
Johan August Wahlberg1810–1856 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 35
Wilhelm Hisinger1766–1852 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 36
Göran Wahlenberg1780–1851 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 37
Per Georg Scheutz1785–1873 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 38
Jonas Wenström1855–1893 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 39
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Theodor Magnus Fries1832–1913 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 40
Nils Gustaf Ekholm1848–1923 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 41
Alfred Gabriel Nathorst1850–1921 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 42
Otto Martin Torell1828–1900 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 43
Anna Sundström1785–1871 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 44
Albert Atterberg1846–1916 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 45
Willgodt Theophil Odhner1845–1905 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 46
Per Axel Rydberg1860–1931 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 47
Nils Christoffer Dunér1839–1914 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 48
Hugo Gyldén1841–1896 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 49
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Erik Edlund1819–1888 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 50
Hjalmar Lundbohm1855–1926 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 51
Christian Wilhelm Blomstrand1826–1897 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 52
Gustaf Johan Billberg1772–1844 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 53
Nils Johan Andersson1821–1880 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 54
Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt1785–1874 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 55
Helge Palmcrantz1842–1880 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 56
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Emil von Sydow1812–1873 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 57GEGustaf Erik Hasch1788–1862 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured—
- 58
Martin Wiberg1826–1905 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 59GAGustavus Augustus Eisen1847–1940 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured—
- 60
Veit Wittrock1839–1914 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 61
Albert Ulrik Bååth1853–1912 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 62
Otto Pettersson1848–1941 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 63
Louise Hammarström1849–1917 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 64
Johan Wilhelm Palmstruch1770–1811 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 65
Sextus Otto Lindberg1835–1889 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 66
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Carl Daniel Ekman1845–1904 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 67
Robert Thalén1827–1905 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 68
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Hanna Hammarström1829–1914 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 69
Johan Erhard Areschoug1811–1887 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 70
Frans Reinhold Kjellman1846–1907 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 71
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Axel Möller1830–1896 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 72
Frans Wilhelm Lindqvist1862–1931 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 73
Nils Johan Berlin1812–1891 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 74
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Herman Schultz1823–1890 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 75
Carl Fredrik Nyman1820–1893 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 76
Karl Starbäck1863–1931 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 77
Carl Reinhold Sahlberg1779–1860 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 78
Nils Conrad Kindberg1832–1910 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 79
Carl Johann Hartman1790–1849 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 80
Nils Gustaf von Lagerheim1860–1926 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 81CQConrad Quensel1767–1806 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured—
- 82
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Sven Berggren1837–1917 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 83
Hampus Wilhelm Arnell1848–1932 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 84
Samuel Owen1774–1854 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 85
Carl Bovallius1849–1907 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 86JEJohan Emanuel Wikström1789–1856 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured—
- 87HDHans Daniel Johan Wallengren1823–1894 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured—
- 88
Per Karl Hjalmar Dusén1855–1926 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 89
Anders Fredrik Regnell1807–1884 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 90
Henrik Gustaf Söderbaum1862–1933 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 91
Peter Fredrik Wahlberg1800–1877 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 92GAGustav Adolf Hugo Dahlstedt1856–1934 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured—
- 93
Carl Hartman1824–1884 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 94
Theofron Munktell1805–1887 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 95
Hilda Carolina Ericsson1860–1941 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 96
Nils Lilja1808–1870 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 97
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Nils Peter Angelin1805–1876 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 98
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Svante Samuel Murbeck1859–1946 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 99
Gustaf Oskar Andersson Malme1864–1937 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot measured— - 100JÅJohan Ångström1813–1879 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Scientistsnot 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.