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
George Armstrong Custer1839–1876 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures7 decades - 2
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Liliʻuokalani1838–1917 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 3
Robert Peary1856–1920 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures3 decades - 4
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Sacagawea1788–1812 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures9 decades - 5
Kamehameha I1800–1819 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures13 decades - 6
Meriwether Lewis1774–1809 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures19 decades - 7
Kit Carson1809–1868 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures18 decades - 8
William Clark1770–1838 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures22 decades - 9
Kalākaua1836–1891 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures1 decades - 10
Hugh Glass1783–1833 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures5 decades - 11
John Sutter1803–1880 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures9 decades - 12
Zebulon Pike1779–1813 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures12 decades - 13
Jedediah Smith1799–1831 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 14
Jim Bridger1804–1881 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 15
Thomas Moran1837–1926 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures15 decades - 16
John Colter1774–1812 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 17
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George W. De Long1844–1881 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures1 decades - 18
John Lloyd Stephens1805–1852 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures4 decades - 19
James Beckwourth1798–1866 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 20
James W. Marshall1810–1885 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 21
Adolphus Greely1844–1935 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 22
Liver-Eating Johnson1824–1900 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 23
Ezra Meeker1830–1928 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 24
Nathaniel Palmer1799–1877 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures2 decades - 25
George Kennan1845–1924 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 26
Josephine Diebitsch Peary1863–1955 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 27
Benjamin Bonneville1797–1878 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 28
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Olive Oatman1837–1903 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 29
William Healey Dall1845–1927 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 30
Isaac Israel Hayes1832–1881 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 31
Stephen Harriman Long1784–1864 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 32
Elisha Kent Kane1820–1857 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 33
Benjamin Morrell1795–1839 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figures1 decades - 34
Titian Peale1799–1885 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 35
William Temple Hornaday1854–1937 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 36
Edward Herbert Thompson1857–1935 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 37
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James "Grizzly" Adams1812–1860 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 38
Manuel Lisa1772–1820 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 39AHAndrew Henry1775–1832 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured—
- 40
Ranald MacDonald1824–1894 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 41
Jean Baptiste Charbonneau1805–1866 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 42
Consuelo Yznaga, Duchess of Manchester1853–1909 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 43
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Jay Cooke1821–1905 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 44
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Walter Wellman1858–1934 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 45
May French Sheldon1847–1936 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 46
George Carmack1860–1922 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 47
John Augustine Zahm1851–1921 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 48
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Thomas Fitzpatrick1799–1854 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 49
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William Woodville Rockhill1854–1914 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 50
John Lawson Stoddard1850–1931 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 51
Mercator Cooper1803–1872 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 52
John Bozeman1835–1867 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 53
John Russell Bartlett1805–1886 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 54
John Williams Gunnison1812–1853 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 55
John W. Mackay1831–1902 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 56
William Sublette1799–1845 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 57
Matilda Coxe Stevenson1849–1915 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 58
Seth Kinman1815–1888 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 59
William Leonard Hunt1838–1929 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 60
Wilson Price Hunt1783–1842 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 61
Charles Chaillé-Long1842–1917 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 62JNJeremiah N. Reynolds1799–1858 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured—
- 63
William Louis Abbott1860–1936 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 64
Henry Tureman Allen1859–1930 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 65
William Austin Burt1792–1858 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 66
Henry Grinnell1799–1874 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 67
William F. Raynolds1820–1894 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 68
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David L. Brainard1856–1946 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 69
Edward Fitzgerald Beale1822–1893 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 70
Lafayette Bunnell1824–1903 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 71
George Drouillard1775–1810 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 72
Joseph R. Walker1798–1876 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 73
Frank G. Carpenter1855–1924 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 74
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Uriel Sebree1848–1922 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 75
Harry Yount1839–1924 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 76
Henry Wetherbee Henshaw1850–1930 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 77
Nathaniel P. Langford1832–1911 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 78
James B. Lockwood1852–1884 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 79
Richard Mohun1864–1915 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 80
Alfred Thomas Agate1812–1846 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 81
Charlie Utter1838–1915 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 82
Lansford Hastings1819–1870 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 83
Ed Schieffelin1847–1897 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 84
William S. Williams1787–1849 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 85
Thomas S. Hinde1785–1846 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 86EDEdwin De Haven1816–1865 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured—
- 87
John W. Barlow1838–1914 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 88
William Ludlow1843–1901 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 89
Evelyn Briggs Baldwin1862–1933 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 90
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Joseph Ladue1855–1901 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 91
Caspar Whitney1864–1929 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 92
Robert Stockton Williamson1825–1882 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured— - 93AFAlexander Forbes1778–1862 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot measured—
- 94
Albert S. Evans1831–1872 · 🇺🇸 United States · Historical Figuresnot 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.