← Fame through time1800-1899
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 English books during the 19th century, whenever they lived.
- 1
Jesus94 - 2
Homer15 - 3
Cicero13 - 4
Augustus13 - 5
Plato10 - 6
Virgil9.6 - 7
Aristotle9.4 - 8
Socrates6.4 - 9
Herodotus6.2 - 10
Plutarch5.6 - 11
Ovid4.2 - 12
Strabo4.1 - 13
Charlemagne3.9 - 14
Demosthenes3.8 - 15
Lord Byron3.6 - 16
Livy3.4 - 17
Origen3.1 - 18
Cleopatra3.0 - 19
Xenophon3.0 - 20
Walter Scott3.0 - 21
Tertullian2.7 - 22
James II, Count of Urgell2.6 - 23
Robert Peel2.6 - 24
Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor2.6 - 25
Pericles2.5
Lived then
The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 19th century, ranked where coverage and readership agree.
- 1
Jules Vallès16 decades - 2
Jules Guesde14 decades - 3
Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr19 decades - 4
Jean-Baptiste Henri Lacordaire14 decades - 5
Édouard Drumont14 decades - 6
Victor Noirnot measured- - 7
Jean-Lambert Tallien0 decades - 8
Henri Rochefort17 decades - 9
Louis Charles Delescluzenot measured- - 10
Maurice Jolynot measured- - 11
Charles-Louis Havasnot measured- - 12
Félix Fénéon13 decades - 13
Marguerite Durand13 decades - 14
Maria Deraismes9 decades - 15
Louis Veuillotnot measured- - 16
François Mignet0 decades - 17
Prosper-Olivier Lissagaraynot measured- - 18
Jean Gravenot measured- - 19
Alfred Capus13 decades - 20
Conrad Malte-Brun4 decades - 21
Petrus Borelnot measured- - 22
Théophile Thoré-Bürgernot measured- - 23
Paul Alexisnot measured- - 24
Arsène Arnaud Claretie16 decades - 25
Anselme Bellegarriguenot measured- - 26
Émile Pougetnot measured- - 27
Gustave Geffroynot measured- - 28
Élie Reclusnot measured- - 29
Zo d'Axanot measured- - 30
Armand Carrelnot measured- - 31
Émile Souvestrenot measured- - 32
Édouard Pailleron4 decades - 33
Théodore Duretnot measured- - 34
Antonin Proustnot measured- - 35
Fortuné du Boisgobeynot measured- - 36
Eugène Brieuxnot measured- - 37
Jeanne Deroinnot measured- - 38
Marc-André Raffalovichnot measured- - 39
Joseph Reinachnot measured- - 40
Jules Guérinnot measured- - 41
Joseph Mérynot measured- - 42
Claire Démarnot measured- - 43
Paule Minknot measured- - 44
Hippolyte de Villemessantnot measured- - 45
Abel Hugonot measured- - 46
Gustave Flourensnot measured- - 47
Gaston Calmettenot measured- - 48
Suzanne Voilquinnot measured- - 49
Eugène de Mirecourtnot measured- - 50
Georges Charpentiernot measured- - 51
Francisque Sarceynot measured- - 52
Raoul Rigaultnot measured- - 53
Adolphe Joannenot measured- - 54
Octave Uzannenot measured- - 55
Jules-Antoine Castagnarynot measured- - 56
Arthur Meyernot measured- - 57Pauline Rolandnot measured-
- 58
Jean Théophile Victor Leclercnot measured- - 59
René Doumicnot measured- - 60
Léon Halévynot measured- - 61
Charles Yriartenot measured- - 62
Lucien-Anatole Prévost-Paradolnot measured- - 63
Gaston de Raousset-Boulbonnot measured- - 64
Ernest Daudetnot measured- - 65
Philarète Chaslesnot measured- - 66
Marie-Jean-Lucien Lacazenot measured- - 67
Louis-François Bertinnot measured- - 68
Henri Blowitznot measured- - 69
Paul Hervieunot measured- - 70
Arthur Arnouldnot measured- - 71
Paul d'Ivoinot measured- - 72
Prince Bojidar Karageorgevitchnot measured- - 73
Amédée Thierrynot measured- - 74
Émile Eudesnot measured- - 75
Joseph Fiévéenot measured- - 76
Amand Bazardnot measured- - 77
Jules Lerminanot measured- - 78
Emmanuel Dupatynot measured- - 79
Alphonse Toussenelnot measured- - 80
Éléonore-Louis Godefroi Cavaignacnot measured- - 81
Léon Richernot measured- - 82Desirée Gaynot measured-
- 83
Charles Monseletnot measured- - 84
Philippe Gillenot measured- - 85
Louis Ulbachnot measured- - 86
Victorine Brochernot measured- - 87
Urbain Gohiernot measured- - 88
Amédée Guilleminnot measured- - 89
Moïse Polydore Millaudnot measured- - 90Alphonse Rabbenot measured-
- 91Théodore Dézamynot measured-
- 92
Paul Fouchernot measured- - 93
Édouard Chartonnot measured- - 94
Léon Cahunnot measured- - 95
Auguste-Jean-Marie Vermorelnot measured- - 96
Henri de Latouchenot measured- - 97
Maria Pognonnot measured- - 98
Baptiste Capefiguenot measured- - 99
Paul Adolphe Marie Prosper Granier de Cassagnacnot measured- - 100
Prosper Duvergier de Haurannenot measured-
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.