← 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
Frédéric Chopin16 decades - 2
Claude Debussy12 decades - 3
Hector Berlioz19 decades - 4
Camille Saint-Saëns15 decades - 5
Georges Bizet15 decades - 6
Jacques Offenbach16 decades - 7
Gabriel Fauré14 decades - 8
Adolphe Sax13 decades - 9
Charles Gounod17 decades - 10
Hortense de Beauharnais20 decades - 11
Jules Massenet14 decades - 12
César Franck15 decades - 13
Léo Delibes16 decades - 14
Adolphe Adam19 decades - 15
Charles-Valentin Alkan0 decades - 16
Charles-Marie Widor8 decades - 17
Pauline Viardot18 decades - 18
Daniel Auber0 decades - 19
Édouard Lalo1 decades - 20
Vincent d'Indy14 decades - 21
Cécile Chaminade1 decades - 22
Emmanuel Chabrier14 decades - 23
Ernest Chausson13 decades - 24
Maria Malibran7 decades - 25
Mélanie Bonis1 decades - 26
Émile Waldteufel0 decades - 27
Fromental Halévy4 decades - 28
Anton Reicha0 decades - 29
Aristide Bruant13 decades - 30
Gaspare Spontini16 decades - 31
François Adrien Boieldieu0 decades - 32
Ambroise Thomas19 decades - 33
Rodolphe Kreutzer9 decades - 34
Louise Farrencnot measured- - 35
Augusta Holmèsnot measured- - 36
Friedrich Burgmüllernot measured- - 37
Gabriel Pierné13 decades - 38
Théodore Dubois15 decades - 39
Alexandre Guilmant13 decades - 40
Emma Calvé11 decades - 41
Henri Duparc12 decades - 42
André Messager14 decades - 43
Gustave Charpentier13 decades - 44
Léon Boëllmannnot measured- - 45
Benjamin Godardnot measured- - 46
George Onslownot measured- - 47
Jules Perrot2 decades - 48
Suzanne Manetnot measured- - 49
Eugène Gigoutnot measured- - 50
Ferdinand Héroldnot measured- - 51
Célestine Galli-Mariénot measured- - 52
Marie Pleyelnot measured- - 53
Henri Herznot measured- - 54
François Delsartenot measured- - 55
Charles-Louis Hanonnot measured- - 56
Guy Ropartznot measured- - 57
Marie Jaëllnot measured- - 58
Charles Lecocqnot measured- - 59
Ernest Guiraud13 decades - 60
André Gedalgenot measured- - 61
Arnold Dolmetschnot measured- - 62
Henry Litolffnot measured- - 63
Gilbert Dupreznot measured- - 64
Pierre Rodenot measured- - 65
Nicolas Isouardnot measured- - 66
Antoine-François Marmontel0 decades - 67
Philipp von Ferrarynot measured- - 68
Alfred Lefébure-Wélynot measured- - 69
Juliette Colbert de Barolonot measured- - 70
Charles Danclanot measured- - 71
Maurice Emmanuelnot measured- - 72
Arthur Saint-Léonnot measured- - 73
Auguste Franchommenot measured- - 74
Paul Taffanelnot measured- - 75
Jean-Baptiste Arbannot measured- - 76
Édouard Colonnenot measured- - 77
Louis Théodore Gouvynot measured- - 78
Nicolas-Charles Bochsanot measured- - 79
Napoléon Costenot measured- - 80
Clémence de Grandvalnot measured- - 81
Robert Planquette3 decades - 82
Hervénot measured- - 83
Adolphe Nourritnot measured- - 84
Félicien-César Davidnot measured- - 85
Pierre Baillotnot measured- - 86
Camille Pleyelnot measured- - 87
Jean-Baptiste Faurenot measured- - 88
Louis Diémernot measured- - 89
Pierre-Joseph-Guillaume Zimmermannnot measured- - 90
Marcelle Lendernot measured- - 91
Victor Massénot measured- - 92
Paul Vidalnot measured- - 93
Cornélie Falconnot measured- - 94
Camille Erlangernot measured- - 95
Victor Maurelnot measured- - 96
Jean-Delphin Alardnot measured- - 97
Ernest Reyernot measured- - 98
Marie Bigotnot measured-
- 99
Alfred Bruneaunot measured- - 100
Raoul Pugnonot 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.