← 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
Adam Opel12 decades - 2
August Oetkernot measured- - 3
Henry E. Steinwaynot measured- - 4
Maximilian Karl, 6th Prince of Thurn and Taxisnot measured- - 5
Nathan Strausnot measured- - 6
Carl Heinrich von Siemensnot measured- - 7
Carl Walthernot measured- - 8
Carl Heinrich Theodor Knorrnot measured- - 9
Georg Wilhelm von Siemensnot measured- - 10
Gustav Beckernot measured- - 11
Theodor Bergmannnot measured- - 12
Friedrich Soenneckennot measured- - 13
Rudolf Mossenot measured- - 14
Guido Henckel von Donnersmarcknot measured- - 15
James Simonnot measured- - 16
Friedrich Weyerhäusernot measured- - 17
Hermann Tietznot measured- - 18
John Jacob Bauschnot measured- - 19
Arnold von Siemensnot measured- - 20
Conrad Dietrich Magirusnot measured- - 21
Georg Kraussnot measured- - 22
Friedrich Siemensnot measured- - 23
Ludwig Knoopnot measured- - 24Karl Godullanot measured-
- 25
Margarethe Kruppnot measured- - 26
Victor Mayernot measured-
- 27
Friedrich Eduard Bilznot measured- - 28
Sophie Opelnot measured- - 29
Reinhard Mannesmannnot measured- - 30
Chris von der Ahenot measured- - 31
Julius Pintschnot measured- - 32Hermann Blohmnot measured-
- 33
Hermann Einsteinnot measured- - 34
Karol Wedelnot measured- - 35
Fritz Henkelnot measured- - 36
Ernst Leitz seniornot measured- - 37
Otto Gerstenbergnot measured- - 38Friedrich Thyssennot measured-
- 39
William Ralph Mertonnot measured- - 40
Adelbert Delbrücknot measured- - 41
Johann Sigmund Schuckertnot measured- - 42Ludwig Loewenot measured-
- 43Ernst Vossnot measured-
- 44
C.F. Theodore Steinwaynot measured- - 45
Heinrich Emanuel Mercknot measured- - 46Edwin Bechsteinnot measured-
- 47
Adolph Friedländernot measured- - 48
Friedrich Fischernot measured- - 49
Ferdinand Mülhensnot measured- - 50Theodor Fahrnernot measured-
- 51
Henry Harnischfegernot measured- - 52
Josef Rodenstocknot measured- - 53Ludwig Hupfeldnot measured-
- 54Rudolf Pringsheimnot measured-
- 55
Friedrich Adolf Richternot measured- - 56
Carl Adolf Riebecknot measured- - 57
Carl Bambergnot measured- - 58Carl Wilhelm Moritznot measured-
- 59Friedrich Heinenot measured-
- 60Jacob Mosernot measured-
- 61Johann Christoph Neupertnot measured-
- 62
Franz Schüttenot measured- - 63
Zachary Hochschildnot measured- - 64
Barthold Suermondtnot measured- - 65Emil Quandtnot measured-
- 66
Friedrich Honigmannnot measured- - 67
Paul Isenbergnot measured- - 68
Moritz Horkheimernot measured- - 69
Carl Leopold Netternot measured- - 70Carl Friedrich Alexander Boschnot measured-
- 71
Georg Zacharias Platnernot measured- - 72Georg Liebermannnot measured-
- 73Carl Canarisnot measured-
- 74
Joseph Liebmannnot measured- - 75
Carl August Klindworthnot measured- - 76Johann Jakob Langennot measured-
- 77Ludwig Bischoffnot measured-
- 78Alfred Thiemenot measured-
- 79Hans Siemensnot measured-
- 80
Bernhard Kahnnot measured- - 81Emil Langennot measured-
- 82Hugo Adolph von Steinheilnot measured-
- 83Robert Kaysernot measured-
- 84Hans Rudolf Langennot measured-
- 85Wunibald Braunnot measured-
- 86Adam Maynot measured-
- 87Eduard Hermann Schwittersnot 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.