← 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
Ludwig van Beethoven21 decades - 2
Richard Wagner19 decades - 3
Johannes Brahms17 decades - 4
Robert Schumann19 decades - 5
Richard Strauss13 decades - 6
Carl Maria von Weber21 decades - 7
Annette von Droste-Hülshoff14 decades - 8
Max Bruch17 decades - 9
Giacomo Meyerbeer15 decades - 10
Hans von Bülow17 decades - 11
Carl Reinecke17 decades - 12
Eugen d'Albert13 decades - 13
Hugo Riemann15 decades - 14
Arthur Nikisch13 decades - 15
Carl Loewe15 decades - 16
Friedrich Kalkbrennernot measured- - 17
Heinrich August Marschner0 decades - 18
Xaver Scharwenkanot measured- - 19
Carl Teikenot measured- - 20
Conradin Kreutzer15 decades - 21
Hans von Koesslernot measured- - 22
Martin Krausenot measured- - 23
Johannes Lepsiusnot measured- - 24
Kuno von Moltkenot measured- - 25
Julius Klengelnot measured- - 26
Lilli Lehmannnot measured- - 27
Princess Marie Elisabeth of Saxe-Meiningennot measured- - 28
Pauline de Ahnanot measured- - 29
Karl Heinrich Barthnot measured- - 30
Alexander Frederick, Landgrave of Hessenot measured- - 31
Walther Wolfgang von Goethenot measured- - 32
Luise Adolpha Le Beaunot measured- - 33
Arthur Friedheimnot measured- - 34
Carl Bohmnot measured- - 35
Louise Reichardtnot measured- - 36
Louis Köhlernot measured- - 37
William Balcknot measured- - 38
Henri Bergernot measured- - 39
Ignaz Lachnernot measured- - 40
Otto von Mosernot measured- - 41
Richard Eilenbergnot measured- - 42
August Gottfried Ritternot measured- - 43
Wilhelm Altmannnot measured- - 44
James Kwastnot measured- - 45
Hermann Kretzschmarnot measured- - 46
Ludwig Erknot measured- - 47
Fritz Spindlernot measured- - 48
Conrad Ansorgenot measured- - 49
Hermann Grädenernot measured- - 50
Albert Methfesselnot measured- - 51Andreas Mosernot measured-
- 52
John Brinckmannot measured- - 53
Siegfried Ochsnot measured- - 54
Agnes Zimmermannnot measured- - 55
Ludwig Wilhelm Maurernot measured- - 56
Hans Sommernot measured- - 57Ludwig von Brennernot measured-
- 58
Angelo Neumannnot measured- - 59
Marianne Kirchgessnernot measured- - 60Johanna van Beethovennot measured-
- 61
Hugo Kaunnot measured- - 62
Carl Albert Löschhornnot measured- - 63Margarethe Danzinot measured-
- 64
Hugo Heermannnot measured- - 65
Felicita Vestvalinot measured- - 66Kaspar Kummernot measured-
- 67
Dorothea von Ertmannnot measured- - 68
Heinrich Wernernot measured- - 69Helene Liebmannnot measured-
- 70
Ida Marie Lipsiusnot measured- - 71
Hermann Ritternot measured- - 72
Stephan Krehlnot measured- - 73
Carl Amand Mangoldnot measured- - 74
Robert Radeckenot measured- - 75
Gustav Hollaendernot measured- - 76
Karl Anton Eckertnot measured- - 77
Theodor Döhlernot measured- - 78
Heinrich Panofkanot measured- - 79
Moritz Brosignot measured- - 80
Antonio Neumanenot measured- - 81
Bertha Schwarznot measured- - 82
Ferdinand Thieriotnot measured- - 83
Bernhard Cossmannnot measured- - 84
Jean Louis Nicodénot measured- - 85Mathilde Hannah von Rothschildnot measured-
- 86
Meno Burgnot measured- - 87
Johann Christian Lobenot measured- - 88
Franz von Blonnot measured- - 89
Theodor Avé-Lallemantnot measured- - 90
Eugen Guranot measured- - 91Hermann Neckenot measured-
- 92
Ludwig Deppenot measured- - 93Franz Behrnot measured-
- 94
Carl Herman Unthannot measured- - 95
Carl Cannabichnot measured- - 96
Heinrich Ehrlichnot measured- - 97
Ferdinand Pfohlnot measured- - 98Johann Heinrich Walchnot measured-
- 99
Friedrich Kochnot measured- - 100
Philipp Wolfrumnot 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.