← 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
Ilya Repin10 decades - 2
Ivan Aivazovsky2 decades - 3
Viktor Vasnetsov10 decades - 4
Ivan Shishkin9 decades - 5
Karl Bryullov11 decades - 6
Arkhip Kuindzhi2 decades - 7
Vasily Vereshchagin8 decades - 8
Isaac Levitan7 decades - 9
Vasily Surikov8 decades - 10
Mikhail Vrubel9 decades - 11
Ivan Kramskoi11 decades - 12
Anna Pavlovna of Russia0 decades - 13
Vasily Perov8 decades - 14
Mikhail Nesterov8 decades - 15
Vasily Polenov8 decades - 16
Nikolai Ge10 decades - 17
Alexei Savrasov3 decades - 18
Alexander Ivanov19 decades - 19
Konstantin Makovsky6 decades - 20
Leonid Pasternak4 decades - 21
Vasily Andreevich Tropinin1 decades - 22
Marianne von Werefkin0 decades - 23
Nikolai Yaroshenko1 decades - 24
Konstantin Savitsky0 decades - 25
Orest Kiprensky9 decades - 26
Vladimir Makovsky7 decades - 27
Apollinary Vasnetsov0 decades - 28
Mykola Pymonenkonot measured- - 29
Stanisław Witkiewicz0 decades - 30
Viktor Hartmannnot measured- - 31
Franz Roubaudnot measured- - 32
Mark Antokolski0 decades - 33
Alexey Bogolyubov3 decades - 34
Grigoriy Myasoyedovnot measured- - 35
Napoleon Ordanot measured- - 36
Maria Wodzińskanot measured- - 37
Nikolay Kasatkinnot measured- - 38
Alexey Venetsianov7 decades - 39
Pavel Fedotov12 decades - 40
Abram Arkhipov1 decades - 41
Vassili Vladimirovich Pukiryovnot measured- - 42
Pavel Chistyakov0 decades - 43
January Suchodolski0 decades - 44
Yelena Polenovanot measured- - 45
Karl Bullanot measured- - 46
Princess Dorothea of Courlandnot measured- - 47
Princess Wilhelmine, Duchess of Sagannot measured- - 48
Peter Clodt von Jürgensburgnot measured- - 49
Anna Golubkinanot measured- - 50
Gerhard von Kügelgennot measured- - 51
Grigory Gagarinnot measured- - 52
Johann Kölernot measured- - 53
Andrei Petrovich Ryabushkinnot measured- - 54
Vassily Maximovnot measured- - 55
Lev Lagorionot measured- - 56
Illarion Mikhailovich Pryanishnikovnot measured- - 57
Mikhail Mikeshinnot measured- - 58
Nikolai Samokyshnot measured- - 59
Franciszek Żmurkonot measured- - 60
Princess Maria Tenishevanot measured- - 61
Pyotr Zakharov-Chechenetsnot measured- - 62
Zinaida Volkonskayanot measured- - 63
Fyodor Petrovich Tolstoynot measured- - 64
Nikolai Nevrevnot measured- - 65
Nikolay Nikanorovich Dubovskoynot measured- - 66
Aleksey Kivshenkonot measured- - 67
Avdotya Panaevanot measured- - 68
Mikhail Clodt von Jürgensburgnot measured- - 69
Sergey Malyutinnot measured- - 70
Sylvester Shchedrinnot measured- - 71
Catherine Bagrationnot measured- - 72
Sergey Ivanovnot measured- - 73
Kyriak Kostandinot measured- - 74
Jan Stanisławskinot measured- - 75
Alexander Opekushinnot measured- - 76
Konstantin Flavitskynot measured- - 77
Julius Sergius von Klevernot measured- - 78
Antoni Brodowskinot measured- - 79
Sergey Lvovich Levitskynot measured- - 80
Alexander Kiselyovnot measured- - 81
Louis Chorisnot measured- - 82
Dorothea de Ficquelmontnot measured- - 83
Alexander Litovchenkonot measured- - 84
Walenty Wańkowicznot measured- - 85
Alexander von Kotzebuenot measured- - 86
Nikolay Makovskynot measured- - 87
Bogdan Willewaldenot measured- - 88
Yefim Volkovnot measured- - 89
Klavdy Lebedevnot measured- - 90
Carl Timoleon von Neffnot measured- - 91
Elisabeth Bemnot measured- - 92
Konstantin Trutovskynot measured- - 93
Alexander Ivanovich Morozovnot measured- - 94
Vladislav Klembovskynot measured- - 95
Maxim Vorobievnot measured- - 96
Eugen Dückernot measured- - 97
Ivan Khrutskynot measured- - 98
Nikolai Dmitriev-Orenburgskynot measured- - 99
Kazimierz Alchimowicznot measured- - 100
Eduard Haunot 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.