← 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
J. M. W. Turner22 decades - 2
William Morris19 decades - 3
Victoria, Princess Royalnot measured- - 4
Joseph Merrick0 decades - 5
John Constable22 decades - 6
John Everett Millais13 decades - 7
Eadweard Muybridge7 decades - 8
Aubrey Beardsley13 decades - 9
Edward Lear15 decades - 10
William Holman Hunt5 decades - 11
Edward Burne-Jones13 decades - 12
Frederic Leighton5 decades - 13
Branwell Brontë1 decades - 14
John Martin22 decades - 15
Louis Wain2 decades - 16
Ford Madox Brown15 decades - 17
Gertrude Jekyll9 decades - 18
Walter Sickert12 decades - 19
John Collier17 decades - 20
George Cruikshank21 decades - 21
Effie Gray0 decades - 22
Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdomnot measured- - 23
John Atkinson Grimshaw0 decades - 24
William Kennedy Dickson0 decades - 25
Elizabeth Thompson18 decades - 26
Roger Fenton7 decades - 27
Margaret MacDonald0 decades - 28
Frank Bernard Dickseenot measured- - 29
Henry Scott Tukenot measured- - 30
Richard Daddnot measured- - 31
Marie Spartali Stillman0 decades - 32
Kate Perugininot measured- - 33
Richard Parkes Bonington0 decades - 34
Marianne Stokesnot measured- - 35
Luke Fildesnot measured- - 36
John Laverynot measured- - 37
Joanna Hiffernannot measured- - 38
Katherine Plunketnot measured- - 39
May Morrisnot measured- - 40
Joseph Noel Patonnot measured- - 41
Dorothy Tennantnot measured- - 42
Thomas Cooper Gotchnot measured- - 43
Thomas Girtin1 decades - 44
Louise Joplingnot measured- - 45
Solomon Joseph Solomonnot measured- - 46
John Sell Cotmannot measured- - 47
Annie Swynnertonnot measured- - 48
George Clausennot measured- - 49
Richard Leach Maddoxnot measured- - 50
John Frederick Lewisnot measured- - 51
Peter Henry Emersonnot measured- - 52
Alfred Wallisnot measured- - 53
David Octavius Hillnot measured- - 54
James Patersonnot measured- - 55
John Cromenot measured- - 56
Alfred Gilbertnot measured- - 57
Violet Manners, Duchess of Rutlandnot measured- - 58
Richard Caton Woodville Jr.not measured- - 59
Francis Frithnot measured- - 60
John Linnellnot measured- - 61
Francis Meadow Sutcliffenot measured- - 62
Henry Holidaynot measured- - 63
Henrietta Raenot measured- - 64
Stanhope Forbesnot measured- - 65
Phoebe Anna Traquairnot measured- - 66
George Framptonnot measured- - 67
Herbert Gustave Schmalznot measured- - 68
Mary Fraser Tytlernot measured- - 69
James Robertsonnot measured- - 70
Henry Tonksnot measured- - 71
Henry Justice Fordnot measured- - 72
Francis Danbynot measured- - 73
Christina Robertsonnot measured- - 74
Emma Sandysnot measured- - 75
William Allannot measured- - 76
William Daniellnot measured- - 77
Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherlandnot measured- - 78
Philip Wilson Steernot measured- - 79
Samuel Bournenot measured- - 80
Emily Shanksnot measured- - 81
William Henry Bartlettnot measured- - 82
Edward Atkinson Hornelnot measured- - 83
Clarkson Frederick Stanfieldnot measured- - 84
Emily Mary Osbornnot measured- - 85
Frederick H. Evansnot measured- - 86
Alfred Eastnot measured- - 87
Robert Anning Bellnot measured- - 88
W. G. Collingwoodnot measured- - 89
William Lionel Wyllienot measured- - 90
Archibald Thorburnnot measured- - 91
George Henrynot measured- - 92
Edward Thomas Daniellnot measured- - 93
Jessie Lipscombnot measured- - 94
Adrian Scott Stokesnot measured- - 95
Christabel Cockerellnot measured- - 96
William Henry Huntnot measured- - 97
Lucien Walérynot measured- - 98William Henry Margetsonnot measured-
- 99
Robert Adamsonnot measured- - 100
Warwick Goblenot 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.