← 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
Joseph Lister18 decades - 2
John Snow21 decades - 3
Havelock Ellis14 decades - 4
Ronald Ross13 decades - 5
John Langdon Down0 decades - 6
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson7 decades - 7
Henry Graynot measured- - 8
Frederick Hopkins1 decades - 9
Charles Bell22 decades - 10
Joseph Bellnot measured- - 11
Hudson Taylor14 decades - 12
Thomas Addison12 decades - 13
James Braid7 decades - 14
Anna Kingsford3 decades - 15
Edward Granville Browne0 decades - 16
David Brucenot measured- - 17
Astley Coopernot measured- - 18
Almroth Wrightnot measured- - 19
Edward Albert Sharpey-Schäfernot measured- - 20
Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of Pennnot measured- - 21
Henry Headnot measured- - 22
Edward Treacher Collinsnot measured- - 23
Agnes McLarennot measured- - 24
Sir Thomas Barlow, 1st Baronetnot measured- - 25
John Kiddnot measured- - 26
Waren Taynot measured- - 27
Jane Elizabeth Waterstonnot measured- - 28
Isaac Baker Brownnot measured- - 29
Alice Vickerynot measured- - 30
Madre Teresa Nuzzonot measured- - 31
Mary Scharliebnot measured- - 32
Frederick Parkes Webernot measured- - 33
Henry Walter Bellewnot measured- - 34
James Symenot measured- - 35
John Hughes Bennettnot measured- - 36
William Fergussonnot measured- - 37
Edith Mary Brownnot measured- - 38
Sir William Arbuthnot-Lane, 1st Baronetnot measured- - 39
William Ramsay Smithnot measured- - 40
Frederick Howard Taylornot measured- - 41
Cuthbert Christynot measured- - 42
Ethel Benthamnot measured- - 43
Thomas Spencer Wellsnot measured- - 44
William Whitlanot measured- - 45
Watson Cheynenot measured- - 46Alice Stewart Kernot measured-
- 47William Henry Battlenot measured-
- 48Thomas Batemannot measured-
- 49Henry Stephensnot measured-
- 50
Theodore Dyke Aclandnot measured- - 51Hastings Gilfordnot measured-
- 52
Joseph Bancroftnot measured-
- 53
Alfred Keoghnot measured- - 54
Sir James McGrigor, 1st Baronetnot measured- - 55
Charles Alfred Ballancenot measured- - 56
D'Arcy Powernot measured- - 57
Robert Muirnot measured- - 58
Arthur Sloggettnot measured- - 59
Humphry Rollestonnot measured- - 60
Arthur Mayo-Robsonnot measured- - 61
Hadley Williamsnot measured- - 62
Byrom Bramwellnot measured- - 63Andrew Jukesnot measured-
- 64
George Makinsnot measured- - 65
Thomas Snow Becknot measured- - 66
George Critchettnot measured- - 67
Sir John Bradford, 1st Baronetnot measured- - 68Francis de Havilland Hallnot measured-
- 69Hugh Smith Morrisonnot measured-
- 70Fred W. P. Jagonot measured-
- 71
Dirom Grey Crawfordnot measured- - 72James Thornenot 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.