← 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
Ralph Waldo Emerson19 decades - 2
William Jamesnot measured- - 3
John Dewey14 decades
- 4
Charles Sanders Peirce9 decades - 5
Henry George19 decades - 6
Franz Boas14 decades - 7
Thorstein Veblen11 decades - 8
Oliver Wendell Holmesnot measured- - 9
Friedrich List18 decades - 10
George Herbert Mead7 decades - 11
Nicholas Murray Butler14 decades - 12
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain0 decades - 13
Othniel Charles Marsh0 decades - 14
Lewis H. Morgan15 decades - 15
William Miller22 decades - 16
G. Stanley Hall14 decades - 17
Dwight Lyman Moody0 decades - 18
John William Draper7 decades - 19
Hugo Münsterberg3 decades - 20
Josiah Royce14 decades - 21
Mary Whiton Calkins2 decades - 22
William Graham Sumner11 decades - 23
Robert Ezra Park0 decades - 24
Theodore Parker18 decades - 25
Cyrus Ingerson Scofieldnot measured- - 26
Charles Cooley0 decades - 27
Adoniram Judsonnot measured- - 28
Ernest Fenollosanot measured- - 29
Charles William Eliotnot measured- - 30
James McKeen Cattell6 decades - 31
Daniel Harvey Hillnot measured- - 32
Felix Adler15 decades - 33
Benjamin Peirce19 decades - 34
Nathaniel Bowditchnot measured- - 35
Solomon Schechternot measured- - 36
Florence Kelleynot measured- - 37
John Bates Clark12 decades - 38
Henry Schoolcraft1 decades - 39
Joseph Leidy13 decades - 40
Clement Clarke Moorenot measured- - 41
Samuel George Mortonnot measured- - 42
Spencer Fullerton Baird3 decades - 43
William Walker Atkinsonnot measured- - 44
Henry Charles Carey0 decades - 45
Edward S. Morsenot measured- - 46
Edmund Beecher Wilsonnot measured- - 47
B. B. Warfieldnot measured- - 48
Isaac Mayer Wisenot measured- - 49
Alexander Emanuel Agassiz0 decades - 50
Christine Ladd-Franklinnot measured- - 51
John R. Commonsnot measured- - 52
Charles Hodgenot measured- - 53
James Mark Baldwin6 decades - 54
George Bird Grinnellnot measured- - 55
Orison Swett Mardennot measured- - 56
Francis Liebernot measured- - 57
Annie Smith Pecknot measured- - 58
Florence Bascom4 decades - 59
Arnaud Henri Guyotnot measured- - 60
James Mooneynot measured- - 61
James Clark McReynoldsnot measured- - 62
Hubert Howe Bancroftnot measured- - 63
Florian Cajori6 decades - 64
Orson Prattnot measured- - 65
William Dwight Whitney7 decades - 66
Charles Conrad Abbott1 decades - 67
Theodore M. Davisnot measured- - 68
Edward Jonesnot measured- - 69
Abbott Lawrence Lowellnot measured- - 70
William Fogg Osgoodnot measured- - 71
Daniel Garrison Brintonnot measured- - 72
Theobald Smithnot measured- - 73
Richard T. Elynot measured- - 74
Eliakim Hastings Moorenot measured- - 75
Joseph Jastrownot measured- - 76
Francis Amasa Walkernot measured- - 77
Zelia Nuttallnot measured- - 78
Alice Cunningham Fletchernot measured- - 79
Frank Nelson Colenot measured- - 80
Ephraim George Squiernot measured- - 81
Elizabeth Cabot Agassiznot measured- - 82
Francis La Fleschenot measured- - 83
Luigi Palma di Cesnolanot measured- - 84
William Henry Holmesnot measured- - 85
Richard James Horatio Gottheilnot measured- - 86
Frank Fetternot measured- - 87
Katharine Comannot measured- - 88
John Burgessnot measured- - 89
Barton W. Stonenot measured- - 90
Charles Henry Gilbertnot measured- - 91
Arthur E. Kennellynot measured- - 92
Albion Woodbury Smallnot measured- - 93
J. Howard Moorenot measured- - 94
William Jacob Hollandnot measured- - 95
Josiah C. Nottnot measured- - 96
Adoniram Judson Gordonnot measured- - 97
Alice Freeman Palmernot measured- - 98
William Torrey Harrisnot measured- - 99
Elias Loomisnot measured- - 100
Alexander P. Stewartnot 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.