1900–1999
The 20th century
Whose names filled the books of the 20th 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 Italian books during the 20th century — whenever they lived.
In books written inEnglish28,219German4,127French3,913Italian2,072Spanish1,601Russian838Chinese282Hebrew149
#PersonIn print, 1800–2019Per million words
- 1
Giotto1267–1337 · 14th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists5.4 - 2
Dante Alighieri1265–1321 · 14th century · Writers5.0 - 3
Caravaggio1571–1610 · 17th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists3.8 - 4
Leonardo da Vinci1452–1519 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists3.8 - 5
Antonio da Correggio1489–1534 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists3.7 - 6
Benedetto Croce1866–1952 · 20th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics3.3 - 7
Donato Bramante1444–1514 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Architects2.9 - 8
Donatello1386–1466 · 15th century · Artists2.8 - 9
Giuseppe Mazzini1805–1872 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Activists2.2 - 10
Alessandro Manzoni1785–1873 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers2.2 - 11
Ugo Foscolo1778–1827 · 19th century · Writers2.1 - 12
Pietro Perugino1448–1523 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists2.0 - 13
Tintoretto1519–1594 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists1.9 - 14
Francis of Assisi1182–1226 · 13th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers1.8 - 15
Giacomo Leopardi1798–1837 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers1.8 - 16
Benito Mussolini1883–1945 · 20th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians1.8 - 17
Torquato Tasso1544–1595 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers1.7 - 18
Masaccio1401–1428 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists1.7 - 19
Giordano Bruno1548–1600 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics1.6 - 20
Lorenzo de' Medici1449–1492 · 15th century · Politicians1.6 - 21
Galileo Galilei1564–1642 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Scientists1.6 - 22
Charles Borromeo1538–1584 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Religious Figures1.6 - 23
Giosuè Carducci1835–1907 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers1.5 - 24
Marco Polo1254–1324 · 13th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians1.4 - 25
Giuseppe Verdi1813–1901 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Musicians1.4 - 26
Vittorio Alfieri1749–1803 · 18th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Historical Figures1.4 - 27
Petrarch1304–1374 · 14th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics1.2 - 28
Philip Neri1515–1595 · 16th century · Religious Figures1.2 - 29
Francesco Crispi1818–1901 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians1.2 - 30
Giovanni Pascoli1855–1912 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers1.2 - 31
Cimabue1240–1302 · 13th century · Artists1.2 - 32
Paul the Deacon720–799 · 8th century · Writers1.2 - 33
Farinelli1705–1782 · 18th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Musicians1.2 - 34
Silvio Pellico1789–1854 · 19th century · Writers1.1 - 35
Gabriele D'Annunzio1863–1938 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers1.1 - 36
Guercino1591–1666 · 17th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists1.1 - 37
Piero della Francesca1415–1492 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists1.1
- 38
Giulio Romano1499–1546 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists1.1 - 39
Carlo Goldoni1707–1793 · 18th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.99 - 40
Luigi Pirandello1867–1936 · 20th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.95 - 41
Bernardino of Siena1380–1444 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics0.94 - 42
Luigi Einaudi1874–1961 · 20th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians0.93 - 43
Pietro Verri1728–1797 · 18th century · Academics0.89 - 44
Leon Battista Alberti1404–1472 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Architects0.88 - 45
Pietro Aretino1492–1556 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.88 - 46
Vincenzo Gioberti1801–1852 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics0.87 - 47
Pisanello1395–1455 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.86
- 48
Domenichino1581–1641 · 17th century · Artists0.86 - 49
Cesare Balbo1789–1853 · 19th century · Politicians0.84 - 50
Pontormo1494–1556 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.83 - 51
Cesare Borgia1475–1507 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Historical Figures0.83 - 52
Niccolò Machiavelli1469–1527 · 16th century · Politicians0.82 - 53
Salvator Rosa1615–1673 · 17th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.82 - 54
Aldo Moro1916–1978 · 20th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians0.82 - 55
Vittoria Colonna1492–1547 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.82 - 56
Antonio Rosmini1797–1855 · 19th century · Academics0.81 - 57
Paolo Rossi1956–2020 · 20th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Footballers0.80 - 58
Filippo Turati1857–1932 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians0.80 - 59
Parmigianino1503–1540 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.78 - 60
Giovanni Boccaccio1313–1375 · 14th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.77 - 61
Cosimo de' Medici1389–1464 · 15th century · Politicians0.76 - 62
Francesca da Rimini1259–1285 · 13th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.76 - 63
Massimo d'Azeglio1798–1866 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians0.76 - 64
Bettino Ricasoli1809–1880 · 19th century · Politicians0.74 - 65
Guido Cavalcanti1258–1300 · 13th century · Writers0.74 - 66
Umberto Eco1932–2016 · 20th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.73 - 67
Canaletto1697–1768 · 18th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.73 - 68
Guido Reni1575–1642 · 17th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.72 - 69
Andrea Doria1466–1560 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians0.71 - 70
Marsilio Ficino1433–1499 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics0.70 - 71
Niccolò Tommaseo1802–1874 · 19th century · Academics0.69 - 72
Giorgio Vasari1511–1574 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.69 - 73
Antonio Gramsci1891–1937 · 20th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics0.68 - 74
Pietro Bembo1470–1547 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Religious Figures0.68 - 75
Pietro da Cortona1596–1669 · 17th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.68
- 76
Luigi Luzzatti1841–1927 · 19th century · Politicians0.67 - 77
Paolo Sarpi1552–1623 · 16th century · Academics0.67 - 78
Paolo Veronese1528–1588 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.67 - 79
Giovanni Bellini1430–1516 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.67 - 80
Andrea del Sarto1486–1530 · 16th century · Artists0.66 - 81
Giambattista Vico1668–1744 · 18th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics0.65 - 82
Marco Minghetti1818–1886 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians0.64 - 83
Margaret of Savoy1851–1926 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.64 - 84
Bettino Craxi1934–2000 · 20th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians0.62 - 85
Giovanni Verga1840–1922 · 19th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.61 - 86
Francesco Guicciardini1483–1540 · 16th century · Writers0.61 - 87
Paolo Uccello1397–1475 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.61 - 88
Domenico Passignano1559–1638 · 16th century · Artists0.61 - 89
Antonio Labriola1843–1904 · 19th century · Academics0.60 - 90
Pinturicchio1454–1513 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.60 - 91
Leonardo Bruni1369–1444 · 15th century · Writers0.60 - 92
Grazia Deledda1871–1936 · 20th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0.60 - 93
Francesco Gonzaga1444–1483 · 15th century0.60 - 94
Alessandro Cagliostro1743–1795 · 18th century · 🇫🇷 France · Doctors0.59 - 95
Lucrezia Borgia1480–1519 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Historical Figures0.59 - 96
Isabella d'Este, Duchess of Parma1635–1666 · 17th century · Historical Figures0.58 - 97
Isabella d'Este1474–1539 · 16th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists0.58 - 98
Filippo Maria Visconti1392–1447 · 15th century · Politicians0.58 - 99
Girolamo Savonarola1452–1498 · 15th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians0.57 - 100
Tommaso Campanella1568–1639 · 17th century · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics0.57
Lived then
The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 20th century, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.
#PersonIn print, 1800–2019Echoed
- 1
Albert Camus1913–1960 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics8 decades - 2
Neil Armstrong1930–2012 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics6 decades - 3
Simone de Beauvoir1908–1986 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics8 decades - 4
Alan Turing1912–1954 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics4 decades - 5
Jean-Paul Sartre1905–1980 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics9 decades - 6
Hannah Arendt1906–1975 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics8 decades - 7
Jane Goodall1934–2025 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics5 decades - 8
Noam Chomskyborn 1928 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics6 decades - 9
Martin Heidegger1889–1976 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics10 decades - 10
Michel Foucault1926–1984 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics8 decades - 11
Antonio Gramsci1891–1937 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics9 decades - 12
Ludwig Wittgenstein1889–1951 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics8 decades - 13
Bertrand Russell1872–1970 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics13 decades - 14
Karl Popper1902–1994 · 🇦🇹 Austria · Academics7 decades - 15
Simone Weil1909–1943 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics9 decades - 16
John Maynard Keynes1883–1946 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics10 decades - 17
T. E. Lawrence1888–1935 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics10 decades - 18
John von Neumann1903–1957 · Academics4 decades - 19
Srinivasa Ramanujan1887–1920 · 🇮🇳 India · Academics0 decades - 20
John Forbes Nash Jr.1928–2015 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics0 decades - 21
Milton Friedman1912–2006 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics9 decades - 22
Angela Davisborn 1944 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics5 decades - 23
Ted Kaczynski1942–2023 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics2 decades - 24
Jordan Petersonborn 1962 · 🇨🇦 Canada · Academics0 decades - 25
Katherine Johnson1918–2020 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics0 decades - 26
Slavoj Žižekborn 1949 · Academics1 decades - 27
Kurt Gödel1906–1978 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics5 decades - 28
Dietrich Bonhoeffer1906–1945 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics8 decades - 29
Walter Benjamin1892–1940 · Academics10 decades - 30
W. E. B. Du Bois1868–1963 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics12 decades - 31
Jiddu Krishnamurti1895–1986 · 🇮🇳 India · Academics1 decades - 32
Billy Graham1918–2018 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics7 decades - 33
Friedrich Hayek1899–1992 · 🇦🇹 Austria · Academics0 decades - 34
Geoffrey Hintonborn 1947 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics0 decades - 35
Maximilian Kolbe1894–1941 · Academics1 decades - 36
Claude Shannon1916–2001 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics6 decades - 37
Bernie Madoff1938–2021 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics2 decades - 38
Pierre Bourdieu1930–2002 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics7 decades - 39
Erich Fromm1900–1980 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics9 decades - 40
Jürgen Habermas1929–2026 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics8 decades - 41
Alexander Duginborn 1962 · Academics3 decades - 42
Gilles Deleuze1925–1995 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics7 decades - 43
Jacques Derrida1930–2004 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics6 decades - 44
Judith Butlerborn 1956 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics3 decades - 45
Edith Stein1891–1942 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics10 decades - 46
Theodor W. Adorno1903–1969 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics8 decades - 47
Boris Berezovsky1946–2013 · Academics3 decades - 48
Paul Erdős1913–1996 · Academics0 decades - 49
Alfred Adler1870–1937 · 🇦🇹 Austria · Academics11 decades - 50
Daniel Kahneman1934–2024 · 🇮🇱 Israel · Academics4 decades - 51
Jeffrey Sachsborn 1954 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics4 decades - 52
Mario Draghiborn 1947 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics3 decades - 53
Edward Said1935–2003 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics4 decades - 54
Jean Piaget1896–1980 · 🇨🇭 Switzerland · Academics10 decades - 55
Mileva Marić1875–1948 · Academics0 decades - 56
Emil Cioran1911–1995 · Academics3 decades - 57
Francis Fukuyamaborn 1952 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics4 decades - 58
Dian Fossey1932–1985 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics4 decades - 59
B. F. Skinner1904–1990 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics5 decades - 60
Janet Yellenborn 1946 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics2 decades - 61
Dominique Strauss-Kahnborn 1949 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics4 decades - 62
Kemal Kılıçdaroğluborn 1948 · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Academics0 decades - 63
Julius Evola1898–1974 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics7 decades - 64
Amartya Senborn 1933 · 🇮🇳 India · Academics4 decades - 65
Howard Carter1874–1939 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics12 decades - 66
Jean Baudrillard1929–2007 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics6 decades - 67
Sonia Sotomayorborn 1954 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics1 decades - 68
Roland Barthes1915–1980 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics8 decades - 69
Paramahansa Yogananda1893–1952 · 🇮🇳 India · Academics6 decades - 70
Thor Heyerdahl1914–2002 · 🇳🇴 Norway · Academics7 decades - 71
Muhammad Iqbal1877–1938 · Academics4 decades - 72
Abraham Maslow1908–1970 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics6 decades - 73
Carl Schmitt1888–1985 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics11 decades - 74
Claude Lévi-Strauss1908–2009 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics8 decades - 75
Lyudmila Putinaborn 1958 · Academicsnot measured— - 76
Alan Greenspanborn 1926 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics5 decades - 77
Muhammad Yunusborn 1940 · Academics3 decades - 78
Lev Vygotsky1896–1934 · Academics3 decades - 79
Louis Althusser1918–1990 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics6 decades - 80
George Gurdjieff1866–1949 · Academics0 decades
- 81
William James Sidis1898–1944 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academicsnot measured— - 82
Alexander Grothendieck1928–2014 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics0 decades - 83
Peng Liyuanborn 1962 · 🇨🇳 China · Academicsnot measured— - 84
Herbert Marcuse1898–1979 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics8 decades - 85
Peter Singerborn 1946 · 🇦🇺 Australia · Academics4 decades - 86
Samuel Alitoborn 1950 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academicsnot measured— - 87
Ramana Maharshi1879–1950 · 🇮🇳 India · Academics6 decades - 88
Aurobindo Ghosh1872–1950 · 🇮🇳 India · Academics4 decades - 89
Marshall McLuhan1911–1980 · 🇨🇦 Canada · Academics7 decades - 90
José Ortega y Gasset1883–1955 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Academics12 decades - 91
Paul Krugmanborn 1953 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics4 decades - 92
Ludwig von Mises1881–1973 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics8 decades - 93
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.born 1954 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics0 decades - 94
Antonin Scalia1936–2016 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics5 decades - 95
Thomas Sowellborn 1930 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academicsnot measured— - 96
Emmy Noether1882–1935 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics7 decades - 97
Mario Montiborn 1943 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Academics7 decades - 98
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin1881–1955 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics8 decades - 99
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi1917–2008 · 🇮🇳 India · Academics5 decades
- 100
John Mearsheimerborn 1947 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academicsnot measured—
How this is measured
- Placing people in time. Each person belongs to the century in which they were most active — around age 35, and never after their death.
- Who ranks highest. Within a century, people are ranked where two independent signals agree: how many of the world’s Wikipedia language editions cover them, and how many people actually read about them. Article counts alone can be lifted by a person’s own circle; readers cannot.
- Fame in print. The curves count how often a name appears in Google Books from 1800 to 2019, as a share of all the words printed each year, in the person’s own language wherever that corpus exists. Those decades are over, so each measurement is made once and kept.
- What is left out. A lifetime is measured only from 1820, when there is enough print to judge; the five years after a death are skipped as obituaries; and a name shared with someone equally notable is credited to neither.