215,950 profiles ranked

← Fame through time1900-1999

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 Russian books during the 20th century, whenever they lived.

  1. 1Leo Tolstoy1828-1910 · 19th century · Russia · Writers2.6
  2. 2Patriarch Nikon of Moscow1605-1681 · 17th century · Religious Figures2.2
  3. 3Peter the Great1672-1725 · 18th century · Russia · Politicians1.8
  4. 4Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow1482-1563 · 16th century · Writers1.5
  5. 5Boris Godunov1552-1605 · 16th century · Politicians1.4
  6. 6Vladimir Lenin1870-1924 · 20th century · Russia · Politicians1.4
  7. 7Nicholas I of Russia1796-1855 · 19th century · Russia · Models1.3
  8. 8Ivan the Terrible1530-1584 · 16th century · Politicians1.1
  9. 9Alexander I of Russia1777-1825 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures1.1
  10. 10Alexander II of Russia1818-1881 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.99
  11. 11Nicholas II of Russia1868-1918 · 20th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.99
  12. 12Maxim Gorky1868-1936 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.98
  13. 13Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia1904-1918 · 20th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.97
  14. 14Ivan I of Tver1357-1425 · 14th century · Historical Figures0.92
  15. 15Alexis of Russia1629-1676 · 17th century · Historical Figures0.86
  16. 16Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia1832-1909 · 19th century · Russia · Politicians0.86
  17. 17Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia1690-1718 · 18th century · Politicians0.78
  18. 18Andrei Bely1880-1934 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.74
  19. 19Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia1847-1909 · 19th century · Russia · Politicians0.72
  20. 20Sergo Ordzhonikidze1886-1937 · 20th century · Russia · Politicians0.72
  21. 21Ivan I Aleksandrovich, Prince of Smolenskdied 1359 · 14th century0.72
  22. 22Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia1899-1918 · 20th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.70
  23. 23Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia1827-1892 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.65
  24. 24Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia1864-1931 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.64
  25. 25Alexander III of Russia1845-1894 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.63
  26. 26Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia1857-1905 · 19th century · Russia · Politicians0.63
  27. 27Alexander Blok1880-1921 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.62
  28. 28Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia1850-1908 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.59
  29. 29Alexandra Velyaminova1301-1364 · 14th century0.52
  30. 30Maria Feodorovna1847-1928 · 19th century · Denmark · Historical Figures0.51
  31. 31Michael of Russia1596-1645 · 17th century · Historical Figures0.51
  32. 32Elizabeth of Russia1709-1761 · 18th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.48
  33. 33Vladimir Mayakovsky1893-1930 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.47
  34. 34Aleksey Tolstoy1882-1945 · 20th century · France · Writers0.45
  35. 35Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia1860-1919 · 19th century · Russia · Politicians0.45
  36. 36Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy1817-1875 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.43
  37. 37Maximus the Greek1475-1556 · 16th century · Writers0.43
  38. 38Leonid Andreyev1871-1919 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.43
  39. 39Alexander Pushkin1799-1837 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.41
  40. 40Boris Yeltsin1931-2007 · 20th century · Russia · Politicians0.41
  41. 41Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia1779-1831 · 19th century · Russia · Politicians0.40
  42. 42Valery Bryusov1873-1924 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.38
  43. 43Paul I of Russia1754-1801 · 18th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.37
  44. 44Gleb Uspensky1843-1902 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.37
  45. 45Boris of Tver1400-1461 · 15th century0.37
  46. 46Patriarch Joachim1621-1690 · 17th century0.36
  47. 47Ivan Fyodorov1510-1583 · 16th century0.36
  48. 48Sergei Yesenin1895-1925 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.36
  49. 49Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia1858-1915 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.35
  50. 50Avraamy Palitsyn1550-1626 · 16th century · Writers0.34
  51. 51Vasili IV of Russia1552-1612 · 16th century · Historical Figures0.31
  52. 52Joseph Stalin1878-1953 · 20th century · Russia · Politicians0.30
  53. 53Leonid Brezhnev1906-1982 · 20th century · Russia · Politicians0.29
  54. 54Anna of Russia1693-1740 · 18th century · Russia · Politicians0.29
  55. 55Anton Chekhov1860-1904 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.28
  56. 56Stepan Razin1630-1671 · 17th century0.27
  57. 57Peter III of Russia1728-1762 · 18th century · Germany · Historical Figures0.27
  58. 58Yuri Gagarin1934-1968 · 20th century · Russia · Astronauts0.26
  59. 59Anna Akhmatova1889-1966 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.25
  60. 60Vladimir Solovyov1853-1900 · 19th century · Russia · Academics0.24
  61. 61Taras Shevchenko1814-1861 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.24
  62. 62Catherine Pavlovna of Russia1788-1819 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.24
  63. 63Georgi Dimitrov1882-1949 · 20th century · Bulgaria · Politicians0.24
  64. 64Denis Davydov1784-1839 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.24
  65. 65Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna of Russia1825-1844 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.23
  66. 66Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia1783-1801 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.22
  67. 67Nikita Khrushchev1894-1971 · 20th century · Russia · Politicians0.22
  68. 68Symeon of Polotsk1629-1680 · 17th century · Writers0.21
  69. 69Hyacinth1777-1853 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.21
  70. 70Marina Tsvetaeva1892-1941 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.21
  71. 71Ilya Ehrenburg1891-1967 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.21
  72. 72Mikhail Kalinin1875-1946 · 20th century · Russia · Politicians0.20
  73. 73Yemelyan Pugachev1742-1775 · 18th century · Russia · Activists0.19
  74. 74Mikhail Sholokhov1905-1984 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.19
  75. 75Béla Kun1886-1938 · 20th century · Hungary · Activists0.19
  76. 76Mikhail Lomonosov1711-1765 · 18th century · Russia · Scientists0.19
  77. 77Nikolai Ostrovsky1904-1936 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.18
  78. 78Fyodor Volkov1729-1763 · 18th century · Russia · Actors0.17
  79. 79Dmitri Mendeleev1834-1907 · 19th century · Russia · Scientists0.17
  80. 80Konstantin Simonov1915-1979 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.17
  81. 81Yanka Kupala1882-1942 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.17
  82. 82Konstantin of Uglich1389-1434 · 15th century0.16
  83. 83Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia1871-1899 · 19th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.16
  84. 84Ivan Pavlov1849-1936 · 19th century · Russia · Scientists0.16
  85. 85Vasili III of Russia1479-1533 · 16th century · Politicians0.16
  86. 86Sholem Aleichem1859-1916 · 19th century · United States · Writers0.15
  87. 87Alexander Suvorov1730-1800 · 18th century · Russia0.15
  88. 88Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia1863-1919 · 19th century · Russia · Politicians0.14
  89. 89Fyodor Dostoevsky1821-1881 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.14
  90. 90Mikhail Gorbachev1931-2022 · 20th century · Russia · Politicians0.14
  91. 91Alexander Bestuzhev1797-1837 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.14
  92. 92Alexander Ivanov1806-1858 · 19th century · Russia · Artists0.14
  93. 93Nadezhda Krupskaya1869-1939 · 20th century · Russia · Politicians0.14
  94. 94Konstantin Aksakov1817-1860 · 19th century · Russia · Writers0.13
  95. 95Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya1923-1941 · 20th century · Russia0.13
  96. 96Mikhail Bakunin1814-1876 · 19th century · Israel · Activists0.13
  97. 97Yakub Kolas1882-1956 · 20th century · Russia · Writers0.13
  98. 98Nâzım Hikmet1902-1963 · 20th century · Turkey · Writers0.13
  99. 99Joseph Volotsky1440-1515 · 15th century · Writers0.13
  100. 100Grigory Orlov1734-1783 · 18th century · Russia · Historical Figures0.12

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 20th century, ranked where coverage and readership agree.

  1. 1Xi Jinpingborn 1953 · China · Politicians3 decades
  2. 2Mao Zedong1893-1976 · China · Politicians13 decades
  3. 314th Dalai Lamaborn 1935 · China · Politiciansnot measured-
  4. 4Deng Xiaoping1904-1997 · China · Politicians11 decades
  5. 5Hu Jintaoborn 1942 · China · Politicians6 decades
  6. 6Sun Yat-sen1866-1925 · China · Politicians12 decades
  7. 7Jiang Zemin1926-2022 · China · Politicians9 decades
  8. 8Puyi1906-1967 · China · Historical Figures8 decades
  9. 9Zhou Enlai1898-1976 · China · Politicians11 decades
  10. 10Jack Maborn 1964 · China · Founders5 decades
  11. 11Li Keqiang1955-2023 · China · Politicians4 decades
  12. 12Chen-ning Yang1922-2025 · China · Scientists8 decades
  13. 13Liu Xiaobo1955-2017 · China · Writers4 decades
  14. 14Zhao Ziyang1919-2005 · China · Politicians7 decades
  15. 15Donnie Yenborn 1963 · China · Actorsnot measured-
  16. 16Hua Guofeng1921-2008 · China · Politicians7 decades
  17. 17Wen Jiabaoborn 1942 · China · Politicians5 decades
  18. 18Lu Xun1881-1936 · China · Writers13 decades
  19. 19Jiang Qing1914-1991 · China · Actors9 decades
  20. 20Chow Yun-fatborn 1955 · China · Actors2 decades
  21. 21Li Qiangborn 1959 · China · Politicians7 decades
  22. 22Liu Shaoqi1898-1969 · China · Politicians10 decades
  23. 23Wong Kar-waiborn 1958 · China · Directors3 decades
  24. 24Lin Biao1907-1971 · China · Politicians11 decades
  25. 25Ip Man1893-1972 · Chinanot measured-
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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.