← 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 English books during the 20th century, whenever they lived.
- 1
Jesus30 - 2
Aristotle7.1 - 3
Plato7.1 - 4
Homer7.1 - 5
Augustus4.9 - 6
Johns Hopkins4.4 - 7
Cicero4.0 - 8
George Washington3.8 - 9
Socrates3.4 - 10
Virgil3.3 - 11
Abraham Lincoln2.0 - 12
Euclid1.9 - 13
Thomas Jefferson1.6 - 14
Ovid1.6 - 15
Mark Twain1.5 - 16
Plutarch1.5 - 17
Cleopatra1.4 - 18
Theodore Roosevelt1.4 - 19
Woodrow Wilson1.4 - 20
William Henry1.3 - 21
Benjamin Franklin1.3 - 22
Herodotus1.3 - 23
Charlemagne1.3 - 24
Rembrandt1.3 - 25
Euripides1.2
Lived then
The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 20th century, ranked where coverage and readership agree.
- 1
Xi Jinping3 decades - 2
Mao Zedong13 decades - 3
14th Dalai Lamanot measured- - 4
Deng Xiaoping11 decades - 5
Hu Jintao6 decades - 6
Sun Yat-sen12 decades - 7
Jiang Zemin9 decades - 8
Zhou Enlai11 decades - 9
Li Keqiang4 decades - 10
Zhao Ziyang7 decades - 11
Hua Guofeng7 decades - 12
Wen Jiabao5 decades - 13
Li Qiang7 decades - 14
Liu Shaoqi10 decades - 15
Lin Biao11 decades - 16
Zhu Rongji3 decades - 17
Chiang Ching-kuo9 decades - 18
Soong Ching-ling10 decades - 19
Li Peng9 decades - 20
Wang Yi4 decades - 21
Carrie Lamnot measured- - 22
13th Dalai Lamanot measured- - 23
Hu Yaobangnot measured- - 24
Zhu De11 decades - 25
Wang Jingweinot measured- - 26
Yang Shangkunnot measured- - 27
Li Xianniannot measured- - 28
Ye Jianyingnot measured- - 29
Chen Duxiunot measured- - 30
Peng Dehuainot measured- - 31
Sergei Stepashinnot measured- - 32
Bo Xilainot measured- - 33
Xi Zhongxunnot measured- - 34
Wang Qishannot measured- - 35
Zhang Xueliangnot measured- - 36
Wang Huningnot measured- - 37
CY Leungnot measured- - 38
Han Zhengnot measured- - 39
Tung Chee Hwanot measured- - 40
Donald Tsangnot measured- - 41
Zhao Lejinot measured- - 42
Zhang Zuolinnot measured- - 43
Stanley Honot measured- - 44
Israel Epsteinnot measured- - 45
Zhang Chunqiaonot measured- - 46
Empress Wanrongnot measured- - 47
Zhang Gaolinot measured- - 48
Li Tsung-jennot measured- - 49
Liang Chi-chaonot measured- - 50
Chen Yunnot measured- - 51
Li Zhanshunot measured- - 52
Zhou Yongkangnot measured- - 53
Zhang Youxianot measured- - 54
Cai Qinot measured- - 55
Wang Hongwennot measured- - 56
Yang Kaihuinot measured- - 57
Chen Chengnot measured- - 58
Zaifeng, Prince Chunnot measured- - 59
Wang Yangnot measured- - 60
Kang Shengnot measured- - 61
Hu Chunhuanot measured- - 62
Feng Yuxiangnot measured- - 63
Wu Bangguonot measured- - 64
Ding Xuexiangnot measured- - 65
John Leenot measured- - 66
Bo Yibonot measured- - 67
Zhang Dejiangnot measured- - 68
Yang Jiechinot measured- - 69
Chen Yinot measured- - 70
Li Dazhaonot measured- - 71
Duan Qiruinot measured- - 72
Wu Peifunot measured- - 73
Wu Yinot measured- - 74
Sheng Shicainot measured- - 75
Pujienot measured- - 76
Pai Chung-hsinot measured- - 77
Dong Biwunot measured- - 78
Yao Wenyuannot measured- - 79
Wellington Koonot measured- - 80
Zhang Guotaonot measured- - 81
Yen Chia-kannot measured- - 82
Yen Hsi-shannot measured- - 83
Li Yuanchaonot measured- - 84
H. H. Kungnot measured- - 85
Yu Zhengshengnot measured- - 86
Song Jiaorennot measured- - 87
Wang Zhennot measured- - 88
Zhang Wentiannot measured- - 89
Huang Junot measured- - 90
Xu Caihounot measured- - 91
Jia Qinglinnot measured- - 92
Deng Yingchaonot measured- - 93
Rebiya Kadeernot measured- - 94
Mei Lanfangnot measured- - 95
Li Xinot measured- - 96
Liu Bochengnot measured- - 97
Li Shangfunot measured- - 98
Wang Mingnot measured- - 99
Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lamanot measured- - 100
Zeng Qinghongnot 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.