← 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
Henri Matisse12 decades - 2
Wassily Kandinsky4 decades - 3
Marc Chagall10 decades - 4
Marcel Duchamp10 decades - 5
Agnès Varda7 decades - 6
René Goscinny5 decades - 7
Georges Braque11 decades - 8
Fernando Botero8 decades - 9
Robert Capa7 decades - 10
Louise Bourgeoisnot measured- - 11
Henri Cartier-Bresson7 decades - 12
Constantin Brâncușinot measured- - 13
Niki de Saint Phallenot measured- - 14
Pierre Bonnard13 decades - 15
Albert Uderzo4 decades - 16
Jean Arp7 decades - 17
Yves Kleinnot measured- - 18
Jean Dubuffet8 decades - 19
Suzanne Valadonnot measured- - 20
Fernand Léger11 decades - 21
Robert Doisneau7 decades - 22
Cabunot measured- - 23
Gerda Wegenernot measured- - 24
Zinaida Serebryakovanot measured- - 25
Françoise Gilotnot measured- - 26
Jean-Jacques Sempénot measured- - 27Dora Maarnot measured-
- 28
André Derain11 decades - 29
Sophie Callenot measured- - 30
Maurice Utrillonot measured- - 31
Victor Vasarely5 decades - 32
Chaim Soutinenot measured- - 33
Balthusnot measured- - 34
Francis Picabia10 decades - 35
Enki Bilalnot measured- - 36
Alice Prinnot measured- - 37
Robert Delaunay11 decades - 38
Raoul Dufynot measured- - 39
Marie Laurencinnot measured- - 40
Sonia Delaunaynot measured- - 41Alice Millernot measured-
- 42
Pierre Soulagesnot measured- - 43
Jeanne Hébuternenot measured- - 44
Paul Landowskinot measured- - 45Henri Michauxnot measured-
- 46
Bernard Buffetnot measured- - 47
Georges Wolinski4 decades - 48
Yann Arthus-Bertrandnot measured- - 49
Roman Opałkanot measured- - 50
Tomi Ungerernot measured- - 51
Léon Bakstnot measured- - 52
Édouard Vuillardnot measured- - 53
Marie-Thérèse Walternot measured- - 54
Maurice Denisnot measured- - 55
Maurice de Vlamincknot measured- - 56
Natalia Goncharovanot measured- - 57
Émile Bernard13 decades - 58
Alexandre Benoisnot measured- - 59
Yves Tanguynot measured- - 60
Georges Rouaultnot measured- - 61
Claude Cahunnot measured- - 62
Kees van Dongennot measured- - 63
Tignousnot measured- - 64
Nicolas de Staëlnot measured- - 65
Albert Marquetnot measured- - 66
Ossip Zadkinenot measured- - 67
Brassaïnot measured- - 68
Pan Yuliangnot measured- - 69
Wifredo Lamnot measured- - 70
André Massonnot measured- - 71
Princess Marie, Princess Valdemar of Denmarknot measured- - 72
Armannot measured- - 73
Hans Bellmernot measured- - 74
Christian Boltanskinot measured- - 75
Paul Poiretnot measured- - 76Zao Wou-Kinot measured-
- 77Jean-Joseph Sanfourchenot measured-
- 78
Jean Metzingernot measured- - 79
César Baldaccininot measured- - 80
Olga Boznańskanot measured- - 81
Pierre Alechinskynot measured- - 82
Jacques Lipchitznot measured- - 83
Jacques-Henri Lartiguenot measured- - 84
Jean Louisnot measured- - 85
Mikhail Larionovnot measured- - 86
Stéphane Sednaouinot measured- - 87
Marc Riboudnot measured- - 88
Jean-Claude Mézièresnot measured- - 89
ORLANnot measured- - 90
Patrick Demarcheliernot measured- - 91
Fernande Oliviernot measured- - 92Adolfo Kaminskynot measured-
- 93
Albert Gleizesnot measured- - 94
Raymond Depardonnot measured- - 95
André Lhotenot measured- - 96
Daniel Burennot measured- - 97
Jean-Paul Goudenot measured- - 98Maria Helena Vieira da Silvanot measured-
- 99
Jean Agélounot measured- - 100
Annette Messagernot 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.