← 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
Marie Curie4 decades - 2
Irène Joliot-Curie8 decades - 3
Louis de Broglie10 decades - 4
Frédéric Joliot-Curie8 decades - 5
Hans Bethe7 decades - 6
Luc Montagnier4 decades - 7
Claude Cohen-Tannoudji2 decades - 8
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi2 decades - 9
Jean Baptiste Perrin15 decades - 10
Henri B. Kagannot measured- - 11
Georges Charpak3 decades - 12
Serge Haroche1 decades - 13
Paul Langevin11 decades - 14
Franz Reicheltnot measured- - 15
Alfred Kastler6 decades - 16
Victor Grignard3 decades - 17
Alain Aspect4 decades - 18
Louis Néel8 decades - 19
Albert Fert1 decades - 20
Marcel Dassaultnot measured- - 21
Louis Blériot12 decades - 22
Henri Désiré Landrunot measured- - 23
Louis Renaultnot measured- - 24
Jacques Valléenot measured- - 25
Hélène Langevin-Joliotnot measured- - 26
Michel Devoretnot measured- - 27
Anne L'Huilliernot measured- - 28
Eugène Schuellernot measured- - 29
Pierre-Gilles de Gennes5 decades - 30
Moshé Feldenkraisnot measured- - 31
André Courrègesnot measured- - 32
Jorge Cháveznot measured- - 33
Théodore Monodnot measured- - 34
Pierre Agostini0 decades - 35
André Michel Lwoff7 decades - 36
Jean-Marie Lehn3 decades - 37
Louis Camille Maillardnot measured- - 38
Marguerite Pereynot measured- - 39
Gérard Mourou0 decades - 40
Jean-Pierre Petitnot measured- - 41
Henri Laboritnot measured- - 42
Pierre Joliotnot measured- - 43
Jules A. Hoffmann0 decades - 44
Georges Claudenot measured- - 45
Léon Brillouinnot measured- - 46
Roland Morenonot measured- - 47
Louis Pouzinnot measured- - 48
Traian Vuianot measured- - 49
Paul-Émile Victornot measured- - 50
Françoise Combesnot measured- - 51
Michel Siffrenot measured- - 52
Jean Malaurienot measured- - 53
Jean-Pierre Sauvage0 decades - 54
Gérard Larroussenot measured- - 55
Francis Hallénot measured- - 56
Jean-François Clervoynot measured- - 57
Bertrand Meyernot measured- - 58
Gabriel Voisinnot measured- - 59
Thibault Damournot measured- - 60
Étienne Kleinnot measured- - 61
Pierre Weissnot measured- - 62
Maurice de Broglienot measured- - 63
Yves Chauvin1 decades - 64
André Dewavrinnot measured- - 65
Pierre Augernot measured- - 66
Patrick Blancnot measured- - 67
Paul Cornunot measured- - 68
Émile Museliernot measured- - 69
Eugène Freyssinetnot measured- - 70
Charles Fabrynot measured- - 71Hermano da Silva Ramosnot measured-
- 72
André-Louis Debiernenot measured- - 73Édouard Chattonnot measured-
- 74
André-Louis Danjonnot measured- - 75
Gérard Mestralletnot measured- - 76
Cécile DeWitt-Morettenot measured- - 77
Jean-Marc Jancovicinot measured- - 78
René Quintonnot measured- - 79
Hervé Thisnot measured- - 80
Henri Chrétiennot measured- - 81
Aleksei Chichibabinnot measured- - 82Robert Opronnot measured-
- 83
Anatole Abragamnot measured- - 84
Émile Gagnannot measured- - 85
Eugénie Cottonnot measured- - 86
José Dolhemnot measured- - 87
Louis Leprince-Ringuetnot measured- - 88
Bernard Lyotnot measured- - 89François Hesnaultnot measured-
- 90Georges Sagnacnot measured-
- 91
Daniel Paulynot measured- - 92
Bernard d'Espagnatnot measured- - 93
Hubert Curiennot measured- - 94
Adolphe Kégressenot measured- - 95André Simonnot measured-
- 96Felix Zandmannot measured-
- 97Pierre-Jules Boulangernot measured-
- 98
Jean-Jacques Faviernot measured- - 99Robert Manzonnot measured-
- 100Jean Cabannesnot 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.