← 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
Erwin Rommel8 decades - 2
Erich von Manstein7 decades - 3
Friedrich Paulus7 decades - 4
Gerd von Rundstedt6 decades - 5
Klaus Barbie4 decades - 6
Erich Hartmann4 decades - 7
Wilhelm Canaris8 decades - 8
Walter Model3 decades - 9
Fedor von Bock3 decades - 10
Ferdinand I of Romanianot measured- - 11
Alexandra Feodorovna0 decades - 12
Günther von Klugenot measured- - 13
Walther von Reichenaunot measured- - 14
Dietrich von Choltitznot measured- - 15
Paul Haussernot measured- - 16
Prince Claus of the Netherlandsnot measured- - 17
Gotthard Heinricinot measured- - 18
Wilhelm Listnot measured- - 19
Kurt Meyernot measured- - 20
Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerinnot measured- - 21
Ananda Mahidol0 decades - 22
Ernst August, Duke of Brunswicknot measured- - 23
Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Coburg and Gothanot measured- - 24
Friedrich August III of Saxonynot measured- - 25
Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhinenot measured- - 26
Georg von Küchlernot measured- - 27
Maria of Yugoslavianot measured- - 28
Princess Margaret of Prussianot measured- - 29
Princess Irene of Hesse and by Rhinenot measured- - 30
Wied, Prince of Albanianot measured- - 31
Duke Albrecht, Duke of Bavarianot measured- - 32
Prince Georg Wilhelm of Hanovernot measured- - 33
Richard, 6th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburgnot measured- - 34
Frederick Francis IVnot measured- - 35
Princess Marie Auguste of Anhaltnot measured- - 36
Princess Feodora of Saxe-Meiningennot measured- - 37
Princess Alexandra of Hanovernot measured- - 38
Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerinnot measured- - 39
Friedrich, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmontnot measured- - 40
Princess Auguste of Bavarianot measured- - 41
Princess Margarita of Badennot measured- - 42
Leopold IV, Prince of Lippenot measured- - 43
Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussianot measured- - 44
Johann Leopold, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gothanot measured- - 45
Prince Ludwig of Bavarianot measured- - 46
Prince Frederick of Prussianot measured- - 47
Adolf II, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippenot measured- - 48
Sophie of Merenbergnot measured- - 49
Wilhelm Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holsteinnot measured- - 50
Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Strelitznot measured- - 51
Georg Wilhelm, Hereditary Prince of Hanovernot measured- - 52
Archduchess Maria Christina of Austrianot measured- - 53Andreas Heckmairnot measured-
- 54
Duchess Elisabeth Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerinnot measured- - 55
Gustav Adolf von Götzennot measured- - 56
Duchess Sophie Adelheid, Countess of Toerring-Jettenbachnot measured- - 57
Princess Anna of Saxonynot measured- - 58
Wilhelm Filchnernot measured- - 59
Princess Marie Melita of Hohenlohe-Langenburgnot measured- - 60
Peter, Duke of Schleswig-Holsteinnot measured- - 61
Princess Adelgunde, Princess of Hohenzollernnot measured- - 62
Bruno Begernot measured- - 63
Duchess Woizlawa Feodora of Mecklenburg-Schwerinnot measured- - 64
Duchess Elsa of Württembergnot measured- - 65
Arved Fuchsnot measured- - 66
Georg Moritz, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Altenburgnot measured- - 67Wolrad, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippenot measured-
- 68
Princess Isabella Antonie of Croÿnot measured- - 69
Bernhard, Prince of Saxe-Meiningennot measured- - 70
Duchess Olga of Württembergnot measured- - 71
Countess Adelaide of Lippe-Biesterfeldnot measured- - 72
Alfred Ritschernot measured- - 73Paul de Metternich-Winneburgnot measured-
- 74
Princess Alexandra of Anhaltnot measured- - 75
Countess Ina Marie von Bassewitznot measured- - 76
Princess Karoline Mathilde of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburgnot measured- - 77Hans Albrecht, Hereditary Prince of Schleswig-Holsteinnot measured-
- 78
Gunther Plüschownot measured- - 79
Archduchess Monika, Duchess of Santángelonot measured- - 80
Princess Teresa Cristina of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Kohárynot measured- - 81
Archduchess Franziska, Archduchess Maximilian Eugen of Austrianot measured- - 82
Hermann Detznernot measured- - 83
Princess Antoinette of Anhaltnot measured- - 84
Hans Schomburgknot measured- - 85
Hans Fruhstorfernot measured- - 86Archduchess Dorothea, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Tuscanynot measured-
- 87Gerd Heinrichnot measured-
- 88Karl Anselm, Duke of Urachnot measured-
- 89
Princess Elisabeth of Stolberg-Rosslanot measured- - 90
Richard, 4th Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburgnot measured- - 91Princess Ortrud of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburgnot measured-
- 92Duchess Anastasia of Mecklenburg-Schwerinnot measured-
- 93
Carlo von Erlangernot measured- - 94
Prince Karl of Hessenot measured- - 95
Marie Alix, Duchess of Schleswig-Holsteinnot measured- - 96
Emil Weiskenot measured- - 97Theodor Lernernot measured-
- 98
Kurt Wegenernot measured-
- 99Helmut Simonnot measured-
- 100
Willi Rickmer Rickmersnot 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.