← 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
Hans Zimmer3 decades - 2
Till Lindemann0 decades - 3
Nina Hagen5 decades - 4
Dieter Bohlen3 decades - 5
Niconot measured- - 6
Nenanot measured- - 7
Carl Orff9 decades - 8
Thomas Andersnot measured- - 9
Klaus Meinenot measured- - 10
Sandranot measured- - 11
Karlheinz Stockhausen7 decades - 12
Anne-Sophie Mutternot measured- - 13
Wilhelm Furtwänglernot measured-
- 14
Herbert Grönemeyernot measured- - 15
Rodion Shchedrinnot measured- - 16
C. C. Catchnot measured- - 17
Doro Peschnot measured- - 18
Wolf Biermannnot measured- - 19
Kurt Studentnot measured- - 20
Lale Andersennot measured- - 21
Florian Schneidernot measured- - 22
Paul Landersnot measured- - 23
Kurt Weillnot measured- - 24
Elisabeth Schwarzkopfnot measured- - 25
André Previnnot measured- - 26
Udo Lindenbergnot measured- - 27
Bruno Walternot measured- - 28
Ute Lempernot measured- - 29
Kai Hansennot measured- - 30
Matthias Jabsnot measured- - 31
Heinonot measured- - 32
Ralf Hütternot measured- - 33
Gidon Kremernot measured- - 34
Max Raabenot measured- - 35
Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussianot measured- - 36
Marian Goldnot measured- - 37
H.P. Baxxternot measured- - 38
Rudolf Schenkernot measured- - 39
Uli Jon Rothnot measured- - 40
Michael Cretunot measured- - 41
Michael Schenkernot measured- - 42
Winifred Wagnernot measured- - 43
James Lastnot measured- - 44
Blixa Bargeldnot measured- - 45
Harold Faltermeyernot measured- - 46
Katja Ebsteinnot measured- - 47
Paul Hindemith10 decades - 48
Klaus Voormannnot measured- - 49
Klaus Nominot measured- - 50
Hanns Eislernot measured- - 51
Klaus Schulzenot measured- - 52
Udo Dirkschneidernot measured- - 53
Heidi Brühlnot measured- - 54
Ivan Rebroffnot measured- - 55
Mary Roosnot measured- - 56
Siegfried Wagnernot measured- - 57
Kurt Masurnot measured- - 58
Reinhard Meynot measured- - 59
Carlos Kleibernot measured- - 60
Roy Blacknot measured- - 61
Matthias Reimnot measured- - 62
Max Reger12 decades - 63
Klaus Doldingernot measured- - 64
Hans Werner Henzenot measured- - 65
Otto Klemperernot measured- - 66
Sven Väthnot measured- - 67
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskaunot measured- - 68
Nino de Angelonot measured- - 69
Rob Pilatusnot measured- - 70
Peter Schillingnot measured- - 71
Peter Maffaynot measured- - 72
Axel Rudi Pellnot measured- - 73
Edgar Froesenot measured- - 74
Francis Buchholznot measured- - 75
Lian Rossnot measured- - 76
Andi Derisnot measured- - 77Ingo Schwichtenbergnot measured-
- 78
Campinonot measured- - 79
DJ Hellnot measured- - 80
Michael Weikathnot measured- - 81
Fancynot measured- - 82
Christian Thielemannnot measured- - 83
Wolf Hoffmannnot measured- - 84
Guildo Hornnot measured- - 85
Lena Valaitisnot measured- - 86
Rex Gildonot measured- - 87
Franzl Langnot measured- - 88
Farin Urlaubnot measured- - 89
Fritz Wunderlichnot measured- - 90
Ralph Siegelnot measured- - 91
Drafi Deutschernot measured- - 92
Ireen Sheernot measured- - 93
Christoph von Dohnányinot measured- - 94
Wilhelm Kempffnot measured- - 95
Karl Bartosnot measured- - 96
Christopher Frankenot measured- - 97
Bert Kaempfertnot measured- - 98
Bela Bnot measured- - 99
Lotte Lehmannnot measured- - 100
Christa Ludwignot 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.