← 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
Antonio Gramsci9 decades - 2
Mario Draghi3 decades - 3
Julius Evola7 decades - 4
Mario Monti7 decades - 5
Benedetto Croce14 decades - 6
Giovanni Gentilenot measured- - 7
Giorgio Agambennot measured- - 8
Lamberto Dini4 decades - 9
Antonio Negrinot measured- - 10
Norberto Bobbionot measured- - 11
Gianni Vattimonot measured- - 12
Luciano Floridinot measured- - 13
Francesco Saverio Nittinot measured- - 14
Franco Basaglianot measured- - 15
Franco Modigliani5 decades - 16
Massimo Cacciarinot measured- - 17
Piero Sraffanot measured- - 18
Elsa Forneronot measured- - 19
Tullio Levi-Civitanot measured- - 20
Enrico Bombierinot measured- - 21
Antonio Martinonot measured- - 22
Nicola Abbagnanonot measured- - 23
Corrado Gininot measured- - 24
Luigi Giussaninot measured- - 25
Lanza del Vastonot measured- - 26
Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforzanot measured- - 27
Giovanni Arrighinot measured- - 28
Giacomo dalla Torre del Tempio di Sanguinettonot measured- - 29
Domenico Losurdonot measured- - 30
Beniamino Andreattanot measured- - 31
Giuseppe Tuccinot measured- - 32
Fosco Maraininot measured- - 33
Daniele Archibuginot measured- - 34
Renato Brunettanot measured- - 35
Marcello Peranot measured- - 36
Marta Cartabianot measured- - 37
Emanuele Severinonot measured- - 38
Michele Bessonot measured-
- 39Giuseppe Colombonot measured-
- 40
Gianfranco Ghirlandanot measured- - 41
Pier Carlo Padoannot measured- - 42
Ennio De Giorginot measured- - 43
Guido Fubininot measured- - 44
Arnaldo Momiglianonot measured- - 45
Paolo Pezzinot measured- - 46
Carlo Cottarellinot measured- - 47
Giovanni Realenot measured- - 48
Piergiorgio Odifreddinot measured- - 49
Vittorio Höslenot measured- - 50
Tommaso Padoa-Schioppanot measured- - 51
Teresa de Lauretisnot measured- - 52
Guido Manteganot measured- - 53
Giacomo Rizzolattinot measured- - 54
Maurizio Ferrarisnot measured- - 55
Mario Trontinot measured- - 56Bruno de Finettinot measured-
- 57
Nicola Cabibbonot measured- - 58
Roberto Longhinot measured- - 59
Massimo Introvignenot measured- - 60Laura Mancinellinot measured-
- 61
Paolo Savonanot measured- - 62
Eva Cantarellanot measured- - 63
Aldo Capitininot measured- - 64
Eugenio Calabinot measured- - 65
Cesare Romitinot measured- - 66Eugenio Garinnot measured-
- 67
Luigi Zingalesnot measured- - 68Adriana Cavareronot measured-
- 69
Alberto Alesinanot measured- - 70
Renato Caccioppolinot measured- - 71
Roberto Espositonot measured- - 72
Giulio Tononinot measured- - 73
Achille Bonito Olivanot measured- - 74
Federigo Enriquesnot measured- - 75
Marco Cénot measured- - 76
Namkhai Norbunot measured- - 77
Lucio Collettinot measured- - 78
Antonia Arslannot measured- - 79
Guido Castelnuovonot measured- - 80
Giulio Angioninot measured- - 81
Donatella Di Cesarenot measured- - 82
Antonio Fazionot measured- - 83
Lorenzo Bini Smaghinot measured- - 84
Michele Boldrinnot measured- - 85
Ugo Spiritonot measured- - 86Sofia Corradinot measured-
- 87
Gillo Dorflesnot measured- - 88
Giorgio Collinot measured- - 89
Fabio Panettanot measured- - 90
Ernesto de Martinonot measured- - 91
Patrizio Bianchinot measured- - 92
Ignazio Visconot measured- - 93
Daniele Franconot measured- - 94
Roberto Burioninot measured- - 95
Massimo Pallottinonot measured- - 96
Luigi Ambrosionot measured- - 97
Beppo Levinot measured- - 98
Gino Fanonot measured- - 99Paolo Virnonot measured-
- 100
Francesco Severinot 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.