← 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
Sophia Loren7 decades - 2
Monica Bellucci3 decades - 3
Claudia Cardinale6 decades - 4
Isabella Rossellini5 decades - 5
Marcello Mastroianni7 decades - 6
Gina Lollobrigida7 decades - 7
Roberto Benigni5 decades - 8
Bud Spencer5 decades - 9
Terence Hill5 decades - 10
Rudolph Valentino10 decades - 11
Ornella Muti5 decades - 12
Franco Nero5 decades - 13
Alberto Sordi7 decades - 14
Anna Magnani8 decades
- 15
Vittorio Gassman8 decades - 16
Monica Vitti6 decades - 17
Rocco Siffredi3 decades - 18
Danny Hustonnot measured- - 19
Giancarlo Giannini6 decades - 20
Virna Lisi7 decades - 21
Silvana Mangano7 decades - 22
Stefania Sandrellinot measured- - 23
Alida Vallinot measured- - 24
Sabrina Ferillinot measured- - 25
Michele Placidonot measured- - 26
Lino Venturanot measured- - 27
Valeria Bruni-Tedeschinot measured- - 28
Giuliano Gemmanot measured- - 29
Nino Manfredinot measured- - 30
Gian Maria Volontenot measured- - 31
Laura Antonellinot measured- - 32
Paolo Villaggionot measured- - 33
Valentina Cortesenot measured- - 34
Totònot measured- - 35
Toni Servillonot measured- - 36
Eleonora Giorginot measured- - 37
Ugo Tognazzinot measured- - 38
Massimo Troisinot measured- - 39
Anita Pallenbergnot measured- - 40
Sylva Koscinanot measured- - 41
Lucia Bosenot measured- - 42
Kaspar Capparoni0 decades - 43
Pier Angelinot measured- - 44
Raf Vallonenot measured- - 45
Marisa Pavannot measured- - 46
Moana Pozzinot measured- - 47
Mariangela Melatonot measured- - 48
Rita Pavonenot measured- - 49
Francesca Nerinot measured- - 50
Claudia Morinot measured- - 51
Gabriele Ferzettinot measured- - 52
Gigi Proiettinot measured- - 53
Gino Cervinot measured- - 54
Giulietta Masinanot measured- - 55
Nicoletta Braschinot measured- - 56
Laura Morantenot measured- - 57
Gloria Guidanot measured- - 58
Serena Grandinot measured- - 59
Fabio Testinot measured- - 60
Massimo Ranierinot measured- - 61
Franca Ramenot measured- - 62
Eduardo De Filipponot measured- - 63
Rossana Podestànot measured- - 64
Maurizio Michelinot measured- - 65
Adolfo Celinot measured- - 66
Daniela Bianchinot measured- - 67
Pippo Baudonot measured- - 68
Renato Rascelnot measured- - 69
Lea Massarinot measured- - 70
Lino Banfinot measured- - 71
Mario Breganot measured- - 72
Simonetta Stefanellinot measured- - 73
Daria Nicolodinot measured- - 74
Margherita Buynot measured- - 75
Monica Guerritorenot measured- - 76
Renato Salvatorinot measured- - 77
Aldo Fabrizinot measured- - 78
Rossano Brazzinot measured- - 79
Elena Sofia Riccinot measured- - 80Francesco Quinnnot measured-
- 81
Ottavia Piccolonot measured- - 82
Remo Gironenot measured- - 83
Sandra Milonot measured- - 84
Adriana Astinot measured- - 85
Marina Bertinot measured- - 86
Renato Pozzettonot measured- - 87
Paolo Bonacellinot measured- - 88
Gastone Moschinnot measured- - 89
Milena Vukoticnot measured- - 90
Luciana Paluzzinot measured- - 91
Silvana Pampanininot measured- - 92
Alessandra Martinesnot measured- - 93
Dalila Di Lazzaronot measured- - 94
Massimo Girottinot measured- - 95
Franco Cittinot measured- - 96
Paolo Stoppanot measured- - 97
Nino Castelnuovonot measured- - 98
Lilli Caratinot measured- - 99
Anna Galienanot measured- - 100
Carmelo Benenot 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.