← 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
Amedeo Modigliani10 decades - 2
Giorgio de Chirico10 decades - 3
Carlo Levinot measured- - 4
Umberto Boccioni11 decades - 5
Maurizio Cattelannot measured- - 6
Augusto De Luca0 decades - 7
Tina Modottinot measured- - 8
Salvatore Garaunot measured- - 9
Giacomo Ballanot measured- - 10
Giorgio Morandinot measured- - 11
Vittorio Storaronot measured- - 12
Milo Manaranot measured- - 13
Piero Manzoninot measured- - 14
Lucio Fontananot measured- - 15Silvio Gazzaniganot measured-
- 16
Renato Guttusonot measured- - 17
Alberto Savinionot measured- - 18
Gino Severininot measured- - 19
Bruno Munarinot measured- - 20
Oliviero Toscaninot measured- - 21
Arnaldo Pomodoronot measured- - 22
Francesco Clementenot measured- - 23
Luigi Russolonot measured- - 24
Carlo Rambaldinot measured- - 25
Carlo Carrànot measured- - 26
Alberto Burrinot measured- - 27
Romaine Brooksnot measured- - 28
Fortunato Deperonot measured- - 29
Luisa Casatinot measured- - 30
Leo Lionninot measured- - 31
Guido Crepaxnot measured- - 32
Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedonot measured- - 33
Paolo Troubetzkoynot measured- - 34
Marino Marininot measured- - 35
Michelangelo Pistolettonot measured- - 36
Giacomo Manzùnot measured- - 37
Flaminio Bertoninot measured- - 38
Paolo Montinot measured- - 39
Rembrandt Bugattinot measured- - 40
Franco Fontananot measured- - 41
Zoran Mušičnot measured- - 42
Antonio Ligabuenot measured- - 43
Arturo Di Modicanot measured- - 44Sergio Toppinot measured-
- 45
Princess Bona Margherita of Savoy-Genoanot measured- - 46
Joseph Stellanot measured- - 47
Mario Sironinot measured- - 48
Piero Tosinot measured- - 49
Mario Merznot measured- - 50
Lorenzo Mattottinot measured- - 51
Mimmo Paladinonot measured- - 52
Giuseppe Penonenot measured- - 53
Gipinot measured- - 54
Andrea Pazienzanot measured- - 55
Paolo Roversinot measured- - 56
Felice Casoratinot measured- - 57Giovanni Bragolinnot measured-
- 58
Emilio Vedovanot measured- - 59
Enrico Bajnot measured- - 60
Giannino Castiglioninot measured- - 61
Pietro Canonicanot measured- - 62
Mario Schifanonot measured- - 63
Valerio Adaminot measured- - 64
Silpa Bhirasrinot measured- - 65
Enzo Cucchinot measured- - 66
Gianni Berengo Gardinnot measured- - 67
Tanino Liberatorenot measured- - 68
Arturo Martininot measured- - 69
Antonio Capuanonot measured- - 70
Costantino Nivolanot measured- - 71
Giovanni Gastelnot measured- - 72
Filippo De Pisisnot measured- - 73
Umberto Mastroianninot measured- - 74
Vincenzo Galdinot measured- - 75
Pietro Annigoninot measured- - 76
Maria Lainot measured- - 77
Mimmo Rotellanot measured- - 78
Adolfo Wildtnot measured- - 79
Harry Bertoianot measured- - 80
Aurelio Galleppininot measured- - 81
Walter Molinonot measured- - 82
Afro Basaldellanot measured- - 83
Sandro Chianot measured- - 84
Achille Beltramenot measured- - 85
Luciano Lutringnot measured- - 86
Emanuele Luzzatinot measured- - 87
Anselmo Buccinot measured- - 88
Igortnot measured- - 89
Carolina Carlesimonot measured- - 90
Prince Heinrich of Hesse and by Rhinenot measured- - 91
Benedetta Cappanot measured- - 92
Cecilia Mangininot measured- - 93
Emilio Greconot measured- - 94
Piero Fornasettinot measured- - 95Ferdinando Sciannanot measured-
- 96Giacinto Mondaininot measured-
- 97
Dino Attanasionot measured- - 98
Aligi Sassunot measured- - 99
Mario Bardinot measured- - 100
Carol Ramanot 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.