← 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
Yoko Ono5 decades - 2
Yayoi Kusama2 decades - 3
Akira Toriyama0 decades - 4
Osamu Tezuka2 decades - 5
Takashi Murakaminot measured- - 6
Katsuhiro Otomonot measured- - 7
Yoshitaka Amanonot measured- - 8
Isamu Noguchinot measured- - 9
Tsuguharu Foujitanot measured- - 10
Mitsuru Adachinot measured- - 11
Yoshitomo Naranot measured- - 12
Nobuyoshi Arakinot measured- - 13
Shinichi Hoshinot measured- - 14
Hiroshi Sugimotonot measured- - 15
Machiko Hasegawanot measured- - 16
Tetsuya Chibanot measured- - 17
Tarō Okamotonot measured- - 18
Yoshiyuki Sadamotonot measured- - 19
Saneatsu Mushanokōjinot measured- - 20
Eiko Ishiokanot measured- - 21
Uemura Shōennot measured- - 22
Hasui Kawasenot measured- - 23Keiji Nakazawanot measured-
- 24
Hitoshi Iwaakinot measured- - 25
Kishin Shinoyamanot measured- - 26
Kuroda Seikinot measured- - 27Kōsuke Fujishimanot measured-
- 28
Daidō Moriyamanot measured- - 29
Masaaki Hatsuminot measured- - 30
Yōichi Takahashinot measured- - 31
Hiroshi Yoshidanot measured- - 32Hajime Sorayamanot measured-
- 33
Lily Frankynot measured- - 34
Kiyoshi Yamashitanot measured- - 35On Kawaranot measured-
- 36Keiko Takemiyanot measured-
- 37
Kōtarō Takamuranot measured- - 38
Akira Yoshizawanot measured- - 39
Yi Bangjanot measured- - 40
Yokoyama Taikannot measured- - 41
Gengoroh Tagamenot measured- - 42
Hisashi Eguchinot measured- - 43
Chihiro Iwasakinot measured- - 44
Yumeji Takehisanot measured- - 45
Tadanori Yokoonot measured- - 46
Itō Shinsuinot measured- - 47Akira Yasudanot measured-
- 48Akimi Yoshidanot measured-
- 49
Takashi Yanasenot measured- - 50Suehiro Maruonot measured-
- 51
Sanzō Wadanot measured- - 52
Ken Domonnot measured- - 53Kazuma Kanekonot measured-
- 54
Fujiko Nakayanot measured- - 55
Yōichi Kotabenot measured- - 56
Naoko Watanabenot measured- - 57
Kenji Nagainot measured- - 58
Ohara Kosonnot measured- - 59
Shigeo Fukudanot measured- - 60
Fujishima Takejinot measured- - 61
Toko Shinodanot measured- - 62
Hishida Shunsōnot measured- - 63
Rakuten Kitazawanot measured- - 64
Eikō Hosoenot measured- - 65
Kyōichi Sawadanot measured- - 66
Shōji Hamadanot measured- - 67
Shikō Munakatanot measured- - 68
Kawabata Ryushinot measured- - 69
Shigeru Aokinot measured- - 70
Fumio Asakuranot measured- - 71
Rosanjinnot measured- - 72
Seiu Itonot measured- - 73
Yasumasa Morimuranot measured- - 74
Yasushi Nagaonot measured- - 75
Shusaku Arakawanot measured- - 76
Kōuchi Jun'ichinot measured- - 77Waki Yamatonot measured-
- 78
Mutsumi Inomatanot measured- - 79
Sōtarō Yasuinot measured- - 80
Kansuke Yamamotonot measured- - 81
Mokichi Okadanot measured- - 82
Kawai Gyokudōnot measured- - 83
Ryūsei Kishidanot measured- - 84
Seison Maedanot measured- - 85
Tsuneko Sasamotonot measured- - 86
Kōshirō Onchinot measured- - 87
Yuki Oguranot measured- - 88Kenichi Sonodanot measured-
- 89
Kaii Higashiyamanot measured- - 90
Okada Saburosukenot measured- - 91Haruhiko Mikimotonot measured-
- 92
Kamisaka Sekkanot measured- - 93
Yasuo Kuniyoshinot measured- - 94
Hiroshi Hamayanot measured- - 95
Kiyokata Kaburakinot measured- - 96
Ikuo Hirayamanot measured- - 97
Kanae Yamamotonot measured- - 98
Gyoshū Hayaminot measured- - 99Masako Watanabenot measured-
- 100
Akemi Takadanot 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.