← 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
Alan Turing4 decades - 2
Jane Goodall5 decades - 3
Bertrand Russell13 decades - 4
T. E. Lawrence10 decades - 5
Ludwig Wittgenstein8 decades - 6
John Maynard Keynes10 decades - 7
Geoffrey Hinton0 decades - 8
Howard Carter12 decades - 9
G.H. Hardy0 decades - 10
Eric Hobsbawm5 decades - 11
Andrew Wiles2 decades - 12
Isaiah Berlin7 decades - 13Christopher Tolkiennot measured-
- 14
Bronisław Malinowski0 decades - 15
Zygmunt Bauman1 decades - 16
Anthony Giddensnot measured- - 17
Melanie Klein9 decades - 18
A. J. Ayer8 decades - 19
Ronald Coase3 decades - 20
Hans Eysenck4 decades - 21
Imre Lakatos5 decades - 22
Norbert Elias4 decades - 23
Mary Beardnot measured- - 24
John Richard Hicks0 decades - 25Joan Clarkenot measured-
- 26
Roger Scruton4 decades - 27Anthony Bluntnot measured-
- 28
Nick Landnot measured- - 29
Christian de Duve0 decades
- 30
Duncan Haldanenot measured- - 31
Simon Baron-Cohennot measured- - 32
Max Mallowannot measured- - 33
Richard Borcherdsnot measured- - 34
Jonathan Sacksnot measured- - 35
Gregory Batesonnot measured- - 36
Stuart Hallnot measured- - 37
John Lennoxnot measured- - 38
David Harveynot measured- - 39
John Horton Conwaynot measured- - 40
Mary Leakeynot measured- - 41
Michael Atiyah0 decades - 42
G. E. Moore13 decades - 43
John N. Graynot measured- - 44
Guy Standingnot measured- - 45
Philippe Sandsnot measured- - 46
Ralph Milibandnot measured- - 47
G. E. M. Anscombenot measured- - 48John Langshaw Austinnot measured-
- 49
Derek Parfitnot measured- - 50Gilbert Rylenot measured-
- 51
Simon Schamanot measured- - 52Philippa Footnot measured-
- 53
Joan Robinsonnot measured- - 54
Timothy Gowersnot measured- - 55
Leonard Woolleynot measured- - 56
John Edensor Littlewoodnot measured- - 57
H. L. A. Hartnot measured- - 58
Karl Mannheim9 decades - 59
Raymond Williamsnot measured- - 60Bernard Williamsnot measured-
- 61Edgar F. Coddnot measured-
- 62
Antony Flewnot measured- - 63
James A. Robinsonnot measured- - 64
Frank P. Ramseynot measured- - 65
Simon Singhnot measured- - 66
N. T. Wrightnot measured- - 67
Harold Laskinot measured- - 68P. F. Strawsonnot measured-
- 69
William Beveridgenot measured- - 70
Michael Oakeshottnot measured- - 71
Ralf Dahrendorfnot measured- - 72
Richard Lynnnot measured- - 73
W. Arthur Lewis11 decades - 74
Derek Princenot measured- - 75
Anthony Stafford Beernot measured- - 76
George E. P. Boxnot measured- - 77Paul Gricenot measured-
- 78
Jacob Bronowskinot measured- - 79
Ernest Gellnernot measured- - 80
Jacquetta Hawkesnot measured- - 81
Raymond Cattellnot measured- - 82Mary Douglasnot measured-
- 83
Owen Barfieldnot measured- - 84
Angus Deaton2 decades - 85
Ernst Chain0 decades - 86
Richard Swinburnenot measured- - 87
Arthur Cecil Pigounot measured- - 88W. T. Tuttenot measured-
- 89
Simon Donaldsonnot measured- - 90
William Sealy Gossetnot measured- - 91
Christophoros A. Pissaridesnot measured- - 92Edmund Leachnot measured-
- 93
Edward B. Titchenernot measured- - 94
Martin Lingsnot measured- - 95
Nikolaus Pevsnernot measured- - 96
Michael Dummettnot measured- - 97
Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencernot measured- - 98
David Mumfordnot measured- - 99Stephen Toulminnot measured-
- 100
Abdalqadir as-Sufinot 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.