← 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
Elizabeth II8 decades - 2
Diana, Princess of Wales0 decades - 3
George VI10 decades - 4
George V16 decades - 5
Edward VIII9 decades - 6
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother6 decades - 7
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon0 decades - 8
Mary of Tecknot measured- - 9
Robert Falcon Scott3 decades - 10
Michael I of Romania0 decades - 11
Princess Alice of Battenberg0 decades - 12
George Mallorynot measured- - 13
Maud of Wales1 decades - 14
Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewoodnot measured- - 15
Katharine, Duchess of Kentnot measured- - 16
Percy Fawcettnot measured- - 17
Princess Marina of Greece and Denmarknot measured- - 18
Louise Mountbattennot measured- - 19
Louise, Princess Royalnot measured- - 20
Princess Margaret of Connaughtnot measured- - 21
Princess Victoria of the United Kingdomnot measured- - 22John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencernot measured-
- 23
David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdonnot measured- - 24
Andrew Irvinenot measured- - 25
George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvonnot measured- - 26
Claude Auchinlecknot measured- - 27Frances Shand Kyddnot measured-
- 28
Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fifenot measured- - 29
Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gothanot measured- - 30
Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucesternot measured- - 31
George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Havennot measured- - 32
Princess Patricia of Connaughtnot measured- - 33
Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burmanot measured- - 34
Lady Pamela Hicksnot measured- - 35
George Windsor, Earl of St Andrewsnot measured- - 36
Lawrence Oatesnot measured- - 37George Lascelles, 7th Earl of Harewoodnot measured-
- 38
Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gothanot measured- - 39
St John Philbynot measured- - 40
Nadejda Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Havennot measured- - 41
Princess Maud, Countess of Southesknot measured- - 42
Wilfred Thesigernot measured- - 43
Setsuko, Princess Chichibunot measured- - 44
John Hunt, Baron Huntnot measured- - 45
Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridgenot measured- - 46
Henry Lascelles, 6th Earl of Harewoodnot measured- - 47
Francis Chichesternot measured- - 48John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucannot measured-
- 49Lady Sarah McCorquodalenot measured-
- 50
James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fifenot measured- - 51
Frank Wildnot measured- - 52
Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holsteinnot measured- - 53
Charles Vyner Brookenot measured- - 54
James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlboroughnot measured- - 55
Olga Andreevna Romanovanot measured- - 56
Tim Severinnot measured- - 57
Robin Knox-Johnstonnot measured- - 58
James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercornnot measured- - 59David Carnegie, 4th Duke of Fifenot measured-
- 60
Henry Worsleynot measured- - 61
Noël Leslie, Countess of Rothesnot measured- - 62Gerald David Lascellesnot measured-
- 63Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowesnot measured-
- 64
Eric Shiptonnot measured- - 65
Anastasia de Torbynot measured- - 66
William Speirs Brucenot measured- - 67
Edward Evans, 1st Baron Mountevansnot measured- - 68
Mary Somerset, Duchess of Beaufortnot measured- - 69
Harry McNishnot measured- - 70Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamiltonnot measured-
- 71
David Douglas-Home, 15th Earl of Homenot measured- - 72
Perce Blackborownot measured- - 73
Robert Abram Bartlettnot measured- - 74
Thomas Orde-Leesnot measured- - 75
Mary Elphinstone, Lady Elphinstonenot measured- - 76
Edward Felix Nortonnot measured- - 77Wally Herbertnot measured-
- 78Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burmanot measured-
- 79Henry Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufortnot measured-
- 80
Bill Tilmannot measured- - 81
Murray Beauclerk, 14th Duke of St Albansnot measured- - 82
Ernest Joycenot measured- - 83
Alexander Macklinnot measured- - 84
William Lashlynot measured- - 85Andrew Russell, 15th Duke of Bedfordnot measured-
- 86
Charles Granville Brucenot measured- - 87
Almina Herbert, Countess of Carnarvonnot measured- - 88
George Murray Levicknot measured- - 89
Bertram Thomasnot measured- - 90
Edward L. Atkinsonnot measured- - 91Charles Evansnot measured-
- 92
John King Davisnot measured- - 93
Dougal Hastonnot measured- - 94
Leonard Husseynot measured- - 95
Nicholas Briggsnot measured- - 96
Robin Russell, 14th Duke of Bedfordnot measured- - 97
R. V. C. Bodleynot measured- - 98
Lionel Greenstreetnot measured- - 99
Robert Swannot measured- - 100
Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyllnot 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.