← 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
Douglas MacArthur10 decades - 2
Ted Bundy4 decades - 3
Lee Harvey Oswald6 decades - 4
Jeffrey Dahmer3 decades - 5
Wallis Simpson4 decades - 6
Chester W. Nimitz8 decades - 7
Ed Geinnot measured- - 8
Albert Fishnot measured- - 9
Desmond Dossnot measured- - 10
Richard E. Byrd10 decades - 11Christopher McCandlessnot measured-
- 12
Norman Schwarzkopf Jr.not measured- - 13
Peter II of Yugoslavia0 decades - 14
Yonatan Netanyahunot measured- - 15
Leon Czolgosznot measured- - 16
William Halsey Jr.not measured- - 17
Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.not measured- - 18
Steve Fossettnot measured- - 19
Kathleen Cavendishnot measured- - 20
Ada Blackjacknot measured- - 21
Wiley Postnot measured- - 22
Frederick Cooknot measured- - 23
Matthew Hensonnot measured- - 24
Roy Chapman Andrewsnot measured- - 25
Don Walshnot measured- - 26
Scott Fischernot measured- - 27
Conrad Ankernot measured- - 28
Ann Bancroftnot measured- - 29James Crawford Angelnot measured-
- 30
Princess Anne of Denmarknot measured- - 31
Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmarknot measured- - 32
Lincoln Ellsworthnot measured- - 33
Mary Curzon, Baroness Curzon of Kedlestonnot measured- - 34
Floyd Bennettnot measured- - 35Bradford Washburnnot measured-
- 36
Robert Sterling Clarknot measured- - 37Isaiah Bowmannot measured-
- 38
Carl Ben Eielsonnot measured- - 39
Harriet Chalmers Adamsnot measured- - 40
Langdon Warnernot measured- - 41
Delia Akeleynot measured- - 42
Edward L. Beach, Jr.not measured- - 43
William Lincoln Bakewellnot measured- - 44
Floyd Collinsnot measured- - 45
Vanessa O'Briennot measured- - 46
Eleanor Margaret Greennot measured- - 47
Victor Wolfgang von Hagennot measured- - 48Robin Lee Grahamnot measured-
- 49Barbara Hillarynot measured-
- 50
Gene Savoynot measured- - 51
Jackie Ronnenot measured- - 52
Anthony Fialanot measured- - 53
Johan Reinhardnot measured- - 54
Rollo Becknot measured- - 55
Donald Baxter MacMillannot measured- - 56
John Goddardnot measured- - 57
George J. Dufeknot measured- - 58
Paul Siplenot measured- - 59
Mary Jobe Akeleynot measured- - 60
Will Stegernot measured- - 61
Anthony Llewellynnot measured- - 62
Arthur Donaldson Smithnot measured- - 63
Charles R. Bentleynot measured- - 64
Alexander Hamilton Ricenot measured- - 65
Jerri Nielsennot measured- - 66Amelia Laskeynot measured-
- 67Norman D. Vaughannot measured-
- 68Sheck Exleynot measured-
- 69
Barry Cliffordnot measured- - 70
William Montgomery McGovernnot measured- - 71Cornelius Vanderbilt Cranenot measured-
- 72
John P. Allennot measured- - 73
Margaret Howard, Countess of Suffolknot measured- - 74George Washington Vanderbilt IIInot measured-
- 75
Gerald Ketchumnot measured- - 76
Walter Harpernot measured- - 77
Walter E. Scottnot measured- - 78
Ralph Plaistednot measured- - 79
Allene Tewnot measured- - 80
Edward Avery McIlhennynot measured- - 81Irving Johnsonnot measured-
- 82
Templeton Crockernot measured- - 83
Charles Suydam Cuttingnot measured- - 84
Frank E. Kleinschmidtnot measured- - 85
James Larkin Whitenot measured- - 86Prince Rostislav Romanovnot measured-
- 87
Richard Evelyn Byrd IIInot measured- - 88Theos Casimir Bernardnot measured-
- 89
Yvette Borupnot measured- - 90
Carol Beckwithnot measured- - 91Louise Timpsonnot measured-
- 92Harry Pidgeonnot measured-
- 93
Joseph Nisbet LeContenot measured- - 94
Brooke Dolan IInot measured- - 95
Hiram M. Hiller, Jr.not measured- - 96Buell Quainnot measured-
- 97
Theodore Solomonsnot measured- - 98Joseph Otis Fletchernot measured-
- 99
Lydia Liliuokalani Kawānanakoanot measured- - 100
Natalie Walesnot 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.