Claim profile
100–199

The 2nd century

Whose working lives fell in the 2nd century. Books are measured from 1800 and readers from 2015, so for this period we can say who lived then, not who was talked about then.

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 2nd century, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.

CountryAll🇮🇹 Italy🇨🇳 China🇹🇷 Turkey🇪🇬 Egypt🇯🇵 Japan🇮🇱 Israel🇮🇳 India🇪🇸 Spain🇫🇷 France
FieldAllPoliticiansWritersHistorical FiguresAcademicsReligious FiguresDoctorsModelsScientistsActorsMusicians
  1. 1ApuleiusApuleius125–170 · Writers22 decades
  2. 2SuetoniusSuetonius70–126 · Writers22 decades
  3. 3LucianLucian120–180 · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Writersnot measured—
  4. 4PausaniasPausanias110–180 · Writersnot measured—
  5. 5LonginusLonginus100–100 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writersnot measured—
  6. 6ArrianArrian89–175 · Writers22 decades
  7. 7AppianAppian95–165 · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Writers22 decades
  8. 8JustinJustinborn 101 · Writersnot measured—
  9. 9Aulus GelliusAulus Gellius130–180 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades
  10. 10Lucius Annaeus FlorusLucius Annaeus Florus70–140 · Writers0 decades
  11. 11GaiusGaius120–180 · Writersnot measured—
  12. 12MCMarcus Cornelius Fronto100–160 · Writers0 decades
  13. 13TTatian120–173 · Writers22 decades
  14. 14Melito of SardisMelito of Sardis100–180 · Writers6 decades
  15. 15Aelius AristidesAelius Aristides117–189 · Writers6 decades
  16. 16SJSextus Julius Africanus160–240 · Writers0 decades
  17. 17PolyaenusPolyaenus101–200 · Writersnot measured—
  18. 18HegesippusHegesippus110–180 · Writers22 decades
  19. 19PPseudo-Longinus100–100 · Writers0 decades
  20. 20BabriusBabrius100–200 · Writers21 decades
  21. 21CLChen Lin160–217 · Writers1 decades
  22. 22Emperor Ling of HanEmperor Ling of Han156–189 · Writers0 decades
  23. 23CChariton100–200 · Writersnot measured—
  24. 24Quadratus of AthensQuadratus of Athens100–129 · Writers0 decades
  25. 25GLGaius Licinius Mucianus100–100 · Writers0 decades
  26. 26AśvaghoṣaAśvaghoṣa80–150 · Writers0 decades
  27. 27HermasHermas150–150 · Writersnot measured—
  28. 28OOppianborn 101 · Writersnot measured—
  29. 29Dionysius PeriegetesDionysius Periegetes100–200 · Writers8 decades
  30. 30ADAntonius Diogenes101–199 · Writers0 decades
  31. 31Kong RongKong Rong153–208 · Writers0 decades
  32. 32JBJulia Balbilla72–130 · Writers0 decades
  33. 33Aelianus TacticusAelianus Tacticus100–200 · Writers0 decades
  34. 34Mi HengMi Heng173–198 · Writers0 decades
  35. 35HGHyginus Gromaticus100–200 · Writers0 decades
  36. 36LALucius Ampeliusborn 150 · Writers0 decades
  37. 37TTerentianusborn 150 · Writers12 decades
  38. 38ZQZhi Qian101–300 · Writers0 decades
  39. 39KundakundaKundakunda100–150 · 🇮🇳 India · Writers3 decades
  40. 40Cao ECao E130–143 · Writers0 decades
  41. 41LZLiu Zhen150–217 · Writersnot measured—
  42. 42ATAelius Theon100–100 · Writers0 decades
  43. 43TThallus100–100 · Writers22 decades
  44. 44YCYing Chang150–217 · Writers0 decades
  45. 45FRFabius Rusticusborn 100 · Writers1 decades
  46. 46POPhilippus of Thessalonica100–100 · Writers0 decades
  47. 47GLGranius Licinianus101–200 · Writers0 decades
  48. 48AOAristo of Pella100–160 · Writers0 decades
  49. 49FJFan Jianborn 101 · Writers0 decades
  50. 50RYRuan Yu150–212 · Writers0 decades
  51. 51RPRemmius Palaemon100–100 · Writers0 decades
  52. 52Ma RongMa Rong79–166 · Writers0 decades
  53. 53POPhilip of Gortynadied 180 · Writers0 decades
  54. 54HHāladied 200 · Writersnot measured—
  55. 55ACAulus Claudius Charaxborn 150 · Writers0 decades
  56. 56AAmyntianus100–200 · Writers0 decades
  57. 57SFSiculus Flaccus101–150 · Writers0 decades
  58. 58HCHandan Chun132–221 · Writers0 decades
  59. 59SSSeptimius Serenus101–200 · Writers0 decades
  60. 60FCFlavius Caperborn 150 · Writers0 decades
  61. 61YSYing Shao140–206 · Writers0 decades
  62. 62ADAelius Dionysiusdied 199 · Writers0 decades
  63. 63LULucius Ulpius Marcellusborn 100 · Writersnot measured—
  64. 64ZZZhang Zhi150–192 · Writers0 decades
  65. 65KKapilar100–200 · Writers1 decades
  66. 66PTPloutarchos the Younger100–200 · Writersnot measured—
  67. 67Flavius HyrcanusFlavius Hyrcanusborn 73 · Writersnot measured—
  68. 68Flavius Simonides AgrippaFlavius Simonides Agrippaborn 79 · Writersnot measured—

How this is measured

  • Placing people in time. Each person belongs to the century in which they were most active — around age 35, and never after their death.
  • Who ranks highest. Within a century, people are ranked where two independent signals agree: how many of the world’s Wikipedia language editions cover them, and how many people actually read about them. Article counts alone can be lifted by a person’s own circle; readers cannot.
  • Fame in print. The curves count how often a name appears in Google Books from 1800 to 2019, as a share of all the words printed each year, in the person’s own language wherever that corpus exists. Those decades are over, so each measurement is made once and kept.
  • What is left out. A lifetime is measured only from 1820, when there is enough print to judge; the five years after a death are skipped as obituaries; and a name shared with someone equally notable is credited to neither.