Claim profile
400–499

The 5th century

Whose working lives fell in the 5th 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 5th century, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.

CountryAll🇫🇷 France🇮🇹 Italy🇯🇵 Japan🇬🇧 United Kingdom🇪🇬 Egypt🇹🇷 Turkey🇨🇳 China🇩🇪 Germany🇲🇽 Mexico🇮🇩 Indonesia
FieldAllPoliticiansHistorical FiguresWritersReligious FiguresAcademicsModelsDoctorsActorsBusiness ProfessionalsMusicians
  1. 1Theodosius IITheodosius II401–450 · Politicians22 decades
  2. 2Flavius AetiusFlavius Aetius390–454 · Politicians0 decades
  3. 3Julius NeposJulius Nepos430–480 · Politicians5 decades
  4. 4ArcadiusArcadius377–408 · Politicians22 decades
  5. 5Leo I the ThracianLeo I the Thracian401–474 · Politiciansnot measured—
  6. 6AvitusAvitus395–457 · 🇫🇷 France · Politiciansnot measured—
  7. 7Galla PlacidiaGalla Placidia386–450 · Politicians19 decades
  8. 8MarcianMarcian392–457 · Politiciansnot measured—
  9. 9Justin IJustin I450–527 · Politicians4 decades
  10. 10SyagriusSyagrius430–487 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians18 decades
  11. 11AnthemiusAnthemius420–472 · Politiciansnot measured—
  12. 12Petronius MaximusPetronius Maximus396–455 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians2 decades
  13. 13RicimerRicimer405–472 · Politicians22 decades
  14. 14Constantius IIIConstantius III370–421 · Politicians0 decades
  15. 15PharamondPharamond370–430 · Politiciansnot measured—
  16. 16Leo IILeo II467–474 · Politicians14 decades
  17. 17AsparAspar400–471 · Politicians21 decades
  18. 18Libius SeverusLibius Severus420–465 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Politicians0 decades
  19. 19OOrestes420–476 · Politiciansnot measured—
  20. 20AAegidius450–464 · Politiciansnot measured—
  21. 21Emperor Wen of Liu SongEmperor Wen of Liu Song407–453 · Politiciansnot measured—
  22. 22JoannesJoannes400–425 · Politiciansnot measured—
  23. 23PriscusPriscus410–471 · Politiciansnot measured—
  24. 24Licinia EudoxiaLicinia Eudoxia422–493 · Politicians0 decades
  25. 25Vakhtang I of IberiaVakhtang I of Iberia440–502 · Politiciansnot measured—
  26. 26VValamir420–465 · Politicians1 decades
  27. 27Priscus AttalusPriscus Attalus400–401 · Politicians0 decades
  28. 28JovinusJovinus400–413 · Politiciansnot measured—
  29. 29CChrysaphiusdied 450 · Politicians8 decades
  30. 30MMallobaudes400–400 · Politicians0 decades
  31. 31EMEmperor Ming of Southern Qi452–498 · Politiciansnot measured—
  32. 32CuneddaCunedda386–460 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Politiciansnot measured—
  33. 33MMavia400–425 · Politicians3 decades
  34. 34HypatiusHypatius450–532 · Politiciansnot measured—
  35. 35SSunno400–400 · Politicians0 decades
  36. 36XZXiao Zhaowen480–494 · Politiciansnot measured—
  37. 37EDEmpress Dowager Feng442–490 · Politiciansnot measured—
  38. 38FFravitta400–402 · Politiciansnot measured—
  39. 39Tan DaojiTan Daoji400–436 · Politicians0 decades
  40. 40Flavius FelixFlavius Felix400–430 · Politicians0 decades
  41. 41Flavius Areobindus Dagalaifus AreobindusFlavius Areobindus Dagalaifus Areobindus460–512 · Politiciansnot measured—
  42. 42EEcdicius420–470 · Politicians5 decades
  43. 43Empress Dowager HuEmpress Dowager Hu401–528 · Politicians0 decades
  44. 44OOvida450–481 · Politiciansnot measured—
  45. 45PrætextatusPrætextatus450–586 · 🇫🇷 France · Politicians0 decades
  46. 46HHeraclianus370–413 · Politiciansnot measured—
  47. 47Kumaragupta IKumaragupta I399–455 · Politicians1 decades
  48. 48al-Muhalhilal-Muhalhil443–531 · Politicians0 decades
  49. 49AnastasiusAnastasiusborn 450 · Politiciansnot measured—
  50. 50ArdaburArdaburdied 471 · Politicians0 decades
  51. 51Tonantius FerreolusTonantius Ferreolus415–475 · Politicians0 decades
  52. 52COCyrus of Panopolis400–470 · Politicians0 decades
  53. 53CCastinus400–420 · Politiciansnot measured—
  54. 54JMJuqu Mujian368–447 · Politiciansnot measured—
  55. 55Mononobe no ArakabiMononobe no Arakabi450–536 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Politiciansnot measured—
  56. 56PPompeius450–532 · Politiciansnot measured—
  57. 57RPRufius Petronius Nicomachus Cethegusborn 450 · Politiciansnot measured—
  58. 58Manlius BoethiusManlius Boethius450–487 · Politicians0 decades
  59. 59AAnagastborn 450 · Politicians0 decades
  60. 60HHermenericusborn 450 · Politicians0 decades
  61. 61OnegesiusOnegesiusborn 400 · Politicians4 decades
  62. 62APAnicius Probinus400–500 · Politicians0 decades
  63. 63DDagalaifusborn 400 · Politiciansnot measured—
  64. 64FritigilFritigil400–500 · Politicians0 decades
  65. 65PAProcopius Anthemius450–501 · Politicians0 decades
  66. 66HTHalfdan the Oldborn 450 · Politicians0 decades
  67. 67FAFlavius Albinus iuniorborn 450 · Politiciansnot measured—
  68. 68BVBasilius Venantiusborn 450 · Politicians0 decades
  69. 69CCensoriusdied 448 · Politiciansnot measured—
  70. 70IPIllustrius Pusaeusborn 450 · Politiciansnot measured—
  71. 71Decius Marius Venantius BasiliusDecius Marius Venantius Basilius401–600 · Politicians0 decades
  72. 72MPMessius Phoebus Severusborn 450 · Politicians0 decades
  73. 73Rufius Gennadius Probus OrestesRufius Gennadius Probus Orestesborn 450 · Politiciansnot measured—
  74. 74LYLiu Yikang409–451 · Politicians0 decades
  75. 75SSymmachusborn 450 · Politiciansnot measured—
  76. 76AphilasAphilasborn 400 · Politicians0 decades
  77. 77EDEmpress Dowager Wang Baoming455–512 · Politiciansnot measured—
  78. 78LZLiu Zixun456–466 · Politiciansnot measured—
  79. 79FLFu Liang374–426 · Politicians0 decades
  80. 80SSigisvultusborn 400 · Politicians0 decades
  81. 81Rufius Antonius Agrypnius VolusianusRufius Antonius Agrypnius Volusianus370–437 · Politicians0 decades
  82. 82IInportunusborn 450 · Politicians0 decades
  83. 83TTheodorusborn 450 · Politiciansnot measured—
  84. 84Caecina Decius Maximus BasiliusCaecina Decius Maximus Basilius450–500 · Politicians0 decades
  85. 85JTJohn the Scythian482–498 · Politicians0 decades
  86. 86AMAnicius Maximus450–552 · Politicians0 decades
  87. 87AbundantiusAbundantius400–500 · Politicians2 decades
  88. 88SNSoga no Koma401–501 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Politiciansnot measured—
  89. 89LYLiu Yigong413–465 · Politiciansnot measured—
  90. 90VAVettius Agorius Basilius Mavortiusborn 450 · Politicians0 decades
  91. 91EucheriusEucherius389–408 · Politiciansnot measured—
  92. 92MHDYSMHDYS400–500 · Politicians0 decades
  93. 93JTJohn the Hunchback450–600 · Politicians0 decades
  94. 94OuazebasOuazebasborn 400 · Politicians0 decades
  95. 95LLausus400–450 · Politicians20 decades
  96. 96APAnicius Probus Faustus401–600 · Politicians0 decades
  97. 97CCaesarius400–500 · Politiciansnot measured—
  98. 98LSLiu Shuo431–453 · Politicians0 decades
  99. 99Flavius StudiusFlavius Studiusborn 450 · Politiciansnot measured—
  100. 100Theodorus Philoxenus Soterichus PhiloxenusTheodorus Philoxenus Soterichus Philoxenusborn 450 · Politiciansnot 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.