700–799

The 8th century

Whose working lives fell in the 8th 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 8th century, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.

#PersonIn print, 1800–2019Echoed

1Li Bai701–762 · Writers11 decades
2Du Fu712–770 · 🇨🇳 China · Writers11 decades
3Abu Nuwas756–814 · Writers6 decades
4Bede672–735 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Writers22 decades
5Wang Wei699–759 · 🇨🇳 China · Writers9 decades
6Emperor Xuanzong of Tang685–762 · Writers3 decades
7Rabia of Basra710–801 · Writers0 decades
8Paul the Deacon720–799 · Writers22 decades
9Ibn Ishaq704–768 · Writers7 decades
10Lu Yu733–804 · 🇨🇳 China · Writers1 decades
11Wang Changling698–756 · Writers6 decades
12Theophanes the Confessor759–817 · Writers0 decades
13Benedict of Aniane750–821 · 🇫🇷 France · Writers6 decades
14Ludger742–809 · Writers20 decades
15Yang Guifei719–756 · 🇨🇳 China · Writers2 decades
16Ibn al-Muqaffa'724–840 · Writers0 decades
17IHIbn Hišām701–828 · Writers0 decades
18Gao Shi707–765 · Writersnot measured—
19CHCui Hao704–754 · Writersnot measured—
20Cen Shen715–770 · Writers4 decades
21WYWei Yingwu737–792 · Writersnot measured—
22WZWang Zhihuan688–742 · Writersnot measured—
23Saint Pirmin670–753 · Writers0 decades
24Theodulf of Orléans750–821 · Writers0 decades
25Chrodegang715–766 · Writers12 decades
26Theodore the Studite759–826 · Writers0 decades
27Meng Haoran690–740 · Writers6 decades
28Nikephoros I of Constantinople758–828 · Writersnot measured—
29Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri678–742 · Writers0 decades
30Angilbert740–814 · Writers12 decades
31ESEmperor Shang of Tang695–715 · Writersnot measured—
32AAl-Waqidi747–823 · Writers0 decades
33Adalard of Corbie751–826 · Writers0 decades
34Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi718–786 · Writersnot measured—
35Liu Zhangqing710–785 · Writersnot measured—
36MJMeng Jiao751–814 · Writersnot measured—
37RIRobert I, Count of Hesbaye697–764 · Writers22 decades
38SSShi Siming703–761 · Writers0 decades
39AAl-Khayzuran701–789 · Writers0 decades
40Hisham ibn al-Kalbi737–819 · Writers0 decades
41Zhang Jiuling678–740 · Writers0 decades
42Yeshe Tsogyel757–817 · Writers0 decades
43Paulinus II of Aquileia740–802 · Writersnot measured—
44WXWang Xuanceborn 700 · Writersnot measured—
45Abu-l-'Atahiya748–826 · Writersnot measured—
46SZSima Zhen679–732 · Writers0 decades
47Tachibana no Moroe684–757 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Writers0 decades
48Baizhang Huaihai720–814 · Writersnot measured—
49Du Qiuniangborn 750 · Writersnot measured—
50LQLi Qi690–751 · Writersnot measured—
51Theodore Abu-Qurrah750–820 · Writersnot measured—
52YQYiran Qaghandied 739 · Writersnot measured—
53Ō no Yasumarodied 723 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Writers0 decades
54Emperor Dezong of Tang742–805 · Writersnot measured—
55Arbeo of Freising723–783 · 🇦🇹 Austria · Writers8 decades
56Ubayd-Allah ibn Abd-Allahdied 716 · Writersnot measured—
57TOTheophilus of Edessa695–785 · Writers0 decades
58Bashshar ibn Burd714–784 · Writers0 decades
59Zhang Xuborn 670 · Writers0 decades
60Fulrad710–784 · Writers1 decades
61DYDu You735–812 · Writers0 decades
62Cosmas of Maiuma675–760 · Writers0 decades
63Yan Zhenqing709–785 · Writers0 decades
64Li Mi722–789 · Writers3 decades
65LLLu Lun739–799 · Writersnot measured—
66Shu'ba Ibn al-Ḥajjāj702–777 · Writersnot measured—
67LYLi Yi748–827 · Writers3 decades
68Abe no Nakamaro698–770 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Writers0 decades
69QQQian Qi710–780 · Writers3 decades
70SISayf ibn Umar750–816 · Writersnot measured—
71AMAbu Mikhnaf709–774 · Writers0 decades
72HIHammad ibn Salamadied 784 · Writers0 decades
73HNHieda no Are700–800 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Writers0 decades
74Gao Lishi684–762 · Writers0 decades
75SOSmaragdus of Saint-Mihiel760–826 · Writers0 decades
76Toneri-shinnō676–735 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Writersnot measured—
77Chu Guangxi707–760 · Writersnot measured—
78AIAbbas Ibn al-Ahnaf750–808 · Writers0 decades
79Donatus of Fiesole701–876 · Writers0 decades
80Ibn Wahb743–888 · Writers1 decades
81ʻIʻAlī ibn Muḥammad Madāʼinī752–843 · Writersnot measured—
82CXCheng Xuanying700–700 · Writers0 decades
83POPeter of Pisa750–750 · Writers0 decades
84Consort Mei710–756 · Writersnot measured—
85JOJonas of Orléans760–843 · Writers0 decades
86FGFang Guan697–763 · Writers0 decades
87Yuan Jie719–772 · Writers5 decades
88LFLiu Fangping710–782 · Writersnot measured—
89AIAl-Kumayt ibn Zayd al-Asadi679–743 · Writersnot measured—
90Tatwine670–734 · Writers2 decades
91Haribhadra700–770 · Writers9 decades
92Shitou Xiqian700–790 · Writers0 decades
93MIMufaḍḍal ibn Muḥammad al-Ḍabbī718–794 · Writersnot measured—
94AAllāḥqy750–815 · Writersnot measured—
95JJiaoran730–799 · Writersnot measured—
96Fujiwara no Umakai694–737 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Writers0 decades
97ZYZu Yong699–746 · Writersnot measured—
98KAKhalaf al-Ahmar733–796 · Writers0 decades
99FNFujiwara no Nakamaro706–764 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Writers0 decades
100SISa'id ibn Aws al-Ansari743–830 · 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.