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CELEBRITY

Joseph Merrick

1862 - 1890

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Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890), often erroneously called John Merrick, was an English man known for having severe deformities. He was first exhibited at a freak show under the stage name "the Elephant Man" and then went to live at the London Hospital after he met Sir Frederick Treves, subsequently becoming well known in London society. Merrick was born in Leicester and began to develop abnormally before the age of five. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Joseph Merrick has received more than 6,831,846 page views. His biography is available in 39 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 37 in 2019). Joseph Merrick is the 15th most popular celebrity (down from 10th in 2019), the 440th most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 303rd in 2019) and the 2nd most popular British Celebrity.

Joseph Merrick, also known as "The Elephant Man," was born in 1862 and died in 1890. He was born with a rare genetic condition called Proteus Syndrome. This condition caused him to have a severely deformed body and a large, lumpy head. He was exhibited as a human curiosity in freak shows across England and Europe.

Memorability Metrics

  • 6.8M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 65.51

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 39

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 5.14

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.74

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Page views of Joseph Merricks by language


Among CELEBRITIES

Among celebrities, Joseph Merrick ranks 15 out of 181. Before him are Buffalo Bill, Lina Medina, Black Dahlia, Empress Michiko, Jon Brower Minnoch, and Millvina Dean. After him are Mary Anning, Monica Lewinsky, Philippe Petit, Anna Anderson, Rosalia Lombardo, and Margaret Brown.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1862, Joseph Merrick ranks 15. Before him are William Henry Bragg, Allvar Gullstrand, Aristide Briand, Victoria of Baden, Pyotr Stolypin, and Niko Pirosmani. After him are J. Bruce Ismay, Hilma af Klint, Louis Barthou, Helene Schjerfbeck, Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne, and Nikolai Yudenich. Among people deceased in 1890, Joseph Merrick ranks 11. Before him are César Franck, William III of the Netherlands, Amadeo I of Spain, Gyula Andrássy, Duchess Helene in Bavaria, and Henri Nestlé. After him are Richard Francis Burton, Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, William Kemmler, John Henry Newman, Niels Gade, and Antoine, Duke of Montpensier.

Others Born in 1862

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Others Deceased in 1890

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, Joseph Merrick ranks 440 out of 7,765. Before him are Robert Edwards (1925), George Mallory (1886), Eadred (923), Hugh Grant (1960), Gary Moore (1952), and Alec Douglas-Home (1903). After him are Percy Fawcett (1867), Christopher Nolan (1970), Henry Fox Talbot (1800), David Attenborough (1926), James I of Scotland (1394), and Robert II of Scotland (1316).

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Among CELEBRITIES In United Kingdom

Among celebrities born in United Kingdom, Joseph Merrick ranks 2. Before him are Millvina Dean (1912). After him are Mary Anning (1799), Mary Mallon (1869), Albert Pierrepoint (1905), Alice Keppel (1868), Christine Keeler (1942), Jane Morris (1839), Louise Brown (1978), and Domino Harvey (1969).

British born Celebrities

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