CELEBRITY

Joseph Merrick

1862 - 1890

Photo of Joseph Merrick

Icon of person Joseph Merrick

Joseph Carey Merrick (5 August 1862 – 11 April 1890), often erroneously called John Merrick, was an English artist known for his severe physical 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, in Whitechapel, after meeting 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 8,008,842 page views. His biography is available in 41 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 39 in 2019). Joseph Merrick is the 17th most popular celebrity (down from 15th in 2019), the 362nd most popular biography from United Kingdom (up from 440th 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

  • 8.0M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 66.75

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 41

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 5.40

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.73

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among CELEBRITIES

Among celebrities, Joseph Merrick ranks 17 out of 265. Before him are Simonetta Vespucci, Anna Nicole Smith, Jon Brower Minnoch, Empress Michiko, Maria von Trapp, and Buffalo Bill. After him are Tollund Man, Monica Lewinsky, Dodi Fayed, Black Dahlia, Anna Anderson, and Rosalia Lombardo.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1862, Joseph Merrick ranks 16. Before him are Aristide Briand, Hilma af Klint, Niko Pirosmani, Victoria of Baden, William Henry Bragg, and Pyotr Stolypin. After him are Helene Schjerfbeck, Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne, Henri Pirenne, J. Bruce Ismay, Emilio Salgari, and Nikolai Yudenich. Among people deceased in 1890, Joseph Merrick ranks 10. Before him are Sitting Bull, Gyula Andrássy, William III of the Netherlands, Amadeo I of Spain, César Franck, and Duchess Helene in Bavaria. After him are Henri Nestlé, Augusta of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Richard Francis Burton, William Kemmler, Niels Gade, and John Henry Newman.

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 362 out of 8,785. Before him are Christopher Nolan (1970), Colin Firth (1960), Benny Hill (1924), Philip Larkin (1922), Anthony Burgess (1917), and Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849). After him are Theresa May (1956), Arthur Balfour (1848), Henry Moore (1898), Francis William Aston (1877), Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (1660), and John Ruskin (1819).

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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 Albert Pierrepoint (1905), Mary Mallon (1869), Alice Keppel (1868), Christine Keeler (1942), Daisy, Princess of Pless (1873), Mary Ann Bevan (1874), Jane Morris (1839), Louise Brown (1978), Domino Harvey (1969), and Rosemarie Frankland (1943).

British born Celebrities

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