WRITER

Samuel Johnson

1709 - 1784

Photo of Samuel Johnson

Icon of person Samuel Johnson

Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 [OS 7 September] – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography calls him "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history".Born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, he attended Pembroke College, Oxford, until lack of funds forced him to leave. After working as a teacher, he moved to London and began writing for The Gentleman's Magazine. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Samuel Johnson has received more than 4,933,434 page views. His biography is available in 73 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 70 in 2019). Samuel Johnson is the 628th most popular writer (down from 594th in 2019), the 452nd most popular biography from United Kingdom (up from 468th in 2019) and the 52nd most popular British Writer.

Samuel Johnson is most famous for being an English lexicographer, author, and critic.

Memorability Metrics

  • 4.9M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 65.29

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 73

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 4.23

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 6.00

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

The lives of the most eminent English poets
1779
The rambler
1750
The Works of Samuel Johnson
2001
A dictionary of the English language
Language Arts & Disciplines
1747
A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland
1775
Rasselas
1759

Page views of Samuel Johnsons by language

Over the past year Samuel Johnson has had the most page views in the with 475,385 views, followed by Spanish (28,211), and German (17,796). In terms of yearly growth of page views the top 3 wikpedia editions are Cornish (139.34%), Pashto (60.37%), and Interlingua (55.95%)

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Samuel Johnson ranks 628 out of 7,302. Before him are Alfred Döblin, J. M. Barrie, Poliziano, Mihai Eminescu, Zecharia Sitchin, and August Wilhelm Schlegel. After him are Ludwig Tieck, Nikolay Chernyshevsky, Witold Gombrowicz, Raymond Queneau, Edward Bernays, and Curzio Malaparte.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1709, Samuel Johnson ranks 3. Before him are Elizabeth of Russia, and Julien Offray de La Mettrie. After him are Jacques de Vaucanson, Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans, Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, Wilhelmine of Prussia, Margravine of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, Franz Benda, Gabriel Bonnot de Mably, Georg Wilhelm Steller, Andreas Sigismund Marggraf, and Tokugawa Ietsugu. Among people deceased in 1784, Samuel Johnson ranks 4. Before him are Denis Diderot, Count of St. Germain, and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. After him are Phillis Wheatley, Giovanni Battista Martini, Junípero Serra, Torbern Bergman, Otto Friedrich Müller, Princess Friederike Luise of Prussia, Abraham Trembley, and César-François Cassini de Thury.

Others Born in 1709

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Others Deceased in 1784

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, Samuel Johnson ranks 452 out of 8,785. Before him are David Niven (1910), J. M. Barrie (1860), John Rhys-Davies (1944), Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne (1862), Tim Curry (1946), and Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (1411). After him are Princess Muna al-Hussein (1941), John Knox (1514), Thomas Gainsborough (1727), John Bonham (1948), John Edward Gray (1800), and Thomas Harriot (1560).

Others born in United Kingdom

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Among WRITERS In United Kingdom

Among writers born in United Kingdom, Samuel Johnson ranks 52. Before him are A. A. Milne (1882), Enid Blyton (1897), Samuel Butler (1835), D. H. Lawrence (1885), John Donne (1572), and J. M. Barrie (1860). After him are Daphne du Maurier (1907), Alexander Pope (1688), Muriel Spark (1918), Martin Amis (1949), Ernest Thompson Seton (1860), and Ian McEwan (1948).

British born Writers

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