RELIGIOUS FIGURE
Vilna Gaon
1720 - 1797
Vilna Gaon
Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, (Hebrew: ר' אליהו בן שלמה זלמן Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman), also known as the Vilna Gaon (Yiddish: דער װילנער גאון Der Vilner Goen; Polish: Gaon z Wilna, Gaon Wileński; or Elijah of Vilna, or by his Hebrew acronym Gra ("Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu": "Our great teacher Elijah"; Sialiec, April 23, 1720 – Vilnius October 9, 1797), was a Lithuanian Jewish Talmudist, halakhist, kabbalist, and the foremost leader of misnagdic (non-hasidic) Jewry of the past few centuries. He is commonly referred to in Hebrew as ha-Gaon mi-Vilna, "the genius from Vilnius". Through his annotations and emendations of Talmudic and other texts, he became one of the most familiar and influential figures in rabbinic study since the Middle Ages. Read more on Wikipedia
Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Vilna Gaon has received more than 731,650 page views. His biography is available in 37 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 33 in 2019). Vilna Gaon is the 947th most popular religious figure (down from 808th in 2019), the 38th most popular biography from Belarus (down from 27th in 2019) and the most popular Belarusian Religious Figure.
Rabbi Elijah ben Shlomo Zalman, known as the Vilna Gaon, was a famous Talmudic scholar and the leader of the Mitnagdic Jewish community in the 18th century. He is most famous for his work on the Talmud, which he would study for hours each day.
Memorability Metrics
730k
Page Views (PV)
60.08
Historical Popularity Index (HPI)
37
Languages Editions (L)
3.94
Effective Languages (L*)
3.97
Coefficient of Variation (CV)
Among RELIGIOUS FIGURES
Among religious figures, Vilna Gaon ranks 947 out of 3,187. Before him are Nicholas Kabasilas, Ahmad al-Badawi, Rose Kennedy, Leonardo Boff, Benedict of Aniane, and Peter Mogila. After him are Sophronius of Jerusalem, Frederick Fleet, La Voisin, Jacques Paul Migne, Saint Silvia, and Mariam Baouardy.
Most Popular Religious Figures in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsNicholas Kabasilas
1322 - 1391
HPI: 60.13
Rank: 941
Ahmad al-Badawi
1199 - 1276
HPI: 60.13
Rank: 942
Rose Kennedy
1890 - 1995
HPI: 60.11
Rank: 943
Leonardo Boff
1938 - Present
HPI: 60.10
Rank: 944
Benedict of Aniane
750 - 821
HPI: 60.09
Rank: 945
Peter Mogila
1596 - 1647
HPI: 60.09
Rank: 946
Vilna Gaon
1720 - 1797
HPI: 60.08
Rank: 947
Sophronius of Jerusalem
560 - 638
HPI: 60.07
Rank: 948
Frederick Fleet
1887 - 1965
HPI: 60.07
Rank: 949
La Voisin
1640 - 1680
HPI: 60.06
Rank: 950
Jacques Paul Migne
1800 - 1875
HPI: 60.05
Rank: 951
Saint Silvia
515 - 592
HPI: 60.04
Rank: 952
Mariam Baouardy
1846 - 1878
HPI: 60.03
Rank: 953
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1720, Vilna Gaon ranks 12. Before him are Anna Maria Mozart, James Hargreaves, Louisa Ulrika of Prussia, Emperor Sakuramachi, Heraclius II of Georgia, and Charles Bonnet. After him are Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel, William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire, Emmanuel-Armand de Richelieu, duc d'Aiguillon, Hyder Ali, Honoré III, Prince of Monaco, and Johann Friedrich Agricola. Among people deceased in 1797, Vilna Gaon ranks 11. Before him are François-Noël Babeuf, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, James Hutton, Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern, Lazare Hoche, and Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg. After him are Joseph Wright of Derby, Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony, Horace Walpole, Pasquale Anfossi, Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, and Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec.
Others Born in 1720
Go to all RankingsAnna Maria Mozart
COMPOSER
1720 - 1778
HPI: 63.45
Rank: 6
James Hargreaves
INVENTOR
1720 - 1778
HPI: 63.02
Rank: 7
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
COMPANION
1720 - 1782
HPI: 62.55
Rank: 8
Emperor Sakuramachi
POLITICIAN
1720 - 1750
HPI: 61.89
Rank: 9
Heraclius II of Georgia
POLITICIAN
1720 - 1798
HPI: 61.01
Rank: 10
Charles Bonnet
BIOLOGIST
1720 - 1793
HPI: 60.34
Rank: 11
Vilna Gaon
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1720 - 1797
HPI: 60.08
Rank: 12
Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
POLITICIAN
1720 - 1785
HPI: 57.45
Rank: 13
William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire
POLITICIAN
1720 - 1764
HPI: 56.22
Rank: 14
Emmanuel-Armand de Richelieu, duc d'Aiguillon
POLITICIAN
1720 - 1788
HPI: 55.45
Rank: 15
Hyder Ali
POLITICIAN
1720 - 1782
HPI: 55.18
Rank: 16
Honoré III, Prince of Monaco
POLITICIAN
1720 - 1795
HPI: 55.16
Rank: 17
Johann Friedrich Agricola
COMPOSER
1720 - 1774
HPI: 54.54
Rank: 18
Others Deceased in 1797
Go to all RankingsFrançois-Noël Babeuf
JOURNALIST
1760 - 1797
HPI: 68.43
Rank: 5
Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar
POLITICIAN
1742 - 1797
HPI: 66.55
Rank: 6
James Hutton
GEOLOGIST
1726 - 1797
HPI: 64.28
Rank: 7
Elisabeth Christine of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern
COMPANION
1715 - 1797
HPI: 63.60
Rank: 8
Lazare Hoche
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1768 - 1797
HPI: 62.23
Rank: 9
Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg
NOBLEMAN
1732 - 1797
HPI: 60.79
Rank: 10
Vilna Gaon
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1720 - 1797
HPI: 60.08
Rank: 11
Joseph Wright of Derby
PAINTER
1734 - 1797
HPI: 58.67
Rank: 12
Maria Anna Sophia of Saxony
POLITICIAN
1728 - 1797
HPI: 58.51
Rank: 13
Horace Walpole
POLITICIAN
1717 - 1797
HPI: 57.22
Rank: 14
Pasquale Anfossi
COMPOSER
1727 - 1797
HPI: 55.60
Rank: 15
Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1717 - 1797
HPI: 55.56
Rank: 16
Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec
EXPLORER
1734 - 1797
HPI: 55.10
Rank: 17
In Belarus
Among people born in Belarus, Vilna Gaon ranks 38 out of 368. Before him are Sophia of Minsk (1140), Yakub Kolas (1882), Marek Edelman (1922), Elena Glinskaya (1510), Rogneda of Polotsk (966), and Nikolay Krestinsky (1883). After him are Ivan Yakubovsky (1912), Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745), Aleksei Antonov (1896), Mendele Mocher Sforim (1835), Bronislava Nijinska (1891), and Otto Schmidt (1891).
Others born in Belarus
Go to all RankingsSophia of Minsk
COMPANION
1140 - 1198
HPI: 61.18
Rank: 32
Yakub Kolas
WRITER
1882 - 1956
HPI: 60.91
Rank: 33
Marek Edelman
POLITICIAN
1922 - 2009
HPI: 60.83
Rank: 34
Elena Glinskaya
POLITICIAN
1510 - 1538
HPI: 60.68
Rank: 35
Rogneda of Polotsk
COMPANION
966 - 1002
HPI: 60.54
Rank: 36
Nikolay Krestinsky
POLITICIAN
1883 - 1938
HPI: 60.16
Rank: 37
Vilna Gaon
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1720 - 1797
HPI: 60.08
Rank: 38
Ivan Yakubovsky
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1912 - 1976
HPI: 59.75
Rank: 39
Shneur Zalman of Liadi
PHILOSOPHER
1745 - 1812
HPI: 59.71
Rank: 40
Aleksei Antonov
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1896 - 1962
HPI: 59.26
Rank: 41
Mendele Mocher Sforim
WRITER
1835 - 1917
HPI: 59.14
Rank: 42
Bronislava Nijinska
DANCER
1891 - 1972
HPI: 58.91
Rank: 43
Otto Schmidt
PHYSICIST
1891 - 1956
HPI: 58.76
Rank: 44
Among RELIGIOUS FIGURES In Belarus
Among religious figures born in Belarus, Vilna Gaon ranks 1. After him are Kirill of Turov (1130), Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (1789), Chaim Kanievsky (1928), Michael Rohoza (1540), Yisrael Meir Kagan (1838), Tadevuš Kandrusievič (1946), Jakub Szynkiewicz (1884), and Aleksandr Kurlovich (1961).
Vilna Gaon
1720 - 1797
HPI: 60.08
Rank: 1
Kirill of Turov
1130 - 1182
HPI: 54.92
Rank: 2
Menachem Mendel Schneersohn
1789 - 1866
HPI: 53.63
Rank: 3
Chaim Kanievsky
1928 - 2022
HPI: 51.82
Rank: 4
Michael Rohoza
1540 - 1599
HPI: 51.76
Rank: 5
Yisrael Meir Kagan
1838 - 1933
HPI: 51.52
Rank: 6
Tadevuš Kandrusievič
1946 - Present
HPI: 49.10
Rank: 7
Jakub Szynkiewicz
1884 - 1966
HPI: 46.70
Rank: 8
Aleksandr Kurlovich
1961 - 2018
HPI: 40.86
Rank: 9