Last Updated: December 10, 2024

In a year marked by global events and cultural shifts, the people who captured the world's attention on Google search were as diverse as the topics they inspired. From unexpected tragedies to viral sensations, these individuals left an indelible mark on the digital landscape.

Note: Every week, we create a list of the most searched people on Google by filtering through 25+ billion Google search queries. We share the full list below, plus the most Googled person in the world for the past 3 years.

Key Highlights:

• The most Googled person of 2024, and of all time, is Donald Trump following his US presidential election win against Kamala Harris in November.

• Taylor Swift remains a prominent figure in search trends, with viral moments including record-breaking performance at the 2024 MTV VMAs and her romance with Travis Kelce.

• Drake drew attention for his new album For All the Dogs, a high-profile feud with Kendrick Lamar featuring AI-generated diss tracks, and announcing a joint album with PARTYNEXTDOOR.

• Elon Musk saw significant media coverage in 2024 due to his political role under President-elect Trump, a lawsuit against OpenAI, Tesla’s autonomous vehicle launch, and international political engagements.

• Shakira generated heavy search interest with her album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, a record-breaking surprise performance in Times Square, and world tour announcement.

• Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines by becoming the first male footballer to appear in six European Championships, reaching 900 career goals, and announcing his retirement from international football.

Most Googled Person by Month in 2024:

• November 2024: Donald Trump - The former president won the 2024 U.S. presidential election against Kamala Harris and will return to the White House with a Republican government trifecta.

• October 2024: Donald Trump - The former president dominated headlines with a high-profile Madison Square Garden rally, ongoing legal battles, and intensified campaigning for the 2024 presidential election.

• September 2024: Taylor Swift - Swift makes history at the 2024 MTA VMAs with 7 wins, including the "video of the year," making her the solo artist with the most career VMA wins and the most video of the year wins.

• August 2024: Taylor Swift - The pop superstar led the 2024 MTV VMAs with 12 nominations, the highest number for any artist that year.

• July 2024: Donald Trump - The former president's life was put in danger after a failed assassination attempt.

• June 2024: Dan Hurley - The college basketball coach was the subject of much discussion as his contract negotiations with the UConn Huskies unfolded.

• May 2024: Donald Trump - The ex-president faced legal consequences with his conviction in a hush money trial.

• April 2024: Aoki Lee Simmons and Vittorio Assaf - The couple's relationship dynamics and academic achievements became a topic of public interest.

• March 2024: Kate Middleton - The princess shared a personal health update, revealing her cancer diagnosis.

• February 2024: Miley Cyrus - Family feuds involving Miley Cyrus made her a prominent figure in search trends.

• January 2024: Taylor Swift - American pop superstar Taylor Swift remains in the spotlight for her budding romance with NFL star Travis Kelce and the controversy surrounding AI generated images of her.

Most Googled Person By Year

The Full List – The Most Searched People in 2024

To see the top searches in any niche, get our free Chrome extension: Google Trends Supercharged.

To check how any two people compare in search popularity, get our free Chrome extension: Google Trends Supercharged.

Most Googled Person by Month in 2023

• December 2023: Taylor Swift (Pop superstar Taylor Swift remains in the headlines with the media covering her budding romance with boyfriend Travis Kelce and how they spent their Christmas.)

• November 2023: Taylor Swift (American pop superstar Taylor Swift made headlines in November for winning 10 Billboard Music Awards and for her Eras Tour in Brazil. Notably, a fan died during her concert in Rio de Janeiro due to excessive heat. Brazil has been experiencing a heat wave unusual for the spring.)

• October 2023: Taylor Swift (American pop superstar Taylor Swift made headlines for kissing NFL player Travis Kelce on the cheek in an Instagram photo. The duo have gone public with their long-rumored relationship with many photos of them being together circulating online.)

• September 2023: Taylor Swift (Pop superstar Taylor Swift made headlines for winning the most awards at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. This makes her the second-most awarded artist in the show's history, behind only Beyoncé.)

• August 2023: Lionel Messi (Football superstar Lionel Messi has become the fifth player in history to score 100+ goals in three decades, as Inter Miami tops Philadelphia Union 4-1 advancing to Leagues Cup Final.)

• July 2023: Lionel Messi (Football legend Lionel Messi shocked the soccer world by joining Inter Miami in the US after leaving Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). He will play for the Major League Soccer club until December 2025)

• June 2023: Taylor Swift (American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is breaking records with her ongoing 'Eras Tour' which is projected to amass over $600 million in revenue)

• May 2023: Taylor Swift (American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift came into the spotlight after skipping the 2023 Met Gala following recent news of her breakup from Joe Alwyn. Her song High Infidelity became trending after singing it live at the 'Eras Tour' on Apr 29)

• April 2023: Trump (Former President Donald Trump became the first US president charged with criminal activity in a 34-count felony indictment)

• March 2023: Putin (Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Russia would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus)

• February 2023: Tom Brady (Legendary quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement in Feb 2023 after 23 years in the NFL)

• January 2023: Pelé (Brazilian football legend Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, passed away in Jan 2023 at the age of 82 due to cancer)

Most Googled Person by Month in 2022

• December 2022: Lionel Messi (Messi won the 2022 FIFA World Cup after Argentina beat France)

• November 2022: Kanye West (The famous rapper drew headlines for anti-semitic behavior and announced his 2024 presidential bid in Nov 2022)

• October 2022: Jeffrey Dahmer (Dahmer's story topped Netflix's list of most-watched series in Oct 2022, becoming the second most-viewed Netflix series of all time)

• September 2022: Queen Elizabeth (The Queen died in Sep 2022)

• August 2022: Anne Heche (A famous actress, Heche died in Aug 2022)

• July 2022: Ivana Trump (Trump's ex-wife died in July 2022)

• June 2022: Johnny Depp & Amber Heard (The famous actors' defamation lawsuit played out in court in May and June of 2022)

• May 2022: Johnny Depp & Amber Heard

• April 2022: Will Smith (Smith slapped a fellow actor on stage at the Oscars in Mar 2022)

• March 2022: Putin (Russia invaded Ukraine in Feb 2022)

• February 2022: Putin

Most Searched Person on Google by Category

• The most searched man: Donald Trump

• The most searched woman: Taylor Swift

• The most searched singer: Taylor Swift

• The most searched actor: Will Smith

• The most searched artist: Taylor Swift

• The most searched K-pop idol: BTS

• The most searched personality: Kim Kardashian

• The most searched athlete: Lionel Messi

• The most searched football player: Lionel Messi

• The most searched tennis player: Serena Williams

• The most searched ballerina: Misty Copeland

• The most searched cricketer: Virat Kohli

• The most searched politician: Donald Trump

• The most searched celebrity: Taylor Swift

• The most searched pulitzer winner: Robert Frost

• The most searched Asian celebrity: Jackie Chan

• The most searched president: Donald Trump

• The most searched presidential candidate: Donald Trump

Fascinating Statistics about Google Searches

1. A person's searches are highest when they die:

2. Most of the top searched people in the world are entertainers;

• Roughly ⅓ are musicians

• Roughly ¼ are actors and another ¼ are politicians

• The only entrepreneur to make it on the list is Elon Musk

• 5% are not real people (anime characters, etc.)

Methodology:

To compile this comprehensive list of the most searched people on Google, we employed a rigorous data analysis process:

1. Keyword Isolation: We segmented our extensive database of over 25 billion keywords to identify individuals who were frequently mentioned.

2. Relevance Filtering: Using advanced heuristics, we eliminated individuals who had not generated significant search interest in the past month, narrowing down the list to approximately 10,000-20,000 candidates.

3. Search Volume Analysis: We then analyzed the search volume for each remaining individual using our search volume tool, trusted by top companies like the New York Times and IKEA.

4. Ranking and Selection: Finally, we ranked the individuals based on their overall search volume to determine the most searched people of the year.

Important Note: When calculating the most searched person for a specific year, we focused on the individual who achieved the highest peak in search volume during any given month within that year. While Donald Trump has consistently maintained a high search volume since 2016, he was not the most searched person in every individual month throughout that period.

For access to a CSV file containing the top 1,000 searched people, updated weekly, contact Glimpse.