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Herbert Spencer

English philosopher and political theorist (1820–1903)
Person human Q144535
Herbert Spencer
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Summary

Herbert Spencer was born on April 27, 1820[1], in Derby[2]. He died on December 8, 1903[3], in Brighton[4]. He worked as a philosopher[5], economist[6], anthropologist[7], psychologist[8], and journalist[9]. He ranks in the top 0.66% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (11,810 views/month, #6,651 of 1,000,298).[10]

Key Facts

  • Date of birth: April 27, 1824[11], April 28, 1820[12]
  • Date of death: 1903[13]
  • Place of burial: Highgate Cemetery[14]
  • Father: William George Spencer[15]
  • Country of citizenship: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland[16]
  • Native language: English[17]
  • Ethnic group: British[18]
  • Occupation: sociologist[19], writer[20], botanist[21], author[22]
  • Field of work: botany[23]
  • Employer: The Economist[24]
  • Notable work: The Study of Sociology[25], Mr. Martineau on Evolution[26], Social Statics[27]
  • Member of: Academy of Sciences of Turin[28], Athenaeum Club[29], X Club[30], Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei[31]
  • Religion or worldview: agnosticism[32]
  • Sex or gender: male[33]
  • Movement: freethought[34], positivism[35], utilitarianism[36]
  • Commons category: Herbert Spencer[37]
  • Family name: Spencer[38]
  • Given name: Herbert[39]
  • Topic's main category: Category:Herbert Spencer[40]
  • Commons gallery: Herbert Spencer[41]
  • Described by source: Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1969–1978)[42], Small Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary[43], Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary[44], Dictionary of National Biography, second supplement[45], Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition[46]

Why It Matters

Herbert Spencer has Wikipedia articles in 29 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[47] He is known by 20 alternative names across languages and contexts.[48]

He has been cited as an influence by Charles Darwin[49], a geologist[50], 1809–1882[51], of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland[52], awarded the Royal Medal[53], specialised in biology[54]; Émile Durkheim[55], an anthropologist[56], 1858–1917[57], of France[58], awarded the Knight of the Legion of Honour[59], specialised in sociology of religion[60]; Henri Bergson[61], a philosopher[62], 1859–1941[63], of France[64], awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature[65], specialised in philosophy[66]; H. L. Mencken[67], a satirist[68], 1880–1956[69], of United States[70]; Bolesław Prus[71], a journalist[72], 1847–1912[73], of Poland[74], awarded the Cross of Independence with Swords[75], specialised in fiction[76]; and Ernst Mach[77], a physicist[78], 1838–1916[79], of Kingdom of Bohemia[80], awarded the Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art[81], specialised in physics[82].

FAQs

Where was Herbert Spencer born?

Herbert Spencer was born in Derby[2].

Where did Herbert Spencer die?

Herbert Spencer passed away in Brighton[4].

Who were Herbert Spencer's parents?

Herbert Spencer's father was William George Spencer[15].

What did Herbert Spencer do for work?

Herbert Spencer worked as a philosopher[5], economist[6], anthropologist[7], psychologist[8], and journalist[9].

Who did Herbert Spencer influence?

Herbert Spencer has been cited as an influence by Charles Darwin[49], Émile Durkheim[55], Henri Bergson[61], and H. L. Mencken[67].

Related Entities

Bolesław Prus botany Charles Darwin Émile Durkheim Ernst Mach Henri Bergson H. L. Mencken Otto Günsche United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Victoria and Albert Museum

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] ↑ . Q21084082. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] ↑ . Spencer, Herbert (DNB12). Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [33] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [15] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  5. [16] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  6. [23] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  7. [17] ↑ . BnF authorities. wikidata.org.
  8. [5] ↑ . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . cs.isabart.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  9. [6] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [7] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  11. [8] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  12. [9] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  13. [19] ↑ . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . cs.isabart.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  14. [20] ↑ . Library of the World's Best Literature. wikidata.org.
  15. [21] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  16. [22] ↑ . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  17. [24] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  18. [14] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  19. [34] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  20. [35] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  21. [36] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  22. [32] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  23. [18] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  24. [37] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  25. [28] ↑ . www.accademiadellescienze.it. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  26. [29] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  27. [30] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  28. [31] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  29. [1] ↑ . Spencer, Herbert (DNB12). Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  30. [11] ↑ . Archivio Storico Ricordi. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  31. [12] ↑ . Pedagogues and Psychologists of the World. wikidata.org.
  32. [3] ↑ . Spencer, Herbert (DNB12). Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  33. [13] ↑ . Q21084082. wikidata.org.
  34. [38] ↑ . International Plant Names Index. wikidata.org.
  35. [39] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  36. [25] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  37. [26] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  38. [27] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  39. [40] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  40. [41] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  41. [42] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  42. [43] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  43. [44] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  44. [45] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  45. [46] ↑ . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [49] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [55] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [61] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [67] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [71] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [77] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [50] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [51] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [52] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [53] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [54] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [56] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [57] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [58] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [59] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [60] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [62] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [63] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [64] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [65] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [66] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [68] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [69] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [70] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [72] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [73] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [74] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [75] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [76] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [78] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [79] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [80] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [81] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  28. [82] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [10] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [47] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [48] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 1d ago · OKA bot bot · 2026-10-17 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Claims rich → —
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  2. 10d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-10-08 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Wikipedia languages → ['af', 'ar', 'arz', 'ast', 'az', 'azb', 'bg', 'bjn', 'bn', 'bs', 'ca', 'commons'
    Sitelink count → 120
    Nlb authority id (belarus) → NLB-ar134470
    Claims rich → —
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  3. 5w ago · Xezbeth · 2026-09-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Personality database profile id → 32152
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Personality database profile id: 32152, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/251187380|Herbert Spencer (#251187380)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7421|Perso"
  4. 8w ago · Mahirtwofivesix · 2026-08-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Babelnet id → 00043794n
    Arabic ontology lexical concept id → 151061491
    "/* wbeditentity-statements-multiple-properties-update:0||4 */ added/modified IDs mapped to WordNet 3.1"
  5. 10w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-08-04 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Accademia nazionale dei lincei id → 2185-spencer-herbert
    Harper's tag → herbert-spencer
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/45365|batch #45365]]: Update P14091 IDs"
  6. 14w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-07-11 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14611 → 140981
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14611: 140981, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/260429|batch #260429]]"
  7. 14w ago · Nyuhn · 2026-07-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14541 → VkJk3
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/40849|batch #40849]]: ZGBK ID"
  8. 16w ago · Printstream · 2026-06-25 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14536 → 339972
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14536: 339972, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782398664614"
  9. 18w ago · Sj1mor · 2026-06-14 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14397 → 4495
    Plaque image → Plaque to Herbert Spencer, Exeter Place - geograph.org.uk -
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Plaque image: Plaque to Herbert Spencer, Exeter Place - geograph.org.uk - 6884300.jpg"
  10. 21w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-22 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation → philosopher, economist, anthropologist +6
    "/* wbremoveclaims-remove:1| */ Occupation: biologist, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/258356|batch #258356]]"
  11. 21w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-18 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation → philosopher, economist, anthropologist +6
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/31721|batch #31721]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (17)"
  12. 22w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb → —
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30845|batch #30845]]: match CERL IDs on the basis of GND (3)"
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