• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech

These Are the Most Popular Google Search Terms of 2016

By
Lisa Eadicicco
Lisa Eadicicco
and
TIME
TIME
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lisa Eadicicco
Lisa Eadicicco
and
TIME
TIME
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 14, 2016, 11:15 AM ET
FRANCE-INTERNET-GOOGLE
A person prepares to search the internet using the Google search engine, on May 14, 2014, in Lille. In a surprise ruling on May 13, the EU's top court said individuals have the right to ask US Internet giant Google to delete personal data produced by its ubiquitous search engine. AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUEN (Photo credit should read PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images)Photograph by Philippe Huguen — AFP/Getty Images

Google processes trillions of search requests each year, and on Wednesday the Mountain View, Calif.-based company revealed which terms dominated its search engine in 2016.

Many of the phrases, unsurprisingly, reflect national events, news topics and other phenomena that rose to prominence throughout the year. The top trending search term is “Powerball,” which is in reference to the $1.56 billion jackpot that three ticket holders won in early 2016. “Price,” “Hurricane Matthew,” “Pokémon Go,” and “Slither.io” claimed the rest of the top five, while “Trump” and “Hillary Clinton” rounded out the end of the list.

Last year, the number one trending search term was “Lamar Odom,” the former NBA and reality TV star who was found unconscious in a Nevada brothel last October. Jurassic World and American Sniper also placed high on Google’s rankings from 2015.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The term “trending” means that these words and phrases held the highest spike in traffic over a sustained period of time in 2016 as compared to 2015. See below to check out the full list of search queries that made it into Google’s (GOOGL) top 10 trending list.

1. Powerball
2. Prince
3. Hurricane Matthew
4. Pokémon Go
5. Slither.io
6. Olympics
7. David Bowie
8. Trump
9. Election
10. Hillary Clinton

This article originally appeared on Time.com.

About the Authors
By Lisa Eadicicco
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By TIME
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Photo: Volunteers stand amid the debris of destroyed buildings at the site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on March 5, 2026. Israel launched on March 5 a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, which stepped up its attacks on Gulf nations Qatar and Bahrain, as the Middle East war spread throughout the region and beyond. (Photo by Mouhammad al-ZANATY / AFP)
PoliticsNews
In the Iran war, it’s not the oil that’s important—it’s the water
By Jim EdwardsMarch 5, 2026
22 minutes ago
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Exclusive: NYSE parent company invests in crypto exchange OKX at $25 billion valuation as part of push into blockchain-based stocks
By Ben WeissMarch 5, 2026
42 minutes ago
Startups & VentureDepartment of Defense
Exclusive: The Pentagon is committing $150M to a maritime tech VC fund and appears to be ramping up venture deals
By Jessica MathewsMarch 5, 2026
2 hours ago
office
Future of WorkLabor
‘The ideal number of human employees inside of any company is zero’: why AI gives company owners what they think they want
By Nick LichtenbergMarch 5, 2026
2 hours ago
NewslettersFortune Tech
Like OpenAI, Google’s AI chatbot is being accused of wrongful death in a tragic story
By Alexei OreskovicMarch 5, 2026
3 hours ago
Studio portrait of Leopold Aschenbrenner
Investinghedge fund
Why Leopold Aschenbrenner’s AI hedge fund is betting big on power companies and bitcoin miners to fuel the ‘superintelligence’ race
By Sharon GoldmanMarch 5, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Health
Palantir and other tech companies are stocking offices with tobacco products to increase worker productivity
By Catherina GioinoMarch 4, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Uber CEO says his ‘really demanding’ work culture includes expecting employees to answer his emails over the weekend: ‘Don’t come here if you want to coast’
By Emma BurleighMarch 4, 2026
21 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Real Estate
Meet a burned out 28-year-old who pays $168 a month in China's faux Venice to retire early from her Shanghai finance gig
By Albee Zhang and The Associated PressMarch 2, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Cybersecurity
Cities join Amazon in cutting ties with license-plate reader Flock following Ring's Super Bowl ad—that Flock 'didn't have anything to do with'
By Catherina GioinoMarch 3, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of March 3, 2026
By Danny BakstMarch 3, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Tech investor Bill Gurley says workers who went through the ‘college conveyor belt’ and chased safe jobs are at high risk of AI automation
By Emma BurleighMarch 3, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.