• 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
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
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
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

A European central bank has signed a mega deal with a cloud service provider. The problem for Google, Microsoft and Amazon? It’s not with them 
EuropeLetter from London
A European central bank has signed a mega deal with a cloud service provider. The problem for Google, Microsoft and Amazon? It’s not with them 
By Kamal AhmedMay 14, 2026
2 hours ago
student
LawEducation
Parents want tech banned from schools. Teachers respond that it’s an insane idea
By Sharon Lurye and The Associated PressMay 14, 2026
2 hours ago
gene
Commentarybatteries
I helped design the original Tesla battery. Here’s how America can lead the world again
By Gene BerdichevskyMay 14, 2026
2 hours ago
Man with glasses and beard before a microphone
Cybersecurityfraud
North Korean operatives stole $2 billion last year—and financial firms are the next target
By Amanda GerutMay 14, 2026
2 hours ago
Furientis missile launches from the ground during a test.
Startups & VentureTerm Sheet
Exclusive: ‘We’re spending millions to stop threats that cost thousands’: Startup Furientis aims to revolutionize defense
By Lily Mae LazarusMay 14, 2026
3 hours ago
Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, interviewed by Fortune’s Andrew Nusca, at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2016 in Aspen, Colo. (Photo: Stuart Isett/Fortune)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Cisco shares soar almost 20% as AI infrastructure orders jump
By Andrew NuscaMay 14, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
2 days ago
Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that
Success
Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that
By Preston ForeMay 13, 2026
23 hours ago
Nearly 50,000 Lake Tahoe residents have to find a new power source after their energy source looks to redirect lines to data centers
Travel & Leisure
Nearly 50,000 Lake Tahoe residents have to find a new power source after their energy source looks to redirect lines to data centers
By Catherina GioinoMay 12, 2026
2 days ago
It’s not just Canadian tourists snubbing U.S. cities. Business leaders are cancelling more trips to America as geopolitical tensions continue
North America
It’s not just Canadian tourists snubbing U.S. cities. Business leaders are cancelling more trips to America as geopolitical tensions continue
By Sasha RogelbergMay 12, 2026
2 days ago
I spent 8 years building Google Sheets. Now I think apps are on their way out
Commentary
I spent 8 years building Google Sheets. Now I think apps are on their way out
By Zach LloydMay 13, 2026
1 day ago
Anthropic’s Daniela Amodei says entrepreneurs should go on vacation to road test potential cofounders—if they’re a drain, they’re ‘the wrong choice’
Success
Anthropic’s Daniela Amodei says entrepreneurs should go on vacation to road test potential cofounders—if they’re a drain, they’re ‘the wrong choice’
By Emma BurleighMay 12, 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.