Google’s top ten trending people of 2012

Photos of Google’s top 10 trending people of 2012. The following names produced the highest amount of traffic over a sustained period in 2012. Check out more of Google’s 2012 search trends here.

1. Whitney Houston
2. Kate Middleton
3. Amanda Todd
4. Michael Clarke Duncan
5. One Direction
6. Felix Baumgartner
7. Jeremy Lin
8. Morgan Freeman
9. Joseph Kony
10. Donna Summ

People walk past, a large image of Whitney Houston displayed on the side of the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012. Houston's funeral will be held Saturday in the church where she first showcased her singing talents as a child, her family choosing to remember her in a private service rather than in a large event at an arena. Officials had discussed the possibility of holding a memorial at the Prudential Center, a major sports and entertainment venue that can seat about 18,000 people, but the funeral home said it had been ruled out. Houston, 48, died Feb. 11 at a hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., just hours before she was set to perform at producer Clive Davis' pre-Grammy Awards bash. Whitney Houston was Google's number one most searched trending person and overall search term of 2012. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

 A video pays tribute to singer Whitney Houston during the VH1 Divas 2012 show in Los Angeles, December 16, 2012. Whitney Houston was Google's number one most searched trending person and overall search term of 2012. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok

Britain's Prince WiIliam, the Duke of Cambridge, (L) poses for pictures with his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, as they leave the King Edward VII hospital in central London, on December 6, 2012. Prince William's pregnant wife Catherine left a London hospital on Thursday, four days after she was admitted for treatment for acute morning sickness. Kate Middleton ranked as Google's second most searched trending person of 2012. Her name ranked sixth in searches overall. LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge waves to a British competitor during the Women's Laser Radials race on Day 10 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Weymouth & Portland Venue at Weymouth Harbour on August 6, 2012 in Weymouth, England. Kate Middleton ranked as Google's second most searched trending person of 2012. Her name ranked sixth in searches overall. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

A woman views the YouTube video of Amanda Todd on an office monitor in Washington, DC on October 16, 2012. Amanda Todd, 15, was found dead by suicide in a Port Coquitlam home last Wednesday, five weeks after posting the YouTube video outlining the abuse she endured both online and in person. The video has since gone viral and Todd?s story has made international headlines. On Monday, Canada's Members of Parliament debated a private member's motion to create a national bullying prevention program. Amanda Todd ranked as Google's third most searched trending person of 2012. MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images

In this Friday, Oct. 19, 2012, file photo, candles are displayed in front of a picture of Amanda Todd during a memorial for her in Surrey, British Columbia. In Google's 12th annual roundup of global trending searches, "Amanda Todd" was ranked eighth. Amanda Todd ranked as Google's third most searched trending person of 2012. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jonathan Hayward)

In this undated movie still provided by Twentieth Century Fox, the crime lord Kingpin, played by Michael Clarke Duncan, left, hires Bullseye, played by Colin Farrell, in a scene from the movie "Daredevil", based on a popular comic book published by Marvel. Michael Clarke Duncan ranked as Google's fourth most searched trending person of 2012. (AP Photo/20th Century Fox, Zade Rosenthal)

This undated image provided by Warner Bros. shows Tom Hanks, left, Michael Clarke Duncan, center, and David Morse in "The Green Mile." Duncan has died at the age of 54 on Monday, Sept. 3, 2012 in a Los Angeles hospital after nearly two months of treatment following a July 13, 2012 heart attack, his fiancee, the Rev. Omarosa Manigault, said. Michael Clarke Duncan ranked as Google's fourth most searched trending person of 2012. (AP Photo/Warner Bros., Ralph Nelson)

In this Friday Dec. 7, 2012 file photo, One Direction performs at Z100's Jingle Ball 2012 presented by Aeropostale at Madison Square Garden in New York. Band members, from left, are Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Louis Tomlinson. MTV on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012 announced that One Direction is the network's 2012 Artist of the Year. One Direction ranked as Google's fifth most searched trending people of 2012. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Members of the band One Direction (L-R), Liam Payne, Niall Horan, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, arrive for Fox's "The X Factor" Season Finale - Night 2 at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California December 20, 2012. One Direction ranked as Google's fifth most searched trending people of 2012. REUTERS/Jason Redmond

(L-R) Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik of One Direction and , Dj JJ attend the Z100 Artist Gift Lounge Presented by Pop Tarts at Z100's Jingle Ball 2012 at Madison Square Garden on December 7, 2012 in New York City. One Direction ranked as Google's fifth most searched trending people of 2012. (Photo by Mark Von Holden/Getty Images for Jingle Ball 2012)

This Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012 file image provided by Red Bull Stratos shows pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria as he jumps out of the capsule during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos. In a giant leap from more than 24 miles up, Baumgartner shattered the sound barrier Sunday while making the highest jump ever Û a tumbling, death-defying plunge from a balloon to a safe landing in the New Mexico desert. "Stratosphere jump" ranked as Google's seventh most searched trending event of 2012. Felix Baumgartner ranked as Google's sixth most searched trending person of 2012. (AP Photo/Red Bull Stratos)

Felix Baumgartner attends 'BAMBI Awards 2012' at the Stadthalle Duesseldorf on November 22, 2012 in Duesseldorf, Germany. Felix Baumgartner ranked as Google's sixth most searched trending person of 2012. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

Jeremy Lin #17 of the New York Knicks drives against Jason Kidd #2 of the Dallas Mavericks at Madison Square Garden on February 19, 2012 in New York City. Jeremy Lin ranked as Google's seventh most searched trending person of 2012. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Houston Rockets' Jeremy Lin (7) scores as San Antonio Spurs Stephen Jackson (3), Manu Ginobili, center, of Argentina, and Boris Diaw (33) look on during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, in San Antonio. Jeremy Lin ranked as Google's seventh most searched trending person of 2012. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Actor Morgan Freeman attends the 40th AFI Life Achievement Award honoring Shirley MacLaine held at Sony Pictures Studios on June 7, 2012 in Culver City, California. Morgan Freeman ranked as Google's eighth most searched trending person of 2012. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Actor Morgan Freeman (C) in the audience during the 2012 People's Choice Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on January 11, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Morgan Freeman ranked as Google's eighth most searched trending person of 2012. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for PCA)

A picture taken on November 12, 2006 of then leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) Joseph Kony answering journalists' questions at Ri-Kwamba, in Southern Sudan. A former child soldier at the heart of a viral campaign to bring accused Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony to justice said on March 9, 2012 he backed the video and urged people to watch it. "It's a hard movie," Jacob Acaye told ABC News about the 30-minute video that has garnered nearly 58 million viewers since Monday. Joseph Kony ranked as Google's nineth most searched trending person of 2012. STUART PRICE/AFP/Getty Images

This Dec. 11, 2009 file photo shows Donna Summer performing at the Nobel Peace concert in Oslo, Norway. The eclectic group of rockers Rush and Heart, rappers Public Enemy, songwriter Randy Newman, "Queen of Disco" Donna Summer and bluesman Albert King will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next April in Los Angeles. The inductees were announced Tuesday by 2012 inductee Flea of The Red Hot Chili Peppers at a news conference in Los Angeles. Donna Summer ranked as Google's tenth most searched trending person of 2012. (AP Photo/John McConnico, file)

In this May 21, 2008 file photo, Donna Summer performs during the finale of "American Idol" at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Summer, the Queen of Disco who ruled the dance floors with anthems like ìLast Dance,î ìLove to Love You Babyî and ìBad Girl,î has died. Her family announced her death in a statement Thursday, May 17, 2012. She was 63. Donna Summer ranked as Google's tenth most searched trending person of 2012. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)