Britney is world No. 1 hit
2003 TOP SEARCHES
1. Britney Spears
2. Harry Potter
3. Matrix
4. Shakira
5. David Beckham
6. 50 Cent
7. Iraq
8. Lord of the Rings
9. Kobe Bryant
10.Tour de France
Source: Google
LONDON, England (CNN) -- She may be raising more questions than she has answered right now over her Las Vegas wedding -- but Britney Spears is officially the most sought after name in the world at the moment.
The U.S. singing star has emerged top of the list of searches worldwide in 2003 -- no less than 55 billion of them -- on the Google search engine.
It seems it can only continue in 2004 with with the reports that the 22-year-old pop star married childhood friend Jason Alexander at the Little White Wedding Chapel on the Strip in Las Vegas on Saturday -- then wanted the nuptuals annulled. (Full story)
Harry Potter is second and Matrix third in Google's annual Zeitgeist list. Google explains the word Zeitgeist as German for time + spirit or "the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of the era."
Globally, Shakira was fourth, soccer star David Beckham fifth, rappers 50 cent sixth, Iraq seventh and Lord of the Rings eighth. Kobe Bryant was ninth and the Tour de France 10th.
In Britain the most searched for name of 2003 was Prince Charles. According to Britain's Independent newspaper, millions of Britons searched for the words "Prince Charles" in November when the heir to the throne took the unprecedented step of identifying himself as the central character in a series of rumors.
News about the prince was more sought after by his subjects than that of the country's sporting idols, including rugby hero Johnny Wilkinson (fourth), and David Beckham (sixth). The soap opera Eastenders was second, and Winnie the Pooh was third.
Most popular brand worldwide were Ferrari (first), Sony (second), BMW (third), Disney (fourth), and Ryanair (fifth).
In Japan, the most popular query was Gundam, the most popular woman was Yuko Ogura, and most popular man was David Beckham.
The Germans turned to Japan by going first for Yu-Gi-Oh, a Pokemon-style card game.
Australians were most interested in their version of Pop Idol, while Canadians plumped for Disney's computer-animated movie Finding Nemo.
More practically, the most sought after name in France in 2003 was national rail service SNCF.
