Before answering, you have to consider that part of the universal recogniseability of AA stems from his popularisation through mass media. In that sense, he attained global recognizeability among the general populace in spite of the fact that the average person would be at a loss to grasp his actual work.

The person you would be looking for would thus have emerged at a time when media appeal was much less developped and when scientists were mostly known within scientific circles on the basis of their actual work. Probably Newton, although a few others (Lavoisier for instance) might come to mind, at least in certain regions.

Outside of scientific circles it was definitely Newton who was "the big name" in science.

Inside scientific circles though? Well assuming we are talking about inside the physics circles around 1900 (just before Einsteins rise to fame), it would have been Max Planck who had the biggest name at the time.

Aristotle probably holds the record for most influence over the longest period of time. He is certainly much more famous than Einstein if you don't give the present unnatural weight in your calculations of fame.

A lot of the science of the age of Enlightenment was an effort to leave Aristotle's theories, models, and thought experiments behind.

Michael Faraday almost certainly.

EDIT: This was the guy who's picture Albert Einstein hung up on his wall, along with James Clerk Maxwell and Isaac Newton.