Papal name


A papal name or pontifical name is the regnal name taken by a pope. Both the head of the Catholic Church, usually known as the pope, and the pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria choose papal names., Leo XIV is the Catholic pope, and Tawadros II or Theodoros II is the Coptic pope. This article discusses and lists the names of Catholic popes; another article has a list of Coptic Orthodox popes of Alexandria.
While popes in the early centuries retained their birth names after their accession to the papacy, later popes began to adopt a new name upon their accession. This began in the sixth century and became customary in the tenth century. Since 1555, every pope has taken a papal name.
The pontifical name is given in Latin by virtue of the pope's status as bishop of Rome and head of the Catholic Church. The pope is also given an Italian name by virtue of his Vatican citizenship and because of his position as primate of Italy. However, it is customary when referring to popes to translate the regnal name into all local languages. Thus, for example, the current Catholic pope is Pope Leo in his native English as well as in Latin, in Italian, in Spanish, in French, and so on.

Title and honorifics

Catholic

The official style of the Catholic pope in English is "His Holiness Pope ". "Holy Father" is another honorific often used for popes.
The full title, rarely used, of the Catholic pope in English is: "His Holiness , Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Patriarch of the West, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the Vatican City State, Servant of the servants of God".

Coptic

The official title of the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is "Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of all Africa on the Holy See of St. Mark the Apostle, the Successor of St. Mark the Evangelist, Holy Apostle and Martyr, on the Holy Apostolic Throne of the Great City of Alexandria".
Within the Coptic Church, he is considered to be Father of Fathers, Shepherd of Shepherds, and Hierarch of all Hierarchs. Honorary titles attributed to the Hierarch of the Alexandrine Throne also include:
During the first centuries of the church, the bishops of Rome continued to use their baptismal names after their elections. The custom of choosing a new name began in AD 533: Mercurius deemed it inappropriate for a pope to be named after the pagan Roman god Mercury, and adopted the name John II in honor of his predecessor John I, who was venerated as a martyr. In the tenth century, clerics from beyond the Alps, especially Germany and France, acceded to the papacy and replaced their foreign-sounding names with more traditional ones.
The last pope to use his baptismal name was Marcellus II in 1555, a choice that was even then quite exceptional. Names are freely chosen by popes, and not based on any system. Names of immediate or distant predecessors, mentors, saints, or even family members — as was the case with John XXIII — have been adopted.
In 1978, Cardinal Albino Luciani became the first pope to take a double name, John Paul I, to honor his two immediate predecessors, John XXIII and Paul VI. John Paul I was also the first pope since Lando in 913 to adopt a papal name that had not previously been used. In 2013, a new name was introduced: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio selected the name Francis in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Symbolism

In the past, some popes used their birth names; others chose names for various reasons, including the name of the pope who had elevated them to cardinal. From the mid-20th century it became customary to choose a name signaling the aim of their papacy.
The new pontiff's choice of name is now often seen as a signal to the world of whom the new pope will emulate and what policies he will seek to enact. Such was the case with Benedict XVI — it was speculated that he chose the name because he wished to emulate Benedict XV.
Saint Peter was the first pope; no bishop of Rome has chosen the name Peter II, perhaps out of respect, although there is no prohibition against doing so. Since the 1970s some antipopes, with only a minuscule following, took the name Pope Peter II.
Probably because of the controversial 15th-century antipope known as John XXIII, this name was avoided for over 500 years until the election in 1958 of Cardinal Angelo Roncalli. Immediately upon taking the name of John, it was not known if he would be John XXIII or XXIV; he decided on John XXIII. The number used by an antipope is ignored unless the name has since been used by a legitimate pope; for instance, Benedict X was only deemed to have been an antipope centuries after his death, after the legitimate papacy of Nicola Boccasini as Benedict XI.

Current practice

Immediately after a new pope is elected, and accepts the election, he is asked in Latin "By what name shall you be called?" The new pope chooses the name by which he will be known from that point on. The senior cardinal deacon or cardinal protodeacon then appears on the balcony of Saint Peter's to proclaim the new pope by his birth name, and announce his papal name:

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum:
Habemus Papam!
Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum dominum,
dominum ,
Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalem ,
qui sibi nomen imposuit .


I announce to you a great joy:
We have a Pope!
The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Lord,
Lord ,
Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church ,
who takes to himself the name .

Papal names

As of 2025, there have been 81 different papal names with 44 of these, all but one in the first millennium, having been used only once. The most frequently used papal name is John, with 21 popes having taken this name.
Note that six papal names — John, Benedict, Boniface, Alexander, Felix, and Martin — have numbering discrepancies, due to record-keeping errors or disputes over whether a particular reigning pontiff was valid.
RankNamePopesLast time usedNotes
1John21I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV XVII XVIII XIX XXI XXII XXIII1963
2Gregory16I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI1846
3Benedict15I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI2013
4Clement14I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV1774
4Leo14I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIVcurrent
6Innocent13I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII1724
7Pius12I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII1958
8Stephen9I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX1058
9Boniface8I II III IV V VI VIII IX1404
9Urban8I II III IV V VI VII VIII1644
11Alexander7I II III IV VI VII VIII1691
12Adrian6I II III IV V VI1523
12Paul6I II III IV V VI1978
14Celestine5I II III IV V1296
14Nicholas5I II III IV V1455
14Sixtus5I II III IV V1590
17Anastasius4I II III IV1154
17Eugene4I II III IV1447
17Honorius4I II III IV1287
17Sergius4I II III IV1012
21Callixtus3I II III1458
21Felix3I III IV530
21Julius3I II III1555
21Lucius3I II III1185
21Martin3I IV V1431
21Sylvester3I II III1063
21Victor3I II III1087
28Adeodatus2I II676
28Agapetus2I II955
28Damasus2I II1048
28Gelasius2I II1119
28John Paul2I II2005
28Marcellus2I II1555
28Marinus2I II946
28Paschal2I II1118
28Pelagius2I II590
28Theodore2I II897
38Agatho1681
38Anacletus192
38Anicetus1168
38Anterus1236
38Caius1296
38Conon1687
38Constantine1715
38Cornelius1253
38Dionysius1268
38Donus1678
38Eleutherius1189
38Eusebius1308/310
38Eutychian1283
38Evaristus1107/108
38Fabian1250
38Formosus1896
38Francis12025
38Hilarius1468
38Hormisdas1523
38Hyginus1142
38Lando1914
38Liberius1366
38Linus180
38Marcellinus1304
38Mark1336
38Miltiades1314
38Peter168
38Pontian1235
38Romanus1897
38Sabinian1606
38Severinus1640
38Silverius1537
38Simplicius1483
38Siricius1399
38Sisinnius1708
38Soter1174
38Symmachus1514
38Telesphorus1137
38Valentine1827
38Vigilius1555
38Vitalian1672
38Zachary1752
38Zephyrinus1217
38Zosimus1418