Papal name facts for kids
A papal name is a special name chosen by the Pope when he is elected. It's like a new official name he uses for his role. This tradition helps show the Pope's new spiritual journey and leadership.
History of Papal Names
In the early days of the church, popes used their birth names. For example, popes like Pope Adeodatus, Pope Formosus, and Pope Hyginus were known by the names they were given at birth.
The idea of choosing a new name started around the 6th century. The first pope to do this was Pope John II. His birth name was Mercury, which was the name of a Roman god. When he became Pope, he chose a Christian name instead. This was a big step towards the tradition we see today.
Choosing a papal name became a regular custom in the 10th century. In the year 996, the first German pope was chosen. He changed his name from Bruno to Gregory. He is now known as Pope Gregory V.
Since the 16th century, every pope has chosen a different name from their birth name. This shows how important this tradition has become over time.
How Papal Names Are Used
Some papal names have been used many times throughout history. The most popular names include John (used 23 times), Gregory (16 times), Clement (14 times), Innocent (13 times), Leo (13 times), and Pius (12 times).
The first papal name to be used again was Pope Sixtus. Since then, four other names have been repeated.
Just like kings and emperors, a Roman numeral is added if a Pope chooses a name that another pope has used before. For example, Pope John Paul II chose the same name as the pope who came before him. The Roman numeral "II" shows that he was the second Pope John Paul.
| Number | Name | Times Used | Popes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | John | 21 | I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX · X · XI · XII · XIII · XIV · XV · XVI · XVII · XVIII · XIX · XX · XXI · XXII · XXIII | * John XXIII was the most recent pope with this name. * John XVI was an antipope (not officially recognized). * There was no Pope John XX. |
| 2. | Gregory | 16 | I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX · X · XI · XII · XIII · XIV · XV · XVI | |
| 3. | Benedict | 15 | I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX · X · XI · XII · XIII · XIV · XV · XVI | * Benedict XVI was the most recent pope with this name. * Benedict X was an antipope. |
| 4. | Clement | 14 | I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX · X · XI · XII · XIII · XIV | |
| 5. | Innocent | 13 | I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX · X · XI · XII · XIII | |
| 6. | Leo | 13 | I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX · X · XI · XII · XIII | |
| 7. | Pius | 12 | I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX · X · XI · XII | |
| 8. | Stephen | 10 | I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX · X | Pope Stephen II died in 752 after being elected but before being officially made pope. The next pope took the same name in 752 and is known as Stephen II or III. |
| 9. | Boniface | 8 | I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII · IX | * Boniface IX was the most recent pope with this name. * Boniface VII was an antipope. |
| 10. | Urban | 8 | I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII | |
| 11. | Alexander | 7 | I · II · III · IV · V · VI · VII · VIII | * Alexander VIII was the most recent pope with this name. * Alexander V was an antipope. |
| 12. | Adrian | 6 | I · II · III · IV · V · VI | |
| 13. | Paul | 6 | I · II · III · IV · V · VI | |
| 14. | Celestine | 5 | I · II · III · IV · V | |
| 15. | Nicholas | 5 | I · II · III · IV · V | |
| 16. | Sixtus | 5 | I · II · III · IV · V | |
| 17. | Anastasius | 4 | I · II · III · IV | |
| 18. | Eugene | 4 | I · II · III · IV | |
| 19. | Honorius | 4 | I · II · III · IV | |
| 20. | Sergius | 4 | I · II · III · IV | |
| 21. | Callixtus | 3 | I · II · III | |
| 22. | Felix | 3 | I · II · III · IV · V | * Felix IV was the most recent pope with this name. * Felix II and Felix V were antipopes. |
| 23. | Julius | 3 | I · II · III | |
| 24. | Lucius | 3 | I · II · III | |
| 25. | Martin | 3 | I · II · III · IV · V | * Martin V was the most recent pope with this name. * There were no Popes Martin II or Martin III. |
| 26. | Sylvester | 3 | I · II · III | |
| 27. | Victor | 3 | I · II · III | |
| 28. | Adeodatus | 2 | I · II | |
| 29. | Agapetus | 2 | I · II | |
| 30. | Damasus | 2 | I · II | |
| 31. | Gelasius | 2 | I · II | |
| 32. | John Paul | 2 | I · II | |
| 33. | Marcellus | 2 | I · II | |
| 34. | Marinus | 2 | I · II | * Marinus I is not the same as "Martin[us] II". * Marinus II is not the same as "Martin[us] III". |
| 35. | Paschal | 2 | I · II | |
| 36. | Pelagius | 2 | I · II | |
| 37. | Theodore | 2 | I · II | |
| 38. | Agatho | 1 | ||
| 39. | Anacletus | 1 | ||
| 40. | Anicetus | 1 | ||
| 41. | Anterus | 1 | ||
| 42. | Caius | 1 | ||
| 43. | Conon | 1 | ||
| 44. | Constantine | 1 | ||
| 45. | Cornelius | 1 | ||
| 46. | Dionysius | 1 | ||
| 47. | Donus | 1 | ||
| 48. | Eleuterus | 1 | ||
| 49. | Eusebius | 1 | ||
| 50. | Eutychian | 1 | ||
| 51. | Evaristus | 1 | ||
| 52. | Fabian | 1 | ||
| 53. | Formosus | 1 | ||
| 54. | Francis | 1 | ||
| 55. | Hilarius | 1 | ||
| 56. | Hormisdas | 1 | ||
| 57. | Hyginus | 1 | ||
| 58. | Lando | 1 | ||
| 59. | Liberius | 1 | ||
| 60. | Linus | 1 | ||
| 61. | Marcellinus | 1 | ||
| 62. | Mark | 1 | ||
| 63. | Miltiades | 1 | ||
| 64. | Peter | 1 | ||
| 65. | Pontian | 1 | ||
| 66. | Romanus | 1 | ||
| 67. | Sabinian | 1 | ||
| 68. | Severinus | 1 | ||
| 69. | Silverius | 1 | ||
| 70. | Simplicius | 1 | ||
| 71. | Siricius | 1 | ||
| 72. | Sisinnius | 1 | ||
| 73. | Soter | 1 | ||
| 74. | Symmachus | 1 | ||
| 75. | Telesphorus | 1 | ||
| 76. | Valentine | 1 | ||
| 77. | Vigilius | 1 | ||
| 78. | Vitalian | 1 | ||
| 79. | Zachary | 1 | ||
| 80. | Zephyrinus | 1 | ||
| 81. | Zosimus | 1 |
Related pages
See also
In Spanish: Nombre papal para niños
