# Pope's name choice **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 2, 2005, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357 "2005-04-02T03:09:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/1 "2005-04-02T03:09:27Z")
What’s the straight dope on the pope choosing his official name? Does he actually do it himself or does he consult his advisors? Has there ever been a pope who used his given name? Has a pope ever chosen a name that upset his followers? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/2 "2005-04-02T03:30:56Z")
IIRC, the Pope chooses his own name. JPI took his name from two previous Popes. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/3 "2005-04-02T03:37:55Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Has there ever been a pope who used his given name? Probably not. The tradition was set by Jesus renaming Peter, the first Pope. [/quote] Has a pope ever chosen a name that upset his followers? [/QUOTE] Probably. The name choice can certainly be a political statement. I’ll be browsing my Chronicle of the Popes tomorrow; if anything catches my eye I’ll come back with more definitive word. ---
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/4 "2005-04-02T03:44:14Z")
The first pope to change his name was John II in 533. His given name, Mercury, was considered inappropriate since it was the name of a pagan god. Another pope in 983 took the name John XIV because his given name was Peter. Reverence for the first pope precluded his becoming Peter II. At the end of the first millennium a couple of non-Italian popes changed their names to ones that their people could more easily pronounce. The custom of changing one’s name became common around the year 1009. The last pope to keep his own name was Marcellus II, elected in 1555. Source: [http://www.americamagazine.org/papaltransition.cfm](http://www.americamagazine.org/papaltransition.cfm) ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/5 "2005-04-02T03:48:25Z")
> [@DaveRaver](#): > > The first pope to change his name was John II in 533. > … > Source: [http://www.americamagazine.org/papaltransition.cfm](http://www.americamagazine.org/papaltransition.cfm) And I even cited that page in a different thread! Am I allowed to putz myself in GQ? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/6 "2005-04-02T03:49:53Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > Am I allowed to putz myself in GQ? Hey, this is a family board!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/7 "2005-04-02T03:55:07Z")
If I might be allowed a slightly different question, does the current Pope refer to himself as John Paul, or is that an anglicized version of what he actually calls himself? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/8 "2005-04-02T04:01:32Z")
The rules seem to be: 1. If chosen pope, you can take whatever name you want, including keeping your own. 2. It’s traditional to pick a name that recalls a saint or previous pope (John, Leo, Boniface, Gregory, Benedict) that symbolizes what you hope to achieve in your papacy, or an adjective that describes what you aspire to spiritually (Pius, Clement, Innocent). 3. You may NOT use Peter, out of respect for the leader of the Apostles and traditional first Pope. 4. You may not use the name of a pagan deity (e.g. Mercury). Presumably an adjective that is a negative would be likewise out of bounds. (No pope Impius or Atheisticus!) ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/9 "2005-04-02T04:07:16Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > The rules seem to be: > > 1. If chosen pope, you can take whatever name you want, including keeping your own. > > 2. It’s traditional to pick a name that recalls a saint or previous pope (John, Leo, Boniface, Gregory, Benedict) that symbolizes what you hope to achieve in your papacy, or an adjective that describes what you aspire to spiritually (Pius, Clement, Innocent). > > 3. You may NOT use Peter, out of respect for the leader of the Apostles and traditional first Pope. > > 4. You may not use the name of a pagan deity (e.g. Mercury). Presumably an adjective that is a negative would be likewise out of bounds. (No pope Impius or Atheisticus!) How about Biggus Dickus? Or Incontientia Butticks? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/10 "2005-04-02T04:08:25Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > If I might be allowed a slightly different question, does the current Pope refer to himself as John Paul, or is that an anglicized version of what he actually calls himself? The official language of the church is Latin. His official name would be in Latin. Oddly enough, the Vatican web site does not have a Latin option. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/11 "2005-04-02T12:10:35Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > The rules seem to be: > > 1. If chosen pope, you can take whatever name you want, including keeping your own. > > 2. You may NOT use Peter Well, there’s not much chance of me being elected Pope, but would I be allowed to keep my name, or would I be required to change it? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/12 "2005-04-02T13:38:33Z")
> [@Peter Morris](#): > > Well, there’s not much chance of me being elected Pope, but would I be allowed to keep my name, or would I be required to change it? Well, given the derivation of your name, it would obviously be Latinized as Mauritius, and despite that being a relatively common name, it happens that no Pope has ever used it before. So you would be the first Pope Mauritius. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/13 "2005-04-02T14:07:43Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > The rules seem to be: > > 1. If chosen pope, you can take whatever name you want, including keeping your own. > > 2. It’s traditional to pick a name that recalls a saint or previous pope (John, Leo, Boniface, Gregory, Benedict) that symbolizes what you hope to achieve in your papacy, or an adjective that describes what you aspire to spiritually (Pius, Clement, Innocent). > > 3. You may NOT use Peter, out of respect for the leader of the Apostles and traditional first Pope. > > 4. You may not use the name of a pagan deity (e.g. Mercury). Presumably an adjective that is a negative would be likewise out of bounds. (No pope Impius or Atheisticus!) Just had to chime in and say thanks. I never knew any of that. SDMB to the rescue. I’m not Catholic, but I always sort of wondered how that worked. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/14 "2005-04-02T15:40:16Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Well, given the derivation of your name, it would obviously be Latinized as Mauritius, and despite that being a relatively common name, it happens that no Pope has ever used it before. So you would be the first Pope Mauritius. 😉 Oh, goodness…a pope named Mauritius would already be at a disadvantage with this crew. First kind of dumb thing he did or said we’d all be posting about “Pope Dodo”! ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/15 "2005-04-02T15:58:39Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > The official language of the church is Latin. His official name would be in Latin. Oddly enough, the Vatican web site does not have a Latin option. The pope’s Latin name is [Ioannes Paulus](http://www.intratext.com/Catalogo/Autori/AUT197.HTM). ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/16 "2005-04-02T17:51:20Z")
I still like Bozo Fossor I. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/17 "2005-04-02T18:39:29Z")
I have to go with George Carlin and say that the next pope should be named Corky. We’d have to skip numbers I-III and go straight to His Most Holiness, Pope Corky IV ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/18 "2005-04-02T18:58:39Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > I still like Bozo Fossor I. As opposed to [Count Bozo of Provence](http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9080814)? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/19 "2005-04-02T21:22:39Z")
I suppose if the Church needed money, he could always auction his name on eBay. “Presenting His Holiness, Pope Pepsi.” ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357/20 "2005-04-02T21:27:05Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > I suppose if the Church needed money, he could always auction his name on eBay. > > “Presenting His Holiness, Pope Pepsi.” That’s so 20th Century. Pope Crystal Pepsi Light now with Lemon! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/popes-name-choice/297357.md?page=2)