# What would your papal name be? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 22, 2013, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114 "2013-02-22T21:33:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/21 "2013-02-23T00:21:53Z")
Bigus Dickus ---
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/22 "2013-02-23T00:33:14Z")
Since Pope John Paul has been recently taken, I think someone needs to be Pope George Ringo just to balance things out. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/23 "2013-02-23T00:33:17Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > I’d pick Julian. for the English mystic and anchoress. So I’d be Julian I. Julian was the last pagan emperor of Rome. I don’t think it’d go over well. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/24 "2013-02-23T00:51:51Z")
Bobot The Great or, if I was allowed, just: Bobot I’d be a cool pope. Trust me. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/25 "2013-02-23T01:10:53Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > Innocent XIV (cool name) Considering some of the allegations against His soon-to-be-ex-Holiness (too pooped to pope, apparently), naming yourself “Innocent” would be asking for trouble. > [@Chef\_Troy](#): > > Since Pope John Paul has been recently taken, I think someone needs to be Pope George Ringo just to balance things out. I bet you already know this: 30+ years ago, National Lampoon ran the following faux headline: _ **John Paul elected Pope; George Ringo miffed** _ ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/26 "2013-02-23T01:50:34Z")
Petra I. Not quite Peter, but I am a woman. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/27 "2013-02-23T02:40:49Z")
Ahnarhope The First. ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/28 "2013-02-23T02:47:36Z")
Urban, of course. LOL. Bob ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/29 "2013-02-23T03:14:58Z")
Gregory XIV. Do you have to change your name when you become pope? Peter didn’t, right? Well, I guess he changed it from Simon, but that was long before becoming pope. If I can’t keep Gregory, I’m going with Balthazar. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/30 "2013-02-23T03:23:30Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > Pope Copernicus Galileo Einstein Dawkins the 1st You are aware that Copernicus was a priest, right? And that Galileo was a close friend of the Pope (which is why he got to die of old age)? ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/31 "2013-02-23T03:23:40Z")
Pope a Dope ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/32 "2013-02-23T03:32:18Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > The papal name I liked was fictional: Kiril, from “The Shoes of the Fisherman.” But the point there was that it was his real name. That would become “Cyril” when conventionally rendered into English. Has been used by Popes of the Coptic Church. * * * Sixtus the Sixth would be fun to make anchorpeople stumble when reporting. Plus it’s just one six short of freaking out a lot of American fundies. Maybe go Old Testament on the flock and pick Pope Ezekiel or Pope Isaiah and tell them really big s#!t is coming down if they don’t get their act together. Maybe seek a yet-unused one. Lando (913-914AD) was the last nonrepeating Pope, and was the last “new” name until John Paul I chose to do a compound name. I like the idea of seconding some long-ignored one-shot Papal name as a way to correct the neglect, but at the same time I’d feel odd taking away his uniqueness (“Hey, he is THE Pope Conon”). Many “big” names in the Canon remain unused - no Peter, we can understand, but if I’m counting right there’s also: No Joseph, Anthony, Dominic, Ignatius or Bernard; no Louis or Didacus(Diego). There are 23 Johns, 6 Pauls, a Mark and a Stephen, but not one Matthew or Luke, no James, Philip, Andrew, or Bartholomew. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/33 "2013-02-23T03:39:14Z")
Pope Peter the Pist ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/34 "2013-02-23T04:04:37Z")
Valentine II. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/35 "2013-02-23T04:41:22Z")
Pope Numerus Bestia. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/36 "2013-02-23T04:54:11Z")
> [@Chef\_Troy](#): > > Since Pope John Paul has been recently taken, I think someone needs to be Pope George Ringo just to balance things out. _shakes fist_ Fine. I shall be Pope Maxwell I. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/37 "2013-02-23T05:07:11Z")
Pope Esther ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/38 "2013-02-23T06:00:03Z")
“John-Boy” ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/39 "2013-02-23T06:13:14Z")
Pope [Cuftbert](http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?page_id=16386) I ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114/40 "2013-02-23T15:35:40Z")
Onarope [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-your-papal-name-be/651114.md?page=3)