List of names of popes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Names of popes by frequency


By frequency Name How many until now Notes
1. John 21 The last pope of this name was John XXIII, however John XVI is proclaimed an antipope, while John XX never existed.
2. Gregory 16  
3. Benedict 15 The last pope of this name was Benedict XVI, however Benedict X is proclaimed an antipope.
4. Clement 14  
5. Innocent 13  
6. Leo 13  
7. Pius 12  
8. Stephen 9 Stephen II succeeded pope-elect Stephen (in some lists marked as Stephen II), who died before he could be consecrated as a bishop and therefore is not included in the official list of popes.
9. Boniface 8 The last pope of this name was Boniface IX, however Boniface VII is proclaimed an antipope.
10. Urban 8  
11. Alexander 7 The last pope of this name was Alexander VIII, however Alexander V is proclaimed an antipope.
12. Adrian 6  
13. Paul 6  
14. Celestine 5  
15. Nicholas 5  
16. Sixtus 5  
17. Anastasius 4  
18. Eugene 4  
19. Honorius 4  
20. Sergius 4  
21. Callixtus 3  
22. Felix 3 The last pope of this name was Felix IV, while Felix II and Felix V are proclaimed antipopes.
23. Julius 3  
24. Lucius 3  
25. Martin 3 The last pope of this name was Martin V, however popes Martin II and Martin III never existed. Marinus I and Marinus II were mistakenly thought to be named "Martin(us)", causing the confusion.
26. Sylvester 3  
27. Victor 3  
28. Adeodatus 2  
29. Agapetus 2  
30. Damasus 2  
31. Gelasius 2  
32. John Paul 2  
33. Marcellus 2  
34. Marinus 2  
35. Paschal 2  
36. Pelagius 2  
37. Theodore 2  
38. Agatho 1  
30. Anacletus 1  
40. Anicetus 1  
41. Anterus 1  
42. Caius 1  
54. Conon 1  
55. Constantine 1  
56. Cornelius 1  
42. Dionysius 1  
43. Donus 1  
44. Eleuterus 1  
47. Eusebius 1  
46. Eutychian 1  
45. Evaristus 1  
48. Fabian 1  
49. Formosus 1  
51. Hilarius 1  
52. Hormisdas 1  
50. Hyginus 1  
57. Lando 1  
58. Liberius 1  
59. Linus 1  
60. Marcellinus 1  
61. Mark 1  
62. Miltiades 1  
63. Peter 1  
64. Pontian 1  
65. Romanus 1  
66. Sabinian 1  
67. Severinus 1  
68. Silverius 1  
69. Simplicius 1  
70. Siricius 1  
71. Sisinnius 1  
73. Soter 1  
72. Symmachus 1  
74. Telesphorus 1  
75. Valentine 1  
76. Vigilius 1  
77. Vitalian 1  
78. Zachary 1  
79. Zephyrinus 1  
80. Zosimus 1  

[edit] Notes

  • On average the papal name repeats 3.29 times.
  • The number of all popes to the present is 263. Pope Benedict IX was elected pope three times, therefore the number of pontificates is actually 265.
  • Data are taken from book: A. J. O'Brien, The Popes: Twenty Centuries of History, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2002.

[edit] See also