Talk:List of names of popes

Tidbits
Interesting tidbit: From 1088 to 1145, eight straight popes had names suffixed with "the Second": Urban II, Paschal II, Gelasius II, Calixtus II, Honorius II, Innocent II, Celestine II, and Lucius II. Going back to 1046 gives us 13 out of 18. (Anything in the first millennium doesn't count as popes chose regnal names only four or five times before the early 11th century.)

From 1159 to 1227, seven out of eight were Thirds: Alexander III, Lucius III, Urban III, Gregory VIII, Clement III, Celestine III, Innocent III, and Honorius III. Five Fourths in a row from 1241 to 1271: Celestine IV, Innocent IV, Alexander IV, Urban IV, and Clement IV.

From 1644 to 1774, 14 straight popes used only four names: six Clements, four Innocents, two Benedicts, and two Alexanders. From 1775 to 1958, seven out of eleven popes were named Pius. I'm compiling a list of papal namesakes, and since popes often named themselves after predecessors who helped them out, clustering like this can be expected.

The first time a pope had chosen the same name as his immediate predecessor was John XVIII in 1003. It's happened only six times since: Pius IV and V (1566); Clement IX and X (1670); Clement XIII and XIV (1769); Pius VI and VII (1800), Pius XI and XII (1939); and John Paul I and II (1978). (Note: John XVII reigned under his birth name, the last to do so before the custom of choosing a regnal name became the norm.) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jimpoz (talk • contribs) 05:35, 10 November 2008 (UTC)