The New Pope Chose Leo as His Papal Name, but What Does That Name Mean?

After a relatively short conclave, a new pope has been announced. The first American to ever fill the job is named Robert Prevost, and he's chosen the papal name Leo XIV. As the Roman numerals after his name suggest, there have been plenty of popes to take the name Leo before him.

Following the news that he decided on that papal name, though, many wanted to know more about why he had chosen that name. Here's what we know about the meaning behind the name and why he chose it.

Although he has not offered any explicit explanation for his decision to choose the name Leo, the first reference we should check when looking for his rationale is which other popes have had the same name. The first pope to take that name was known as Leo the Great, who was pope from 440 to 461. He is best known for meeting with Attila the Hun and convincing him not to attack Rome.

It's possible, then, that Leo XIV sees himself as someone in that mold. Perhaps he sees a world filled with oppressive political forces and believes that the Catholic Church should play a role in meeting them head-on.

The name could also be a reference to Pope Leo XIII, the most recent pope to take the name, who was the head of the Catholic Church from 1878 to 1903, and who wrote the Rerum Novarum.

That tome was designed to address labor and workers' rights during the age of industry and is considered to be one of the first Catholic texts on social rights. It's possible, then, that this new pope could see his role similarly.

Because there have been 13 other popes to take the name, though, it could be a reference to any of them, and it's hard to say how much it might be a reflection of his intention as the head of the church.

Although the history behind the name might matter more to Pope Leo XIV than its meaning in a vacuum, Leo as a given name is from the Greek word for lion, and is meant to signify strength and masculinity.

While it's possible that he chose the name for that reason, most religious scholars seem to think that his reasons for choosing the name had much more to do with the history of the name.

Although we know some things about how the pope will govern the church from his past statements (he doesn't seem to approve of JD Vance or the Trump administration, but has also said some problematic things about LGBTQ+ people), some people are looking to his name as a signal about how he might rule.

In the end, though, the best way to figure out how Pope Leo XIV will govern the Catholic Church is to see what happens in the months and years to come. Names are an indication, but far from the only one.