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Even before the next pope speaks to the faithful for the first time, his chosen name could give a clue as to the direction of his papacy.

When Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose the name Francis in 2013, he aligned himself with Francis of Assisi, a 13th-century saint known for his humility. In the spirit of this name, his papacy was marked by a concern for the marginalised.

“Even now, as we are waiting for the new pope, the name with which he will present himself will help us to understand the horizon towards which he wants to proceed,” said Reverend Roberto Regoli, a historian at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University.

The papal name of the Catholic Church’s new leader will be revealed shortly after he is elected by his fellow cardinals at the conclave, the voting process which begins on Wednesday.

“In the deepest recesses of their mind, when they start the conclave, everyone will walk in there with a name in their head,” said Natalia Imperatori-Lee, chair of religious studies at Manhattan University.

A history of naming

Although it is now customary to select a papal name, this has not always been the case. In the early years of the Catholic Church, popes kept their birth names.

The first exception came in the 6th century when Mercurius chose to be called John II, casting off his original name, which derived from that of the Roman god Mercury.

The practice of adopting a new name did not become normalised until the 11th century, when a series of German popes opted for the names of early church bishops out of “a desire to signify continuity”, according to Regoli.

For many centuries, new popes typically used the name of the pope who had raised them to the rank of cardinal.

The most popular name is John, which has been chosen by 23 popes. Benedict and Gregory have each been selected 16 times.

What’s in a name?

Were a conservative cardinal to be elevated to the papacy, he might select a name that connotes a more traditional approach.

“If we get a Benedict, then we will know that the cardinals chose to see Francis as an anomaly,” Imperatori-Lee said.

Another name that could be favoured by a conservative pope is Pius, which was the most commonly selected one of the 20th century.

However, this is thought to be unlikely, given that the last pope of that name, Pius XII, is accused of turning a blind eye to the Holocaust.

If the next pope wishes to steer the church in a similar direction to his predecessor, he could call himself Pope Francis II — or John XXIV, which Francis himself quipped would be the name of his successor, referring to the progressive pope who last went by that name.

The new head of the Catholic Church could also, as Francis did, go for a name that has never been used before.

“This would open a new season and could mean that his program is not in line with any of his predecessors, so an even more personalised programme,” Regoli said.

Imperatori-Lee suggested a pope looking to continue Francis’ legacy could call himself Ignatius, after the founder of the Jesuits, the religious order to which the late pope belonged.

“It would be interesting,” she said. “We’ve never had one of those.”