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A regnal name, regnant name, or reign name is the name used by and during their and subsequently, historically. Since ancient times, some monarchs have chosen to use a different name from their original name when they accede to the monarchy.
The regnal name is usually followed by a regnal number, written as a Roman numeral, to differentiate that monarch from others who have used the same name while ruling the same realm. In some cases, the monarch has more than one regnal name, but the regnal number is based on only one of those names, for example Charles X Gustav of Sweden. If a monarch reigns in more than one realm, they may carry different ordinals in each one, as some realms may have had different numbers of rulers of the same regnal name. For example, the same person was both King James VI of Scotland and King James I of England.
The ordinal is not normally used for the first ruler of the name, but is used in historical references once the name is used again. Thus, Queen Elizabeth I of England was called simply "Elizabeth of England" until the accession of Elizabeth II almost four centuries later in 1952; subsequent historical references to the earlier queen retroactively refer to her as Elizabeth I. However, Tsar Paul I of Russia, King Umberto I of Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia and Pope John Paul I all used the ordinal I (first) during their reigns, even if there was -- at least so far in the case of Paul of Russia, Franz Joseph of Austria, Juan Carlos of Spain or Haile Selassie of Ethiopia -- never a second ruler with the same name. In spoken English, such names are pronounced as "Elizabeth the First", "George the Sixth", etc.
In some countries in Asia, monarchs took or take era names. While era names as such are not used in many monarchies, sometimes eras are named after a monarch (usually long-lived), or a succession of monarchs of the same name. This is customary; there is no formal or general rule. For example, the whole period during which a succession of four Georges (George I, II, III, and George IV) of the Hanoverian dynasty reigned in Great Britain became known as the Georgian era. Conversely, although there were many Edwards, the Edwardian era always refers to the reign of Edward VII at the beginning of the 20th century.
Beyond that which is described above, regnal names also serve in Nigeria and indeed in much of Africa as chronological markers in much the same way that those of Europe do (e.g. the Victorian era). Whenever one hears of a person describing what happened at the time when so and so ruled over any particular place or people, what he or she is actually saying is that an event happened within a finite period of time, one that is equal to the duration of the reign of the monarch in question. Now seeing as how it is possible (and in fact common, particularly among the southern tribes) for one individual to have several different names and aliases in a single life, a certain degree of uniformity in usage is required if the history of an entire state is to be tied to his or her name. It is for this reason that when new monarchs are enthroned, the uniqueness of their names is usually considered to be a matter of considerable importance (even when it is caused by nothing more than the adding of ordinals to them or the allowing of more than a generation to pass before their subsequent usage). An example of this can be found in the kingdom of Benin, where the throne name of Erediauwa I became the surname of all of his immediate family in the Eweka royal house of the state, thus nominally tying them and their descendants to the era of his reign. This is especially obvious when their branch's name is compared to the last names of the said king's brothers and their heirs, named the Akenzuas after his father Akenzua II, and his uncles and their heirs, named the Ewekas after his grandfather Eweka II.
In the case of the comparatively small number of Nigerian monarchs, such as Obi Nnaemeka Achebe of Onitsha, who do not make use of regnal names as a result of a variety of reasons, pre-coronation names are maintained during their reigns.
Monarchs could adopt or be honored with regnal names (尊號; ) during their reign or after they had abdicated.
Since the Shang dynasty, Chinese sovereigns could be honored with temple names (廟號; ) after their death, for the purpose of ancestor worship. Temple names consisted of two or three Chinese characters, with the last word being either (祖; "progenitor") or (宗; "ancestor"). Since the Zhou dynasty, Chinese monarchs were frequently accorded posthumous names (謚號; ) after their death. Posthumous names were adjectives originally intended to determine the achievements and moral values, or the lack thereof, of one's life. Since both titles were accorded only after one's death, they were not effectively regnal names. As a result of Chinese cultural and political influence, temple names and posthumous names were adopted by monarchs of Korea and Vietnam, whereas monarchs of Japan adopted only posthumous names.
Since 140 BC, during the reign of the Emperor Wu of Han, Chinese sovereigns often proclaimed era names (年號; ) for the purpose of identifying and numbering years. Prior to the Ming dynasty, it was common for Chinese monarchs to proclaim more than one era name during a single reign, or that a single era name could span the reigns of several rulers. Monarchs of the Ming and Qing dynasty dynasties, however, often adopted only one era name throughout their reign. Thus, Chinese sovereigns of the Ming and Qing dynasties came to be highly associated with the corresponding era name of their reign and are commonly known by their respective era name with few exceptions, although era names were not effectively regnal names. The era name system was also adopted by rulers of Korea, Vietnam and Japan, with Japan still using the system to this day.
The following table provides examples from China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam to illustrate the differences between monarchical titles in the Sinosphere. Bold characters represent the most common way to refer to the monarchs.
| China | Eastern Han dynasty | Liu Da 劉炟 | None | Jianchu 建初 Yuanhe 元和 Zhanghe 章和 | Suzong 肅宗 | Emperor Xiao zhang 孝 章皇帝 |
| Tang dynasty | Li Longji 李隆基 | Emperor Kaiyuan Shengwen Shenwu 開元聖文神武皇帝 | Xiantian 先天 Kaiyuan 開元 Tianbao 天寶 | Xuanzong 玄宗 | Emperor Zhidao Dasheng Daming Xiao 至道大聖大明孝皇帝 | |
| Liao dynasty | Yelü Deguang 耶律德光 | Emperor Sisheng 嗣聖皇帝 | Tianxian 天顯 Huitong 會同 Datong 大同 | Taizong 太宗 | Emperor Xiaowu Huiwen 孝武惠文皇帝 | |
| Northern Han | Liu Jiyuan 劉繼元 | Emperor Yingwu 英武皇帝 | Tianhui 天會 Guangyun 廣運 | None | None | |
| Qing dynasty | Kangxi Emperor 愛新覺羅·玄燁 | None | Kangxi 康熙 | Shengzu 聖祖 | Emperor Hetian Hongyun Wenwu Ruizhe Gongjian Kuanyu Xiaojing Chengxin Zhonghe Gongde Dacheng Ren 合天弘運文武睿哲恭儉寬裕孝敬誠信中和功德大成仁皇帝 | |
| Japan | Imperial dynasty | Obito 首 | None | Jinki 神亀 Tenpyō 天平 Tenpyō-kanpō 天平感宝 | None | Emperor Shōmu 聖武天皇 |
| Osahito 統仁 | None | Kaei 嘉永 Ansei 安政 Man'en 万延 Bunkyū 文久 Genji 元治 Keiō 慶応 | None | Emperor Kōmei 孝明天皇 | ||
| Korea | Goryeo | Wang Un 王運 왕운 | None | None | Seonjong 宣宗 선종 | King Gwanin Hyeonsun Anseong Sahyo 寬仁顯順安成思孝大王 관인현순안성사효대왕 |
| Joseon | Yi Yu 李瑈 이유 | None | None | Sejo 世祖 세조 | King Hyejang Sungcheon Chedo Yeolmun Yeongmu Jideok Yunggong Seongsin Myeongye Heumsuk Inhyo 惠莊承天體道烈文英武至德隆功聖神明睿欽肅仁孝大王 혜장승천체도열문영무지덕융공성신명예흠숙인효대왕 | |
| Vietnam | Revival Lê dynasty | Lê Duy Kỳ Lê Duy Kỳ | None | Vĩnh Tộ Vĩnh Tộ Đức Long Đức Long Dương Hòa Dương Hòa Khánh Đức Khánh Đức Thịnh Đức Thịnh Đức Vĩnh Thọ Vĩnh Thọ Vạn Khánh Vạn Khánh | Thần Tông Thần Tông | Emperor Uyên Uyên Hoàng đế |
| Nguyễn dynasty | Nguyễn Phúc Tuyền Nguyễn Phúc Tuyền | None | Thiệu Trị Thiệu Trị | Hiến Tổ Hiến Tổ | Emperor Thiệu thiên Long vận Chí thiện Thuần hiếu Khoan minh Duệ đoán Văn trị Vũ công Thánh triết Chương Thiệu thiên Long vận Chí thiện Thuần hiếu Khoan minh Duệ đoán Văn trị Vũ công Thánh triết Chương Hoàng đế |
Later during the first half of the 14th century, Charles I of Hungary signed as " Carolus rex", but in fact his birth name was the Italian Caroberto. This is why he is often referred to by Hungarian historians as "Charles Robert of Hungary".
First, Queen Victoria had been christened Alexandrina Victoria, but took the throne under the name Victoria.
When Victoria's son, Prince Albert Edward, became king in 1901, he took the regnal name Edward VII, against the wish of his late mother. The new king declared that he chose the name Edward as an honoured name borne by six of his English predecessors, and that he preferred that the name Albert be only associated in royal history with his father.
In 1936, after the abdication crisis, Prince Albert, Duke of York, assumed the throne. His full name was Albert Frederick Arthur George, but he became George VI rather than "King Albert".
Upon the 1952 accession of Elizabeth II, the title Elizabeth II caused controversy in Scotland as there had never been a Scottish Elizabeth I. Winston Churchill suggested that British sovereigns would use either the Scottish or the English number, whichever was higher; this convention fit the pattern of prior reigns since the Acts of Union 1707, all subsequent monarchs either having higher regnal numbers in England (namely William IV, Edward VII, and Edward VIII) or had names not used before the Union (George and Victoria). New Royal Mail post boxes in Scotland bearing the Royal Cypher EIIR, were vandalised, after which, to avoid further problems, post boxes and Royal Mail vehicles in Scotland bore only the Crown of Scotland. A legal case, MacCormick v. Lord Advocate (1953 SC 396), contested the right of the Queen to title herself Elizabeth II in Scotland, arguing that to do so would be a breach of the Act of Union. The case, however, was dismissed on the grounds that the pursuers had no title to sue the Crown, and also that the numbering of monarchs was part of the royal prerogative, and thus not governed by the Act of Union.
Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum:
Habemus Papam!
Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum,
Dominum forename,
Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalem surname,
qui sibi nomen imposuit papal.
I announce to you a great joy: We have a Pope, The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Lord, Lord forename, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church surname, who conferred upon himself the name papal.
During the first centuries of the church, priests elected bishop of Rome continued to use their baptismal names after their elections. The custom of choosing a new name began in AD 533 with the election of Mercurius. Mercurius had been named after the Roman god Mercury, and decided that it would not be appropriate for a pope to be named after a pagan deity. Mercurius subsequently decreed that he would be known as John II. Since the end of the tenth century the pope has customarily chosen a new name for himself during his Pontificate; however, until the 16th century some pontiffs used their Given name.
The last pope to use his baptismal name was Pope Marcellus II in 1555, a choice that was even then quite exceptional. The names chosen by popes are not based on any system other than general honorifics. They have been based on immediate predecessors, mentors, political similarity, or even after family members—as was the case with Pope John XXIII. The practice of using the baptismal name as papal name has not been ruled out and future popes could elect to continue using their original names after being elected pope.
Often the new pontiff's choice of name upon being elected to the papacy is seen as a signal to the world of whom the new pope will emulate or what policies he will seek to enact. Such is the case with Benedict XVI who, in fact, explained the reasons for his choice of name during his first General Audience in St. Peter's Square, on 27 April 2005. On that occasion, he said that he wanted to remember "Pope Benedict XV, that courageous prophet of peace, who guided the Church through turbulent times of war", and also "Saint Benedict of Nursia, co-patron of Europe, whose life evokes the Christian roots of Europe".
There has never been a Pope Peter II. Even though there is no specific prohibition against choosing the name Peter, bishops elected to the Papacy have refrained from doing so even if their own given name was Peter. This is because of a tradition that only Saint Peter should have that honor. In the 10th century John XIV used the regnal name John because his given name was Peter. While some did take the name Peter II, their claims are not recognized by the mainstream Roman Catholic Church, and each of these men only either has or had a minuscule following that recognized their claims.
Probably because of the controversial Antipope John XXIII, new popes avoided taking the regnal name John for over 600 years until the election of Angelo Cardinal Roncalli in 1958. Immediately after his election, there was some confusion as to whether he would be known as John XXIII or John XXIV. Cardinal Roncalli thus moved to immediately resolve by declaring that he would be known as John XXIII.
In 1978, Albino Luciani became the first pope to use two names for his regnal name when he took the name John Paul I, including the "I". He took the "John Paul" name to honor both John XXIII and Paul VI. With the unexpected death of John Paul I a little over a month later, Karol Wojtyła took the name John Paul II to honor his immediate predecessor.
also have regnal names, and also use the ordinal to show their position in the line of previous pontiffs with their names. For example, David Bawden took the name Michael I when declared pope in 1990.
The Fatimid caliphs adopted the Abbasid dynasty use of the to assert their claims of authority.
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