 | Thisguideline documents an English Wikipedianaming convention. Editors should generally follow it, thoughexceptions may apply.Substantive edits to this pageshould reflect consensus. |
| Article titles |
|---|
| All naming conventions |
| Nature |
|
| People |
|
|
| Organizations |
|
|
|
| Language/country-specific |
| Formatting |
This page contains guidance on how to title articles about members of theChristian clergy (popes, cardinals, bishops, etc.), as well assaints.
For links to pages with guidance concerning other religions, see theOther religions section below. For general guidance on how to title biographical articles, seeWikipedia:Naming conventions (people), and for those with royal or noble titles,Wikipedia:Naming conventions (royalty and nobility). For the use of names of clergy and saints in article text, seeWikipedia:Manual of Style/Biographies.
While most clerical names are clear, unambiguous and known, some names associated with clergy of some faiths make this difficult. In those religions which have hierarchies, the higher the level within that hierarchy, the greater the likelihood that the person's first name may have ceased to be used publicly, being replaced by a title. Others replace their own namecompletely with a new one. In some cases it may be difficult to discover what the first name actually was, particularly when dealing with senior clergy from many centuries ago.
If an article title needs disambiguation to distinguish a member of clergy from people with other roles – e.g., from an actor, artist, politician or musician – the typical disambiguation term is"(minister)" (e.g., rather than "clergyman" or "preacher").
For Catholic and Anglican priests, use "priest" rather than "clergyman". The disambiguation term should indicate the highest level attained in the hierarchical structure of the church. For example, in the Catholic Church, "cardinal" would be preferred over "bishop", and "bishop" over "priest".
Forpopes, whetherCatholic,Coptic, or otherwise, use the format"Pope {papal name} {ordinal if more than one} of {episcopal see}". Popes of Rome should not be linked with their episcopal sees;Rome is understood. For popes who are also saints, seeSaints below.
Some early popes are better known to a wide range of readers by an epithet orcognomen than by name and number; when this is so, Wikipedia may title the article by the well-known name. Which name is to be used should be decided by consensus, after consultation of a variety of reliable English-language sources.
Forpatriarchs, whether theEcumenical Patriarch,Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria, or otherwise, use the format"Patriarch {episcopal name} {ordinal if more than one} of {episcopal see}". Do not use a patriarch's personal name; e.g., usePatriarch Nikon, notNikita Minov. However, if there is already a well-established name in English for a particular patriarch, use that format instead. For example, useJohn Chrysostom as the main title of article, withPatriarch John I of Constantinople andJohn I of Constantinople as redirects.
In the titles of articles,cardinals generally go by their full name (both first name and surname) alone, without the title "Cardinal", as "Ascanio Sforza", not "Cardinal Ascanio Sforza", nor "Ascanio Cardinal Sforza". Exceptions are cardinals who are identifiable only by the cardinalitial title (as in the case of a hypothetical Cardinal John Smith), those best known by the title "Cardinal" followed by a surname (asCardinal Richelieu), and those of the period before the introduction of surnames. For many of the latter, however, their place of origin will serve the same function as a surname.
For bishops (including archbishops) in the Western world, do not use their episcopal title in the article name unless necessary for disambiguation. For article names where there is both a forename and a surname, used also by other articles, inserting (bishop) afterward is common, for exampleWilliam Atwater (bishop) orGeorge Douglas (bishop). If disambiguation is still necessary, use a form such asWilliam Turner (bishop of Salford) (rather thanWilliam Turner, Bishop of Salford) – using the subject'scurrent ormost recent see. Where the bishop concerned held office as an archbishop, avoid disambiguation by (archbishop), since that is only part of a job title – instead use (bishop) (the order) or the full titlee.g. (archbishop of York). Where this is not useful, for instance when people of the same name occupy the same bishopric, death dates can be used, as withAlexander de Kininmund (died 1380) andAlexander de Kininmund (died 1344), both bishops and both bishops of Aberdeen.
For Anglican bishops the titular name which substitutes the episcopal seat for the last name is to be avoided, e.g. useRowan Williams, not "Rowan Cantuar".
Where only a forename is available, it is not the business of Wikipedia to invent surnames. In some cases the person is referred to as "{name} of {place}", as withAugustine of Canterbury orClement of Dunblane, and this form can then be used as the article title. If no such form is in use, it may be necessary to disambiguate using the episcopal title, as withGerard (archbishop of York). In the era before the widespread use of surnames in western Europe (say, before 1200), it is common to encounter more than one bishop with the same name of the same diocese. In these cases using Roman numerals is an acceptable additional method of disambiguation, as inÆlfsige II (bishop of Winchester).
When these suggestions are still insufficient for a clear disambiguation, seeWikipedia:Naming conventions (people) for further suggestions.
ForOrthodox bishops (including metropolitans and archbishops), the form{name} of {place} is often used, as withAnthony of Sourozh andGabriel of Comane. In other cases name and surname are used, as inKallistos Ware.
For eastern bishops ofSyriac (Oriental Orthodox andEastern Catholic) traditions the title "Mar" is not used in the article name unless necessary for disambiguation or for conformance with actual usage. ThusVarkey Vithayathil is used, not "Mar Varkey Vithayathil" or forms such as "Mar Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil". HoweverMar Thoma I,Mar Thoma II, etc. are used, because these men are never referred to as simply "Thoma I" etc.
Saints go by their most common English name, minus the word "Saint", if such a title is available and the saint is theprimary topic for that name. If the base name (for example, "Saint Anne") requires disambiguation due to lack of primary topic for the saint,natural disambiguation has been preferred at Wikipedia. This leads to titles likeSaint Anne andMatthew the Apostle. As the word "Saint" can lead to controversy (depending on who considers whom to be a saint) and possible non-neutrality, other forms of natural disambiguation are typically preferred, all other things being equal. If the word "saint" is included in an article name, the standard formula is to keep it unabbreviated except when referring to a name with typical abbreviation (e.g.St. Louis, United States).
For example, we useJoan of Arc (recognizable, natural, concise, and unambiguous) butSaint Monica. (Disambiguation is necessary becauseMonica is adisambiguation page; editors have preferred "Saint Monica" over other possible titles, such asMonica of Hippo.) The word "Saint" should not be omitted from names when it is required for the subject to be adequately recognizable—e.g.Patrick of Ireland redirects toSaint Patrick. The titles for articles about the individuals themselves should never use "St" or "St." as an abbreviation for "Saint", thoughredirects should be created from these alternative spellings. (See alsoList of saints.)
Articles on popes who are also saints are titled according to the guidance inPopes above, with any necessary redirects from the forms with "Saint". For example,Pope Pius X, with redirects fromPope Saint Pius X and other forms; butSaint Peter rather than the less recognizablePope Peter.
Cathedral and church building names, unlessthey individually use something different (e.g.Divi Blasii), often follow the convention of "{Church building} of Saint {X}", as inArchbasilica of Saint John Lateran. Other formulas exist, however. For example, "Saint" may be written asSt (British English) orSt. (American English), henceSt Paul's Cathedral notSaint Paul's Cathedral,St. Peter's Basilica notSaint Peter's Basilica, etc., if overwhelming sources indicate this asWP:COMMONNAME other than instances merely replicating printing press text minimalism.
Cities and otherentities follow common English-language usage in reliable sources – seeSt. Louis butSaint Petersburg.
For guidance on naming articles about people associated with other religions, see the appropriate religion- or country-specific convention or guideline pages, noting that general principles already on this page are not restated there: