Every Pope of Rome in history: how many have there been, who was the first, which countries are they from, and who served the longest?

On March 13, 2013, the sky over Rome turned white for the election of Pope Francis. He became the 266th Pope on a list led by Saint Peter, who began his papacy around the year 30 A.D. He remained in that post until the morning of Easter Monday 2025, when he passed away.

Fast forward to Thursday, May 8 (2025) and on the second day of the Conclave, white smoke bellowed into St. Mark’s Square to confirm that the 133 cardinals had elected a successor to Pope Francis.

How many Popes have there been in chronological order?

Pope Francis is number 266, Pope Pius IX had the longest papacy in history, lasting 31 years, 7 months, and 22 days (11,560 days) from 1846 to 1878. Pope John Paul II had the second-longest papacy, lasting 26 years, 5 months, and 18 days (9,666 days) from 1978 to 2005.

Here is the chronological list:

1. Saint Peter (33-67)
2. Saint Linus (67-76)
3. Saint Cletus (76-88)
4. Saint Clement (88-97)
5. Saint Evaristus (97-105)
6. Saint Alexander I (105-115)
7. Saint Sixtus I (115-125)
8. Saint Telesphorus (125-136)
9. Saint Hyginus (136-140)
10. Saint Pius I (140-155)
11. Saint Anicetus (155-166)
12. Saint Soter (166-175)
13. Saint Eleutherius (175-189)
14. Saint Victor I (189-199)
15. Saint Ceferinus (199-217)
16. Saint Callistus I (217-222)
17. Saint Urban I (222-230)
18. Saint Pontian (230-235)
19. Saint Anterus (235-236)
20. Saint Fabian (236-250)
21. Saint Cornelius (251-253)
22. Saint Lucius I (253-254)
23. Saint Stephen I (254-257)
24. Saint Sixtus II (257-258)
25. Saint Dionysius (259-268)
26. Saint Felix I (269-274)
27. Saint Eutychian (275-283)
28. Saint Caius (283-296)
29. Saint Marcellinus (296-304)
30. Saint Marcellus I (308-309)
31. Saint Eusebius (309-309)
32. Saint Melchiades (311-314)
33. Saint Sylvester I (314-335)
34. Saint Mark (336-336)
35. Saint Julius I (337-352)
36. Liberius (352-366)
37. Saint Damasus I (366-384)
38. Saint Siricius (384-399)
39. Saint Anastasius I (399-401)
40. Saint Innocent I (401-417)
41. Saint Zosimus (417-418)
42. Saint Boniface I (418-422)
43. Saint Celestine I (422-432)
44. Saint Sixtus III (432-440)
45. Saint Leo the Great (440-461)
46. Saint Hilary (461-468)
47. Saint Simplicius (468-483)
48. Saint Felix III (483-492)
49. Saint Gelasius I (492-496)
50. Anastasius II (496-498)
51. Saint Symmachus (498-514)
52. Saint Hormisdas (514-523)
53. Saint John I (523-526)
54. Saint Felix IV (526-530)
55. Boniface II (530-532)
56. Saint John II (533-535)
57. Saint Agapetus I (535-536)
58. Saint Silverius (536-537)
59. Vigilius (537-555)
60. Pelagius I (556-561)
61. John III (561-574)
62. Benedict I (575-579)
63. Pelagius II (579-590)
64. Saint Gregory I (the Great) (590-604)
65. Saint Sabinian (604-606)
66. Boniface III (607-607)
67. Saint Boniface IV (608-615)
68. Saint Adeodatus I (615-618)
69. Boniface IV (619-625)
70. Honorius I (625-638)
71. Severinus (640-640)
72. John IV (640-642)
73. Theodore I (642-649)
74. Saint Martin I (649-655)
75. Saint Eugene I (654-657)
76. Saint Vitalian (657-672)
77. Adeodatus II (672-676)
78. Donus (676-678)
79. Saint Agathon (678-681)
80. Saint Leo II (682-683)
81. Saint Benedict II (684-685)
82. John V (685-686)
83. Conon (686-687)
84. Saint Sergius I (687-701)
85. Saint John VI (701-705)
86. John VII (705-707)
87. Sisinnius (708-708)
88. Constantine (708-715)
89. Saint Gregory II (715-731)
90. Saint Gregory III (731-741)
91. Saint Zacharias (741-752)
92. Saint Stephen II (III) (752-757)
93. Saint Paul I (757-767)
94. Stephen III (IV) (768-772)
95. Adrian (772-795)
96. Saint Leo III (795-816)
97. Stephen IV (V) (816-817)
98. Saint Paschal I (817-824)
99. Eugene II (824-827)
100. Valentine (827)
101. Gregory IV (827-844)
102. Sergius II (844-847)
103. Saint Leo IV (847-855)
104. Benedict III (855-858)
105. Saint Nicholas I (858-867)
106. Adrian II (867-872)
107. John VIII (872-882)
108. Marino I (882-884)
109. Saint Adrian III (884-885)
110. Stephen V (VI) (885-891)
111. Formosus (891-896)
112. Boniface VI (896-896)
113. Stephen VI (896-897)
114. Romanus (897-897)
115. Theodore II (897-897)
116. John IX (898-900)
117. Benedict IV (900-903)
118. Leo V (903-903)
119. Sergius III (904-911)
120. Anastasius III (911-913)
121. Landon (913-914)
122. John X (914-928)
123. Leo VI (928-928)
124. Stephen VII (VIII) (928-931)
125. John XI (931-935)
126. Leo VII (936-939)
127. Stephen VIII (IX) (939-942)
128. Marino II (942-946)
129. Agapetus II (946-955)
130. John XII (955-964)
131. Leo VIII (963-965)
132. Benedict V (964-966)
133. John XIII (965-972)
134. Benedict VI (973-974)
135. Benedict VII (974-983)
136. John XIV (983-984)
137. John XV (985-996)
138. Gregory V (996-999)
139. Sylvester II (999-1003)
140. John XVII (1003-1003)
141. John XVIII (1004-1009)
142. Sergius IV (1009-1012)
143. Benedict VIII (1012-1024)
144. John XIX (1024-1032)
145. Benedict IX (1032-1044)
146. Sylvester III (1045-1045)
147. Benedict IX (1045-1045)
148. Gregory VI (1045-1046)
149. Clement II (1046-1047)
150. Benedict IX (1047-1048)
151. Damasus II (1048-1048)
152. Saint Leo IX (1049-1054)
153. Victor II (1055-1057)
154. Stephen IX (X) (1057-1058)
155. Nicholas II (1059-1061)
156. Alexander II (1061-1073)
157. Gregory VII (1073-1085)
158. Blessed Victor III (1086-1087)
159. Blessed Urban II (1088-1099)
160. Paschal II (1099-1118)
161. Gelasius II (1118-1119)
162. Callistus II (1119-1124)
163. Honorius II (1124-1130)
164. Innocent II (1130-1143)
165. Celestine II (1143-1144)
166. Lucius II (1144-1145)
167. Blessed Eugene III (1145-1153)
168. Anastasius IV (1153-1154)
169. Adrian IV (1154-1159)
170. Alexander III (1159-1181)
171. Lucius III (1181-1185)
172. Urban III (1185-1187)
173. Gregory VIII (1187-1187)
174. Clement III (1187-1191)
175. Celestine III (1191-1198)
176. Innocent III (1198-1216)
177. Honorius III (1216-1227)
178. Gregory IX (1227-1241)
179. Celestine IV (1241-1241)
180. Innocent IV (1243-1254)
181. Alexander IV (1254-1261)
182. Urban IV (1261-1264)
183. Clement IV (1265-1268)
184. Blessed Gregory X (1271-1276)
185. Blessed Innocent V (1276-1276)
186. Adrian V (1276-1276)
187. John XXI (1276-1277)
188. Nicholas III (1277-1280)
189. Martin IV (1281-1285)
190. Honorius IV (1285-1287)
191. Nicholas VI (1288-1292)
192. Saint Celestine V (1294-1294)
193. Boniface VIII (1294-1303)
194. Blessed Benedict XI (1303-1304)
195. Clement V (1305-1314)
196. John XXII (1316-1334)
197. Benedict XII (1334-1342)
198. Clement VI (1342-1352)
199. Innocent VI (1352-1362)
200. Blessed Urban V (1362-1370)
201. Gregory XI (1370-1378)
202. Urban VI (1378-1389)
203. Boniface IX (1389-1404)
204. Innocent VII (1404-1406)
205. Gregory XII (1406-1415)
206. Martin V (1417-1431)
207. Eugene IV (1431-1447)
208. Nicholas V (1447-1455)
209. Calixtus III (1455-1458)
210. Pius II (1458-1464)
211. Paul II (1464-1471)
212. Sixtus IV (1471-1484)
213. Innocent VIII (1484-1492)
214. Alexander VI (1492-1503)
215. Pius III (1503 – 1530)
216. Julius II (1503-1513)
217. Leo X (1513-1521)
218. Adrian VI (1522-1523)
219. Clement VII (1523-1534)
220. Paul III (1534-1549)
221. Julius III (1550-1555)
222. Marcellus II (1555)
223. Paul IV (1555-1559)
224. Pius IV (1560-1565)
225. Saint Pius V (1566-1572)
226. Gregory XIII (1572-1585)
227. Sixtus V (1585-1590)
228. Urban VII (1590-1590)
229. Gregory XIV (1590-1591)
230. Innocent IX (1591)
231. Clement VIII (1592-1605)
232. Leo XI (1605-1605)
233. Paul V (1605-1621)
234. Gregory XV (1621-1623)
235. Urban VIII (1623-1644)
236. Innocent X (1644-1655)
237. Alexander VII (1655-1667)
238. Clement IX (1667-1669)
239. Clement X (1670-1676)
240. Blessed Innocent XI (1676-1689)
241. Alexander VIII (1689-1691)
242. Innocent XII (1691-1700)
243. Clement XI (1700-1721)
244. Innocent XIII (1721-1724)
245. Benedict XIII (1724-1730)
246. Clement XII (1730-1740)
247. Benedict XIV (1740-1758)
248. Clement XIII (1758-1769)
249. Clement XIV (1769-1774)
250. Pius VI (1775-1799)
251. Pius VII (1800-1823)
252. Leo XII (1823-1829)
253. Pius VIII (1829-1830)
254. Gregory XVI (1834-1846)
255. Pius IX (1846-1878)
256. Leo XIII (1878-1903)
257. Saint Pius X (1903-1914)
258. Benedict XV (1914-1922)
259. Pius XI (1922)
260. Pius XII (1939-1958)
261. John XXIII (1958-1963)
262. Paul VI (1963-1978)
263. John Paul I (1978)
264. John Paul II (1978-2005)
265. Benedict XVI (2005-2013)
266. Francis (2013-Present)

How many Popes have there been by nationality?

According to ABC records, since the very first Pope, Saint Peter, the Church has had 266 legitimately elected Popes. More than 200 of them were Italian (including 106 who were native to Rome). The rest are distributed as follows:

• 19 French
• 14 Greek
• 8 Syrian
• 6 German
• 3 African
• 2 Spanish
• 1 Austrian
• 1 Palestinian
• 1 Argentine
• 1 English
• 1 Dutch
• 1 Polish

The most repeated names of the Popes of Rome

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