Pope Leo XIV's Real Name: Robert Francis Prevost

Quick answer: Pope Leo XIV's real name is Robert Francis Prevost. He was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois.

Real name and early life

The Vatican's official listing gives Pope Leo XIV's secular name as Robert Francis Prevost. Vatican News reports that he was born in Chicago to Louis Marius Prevost, of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martínez, of Spanish descent. He has two brothers, Louis Martín and John Joseph.

He studied at the Augustinian minor seminary and at Villanova University, where he earned a mathematics degree in 1977. He entered the Order of Saint Augustine that year, made his solemn vows in 1981, and was ordained a priest in Rome on June 19, 1982. He then earned a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum).

Quick facts

• Real name: Robert Francis Prevost
• Known as: Pope Leo XIV
• Born: September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois
• Known for: Pope of the Catholic Church
• Sources checked: Vatican, Vatican News, AP News

Career highlights

Prevost spent years as a missionary in Peru, in Chulucanas and then Trujillo, as a formation director, judicial vicar, seminary teacher, and parish pastor. He was elected Prior General of the Augustinians and re-elected in 2007. In 2014 Pope Francis sent him back to Peru as apostolic administrator of Chiclayo, and he later became its bishop.

In January 2023 Francis named him Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. On May 8, 2025, the conclave elected him the 267th pope, and he took the name Leo XIV. He is the first pope from the United States and the first Augustinian pope.

Name notes

Popes take a new name when elected. Leo XIV is a papal name, and the man is Robert Francis Prevost, often called Cardinal Prevost in coverage before his election. Fan sites often copy names from one another, so we checked this page against Vatican and Vatican News. Where sources disagree, we say so rather than guess. We also leave out middle names, nicknames, and origin stories that we couldn't confirm in a reliable source. A popular claim isn't enough to earn a place on this page if no encyclopedia, official record, or major news outlet backs it up.