by Tom Gallagher
Yes, someone actually bought the domain name popefrancis.com in 2010. The Chicago Tribune has the story:
A Chicago lawyer says he bought the domain name popefrancis.com as a lark in 2010 and plans to give it to the Roman Catholic Church for free now that the new pope has chosen the name Francis.
Chris Connors, 39, said he had hoped a pope in his lifetime would choose the name Francis, after Italian St. Francis of Assisi, who lived a simple life in service to the poor. But just as several cardinals, including Chicago's Francis George, expressed surprise that the name Francis was chosen, so did Connors.
"I thought that at some point in the near future that the names would get more relevant," said Connors, a lifelong Catholic. "Nobody names their kids Innocent anymore. And I thought it'd be great if a pope chose Francis after the great saint."