11th pope Anicetus = Emperor Marcus Aurelius? (and/or emperor Antoninus Pius?)
Dates match: Anicetus: ruled 153/154/155/157-161/164/165/166/168? (compiled from six different official popes lists). (His dates in Jerome are 157/158-168/169?) Marcus Aurelius: reigned (161-)169-177-180. Took some role from 156. Was "lieutenant under Pius", "gradually assumed imperial duties" in A. Pius' infirm years. Co-emperor with Lucius Verus 161-169. Co-emperor with Commodus 177-180. Antoninus Pius: reigned 138-142-156-161. Marcus Aurelius took some role from 156. The date of both pope Anicetus & emperor Marcus Aurelius coincide (156-)161-165/166/168/169? The reason the end dates don't match is because the makers of the popes list seem to have spilt emperor Marcus Aurelius into two popes (Anicetus & Soter)? (Most of popes only match one emperor, but a few emperors match two popes. Of course they altered some details to disguise the match with the emperors list.)
(Anicetus: died aged "74" (ref Wiki). Antoninus Pius: died aged 74.)
Name match? Pope Anicetus: His name is Anicetus/Anicitus. Emperor Marcus Aurelius: He was originally named Marcus (Annius) Catilius Severus. (The Annii. Annius Verus.) ["Soon, however, Marcus would find he had many anxieties."] The names/words Anicetus/Anicitus and Annius/Annii or anxieties are similar.
(Most popes lists have the order Pius then Anicetus, but some other popes lists have Anicetus then Pius. "like the similar error 'Anicetus, Pius' for 'Pius Anicetus'". Anicetus Pius is similar to Antoninus Pius.)
Meaning of name match? Anicetus: Anicetus means "unconquered". Marcus Aurelius: was a "warrior"; "commanded countless legions". Or, Antoninus Pius: A non-military reign. "Antoninus formally taking for the second (and last) time the title of Imperator - in 142." (Imperator meant "commander" prior to the later meaning of "emperor".)
Anicetus: Marcion(ism). Marcellinus. Marcus Aurelius: First name Marcus. Marcomanni(a). 7/8 March 161. March 169. 17 March 180.
Anicetus: "Hellenized Syrian" Marcus Aurelius: Was a Stoic. MA's 'Meditations' was written in Greek. Was "ideal emperor in late Greek thought".
Anicetus: During co-emperor Lucius Verus. Marcus Aurelius: Marcus Aurelius & Lucius Verus were co-emperors.
Anicetus: Polycarp of Smyrna. Marcus Aurelius: Sirmium.
Anicetus: Is a "saint", depicted with a halo/aura. Marcus Aurelius: was deified. Or, Antoninus Pius: was deified.
Anicetus: Was bishop of Rome / "pope" / "pontiff(ex maximus)". Marcus Aurelius: Was pontiffex maximus (the emperors from Augustus to Gratian/Theodosius were pontiffex maximus). "...he [Marcus] alone was Pontifex Maximus."
Anicetus: Was a "martyr". Marcus Aurelius: martyr Cecilia. Violent persecution Lyon 177? "The number and severity of persecutions of Christians in various locations of the empire seemingly increased during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. The extent to which Marcus Aurelius himself directed, encouraged, or was aware of these persecutions is unclear and much debated by historians. According to Gibbon with the onset of the Germanic war, his treatment of the Christians degraded with increased persecutions uncharacteristic of the previous years of his reign, and those of his predecessors." (Marcus Aurelius persecution 162 ad, the 4th persecution of 10 persecutions Nero to Diocletian. "sharp and fierce towards Christians".) Or, Antoninus Pius: "his body would have been incinerated on a pyre at the Campus Martius". [The makers of the popes list invertingly identified the martyred with the emperor they were martyred under, like they did with Peter & Nero (see chapter on the 1st pope).]
With both Anicetus & Marcus Aurelius the popes & emperors before & after also match all in order. 1 Peter (Nero) = Nero Caesar (Peter) 2 Linus (flaxen hair) = Vespasian (yellow hair) 3 Cletus = Titus 4 Clement 1 = Domitian (cousin Clemens) 5 Evaristus = Nerva 6 Alexander 1 = Trajan (Alexander) 7 Sixtus 1 = Trajan? or Hadrian? 8 Telesphorus = Hadrian? 9 Hyginus (Graecvs) = Hadrianus (Graeculus) 10 Pius 1 = Antoninus Pius 11 Anicetus = Marcus Aurelius (Annius) or Antoninus Pius? 12 Soter = Marcus Aurelius? 13 Eleutherius = L(ucius) (Aurelius) Verus? 14 Victor (Berber) = unconquerable Severus (Libyan)? (15a antipope Natalius = ?) 15 Zephyrinus/Zepheniah = Septimus Severus 16 Callixtus = Caracalla 16-19 antipope Hippolytus = Heliogabalus etc. 33 Silvester = Constantine (Silvan?) etc. See each separate pope & emperor chapter for matches details.
There is no contemporary proof of existence of a pope Anicetus outside of Roman Christian Church sources. Though Anicetus is mentioned by Irenaeus (ca 180/195), and Jerome (393/396). But this may just mean that they first came up with the pope/emperor correspondences as early as Irenaeus. The early Church sources are not necessarily reliable as to their truthfulness.