Temple names are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Korean (Goryeo and Joseon periods), and Vietnamese (such dynasties as Trần, Lý, and Lê) royalty. They should not be confused with era names. Compared to posthumous names, the use of temple names is more exclusive. Both titles were given after death to an emperor or king, but unlike the often elaborate posthumous name, a temple name almost always consists of only two characters:

1. an adjective: chosen to reflect the circumstances of the emperor's reign (such as "Martial" or "Lamentable"). The vocabulary overlaps with that of posthumous titles' adjectives, but for one emperor, the temple name's adjective character usually does not repeat as one of the many adjective characters in his posthumous name. The usual exception is "Filial" (孝). The founders are almost always either "High" (高) or "Grand" (太).
2. "emperor": either zǔ (祖) or zōng (宗).
   • Zu ("forefather") implies a progenitor, either a founder of a dynasty or a new line within an existing one. The equivalent in Korean is jo (조), and tổ in Vietnamese
   • Zong ("ancestor") is used in all other rulers. It is jong (종) in Korean, and tông in Vietnamese.

People with the name Temple include:

• Derek Temple, English football player
• Dina Temple-Raston, Belgian-American journalist
• Floyd Temple (1926–2012), American baseball player and coach
• Frederick Temple (1821–1902), Archbishop of Canterbury
• Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (1784–1865), British Prime Minister
• Henry Wilson Temple (1864–1955), American Congressional Representative from Pennsylvania
• James Temple English civil war soldier and regicide
• Julien Temple (born 1953), English film director
• Juno Temple (born 1989), English actress, daughter of Julien
• Keith Temple, British screenwriter
• Lew Temple, American film actor
• Luke Temple, American singer-songwriter
• Nancy Temple, former in-house attorney at Arthur Andersen LLP
• Nina Temple, British political figure
• Owen Temple, American musician
• Peter Temple (born 1946), Australian writer
• Peter Temple (regicide), English official
• Peter Temple-Morris, Baron Temple-Morris, Welsh politician
• Philip Temple, New Zealand writer
• Richard Carnac Temple (1850–1931), British Chief Commissioner of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, anthropological writer
• Robert K. G. Temple, American author
• Shirley Temple (1928–2014), child actor and ambassador
• Tony Temple, American football player
• Tracey Temple, former secretary to British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott
• William Temple (governor) (1814–1863), Governor of Delaware