The use of the term 'Great Britain' in the name of the Province was only introduced after the twenty-first General Chapter (1978) in response to the sensitivity of Fr Martin McPake, a Scot, who was a delegate at the Chapter and later elected as 'Regional' for the English speaking region. The term 'Great Britain' instead of Inghilterra (England) appeared in the new style 'Elenco Generale' in 1980. Inghilterra had previously been the title used for the whole Province including Ireland and Scotland, Malta and South Africa and even the Falkland Islands and St Helena.

Undoubtedly Great Britain is the more correct title for the Province which now includes only England and Scotland and not Northern Ireland, yet it still sounds a little old fashioned when current usages in most other contexts prefers to speak of the United Kingdom, which however does include Northern Ireland.