Wikipedia:Categorization/Eponymous RFC

Draft RFC on an aspect of categorization. (See WT:CAT#Eponymous cats.)

Background

Many articles share their name with a corresponding category: for example, the article France has Category:France. This category is called an eponymous category ("eponcat" for short).

The question

When articles have eponcats, how should those articles and eponcats be categorized? For example, should France, or Category:France, or both, be placed in Category:European countries?

Possible answers

1. The articles should be categorized as they normally would, and the eponcats should be categorized alongside them. (So both France and Category:France would be listed at Category:European countries, the latter as a subcategory.)

2. The articles should be categorized as they normally would, and the eponcats should be categorized elsewhere. (So France would be listed at Category:European countries, but Category:France would not be, although it might appear in something like Category:European country categories or Category:Categories named after European countries.)

3. The eponcats should be placed in the categories in which the articles would normally be placed, and the articles should be excluded from those categories. (So Category:France would appear as a subcategory of Category:European countries, but France itself would not appear directly in the latter category.)