A title of honor or honorary title is a title bestowed upon individuals or organizations as an
award
An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration.
An awar ...
in recognition of their merits.
Sometimes the title bears the same or nearly the same name as a
title of authority
Title of authority, title of office or title of command is the official designation of a position held in an organization (e.g. in government or corporation) associated with certain duties of authority.
Semi-formally, the title of office may be r ...
, but the person bestowed does not have to carry out any duties, except for ceremonial ones. In some cases, these titles are bestowed posthumously.
Some examples of honorary titles from various areas are:
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Academician
An academician is a full member of an artistic, literary, engineering, or scientific academy. In many countries, it is an honorific title used to denote a full member of an academy that has a strong influence on national scientific life. In syst ...
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Honorary title (academic)
Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...
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Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of an academic, artistic, or professional society
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Freeman of the City of London
The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom or ...
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Hero of the Russian Federation
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Honorary Colonel
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Honorary degree
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
or position, such as honorary Professor
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Knight
A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
,
Dame
''Dame'' is an honorific title and the feminine form of address for the honour of damehood in many Christian chivalric orders, as well as the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system and those of several oth ...
, or
Companion of an honorific order
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New Knowledge Worker of Korea The New Knowledge Worker of Korea or New Knowledge Person (abbreviated to NKWK as the post-nominal) ( ko, 대한민국 신지식인) is a distinction and honorary title in the Republic of Korea awarded personally for exceptional achievements with ne ...
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People's Artist
People's Artist is an honorary title in the Soviet Union, Union republics, in some other Eastern bloc states (and communist states in general), as well as in a number of post-Soviet states, modeled after the title of the People's Artist of the U ...
* Honorary counselors (''neuvos'') in Finland, such as
valtioneuvos
Valtioneuvos (Finnish for “counsellor of state”, sv, statsråd) is a Finnish title of honor awarded by the President of Finland to elder statesmen. It is one of two titles (the other being vuorineuvos) in the highest class of State of Finland ...
(Counselor of State) and
vuorineuvos
Vuorineuvos ("mining counselor", literally Finnish for "mountain counselor"; sv, bergsråd) is a Finnish honorary title granted by the President of Finland to leading figures in industry and commerce. The title is honorary and has no responsibili ...
(Counselor of Mining)
Some historical honorary titles may be bought, like certain titles of
nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...
. This has long been a matter of fraud, both outright and indirect. Honorary titles also serve as positions of
sinecure
A sinecure ( or ; from the Latin , 'without', and , 'care') is an office, carrying a salary or otherwise generating income, that requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. The term originated in the medieval chu ...
and honorary
retirement
Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload.
Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
.
See also
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Honorary citizenship
Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...
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Agnomen
An ''agnomen'' (; plural: ''agnomina''), in the Roman naming convention, was a nickname, just as the ''cognomen'' was initially. However, the ''cognomina'' eventually became family names, so ''agnomina'' were needed to distinguish between simila ...
, part of the Roman naming convention
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Courtesy title, a form of address in systems of nobility used by children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer
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False titles of nobility
False titles of nobility or royal title scams are claimed titles of social rank that have been fabricated or assumed by an individual or family without recognition by the authorities of a country in which titles of nobility exist or once existed. ...
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Hereditary titles
Hereditary titles, in a general sense, are nobility titles, positions or styles that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families.
Though both monarchs and nobles usually inherit their titles, the mechanisms often di ...
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Honorary title (academic)
Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in m ...
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Honorary titles in Russia
Honorary titles of the Russian Federation (russian: Почётные звания Российской Федерации) are titles given to citizens of the Russian Federation for professional and/or social achievements, but can be revoke ...
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Honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...
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Laqab
Arabic language names have historically been based on a long naming system. Many people from the Arabic-speaking and also Muslim countries have not had given/ middle/family names but rather a chain of names. This system remains in use throughout ...
, part of a traditional Arabic name
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List of titles This is a list of personal titles arranged in a sortable table. They can be sorted:
* Alphabetically
* By language, nation, or tradition of origin
* By function. See Separation of duties for a description of the Executive, Judicial, and Legislative ...
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Royal and noble styles
Styles represent the fashion by which monarchs and noblemen are properly addressed. Throughout history, many different styles were used, with little standardization. This page will detail the various styles used by royalty and nobility in Europe ...
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Style (manner of address)
A style of office or form of address, also called manner of address, is an official or legally recognized form of address for a person or other entity (such as a government or company), and may often be used in conjunction with a personal title. ...
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Victory title
A victory title is an honorific title adopted by a successful military commander to commemorate his defeat of an enemy nation. The practice is first known in Ancient Rome and is still most commonly associated with the Romans, but it was also adop ...
, honorific title adopted by a successful military commander to commemorate a victory
External links
Fake titles
Honorary titles
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