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A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the first and last name (for example, in
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
or clerical titles such as
Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
in
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
usage – Richard Cardinal Cushing). Some titles are
hereditary Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic inform ...
.


Types

Titles include: * Honorific titles or
styles of address Address terms are linguistic expressions used by a speaker to start conversation or call someone. George Yule defines address form as a word or phrase that is used for a person to whom speaker wants to talk. Address forms or address terms are so ...
, a phrase used to convey respect to the recipient of a communication, or to recognize an attribute such as: ** Imperial, royal and noble rank **
Academic degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to a student upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions often offer degrees at various levels, usually divided into und ...
**
Social title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...
, prevalent among certain sections of society due to historic or other reasons. ** Other accomplishment, as with a
title of honor A title of honor or honorary title is a title bestowed upon individuals or organizations as an award in recognition of their merits. Sometimes the title bears the same or nearly the same name as a title of authority, but the person bestowed do ...
* Title of authority, an identifier that specifies the office or position held by an
official An official is someone who holds an office (function or Mandate (politics), mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual Office, working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (eithe ...


Titles in English-speaking areas


Common titles

* Mr. – All males *
Ms. Ms. (American English) or Ms (British English; normally , but also , or when unstressed)''Oxford English Dictionary'' online, Ms, ''n.2''. Etymology: "An orthographic and phonetic blend of Mrs ''n.1'' and miss ''n.2'' Compare mizz ''n.'' The pr ...
– Adult women * Mrs. – Married women (includes widows and divorcées) *
Miss Miss (pronounced ) is an English-language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as " Doctor" or "Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century ...
– Unmarried women and girls (form of address) *
Madam Madam (), or madame ( or ), is a polite and formal form of address for Woman, women in the English language, often contracted to ma'am (pronounced in American English and this way but also in British English). The term derives from the French la ...
(also Madame and Ma'am) – Formal form of address for an adult woman. Also used with an official position, similar to "Mister" for men, e.g. "Madam/Mister Ambassador" * Mx. – Gender neutral or unspecified (may not be recognised in some places)


Controversy around usage of common titles

Some people object to the usage of titles to denote marital status, age or gender. In 2018, a campaign named GoTitleFree was launched to encourage businesses to stop requesting, storing and using marital status titles in their registration forms, and when speaking with customers, launched on the grounds that titles often lead to assumptions about a woman's age or availability for marriage, and exclude non-binary people (though various titles, such as Mx., are increasingly used in some countries). This is in line with established practice advocated by the World Wide Web Consortium and the Government Digital Service, which sets the standard for UK government online services. This in turn means that titles are optional on UK passports and driving licences.


Familial

Family titles in English-speaking countries include: *
Uncle An uncle is usually defined as a male relative who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent, as well as the parent of the cousins. Uncles who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. The female counterpart of an un ...
– one's parent's brother (may also include great uncles) *
Aunt An aunt is a woman who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent. Aunts who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. Alternate terms include auntie or aunty. Aunt, auntie, and aunty also may be titles bestowed b ...
or Aunty – one's parent's sister (may also include great aunts) * Granny, Gran, Grandma or Nana – one's
grandmother Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, or Grandma and Grandpa, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maxi ...
(may also include great-grandmothers) * Pop, Grandpa, Gramps or Grandad – one's
grandfather Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, or Grandma and Grandpa, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a m ...
(may also include great-grandfathers)


Legislative and executive titles

* Hon. (
Honourable ''The Honourable'' (Commonwealth English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style ...
), for younger sons and daughters of
baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...
s, and Rt. Hon. (
Right Honourable ''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: The Rt Hon. or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire, and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...
), for Privy Councillors, used in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
Some job titles of members of the legislature and executive are used as titles. *MP, for members of the Parliament (usually the
lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...
) *MYP, for members of the
UK Youth Parliament The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, consisting of democratically elected members aged between 11 and 18. Formed in 2000, the parliament has 395 members, who are elected to represent the views of you ...
*MSYP, for members of the Scottish Youth Parliament * Representative *
Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
, for members of the American or Australian
upper house An upper house is one of two Legislative chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted p ...
* Speaker, for speaker of Parliament *
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
(from which comes such titles as
Deputy President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
,
Executive Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
,
Lord President of the Council The Lord President of the Council is the presiding officer of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom and the fourth of the Great Officers of State, ranking below the Lord High Treasurer but above the Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal. The Lor ...
, and
Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
) *
Councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...
, for member of a council * Youth Councillor (YC) *
Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
/ Selectman * Delegate *
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
and related terms such as
Lady Mayoress Lady mayoress is an official female companion to the lord mayor of a major city in the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland, or a capital city of an Australian state. Traditionally this was the wife of a male mayor. It is not an elected offic ...
and
Lord Mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...
*
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
and
Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
*
Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...
*
Prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...
*
Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...
* Burgess *
Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...
*
Envoy Envoy or Envoys may refer to: Diplomacy * Diplomacy, in general * Envoy (title) * Special envoy, a type of Diplomatic rank#Special envoy, diplomatic rank Brands *Airspeed Envoy, a 1930s British light transport aircraft *Envoy (automobile), an au ...
*
Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...
,
Cardinal Secretary of State The Secretary of State of His Holiness (; ), also known as the Cardinal Secretary of State or the Vatican Secretary of State, presides over the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, the oldest and most important dicastery of the Roman Curia. Th ...
, Foreign Secretary,
General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...
, Secretary of State, and other titles in the form "Secretary of..." in which Secretary means the same thing as Minister *
Attaché In diplomacy, an attaché () is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a loanword from French, in English the word is not modified ac ...
*
Chargé d'affaires A (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador. The term is Frenc ...
* Provost * Minister (from which comes such titles as Prime Minister and Health Minister)


Aristocratic titles

*
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
/
Princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...
– From the
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, meaning 'first person' or 'first citizen'. The title was originally used by
Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...
at the establishment of the
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
to avoid the political risk of assuming the title ('King') in what was technically still a republic. In modern times, the title is often given to the sons and daughters of ruling monarchs. Also a title of certain ruling monarchs under the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
and its subsidiary territories until 1918 which is still used in
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
(
Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
still uses the title Prince to this day, even though it was not a part of the Holy Roman Empire), and in
Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...
before 1917. The German title is ('first'), a translation of the Latin term; the equivalent Russian term is (). *
Archduke Archduke (feminine: Archduchess; German: ''Erzherzog'', feminine form: ''Erzherzogin'') was the title borne from 1358 by the Habsburg rulers of the Archduchy of Austria, and later by all senior members of that dynasty. It denotes a rank within ...
/ Archduchess – A title derived from the
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
('ruler; higher') and the Latin ('leader'). It was used most notably by the
Habsburg Dynasty The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
, who ruled
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
and
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
until 1918. *
Grand Duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. The title is used in some current and former independent monarchies in Europe, particularly: * in ...
/ Grand Duchess – 'Big; large' + Latin ('leader'). A variant of ''Archduke'', used particularly in English translations Romanov Dynasty Russian titles. Also used in various Germanic territories until
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. Still survives in
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
. *
Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
/
Duchess Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they a ...
– From the Latin , a military title used in the
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
, especially in its early
Byzantine period The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...
when it designated the military commander for a specific zone. *
Marquis A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wido ...
,
Marquess A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wid ...
/
Marquise A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wid ...
, or Marchioness – From the French , literally 'ruler of a border area' (from the Old French meaning 'border'; exact English translation is 'March Lord', or 'Lord of the March'. *
Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
/
Countess Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
- From the Latin meaning 'companion'. The word was used by the Roman Empire in its Byzantine period as an honorific with a meaning roughly equivalent to modern English ''peer''. It became the title of those who commanded field armies in the Empire, as opposed to , which commanded locally based forces. *
Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...
(used in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
instead of
Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
, but the feminine equivalent is
Countess Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
) – From the Germanic , meaning 'chieftain', the title was brought to the British Isles by the Anglo-Saxons and survives in use only there, having been superseded in Scandinavia and on the European continent. *
Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...
/ Viscountess - From the Latin ('Deputy; substitute'. Hence ''vicar'' and prefix ''vice-'') appended to Latin . Literally translates as 'Deputy Count'. *
Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...
/
Baroness Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight ...
- From the
Late Latin Late Latin is the scholarly name for the form of Literary Latin of late antiquity.Roberts (1996), p. 537. English dictionary definitions of Late Latin date this period from the 3rd to 6th centuries CE, and continuing into the 7th century in ...
, meaning 'man, servant, soldier'. The title originally designated the chief feudal tenant of a place, who was in vassalage to a greater lord. In the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, Lord and Lady are used as titles for members of the nobility. Unlike titles such as Mr and Mrs, they are not used before first names except in certain circumstances, for example as courtesy titles for younger sons, etc., of peers. In
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
,
Lord of Parliament A Lord of Parliament () was the holder of the lowest form of peerage, entitled as of right to take part in sessions of the pre- Union Parliament of Scotland. Since that Union in 1707, it has been the lowest rank of the Peerage of Scotland, ran ...
and Lady of Parliament are the equivalents of Baron and Baroness in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. *
Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...
– From the Old English , , meaning, literally, 'bread-keeper', from ('bread') + ('guardian, keeper') and by extension 'husband, father, or chief'. (From which comes modified titles such as
First Sea Lord First Sea Lord, officially known as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS), is the title of a statutory position in the British Armed Forces, held by an Admiral (Royal Navy), admiral or a General (United Kingdom), general of the ...
and
Lord of the Manor Lord of the manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, referred to the landholder of a historical rural estate. The titles date to the English Feudalism, feudal (specifically English feudal barony, baronial) system. The ...
.) The feminine equivalent is
Lady ''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. "Lady" is al ...
from the related Old English meaning, literally, "bread-kneader", from ("bread") + ("maid"), and by extension wife, daughter, or mistress of the house. (From which comes First Lady, the anachronistic Second Lady, etc.) *
Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
/
Empress The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
– From the Latin , meaning 'he/she who holds the authority to command ()'. *
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
/
Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...
– Derived from
Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
/Germanic words. The original meaning of the root of ''king'' apparently meant 'leader of the family' or 'descendant of the leader of the family', and the original meaning of ''queen'' meant 'wife'. By the time the words came into English they already meant 'ruler'. *
Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
/
Tsarina Tsarina or tsaritsa (also spelled ''csarina'' or ''csaricsa'', ''tzarina'' or ''tzaritza'', or ''czarina'' or ''czaricza''; ; ; ) is the title of a female Autocracy, autocratic ruler (monarch) of Bulgaria, Serbia, and Russia, or the title of a t ...
(Tsaritsa) – Slavonic loan-word from Latin. *
Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war. He ...
– The name of
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...
taken by his heir
Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...
and thereafter by Augustus' successors as Roman Emperor through the
fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city was captured on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 55-da ...
in 1453. Loaned into German as . *
Leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...
– From Old English , meaning "to guide". The head of state of
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...
is titled Great Leader. The '' de facto'' head of state of
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
is titled
Supreme Leader A supreme leader or supreme ruler typically refers to powerful figures with an unchallenged authority, such as autocrats, dictators to spiritual and revolutionary leaders. Historic examples are Adolf Hitler () of Nazi Germany, Francisco ...
. * Chief – A variation of the English "Prince", used as the short form of the word "Chieftain" (except for in
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, where "Chieftain" is a title held by a titleholder subordinate to a chief). Generally used to refer to a recognised leader within a
chieftaincy A tribal chief, chieftain, or headman is a leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies There is no definition for "tribe". The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Af ...
system. From this come the variations
paramount chief A paramount chief is the English-language designation for a king or queen or the highest-level political leader in a regional or local polity or country administered politically with a Chiefdom, chief-based system. This term is used occasionally ...
,
clan chief The Scottish Gaelic word means children. In early times, and possibly even today, Scottish clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the clan, after whom the clan is named. The clan chief (''ceannard ci ...
and village chief. The feminine equivalent is Chieftess.


Titles used by knights, dames, baronets and baronetesses

*
Sir ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part ...
– Used by
knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a 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. The concept of a knighthood ...
s and
baronets A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 1 ...
*
Dame ''Dame'' is a traditionally British honorific title given to women who have been admitted to certain orders of chivalry. It is the female equivalent of ''Sir'', the title used by knights. Baronet, Baronetesses Suo jure, in their own right also u ...
– Used by dames and baronetesses Both the titles "Sir" and "Dame" differ from titles such as "Mr" and "Mrs" in that they can only be used before a person's first name, and not immediately before their surname. Neither "Sir" or "Dame" confer nobility upon the titleholder. * (French) * (Italian)


Judicial titles

*
Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...
* Advocate General (AG) * Attorney *
Bailiff A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...
*
Barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
*
Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
(C) (of the High Court) *
Judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...
and Admiralty Judge *
Justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...
(J) ** Chief Justice or
Lord Chief Justice The Lord or Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales is the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the president of the courts of England and Wales. Until 2005 the lord chief justice was the second-most senior judge of the English a ...
(CJ) (of the
judiciary The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
) **
Lord Justice Clerk The Lord Justice Clerk is the second most senior judge in Scotland, after the Lord President of the Court of Session. The current Lord Justice Clerk is Lord Beckett, who was appointed to the position on 4 February 2025, succeeding Lady Dorr ...
**
Lord Justice of Appeal A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Just ...
(LJ) (of the
Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...
) ** Justice of the Peace *
Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...
and
Promagistrate In ancient Rome, a promagistrate () was a person who was granted the power via ''prorogation'' to act in place of an ordinary magistrate in the field. This was normally ''pro consule'' or ''pro praetore'', that is, in place of a consul or praeto ...
*
Master of the Rolls The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Court of Appeal (England and Wales)#Civil Division, Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales ...
(MR) (of the
Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...
) * Member and Chairman, for members of quasi-judicial boards *
Mufti A mufti (; , ) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...
and
Grand Mufti A Grand Mufti (also called Chief Mufti, State Mufti and Supreme Mufti) is a title for the leading Faqīh, Islamic jurist of a country, typically Sunni, who may oversee other muftis. Not all countries with large Sunni Muslim populations have Gra ...
*
Notary A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems. A notary, while a legal professional, is distin ...
*
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
(P) (of the Queen's/King's Bench Division) or
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
(P) (of the Family Division) **
Lord President of the Court of Session The Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General () is the most senior judge in Scotland, the head of the judiciary, and the presiding judge of the College of Justice, the Court of Session, and the High Court of Justiciary. ...
*
Privy Counsellor The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are current or former ...
(or Privy Councillor) (PC) (of
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are curre ...
) *
Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...
(QC) (King's Counsel (KC) when
monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...
is male) *
Solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...


Historical

*
Lictor A lictor (possibly from Latin language, Latin ''ligare'', meaning 'to bind') was a Ancient Rome, Roman civil servant who was an attendant and bodyguard to a Roman magistrate, magistrate who held ''imperium''. Roman records describe lictors as hav ...
* Reeve *
Seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
*
Tribune Tribune () was the title of various elected officials in ancient Rome. The two most important were the Tribune of the Plebs, tribunes of the plebs and the military tribunes. For most of Roman history, a college of ten tribunes of the plebs ac ...


Ecclesiastical titles (Christian)

Titles are used to show somebody's
ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
as a priest or their membership in a
religious order A religious order is a subgroup within a larger confessional community with a distinctive high-religiosity lifestyle and clear membership. Religious orders often trace their lineage from revered teachers, venerate their Organizational founder, ...
. Use of titles differs between denominations.


Religious

*
Abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa'') is the female superior of a community of nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic, Lutheran and Anglican abbeys, the mod ...
*
Abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...
*
Brother A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used ende ...
– also for
monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
s *
Friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...
*
Mother A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...
, Mother Superior, and Reverend Mother *
Reverend The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...
* Sister – for
religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated: Sr.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to prayer and ...
s and
nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...
s


Priests

Christian priests often have their names prefixed with a title similar to
The Reverend The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...
. *
Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
(from which come
Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
, Boy Bishop, Lord Archbishop,
Metropolitan Bishop In Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), is held by the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a Metropolis (reli ...
, and Prince Bishop) *
Presbyter Presbyter () is an honorific title for Christian clergy. The word derives from the Greek ''presbyteros'', which means elder or senior, although many in Christian antiquity understood ''presbyteros'' to refer to the bishop functioning as overseer ...
*
Priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
(from which comes
High Priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious organisation. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many god ...
. The feminine equivalent is
Priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
ess.) *
Father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...
(Fr.) *
Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...
*
Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
*
Catholicos A catholicos (plural: catholicoi) is the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and, in some cases, it is the title of the head of an autonomous church. The word comes from ancient Greek ( ...
* Vicar * Chaplain * Canon (priest), Canon * Pastor *
Prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...
* Primate (bishop), Primate * Dom (title), Dom – from , 'Lord'. Used for Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine monks in solemn religious vows, but reserved for abbots among the Trappists. In Brazil, it is used for bishops. *
Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
* Ter (title) – Used by Armenian priests.


Used for deceased persons only

* Servant of God * Venerable * Beatification, Blessed * Saint (abbreviated S. or St.)


Other

* Christ – Greek translation of the Hebrew (or 'Messiah'), commonly used to refer to Jesus of Nazareth * Deacon and Archdeacon * Acolyte * Dean (religion), Dean * Elder (Christianity), Elder * Minister (Christianity), Minister * Monsignor * President of the Church (LDS Church), President (in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) * Reader (liturgy), Reader * Almoner and Lord High Almoner (Christian) * Apostle * Prophet * Teacher * wiktionary:Seventy, Seventy * Evangelism, Evangelist * High Priest * Great (Lord) Father of all churches


Academic titles

* Dr. – Short for Doctor (title), doctor, a title used by those with doctoral degrees, such as Doctor of Philosophy, PhD, DPhil, Doctor of Medicine, MD, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, DO, Dentist, DDS, Doctor of Education, EdD, Doctor of Clinical Nutrition, DCN, Doctor of Business Administration, DBA, Doctor of Nursing Practice, DNP, Doctor of Pharmacy, PharmD, Veterinary education, DVM, and Legum Doctor, LLD. Those with Juris Doctor, JD degrees, although technically allowed, do not use this as a title by convention. * Prof. – Professor * Doc. – Docent * EUR ING – Short for European Engineer, an international professional qualification and title for highly qualified engineers used in over 32 European countries.


Military titles

Military ranks are used before names. * Admiral (from which come Grand Admiral, Fleet Admiral, Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom, Lord High Admiral, Rear Admiral, and Vice Admiral) * Brigadier * Captain (land), Captain (from which comes Group Captain) * Colonel (from which comes Lieutenant colonel, Lieutenant Colonel) * Commander (from which come Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant Commander, and Wing Commander (rank), Wing Commander) * Commodore (rank), Commodore (from which comes Air Commodore) * Corporal (from which come Lance Corporal and Staff Corporal) * General is usually used as a sort of shorthand for "general military commander". The term's far-reaching connotation has provoked its use in a very broad range of titles, including Adjutant General, Attorney General, Captain General, Colonel General, Director General, Generalissimo, General of the Army, Governor General, Lieutenant General, Lord Justice General, Major General, Resident (title), Resident General, Secretary General, United States Solicitor General, Solicitor General, Surgeon General of the United States, Surgeon General and Vicar General * Lieutenant (from which come First Lieutenant, Flight Lieutenant and Lord Lieutenant) * Major (rank), Major * Marshal (from which comes Air Chief Marshal, Air Marshal, Air Vice Marshal and Field Marshal) * Chief Mate, Mate, more often titled as Chief Mate or First Mate * Officer (armed forces), Officer, a generic sort of title whose use has spread in recent years into a wide array of mostly corporate and military titles. These include Air Officer, Chief Academic Officer, Chief analytics officer, Chief Business Development Officer, Chief Credit Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Information Security Officer, chief knowledge officer, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Petty Officer, Chief Risk Officer, Chief Security Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Technical Officer, Chief Warrant Officer, Corporate officer, Customs officer, Field officer, Executive officer, First Officer, Flag Officer, Flying Officer, General Officer, Intelligence Officer, Junior Warrant Officer, Master Chief Petty Officer, Master Warrant Officer, Officer of State, Petty Officer, Pilot Officer, Police Officer, Political officer (military), Political Officer, Revenue Officer, Military rank#Field or senior officers, Senior Officer, Ship's Officer, Staff Officer, and Warrant Officer. * Private (rank), Private, and many equivalent ranks depending on regiment. * Sergeant (from which come wikt:sergeant at mace, Sergeant at Mace and Sergeant at Arms).


Maritime titles

The names of shipboard officers, certain shipping line employees and Maritime Academy faculty/staff are preceded by their title when acting in performance of their duties. * Captain (nautical), Captain – a ship's highest responsible officer acting on behalf of the ship's owner (Master) or a person who is responsible for the maintenance of the vessels of a shipping line, for their docking, the handling of cargo and for the hiring of personnel for deck departments (Port Captain). * Chief – a licensed mariner in charge of the engineering (Chief Engineer) or deck (Chief Mate or Officer) department * Mate – licensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship (see Second Mate & Third Mate) * Cadet – unlicensed trainee mate/officer or engineer under training


Law enforcement

The names of police officers may be preceded by a title such as "Officer" or by their rank. * Constable (from which come Lord High Constable (disambiguation), Lord High Constable and Senior Constable) * Agent * Sergeant * Police Officer, Officer * Police chief, Chief


Protected professional titles

In several jurisdictions, the use of some professional titles is restricted to people holding a valid and recognised license to practice. Unqualified individuals who use these reserved titles may be fined or jailed. Protected titles may be limited to those professions that require a bachelor's degree or higher and a state, provincial, or national license. Usage varies between countries. For example, in the United Kingdom "nutritionist" and "psychologist", titles protected in many countries, are not protected, and anybody can so describe themselves, while "dietitian" and "chartered psychologist" (and many specialist psychologist terms) are protected. An international survey on the different protection of terms for psychologists found wide differences in regulations across different jurisdictions. * Professional Engineer, Registered Engineer, Engineer (in Quebec) * Registered Nurse, Professional Nurse, Registered Nurse, Nurse


Other organizations

Some titles are used to show a person's role or position in a society or organization. * Principal (school), Principal * Nanny * Coach (sport), Coach * Wizard, such as the Grand Wizard and Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan * Brother or Sister, often used, in particular, to signify membership of some
religious order A religious order is a subgroup within a larger confessional community with a distinctive high-religiosity lifestyle and clear membership. Religious orders often trace their lineage from revered teachers, venerate their Organizational founder, ...
s * Father, often used to identify a priest * Chief Scout (The Scout Association) – the head of The Scout Association * King's Scout – title conferred upon a scout upon achieving highest attainable award achievable in the Scouting movement * Queen's Guide – title conferred upon a guide upon highest attainable award for members of the Girl Guiding movement * Scout, Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America), Eagle Scout * Grandmaster (disambiguation), Grandmaster * Doctor is often used to identify a person as a physician, but is also an honorific for anyone holding a doctorate in any field. Some titles are used in English to refer to the position of people in foreign political systems * Citizen, First Citizen * Comrade


Non-English speaking areas


Default titles in other languages

It should be, noted, however, that in many of those languages the title for unmarried female is considered to be antiquated and may be considered as legally improper.


Martial arts

* Sensei - used for martial arts instructors * Sempai, Senpai - used for junior karate instructors and karate instructors in training * Karate-ka - used for karate students * Judge - used for the judges and referees at martial arts tournaments * Master - used for kung-fu instructors or people who have studied the art their entire life


Academic

* Docent * Doctorandus, abbreviated as ''drs.''


Religious

* Ayatollah * Seghatoleslam * Bodhisattva * Bhagat * Druid and Archdruid * Granthi * Guru * Hakham * Buddhahood, Buddha * Hajji * Imam * Jathedar * Jathedar, Jathedarni * Kohen * Lama and the related Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama * Mahatma * Mahdi * Mullah * Mawlana * Mawlawi (Islamic title), Mawlawi * Nath * Pastor * Pujari * Rabbi * Rebbe *
Reverend The Reverend (abbreviated as The Revd, The Rev'd or The Rev) is an honorific style (form of address), style given to certain (primarily Western Christian, Western) Christian clergy and Christian minister, ministers. There are sometimes differen ...
* Rosh HaYeshiva * Rishi * Saoshyant * Sadhu * Sadhvi * Sardar * Sardar, Sardarni * Tirthankar * Vardapet * Yogi * Yogini


Honorary titles

* Mahatma * Oknha * Pandit * Sant (religion), Sant * Sheikh * Swami * Ustad


Rulers

* Chancellor (from which come Lord Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor) * "Dear Leader" and "Supreme Leader" referred to Kim Jong-il as chief of North Korea. The title now refers to his son and successor Kim Jong-un. (, ) * Elder (administrative title), Elder * Emir/Emira – Arabic Prince/Princess * Eze * Maharajah * Rajah * Rai (title), Rai * Babu (title), Babu * Malay styles and titles, Dato * Mwami * Nizam * Oba (ruler), Oba * Obi (ruler), Obi * Sultan/Sultana (title) – Arabic for 'powerful ruler' * Tribal chief, Chief – origin of Chief of Staff, Chieftain, Clan Chief, Hereditary Chief, and Warlord, War Chief. The present head of Samoa is titled a Paramount Chief * Vizier and Grand Vizier *Stadtholder


Historical titles for heads of state

The following are no longer officially in use, though some may be claimed by former regnal dynasties.


=Appointed

= *
Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war. He ...
(an honorific family name passed through Roman emperors by adoption) * Legate * Satrap * Tetrarch


=Elected or popularly declared

= * Archon *Augustus (title) * Caudillo * Consul * Decemvir * Doge * Duce * Führer * Imperator * Lord Protector * Roman dictator * Triumvir


=Hereditary

= * Basileus * Caliph * Khagan * Khan (title), Khan * King-Emperor (the feminine equivalent is Queen-Empress) * Malik * Maharajah * Rajah * Rai (title), Rai * Emperor of Japan, Mikado * Mirza (noble), Mirza * Nawab * Negus * Patil (title), Patil * Pharaoh * Regina (the masculine form is Rex) * Saopha * Sapa Inca * Shah *
Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
When a difference exists below, male titles are placed to the left and female titles are placed to the right of the slash. * Africa ** Almami, Almamy – Fulani people of west Africa ** List of rulers of Asante, Asantehene – Ashanti people, Ashanti, title of the King of the Ashanti people, Ashanti People in Ghana ** Igbo people, Eze – Igbo people of Nigeria ** Kabaka of Buganda, Kabaka – Baganda people of Buganda in Uganda ** Mwami – Kings of Rwanda and Burundi ** Negus – Ethiopia ** Oba (king), Oba – Yoruba people of Nigeria ** Omukama – Bunyoro, title of some Emperors/kings in Uganda ** Pharaoh – ancient Egypt * Asia ** Arasan/Arasi – Tamil Nadu (India), Sri Lanka ** Arqa/Thagavor – King of Armenia ** Bayin – The title given to the king of pre colonial Burma **Maharajah/ Rajah/ Rai (title), Rai/ Chakarwarti Raja – India Sri Lanka ** Chogyal – 'Divine Ruler – ruled Sikkim until 1975 ** Datu – pre-colonial Philippines ** Druk Gyalpo – hereditary title given to the king of Bhutan ** Engku or Ungku – Malaysia, to denote particular family lineage akin to royalty *** Hari – Filipino title for king ** Emperor of China, Huángdì – Imperial China (Emperor) *** List of Korean monarchs, Hwangje – Self-styled Korean "emperor"; states that unified Korea *** List of Vietnamese monarchs, Hoang De – Self-styled Vietnamese "emperor"; unified Vietnam ** Maharajah, Maha raja/feminine form is Maharani – Emperor, Empress India, Sri Lanka ** Meurah – Aceh before Islam ** Mirza (noble), Mirza, Persian/Iranian, Indian and Afghanistan and Tajikistan King *** Beg (title), Beg (Begzada or Begzadi, son-daughter of ''Beg''), Baig or Bey in Under ''Mirza'' and using King or Military title. ** Patil (title), Patil – meaning 'head' or 'chief'; an Indian title. The Patil is in effect the ruler of this territory as he was entitled to the revenues collected therefrom. ** Bhumibol Adulyadej, Phrabat Somdej Phrachaoyuhua – King of Thailand (Siam), the title literally means 'the feet of the Greatest Lord who is on the heads (of his subjects)'. This royal title does not refer directly to the king himself but to his feet, according to traditions. *** Racha – Thailand, same meaning as Raja *** Raja – pre-colonial Philippines *** Raja – Malaysia, Raja denotes royalty in Perak and certain Selangor royal family lineages, is roughly equivalent to Prince or Princess *** Raja/Rani – Nepal King *** Rani – Nepali Queen ** Patabendige, Patabenda – Sub-king of Sri Lanka ** Norodom Sihamoni, Preah Karuna Preah Bat Sâmdech Preah Bâromneath – King of Cambodia Khmer language, Khmer, the title literally means 'The feet of the Greatest Lord who is on the heads (of his subjects)' (referring not directly to the king himself but to his feet, according to tradition) ** Khagan, Qaghan – Central Asian Tribes ** Saopha – Shan people, Shan, king of Shan people, Shan, today as a part of Myanmar ** Shahinshah or Padshah or Badshah- Persian/
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
ian, 'King of Kings' or Persian rulers in Hindustan(India) *** Shah – Persian/Iranian and Afghanistan and Tajikistan King ** Sheikh – Arabic traditional regional leader, principalities of (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE) ** Sultan/Sultana (title), Sultana – Arabic King (present Oman and former Ottoman Empire) *** Aceh, Brunei, Java, Oman, Malaysia, Sultan is the title of seven (Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, Selangor, and Terengganu) of the nine rulers of the Malay states. ** Rulers of Surakarta, Susuhanan – the Indonesian princely state of Surakarta until its abolition ** Seyed – Islamic World, descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad ** Emperor of Japan, Tennō or Mikado – Japan *** – Japanese military dictator *** Sumeramikoto, Okimi – Japan, king ** Tengku – Malaysia, Indonesia, Tengku (also spelled Tunku in Johor), Negeri Sembilan, Kedah and Deli Sultanate of Indonesia is roughly equivalent to Prince or Princess ** Veyndhan, ko/Arasi – Tamil Nadu(India) ** Chinese nobility#Emperor, Wang (King) – pre-Imperial China. In China, 'king' is the usual translation for the term , . *** List of Korean monarchs, Wang – States of Korea that did not have control over the entire peninsula. *** List of Vietnamese monarchs, Vuong – States in Vietnam that did not control the entire realm. ** Yang di-Pertuan Agong – Monarch of Malaysia, elected each five years among the reigning Sultan of each Malaysian state * Europe **Autocrator – Greek term for the Byzantine Emperor ** Basileus – Greek ruler ** Despot (court title), Despot, a Byzantine court title, also granted in the states under Byzantine influence, such as the Latin Empire, Bulgaria, Serbia, and the Empire of Trebizond. ** Domn (in Romanian)/Gospodar (in Old Slavonian) – Medieval Romania (Moldova, Wallachia) ** Fejedelem – Ancient/Medieval Hungarian ** Germanic king ** Großbürger/Großbürgerin (English: Grand Burgher) – historical German title acquired or inherited by persons and family descendants of the ruling class in autonomous German-speaking cities and towns of Central Europe, origin under the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
, ceased after 1919 along with all titles of German nobility. ** Kaiser/Kaiserin – Imperial rulers of Germany and of Austria-Hungary ** Kniaz'/Knyaginya/Knez/Knjeginja (generally translated as 'prince') – Kievan Rus'/Serbia ** Kunigaikshtis (Kunigaikštis) – Lithuanian, duke as in Grand Duchy of Lithuania. ** Rí, Rí túaithe, Ruiri, Rí ruireach, and Ard Rí – King, local king, regional overking, (provincial) king of overkings, and High King in Gaels, Gaelic Ireland, also Scotland **
Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
/Tsarina – the ruler of Imperial Russia **
Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...
/Tsaritsa – Bulgaria, pre-imperial Russia, Serbia ** Vezér – Ancient Hungarian ** Voivode, Vojvoda (Serbian)/Voivode, Vajda (Hungarian) – Serbian/Hungarian/Romani people, Romany title ** Župan, sometimes Veliki Župan (Grand Župan) – Serbia, Croatia * Oceania ** tribal chief, Chieftain – Leader of a tribe or clan. ** 'eiki, houeiki, fa'amatai, matai, ali'i, alii, tūlafale, tavana, ariki – usually translated as 'chief' in various Polynesian countries. ** Mo'i – normally translated as King, used by Hawaiian monarchs since unification in 1810. The last person to hold the title was Queen Lili'uokalani. ** ''Tui'' or ''tui'' – there were/are also kings in Oceania (i.e. Samoa, Tonga, Wallis and Futuna, Nauru)


Aristocratic


Historical

* Russian: ** Boyarin ** Dyak (clerk), Dyak ** Knyaz (and Grand Prince, Veliky Knyaz) ** Namestnik ** Okolnichy ** Posadnik ** Voivode, Voyevoda *German: ** Burggraf ** Graf ** Freigraf ** Landgrave, Landgraf ** Markgraf ** Pfalzgraf ** Reichsgraf *Spanish: ** Don (honorific), Don ** Hidalgo (Spanish nobility), Hidalgo *Others: ** Augusta (honorific), Augusta (feminine equivalent of
Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...
) ** Bitwoded (translates as 'beloved') ** Comes ** Concubine (the Chinese imperial system, for instance, had a vastly complex hierarchy of titled concubines and wives to the emperor) ** Dejazmach (translates as 'Commander of the Gate') ** Fitawrari (translates as 'Leader of the Vanguard') ** Gentleman (used as a title in such forms as Gentleman at Arms, Gentleman of the Bedchamber, and Gentleman Usher. The feminine equivalent is Gentlewoman, or, in some circumstances,
Lady ''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. "Lady" is al ...
.) ** Gerazmach (translates as 'Commander of the Left') ** Kenyazmach (translates as 'Commander of the Right') ** Ras (translates as 'Head') ** Sahib


Other

* Commissioner (from which come First Church Estates Commissioner and High Commissioner) * Comptroller (from which Comptroller, Comptroller General and Comptroller of the Household) * Courtier * Curator * Doyen * Edohen * Ekegbian * Elerunwon * Forester or Master Forester * Village head, Headman * Intendant (and the related Superintendent) * Lamido * Marcher Lord, Marcher or Lady Marcher * Matriarch or
Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...
* Prior (ecclesiastical), Prior, Lord Prior * Pursuivant * Rangatira * Ranger * Registrar General, Registrar (in a variant spelling in the title Lord Clerk Register) * Seigneur (from which come Monsignor and the French common polite term Monsieur, equivalent to Mr, Mister) * Sharif * Shehu * Sheikh * Sheriff (from which comes High Sheriff) * Subaltern (military), Subaltern * Subedar * Sysselmann * Timi * Treasurer, Master Treasurer and Secretary Treasurer * Verderer * wikt:Warden, Warden, Hereditary Warden, Lord Warden * Woodman * Bearer, such as Hereditary Banner Bearer, Standard Bearer, or Swordbearer (ceremonial), Swordbearer * Sayyid * Apprentice * Journeyman * Adept * Akhoond * Arhat * List of English words of Niger-Congo origin, Bwana * Goodman (title), Goodman and Goodwife * Grand Bard * Mullah * Sri * Baba (honorific), Baba * Effendi * Giani or Gyani * Guru * Siddha * Pir (Sufism), Pir, Murshid


Historical

* Abuna * Aedile * Ali'i * Aqabe sa'at (translates as Guardian of the Church Hours) * Balambaras (translates as Fortress Commander) * Ban (title), Bán * Baig * Bey * Boyar * Castellan * Cellarer * Censor (ancient Rome), Censor * Centurion * Circuitor * Commissar, often as People's Commissar * Conquistador * * Dey * Dux * Prince-elector, Elector * Gauleiter * Guardian * Ichege * Infirmerer * Inquisitor and Grand Inquisitor * Jemadar * Kitchener * Magic (paranormal), Mage * Magister Militum * Majordomo * Maid (title), Maid – archaic title denoting an unmarried woman, such as the character Maid Marian. Should not be confused with the general term for a young domestic worker/housemaid. * Margrave * Viceroy, Naib * Officium * Pasha * Palatine (Ancient Rome, the Roman Catholic Church, Palatine of Hungary, Hungary (nádor), etc.) * Pontiff and Pontifex Maximus * Praetor * Prebendary * Quaestor * Sacrist * Samurai * ''Shōgun'' * Stadtholder * Steward (office), Steward * Thakur (title), Thakore * Voivode * Viceroy (the feminine equivalent is Vicereine)


Post-nominal letters

Members of legislatures often have post-nominal letters expressing their membership. * Member of Congress: MC * Member of Parliament: MP * Member of the European Parliament: MEP * Member of the Scottish Parliament: MSP * Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament: MSYP * Member of Youth Parliament, Member of the Youth Parliament: MYP * Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario), Member of Provincial Parliament: MPP * Member of the National Assembly#Other, National Assembly: MNA * Member of the House of Keys: MHK ** Speaker of the House of Keys: SHK * Member of the Legislative Council: MLC * Member of the Legislative Assembly: MLA * Member of the House of Representatives: Rep. * Member of the House of Assembly: MHA


University degrees

* Associate ** Associate of Arts, AA – Associate of Arts ** Associate of Applied Science, AAS – Associate of Applied Science ** Associate of Science, AS – Associate of Science * Bachelor ** Bachelor of Arts, BA – Bachelor of Arts ** Bachelor of Architecture, BArch – Bachelor of Architecture ** Bachelor of Business Administration, BBA – Bachelor of Business Administration ** BSBA – Bachelor of Science of Business Administration ** Bachelor of Biotechnology, BBiotech – Bachelor of Biotechnology ** Bachelor of Dental Surgery, BDS / BChD – Bachelor of Dental Surgery ** BDentTech – Bachelor of Dental Technology ** BDes – Bachelor of Design ** Bachelor of Divinity, BD / BDiv – Bachelor of Divinity ** Bachelor of Education, BEd – Bachelor of Education ** Bachelor of Engineering, BEng – Bachelor of Engineering ** Environmental design, BEnvd – Bachelor of Environmental Design ** Bachelor of Fine Arts, BFA – Bachelor of Fine Arts ** Bachelor of Laws, LLB – Bachelor of Laws ** Bachelor of Mathematics, BMath – Bachelor of Mathematics ** Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, MB, ChB / MB, BS / BM, BCh / MB, BChir – Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ** BMus – Bachelor of Music ** BN – Bachelor of Nursing ** Bachelor of Philosophy, BPhil – Bachelor of Philosophy ** Bachelor of Sacred Theology, STB – Bachelor of Sacred Theology ** Bachelor of Science, BSc – Bachelor of Science ** Bachelor of Science in Nursing, BSN – Bachelor of Science in Nursing ** Bachelor of Social Work, BSW – Bachelor of Social Work ** Bachelor of Theology, BTh / ThB – Bachelor of Theology ** Bachelor of Veterinary Science, BVSc – Bachelor of Veterinary Science * Designer [Dz] * Doctor (title), Doctor ** Doctor of Arts, DA – Doctor of Arts ** Doctor of Business Administration, DBA – Doctor of Business Administration ** Doctor of Divinity, D.D. – Doctor of Divinity ** Doctor of Education, Ed.D. – Doctor of Education ** Engineering Doctorate, EngD or DEng – Doctor of Engineering ** Doctor of Fine Arts, DFA – Doctor of Fine Arts ** Doctor of Musical Arts, DMA – Doctor of Musical Arts ** Doctor of Ministry, D.Min. – Doctor of Ministry ** Doctor of Music, D.Mus. – Doctor of Music ** Doctor of Professional Studies, D.Prof – Doctor of Professional Studies ** Doctor of Public Administration, DPA – Doctor of Public Administration ** Doctor of Science, D.Sc. – Doctor of Science ** Doctor of Jurisprudence, JD – Doctor of Jurisprudence ** LL.D. – Doctor of Laws ** Doctor of Medicine, MD – Doctor of Medicine ** Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, DO – Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine ** Doctor of Pharmacy, Pharm.D. – Doctor of Pharmacy ** Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D. / Doctor of Philosophy, D.Phil. – Doctor of Philosophy ** Doctor of Psychology, PsyD – Doctor of Psychology ** Doctor of Juridical Science, SJD – Doctor of Juridical Science ** Doctor of Theology, Th.D. – Doctor of Theology ** Doctorates within the field of medicine: *** Doctor of Chiropractic, DC *** Doctor of Dental Surgery, DDS – Doctor of Dental Surgery *** Doctor of Dental Medicine, DMD – Doctor of Dental Medicine *** Doctor of Optometry, O.D. *** Doctor of Physical Therapy, DPT *** Doctor of Podiatric Medicine, DPM *** Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, DVM * Master ** Master of Architecture, MArch – Master of Architecture ** Master of Arts, MA – Master of Arts ** Master of Arts, MAL – Master of Liberal Arts ** Master of Business Administration, MBA – Master of Business Administration ** Master of Public Administration, MPA – Master of Public Administration ** Master of Public Service, MPS – Master of Public Service ** Master of Planning, MPl – Master of Planning ** Master in Chemistry, MChem – Master in Chemistry ** MC – Master of Counselling ** Master of Design, M. Des – Master of Design ** Master of Divinity, M.Div. – Master of Divinity ** MDrama – Master of Drama ** Master of Dental Surgery, MDS – Master of Dental Surgery ** Master of Education, MEd – Master of Education ** Master of Educational Technology, MET – Master of Educational Technology ** Master of Engineering, MEng – Master of Engineering ** Master of Fine Arts, MFA – Master of Fine Arts ** Master of Healthcare Administration, MHA – Master of Healthcare Administration ** MHist – Master of History ** Master of Letters, MLitt - Master of Letters ** Master of Law, LL.M. – Master of Law ** Master of Landscape Architecture, MLA – Master of Landscape Architecture ** Master of Mathematics, MMath – Master of Mathematics ** Master of Philosophy, MPhil – Master of Philosophy ** Master of Research, MRes – Master of Research ** Master of Science, MSc – Master of Science ** MScBMC – Master of Biomedical Communications ** Master of Physics, MPhys – Master of Physics ** Master of Pharmacy, MPharm – Master of Pharmacy ** Master of Public Health, MPH – Master of Public Health ** Master of Science in Business Analytics, MSBA - Master of Science in Business Analytics ** Master of Science in Engineering, MSE – Master of Science in Engineering ** Master of Science in Real Estate, MSRE – Master of Science in Real Estate ** MSN – Master of Science in Nursing ** MSW – Master of Social Work ** Magister (degree), Magister – Magister ** Master of Sacred Theology, S.T.M. – Master of Sacred Theology ** Master of Theology, MTh/Th.M. – Master of Theology ** Master of Urban and Regional Planning, MURP – Master of Urban and Regional Planning


See also

* Byzantine aristocracy and bureaucracy * Corporate title * Ethiopian aristocratic and religious titles * False titles of nobility * Hereditary title * Honorific * Index of religious honorifics and titles * List of titles * Military rank * Nobility * Peerage * Political institutions of Rome * Post-nominal letters * Pre-nominal letters * Royal and noble ranks * Royal and noble styles * Suffix (name) * Style (manner of address) * Title of honor


Notes


References


Bibliography

* ''African Kings'' by Daniel Lainé * ''Keepers of the Kingdom'' by Alastair Bruce, Julian Calder, and Mark Cator * ''Master and Commander'', film directed by Peter Weir


External links

* * * {{Social titles Titles,