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Post-nominal letters
 
 
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Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials or post-nominal titles, are letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office, or honour. An individual may use several different sets of post-nominal letters. The order in which these are listed after a name is based on the order of precedence and category of the order.

Examples of post-nominal letters: Post-nominal letters are one of the main types of name suffix
Suffix (name)

A name suffix, in the Western naming tradition, follows a person?s full name and provides additional information about the person. Post-nominal letters indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office or honour....
.

ers are listed in the following order after the person's name:
  1. Bart.
    Baronet

    A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown known as a baronetcy....
    , Gent.






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    Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials or post-nominal titles, are letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office, or honour. An individual may use several different sets of post-nominal letters. The order in which these are listed after a name is based on the order of precedence and category of the order.

    Examples of post-nominal letters:
    • A Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
      Order of the British Empire

      The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a United Kingdom order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom....
       is authorized to use the postnominal KBE.
    • A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects
      American Institute of Architects

      The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image....
       is authorized to used the postnominal FAIA
      FAIA

      Fellow of the American Institute of Architects is an postnomial, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects....
      .
    • A Doctor of Philosophy
      Doctor of Philosophy

      Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated Ph.D. or PhD for the Latin , meaning "teacher of philosophy", is an postgraduate academic degree awarded by University....
       is authorized to use the postnominal PhD (or, in some cases, DPhil).
    • A Franciscan
      Franciscan

      The term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic religious orders that follow a body of regulations known as "The rule of St....
       friar (the Order of Friars Minor) uses the postnominal OFM.
    Post-nominal letters are one of the main types of name suffix
    Suffix (name)

    A name suffix, in the Western naming tradition, follows a person?s full name and provides additional information about the person. Post-nominal letters indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office or honour....
    .

    Usage

    Letters are listed in the following order after the person's name:
    1. Bart.
      Baronet

      A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown known as a baronetcy....
      , Gent. or Esq.
      Esquire

      Esquire is a term of United Kingdom origin, originally used to denote social status.Ultimately deriving from the medieval squires who assisted knights, the term came to be used automatically by men of gentry....
    2. Civil honours and decorations (in descending order of precendence)
    3. Military honours and decorations (in descending order of precedence)
    4. Appointments (for example, QC for queen's counsel
      Queen's Counsel

      Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male Monarch, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of "Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law"....
      , MP for member of parliament
      Member of Parliament

      A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators....
      )
    5. Academic degrees (in ascending order: bachelor's degrees first, followed by master's degrees, then doctorates)
    6. Religious orders (for example, OFM
      Franciscan

      The term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic religious orders that follow a body of regulations known as "The rule of St....
      )
    7. Fellowship or membership of learned societies or professional institutions (for example, RA
      Royal Academy

      The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London, England. As an academy, it functions to encourage British art, and has a membership of practising artists....
      , FRCP
      Royal College of Physicians

      The Royal College of Physicians of London was the first medical institution in England to receive a Royal Charter. It was founded in 1518 and is one of the most active of all medical professional organisations....
      )
    8. Membership of the armed forces


    Only the highest degree of the order or type is ever used, even if the person has been awarded lower degrees. For example,
    • Jane Montrose, DCB and not Jane Montrose, DCB CB (Dame Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath ranks higher than Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath)


    However, when the awarding university is listed, and the degrees are from different institutions, the lower degrees are included (such as John Smith, BA Wales MA London, but Jane Doe, MA Virginia).

    See also

    • List of post-nominal letters
      List of post-nominal letters

      Post-nominal letters are letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that the individual holds a position, office, or honour.An individual may use several different sets of post-nominal letters....
    • Suffix (name)
      Suffix (name)

      A name suffix, in the Western naming tradition, follows a person?s full name and provides additional information about the person. Post-nominal letters indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office or honour....
    • Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom
    • Pre-nominal letters
      Pre-nominal letters

      Pre-nominal letters are a title which is placed before the name of a person as distinct from a post-nominal letters title which is placed after the name....
    • Privy Council of the United Kingdom
      Privy Council of the United Kingdom

      Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British monarchy. Its members are largely senior politicians, who were or are members of either the House of Commons of the United Kingdom or House of Lords....
    • Roman Catholic religious order
      Roman Catholic religious order

      File:Francisbyelgreco.jpgReligious orders are the major form of Consecrated life in the Roman Catholic Church. They are organisations of laity and/or clergy who live a common life following a religious rule under the leadership of a religious superior....
    • Wikipedia policy on peerage post-nominals