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A title is a prefix or suffix added to a person's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name (for example, Graf in German, Cardinal in Catholic usage or clerical titles such as Archbishop or Ter in the Armenian Apostolic Church). Some titles are hereditary.
Titles for heads of state
es currently in use by heads of state and heads of government.
Elected or popularly proclaimed
Hereditary
h width="15%" >Adjective | Latin | Examples | |
| Emperor | Empress | Empire | imperial | Imperator (Imperatrix) | Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Ottoman Empire, Holy Roman Empire, Russia , First and Second French Empire, Austria, Mexico, Brazil, German Empire (none left in Europe after 1918), Empress of India (ceased to be used after 1947 when India was granted independence from the British Empire), Japan (the only remaining enthroned emperor in the world). | | King | Queen | Kingdom | royal | Rex (Regina) | Common in larger sovereign states | | Viceroy | Vicereine | Viceroyalty | viceroyal | Proconsul | Historical: Spanish Empire (Peru, New Spain, Rio de la Plata, New Granada), Portuguese Empire, (India, Brazil), British Empire | | Grand Duke | Grand Duchess | Grand duchy | Grand Ducal | Magnus Dux | Today: Luxembourg; historical: Lithuania, Baden, Finland, Tuscany et al | | Archduke | Archduchess | Archduchy | archducal | Arci Dux | Historical: Unique only in Austria, Archduchy of Austria; title used for member of the Habsburg dynasty | | Prince | Princess | Principality, Princely state | princely | Princeps | Today: Monaco, Liechtenstein, Wales; Andorra (Co-Princes).
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A title is a prefix or suffix added to a person's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name (for example, Graf in German, Cardinal in Catholic usage or clerical titles such as Archbishop or Ter in the Armenian Apostolic Church). Some titles are hereditary.
Professional and academic titles
Ecclesiastical titles
Devotional titles
Titles for heads of state
Current
Titles currently in use by heads of state and heads of government.
Elected or popularly proclaimed
Hereditary
| Male version | Female version | Realm
| Adjective | Latin | Examples |
|---|
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| Emperor | Empress | Empire | imperial | Imperator (Imperatrix) | Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Ottoman Empire, Holy Roman Empire, Russia , First and Second French Empire, Austria, Mexico, Brazil, German Empire (none left in Europe after 1918), Empress of India (ceased to be used after 1947 when India was granted independence from the British Empire), Japan (the only remaining enthroned emperor in the world). | | King | Queen | Kingdom | royal | Rex (Regina) | Common in larger sovereign states | | Viceroy | Vicereine | Viceroyalty | viceroyal | Proconsul | Historical: Spanish Empire (Peru, New Spain, Rio de la Plata, New Granada), Portuguese Empire, (India, Brazil), British Empire | | Grand Duke | Grand Duchess | Grand duchy | Grand Ducal | Magnus Dux | Today: Luxembourg; historical: Lithuania, Baden, Finland, Tuscany et al | | Archduke | Archduchess | Archduchy | archducal | Arci Dux | Historical: Unique only in Austria, Archduchy of Austria; title used for member of the Habsburg dynasty | | Prince | Princess | Principality, Princely state | princely | Princeps | Today: Monaco, Liechtenstein, Wales; Andorra (Co-Princes). Historical: Albania, Serbia | | Duke | Duchess | Duchy | ducal | Dux | There are none left currently. Though historical examples include Normandy. | | Count | Countess | County | countly | Comes | Most common in the Holy Roman Empire, translated in German as Graf; historical: Barcelona, Brandenburg, Baden, numerous others | | Baron | Baroness | Barony | Baronial | Baro | There are normal baronies and sovereign baronies, a sovereign barony can be compared with a principality, however, this is an historical exception; sovereign barons no longer have a sovereign barony, but only the title and style | | Pope | Poppess | Papacy | papal | Papa | Monarch of the Papal States and later Sovereign of the State of Vatican City |
The pope is the Bishop of Rome (a celibate office always forbidden to women), in English however, reports of female popes such as (Pope Joan) refer to them as pope and Popess is used, among other things, for the second trump in the Tarot deck; some European languages also have a feminine form of the word pope, such as the Italian papessa, the French papesse, and the German Päpstin
Historical titles for heads of state
The following are no longer officially in use, though some may be claimed by former regnal dynasties.
Appointed
Elected or popularly declared
Hereditary
When a difference exists below, male titles are placed to the left and female titles are placed to the right of the slash.
- Asia
- Arasan/Arasi - Tamil Nadu(India), Sri Lanka
- 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 doesn't refer directly to the king himself but to his feet, according to traditions.)
- Druk Gyalpo — hereditary title given to the king of Bhutan
- Chakrawarti Raja - India Sri Lanka
- Chogyal — "Divine Ruler" — ruled Sikkim until 1975
- Datu - pre-colonial Philippines
- Engku or Ungku - Malaysia, to denote particular family lineage akin to royalty
- Huángdì - Imperial China (Emperor)
- Hwangje - Self-styled Korean "emperor"; states that unified Korea
- Hoang De - Self-styled Vietnamese "emperor"; unified Vietnam
- Meurah - Aceh before Islam
- Maha raja/feminine form is Maharani- Emperor, Emperess India, Sri Lanka
- 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 - Nepal King
- Rani - Nepali Queen
- Hari - Filipino title for king
- Patabenda - Sub- king Sri lanka
- Preah Karuna Preah Bat Sâmdech Preah Bâromneath - King of Cambodia Khmer , the title literally means "The feet of the Greatest Lord who is on the heads (of his subjects)" (This royal title doesn't refer directly to the king himself but to his feet, according to traditions.)
- Qaghan - Central Asian Tribes
- Saopha - Shan, king of Shan, today as a part of Myanmar
- Susuhanan - the Indonesian princely state of Surakarta until its abolition
- Shahinshah or Padshah or Badshah- Persian/Iranian "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 - Arabic King (present Oman and former Ottoman Empire)
- Aceh, Brunei Darussalam, 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.
- Syed or Shariffah - Malaysia, descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad; Syed/Sharifah in Perlis if suffixed by the royal clan name, is roughly equivalent to Prince or Princess
- Tenno or Mikado - Japan
- Sumeramikoto, Okimi - Japan, king
- Shogun - Japanese military dictator, always a Samurai
- 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)
- Wang (King) - pre-Imperial China. In China, "king" is the usual translation for the term
wang ?.- Wang - States of Korea that did not have control over the entire peninsula.
- 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
- Giray - Crimean King
- Arqa/Thagavor - Armenian King
- Germanic king
- Basileus - Greek King
- Despot - Serbia (originating from Byzantium)
- Vezér - Ancient Hungarian
- Fejedelem - Ancient/Medieval Hungarian
- Imperator Tsar / Czar Autocrat - The Ruler of Imperial Russia
- Vojvoda (Serbian)/Vajda (Hungarian) - Serbian/Hungarian/Romany Title
- Domn (in Romanian) /Gospodar (in Old Slavonian) - Medieval Romania (Moldova, Wallachia)
- Rí, Rúirí, Rí Rúireach and Ard Rí - King, local overking, regional King, and High King in pre-Norman Ireland
- Kniaz'/Knyaginya/Knez/Knjeginja (generally translated as "prince") - Kievan Rus'/Serbia
- Kralj- Croatia, Serbia
- Kaiser - Imperial Germany
- Tsar/Tsaritsa - Bulgaria, pre-imperial Russia, Serbia
- Kunigaikshtis (Kunigaikštis) - Lithuanian, duke as in Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
- Župan sometimes Veliki Župan (Grand Župan) - Serbia, Croatia
- Autocrator Greek term for the Byzantine Emperor
- Mbret - Albanian King
Tui or tui - there were/are also kings in Oceania (i.e. Tonga, Wallis and Futuna, Nauru) houeiki, matai, alii, tulafale, tavana, ariki - usually translated as "chief" in various Polynesian countries. "Mo'i" normally translated as King is a title used by Hawaiian monarchs since unification in 1810. The last person to hold that title was Queen Lili'uokalani.
Fictional titles for heads of state
Honorary titles granted by heads of state
Current
- Consort (The husband of a queen who rules in her own right is known as a Prince Consort)
- Chamberlain (from which come the titles Grand Chamberlain, Lord Chamberlain, and Lord Great Chamberlain)
- Champion (mostly archaic, but the United Kingdom does still maintain an official Queen's Champion)
- Marshal (from which come Air Chief Marshal, Air Marshal, Air Vice Marshal, Earl Marshal, Field Marshal, Grand Marshal, Hereditary Marshal, and Reich Marshal)
- Aide-de-camp
- Equerry
- Duke (the feminine equivalent is Duchess)
- Marquis or Marquess (the feminine equivalent is Marchioness or Marquise)
- Count (the feminine equivalent is Countess)
- Earl (used in the United Kingdom instead of Count, but the feminine equivalent is Countess)
- Viscount (feminine equivalent is Viscountess, from the same root as Count)
- Baron (the feminine equivalent is Baroness)
- Baronet (the feminine equivalent is Baronetess)
- Chevalier
- Dame (The French term of respect Madame came from the same root. The masculine equivalent of a Dame is a Knight, although a Knight uses the title Sir rather than Knight before his name. Some knights, such as a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter or Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath, place their full title after their name)
- Lady (from which come First Lady and the anachronistic Second Lady; the masculine equivalent of Lady is Lord, from which come First Sea Lord and Lord of the Manor)
- Honorable (from which comes Right Honorable)
Historical
- Augusta (The masculine equivalent is Augustus)
- Knyaz
- Comes
- Concubine (The Chinese imperial system, for instance, had a vastly complex hierarchy of titled concubines and wives to the emperor)
- Ras (which translates as Head)
- Bitwoded (translates as Beloved)
- Fitawrari (translates as Leader of the Vanguard)
- Dejazmach (translates as Commander of the Gate)
- Kenyazmach (translates as Commander of the Right)
- Gerazmach (translates as Commander of the Left)
- Graf (roughly a German equivalent to the English Earl, but broken down into Altgraf, Burggraf, Freigraf, Landgraf, Markgraf, Pfalzgraf, Raugraf, Reichsgraf, Rheingraf, Vizegraf, and Wildgraf. The feminine equivalent of a Graf is a Gräfin)
- Gentleman (used as a title is such forms as Gentleman at Arms, Gentleman of the Bedchamber, and Gentleman Usher. The feminine equivalent of a Gentleman is a Gentlewoman, or, in some circumstances, a Lady.)
- Hidalgo
- Don (the feminine equivalent is Doña)
- Sahib
Executive branch of government and other sub-national rulers
Currently in use
- Abbess (the masculine equivalent is Abbot)
- Acolyte
- Admiral (from which come Grand Admiral, Lord High Admiral, Rear Admiral, and Vice Admiral)
- Adjutant
- Agent
- Agister
- Almoner (from which comes Lord High Almoner)
- Ambassador
- Attaché
- Awoamefia
- Bishop (from which come Archbishop, Boy Bishop, Lord Archbishop, Metropolitan Bishop, and Prince Bishop)
- Brigadier
- Canon
- Cantor
- Captain (from which comes Group Captain)
- Chancellor (from which come Lord Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor)
- Chaplain
- Chargé d'affaires
- Cock o' the North
- Commander (from which come Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant Commander, and Wing Commander)
- Commissioner (from which come First Church Estates Commissioner and High Commissioner)
- Commodore (from which comes Air Commodore)
- Comptroller (from which Comptroller General and Comptroller of the Household)
- Constable (from which come Lord High Constable and Senior Constable)
- Corporal (from which come Lance Corporal and Staff Corporal)
- Courtier
- Curator
- Custos
- Deacon (from which comes Archdeacon)
- Dean
- Denkyerahene
- Docent
- Doyen
- Druid (the United Kingdom now has an official Archdruid)
- Edohen
- Ekegbian
- Elder
- Elerunwon
- Envoy
- Eze
- Father (from which comes Father of the Nation)
- Fon
- Foreman
- Forester (such as the United Kingdom's Master Forester)
- 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 General, Secretary General, Solicitor General, Surgeon General and Vicar General
- Gentiluomo
- Governor (from which comes Lieutenant Governor)
- Headman
- Herald of Arms
- Intendant (and the related Superintendent)
- Keeper, such as the British queen's Keeper of the Great Seal, and Keeper of the Prince's Privy Seal
- Lama and the related Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama
- Lamido
- Librarian
- Lieutenant (from which come First Lieutenant, Flight Lieutenant and Lord Lieutenant)
- Major
- Manager (from which comes General Manager)
- Marcher such as the current Lady Marcher in the United Kingdom
- Mate, more often titled as Chief Mate or First Mate
- Matriarch (the masculine equivalent is Patriarch)
- Mayor and related terms such as Lady Mayoress or Lord Mayor
- Minister from which come Prime Minister and a very long list of specific designations in the form "Minister of..."
- Mother (from which come Mother Superior, Queen Mother, and Reverend Mother)
- Msiri
- Mwami
- Nizam
- Oba
- Obi
- Obong
- 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, 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, Revenue Officer, Senior Officer, Ship's Officer, Staff Officer, and Warrant Officer.
- Oliha
- Olowo
- Olu
- Oni
- Prefect
- Prelate
- Premier
- Presbyter
- Priest (from which comes High Priest. The feminine equivalent is Priestess.)
- Primate
- Principal
- Prior (from which comes Lord Prior)
- Provost
- Pursuivant
- Queen's Remembrancer
- Rangatira
- Ranger
- Rector (from which come Lord Rector and Rector Magnificus)
- Registrar (in a variant spelling in the title Lord Clerk Register)
- Risaldar
- Sachem
- Sagamore
- Searcher of the Sanctuary
- Secretary (from which come Cardinal Secretary of State, Foreign Secretary, General Secretary, and Secretary of State, as well as a long list of other titles in the form "Secretary of..." in which Secretary means the same thing as Minister)
- Seigneur (from which come Monsignor and the French common polite term Monsieur, equivalent to Mister)
- Sergeant (from which come Sergeant at Mace and Sergeant of Arms
- Sharif
- Shehu
- Sheikh
- Sheriff (from which comes High Sheriff)
- Subaltern
- Subedar
- Timi
- Treasurer (from which come Master Treasurer and Secretary Treasurer)
- Verderer
- Vicar
- Warden (from which come Hereditary Warden and Lord Warden)
- Woodman
Historical
Judicial titles
In current use
Historical
Legislative titles
In current use
Historical
Honorary titles granted by an institution
Titles granted by an institution and used in direct address:
- Dame, which comes from the same root as Dominus
- Bearer, such as Hereditary Banner Bearer, Standard Bearer, or Swordbearer
- Coach
- Doctor MD/PhD/JD/LLD
- Friar
- Master is used in many titles, including old terms for the teachers of social arts: Dance master, Drawing Master, Fencing Master, and Music Master. It is also used for school titles such as Deputy Headmaster, Housemaster, and Schoolmaster, and is the base for Deputy Master, Grandmaster, Guest Master, Joint Master, Master of the Horse, Master of the Rolls, Novice Master, Queen's Bargemaster, Second Master and Senior Master. In fictional settings, you will find such characters as Dungeon Master and Slave Master. Finally, Master is the original form of Mister and its related terms- Miss, Missus, and Ms. The feminine equivalent of Master is Mistress.
- Maid When used as a title before a name, this is an old way to denote an unmarried woman, such as the character Maid Marian. The closest masculine equivalent would probably be Youth although this has never really been used as a title in the same way. Young boys used to be addressed as "Master [first name]" -- this was the standard form for servants to address their employer's minor children.
- Nurse and Nanny
- Professor and its related titles: Adjunct Professor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Distinguished Professor, and Professor Emeritus
- Reverend
- Sayyid
Titles awarded by institutions due to merit but not used in correspondence:
- Chief Scout the head of The Scout Association,
- Queen'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
- Senior Grecian, Tolly-keeper, and various other fraternal school titles
- Engineer, professional qualifications such as Chartered Engineer, European Engineer, Incorporated Engineer, and Professional Engineer
- Premier danseur The feminine form is Prima Ballerina A rank given to an exceptional ballet soloist.
- Reader For example Honorary Reader granted by a University to an individual who in seen as a leader in their discipline.
Honorary job titles in the royal household:
- Hereditary Falconer
- Queen's Swan Marker
- Grand Carver
- Herb Strewer
Titles granted by institutions due to position rather than merit (e.g. job title):
- Apprentice
- Chief butler
- Director This title is used extensively for the leaders of artistic projects, such as an Animation director, Art director, Artistic director, Casting director, Creative director, Film director, Game director, Music director, Television director, Theatre director, and Video Director. Other forms are Director of Operations, Funeral Director, and Technical Director.
- Instructor
- Journeyman
- Lecturer, including Principal Lecturer and Senior Lecturer
- Scout
Honorary titles granted by a mentor with the same title
Rabbi
Coach
Honorary titles granted by one's peers
Adept
Akhoond
Arhat
Brother or Sister
Citizen (from which comes First Citizen)
Coach
Goodman and Goodwife
Grand Bard
Hajji
Mullah
Sri
Wizard, such as the Grand Wizard and Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan
Honorary titles bestowed by followers
Baba
Condottiero
Diva
Effendi
Giani or Gyani
Guru
Maestro
Mahatma
Pastor
Rebbe
Siddha
Sheikh , Pir, Murshid
Ustad
Swami
Yogi
Auntie or Uncle
Boss
Coach
Grandfather or Grandmother
Pundit
See also
titles (in professional writing)
titles (in corporations)
titles (honorary)
titles (hereditary)
titles (false)
titles (Ethiopian aristocratic and religious)
titles (pre-nominal)
titles (post-nominal)
styles
styles (royal and noble)
ranks (royal and noble)
ranks (military)
honorifics
list of professions
nobility
peerage
political institutions of Rome
Sources
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
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