English honorifics

In the English language an English honorific is a title prefixing a person's name, e.g.: Miss, Ms, Mr, Sir, Mrs, Dr, Lady or Lord. They are not necessarily titles or positions that can appear without the person's name, as in the President, the Earl.

There are many forms of honorifics that are used when addressing the members of the nobility, clergy, or royalty, mostly in countries that are monarchies. These include "Your Majesty" and "Your Highness", which are often used when speaking with royalty, or "My lord/lady" to address a peer other than a Duke, who is referred to as "Your Grace".

Some honorifics distinguish the sex of the person being referred to. Some titles of the nobility and of professional honorifics such as Doctor or General are not gender specific because they were traditionally male-only professions, and women have simply adopted the associated titles.

Common Titles

• Mr: (Mister) for men, regardless of marital status.
• Ms: (/ˈmɪz/ or /mz/) for women, regardless of marital status.
• Miss: for unmarried women.
• Mrs: (/ˈmɪsz/ or /ˈmɪss/) for married women.

Note: No gender-neutral title exists in English. Some have been proposed but none have ever been accepted by the English-speaking world. Before the late 20th century, it was common to use "Mr." as a gender-neutral title however this usage has since been deemed discriminatory toward women. Since there is no clear alternative, it is common for modern writers to choose one gender and stay with it or even alternate between both genders within works of literature.

Formal Titles

• Sir: for men, formally if they have an English knighthood, or generally as a term of general respect or flattery. Equivalent to "Madam" (see below).
  • Police use it to calm someone down so they will more readily obey, e.g. "Sir, stay back."
• Madam or Madame: for women, a term of general respect or flattery. Equivalent to "Sir" (see above).
  • Both "Sir" and "Madam" are commonly used by workers performing a service for the target of the service, e.g. "May I take your coat, Ma'am?"
• Lord: Highest respect for a male outside the "immediate" royal family. (Style: Lordship or My Lord)
• Lady: Highest respect for a female outside the "immediate" royal family. (Style: Your Ladyship or My Lady)

Academic Titles

• Dr: (Doctor) for a person who has obtained any doctoral-level academic degree, such as the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), or Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), but most commonly refers to a Physician or Surgeon (a medical 'doctor'). In the Commonwealth, holders of a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS or MBChB) are entitled to call themselves 'Doctor'.

Religious Organizational Titles

• Bro: (Brother) for men generally in some religious organizations; in the Catholic church, for monks.
• Sr: (Sister) Nun or other religious sister in the Catholic Church; for women generally in some religious organizations, such as the Mormons. Sometimes informally abbreviated as 'Sis'.
• Fr: (Father) for priests in Catholic and Orthodox Christianity, as well as some Anglican or Episcopalian groups; Generally equivalent to 'Reverend' (see below).
• Rev: (Reverend) used generally for members of the Christian clergy regardless of affiliation. Equivalent to 'Father' (see above).

Uncommon and Historical Titles

• Master: for boys or very young men. Rarely used except in very formal address.
• Adv.or Counsellor : (Advocate) for Lawyers and Advocates. (Not used in the United States or United Kingdom.)

See also

• Indian honorifics
• Canadian honorifics
• Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom
• French honorifics
• Style (manner of address)