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. Post-nominal letters are one of the main types of name suffix A name suffix, in the Western English-language 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.
Examples of post-nominal letters:
- A Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions. In decreasing order of seniority, these are: is authorised to use the postnominal KBE.
- A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered 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. The AIA also works with other members of the is authorised to used the postnominal FAIA.
- A Doctor of Philosophy Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated PhD , for the Latin philosophiæ doctor, meaning "teacher of philosophy", or alternatively, DPhil, Dr. phil. or similar, for the equivalent doctor philosophiæ, is an advanced academic degree awarded by universities. In many English-speaking countries, the PhD is the highest degree one can earn and is authorised to use the postnominal DPhil (or, in some cases, PhD).
- A Franciscan The term Franciscan is most commonly used to refer to members of Catholic religious orders, founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. As well as Catholic there are also small Old Catholic and Anglican Franciscan communities. It can also be applied to ideals he inspired in many movements in the modern age friar (the Order of Friars Minor) uses the postnominal OFM and a Jesuit The Society of Jesus is a Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits (Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus is a Catholic religious order of clerks regular whose members are called Jesuits) uses SJ.
- A graduate of the University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge , located in the City of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, is the second oldest university in the English-speaking world and the fourth oldest in Europe. The name is sometimes abbreviated as Cantab. in post-nominals, a shortened form of Cantabrigiensis (an adjective derived from Cantabrigia, the Latinised form can add Cantab. after their name, a graduate of the University of Oxford The University of Oxford , located in the English city of Oxford, is the oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back as the 11th century. The University grew can add Oxon., a graduate of the University of London Based primarily in London, England, United Kingdom, the University of London is a federal mega university made up of 31 affiliates: 19 separate university institutions, and 12 research institutes. As such, the University of London is the largest university in the UK by number of full-time students, with 135,090 campus-based students and over 45,000 can add Lond., a graduate of the University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a university in the South West of England. Most of its activities are located in the city of Exeter, Devon, where it is the principal higher education institution. It is a member of the 1994 Group, a network of research-intensive universities in the United Kingdom can add Exon., and a graduate of the University of Durham Durham University is a university in Durham, England. It was founded as the University of Durham by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837. It was one of the first universities to open in England for more than 600 years, and is claimed to be England's third oldest after Oxford and Cambridge (although other higher education can add Dunelm.; all will usually be added after specifying the type of degree: For example, John Smith BA (Cantab).
Usage
The order in which post-nominal letters are listed after a person's name is dictated by standard practice which may vary by region. In the UK, the Ministry of Justice recommends the following ordering:[1]
- Bt/Bart A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess (abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown known as a baronetcy. The current practice of awarding baronetcies was originally introduced in England and Ireland by James I of England in 1611 in order to raise funds or Esq. Esquire is a term of British origin (from French "écuyer", squire), 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 gentle birth. The social rank of Esquire is that above gentleman. More specifically, though, a distinction was
- Decorations and honours and decorations (in descending order of precedence)
- Appointments (for example, QC for Queen's Counsel Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel (KC) during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of "Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law". Membership exists in various Commonwealth countries around the world and it is a status, conferred by the Crown, that is recognised by courts, MP for member of parliament A Member of Parliament 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. Members of parliament tend to form parliamentary parties with members)
- Religious orders (for example, SSF)
- Fellowship or membership of learned societies, academies or professional institutions (for example, RA The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London, England. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and appreciation of the visual arts through, FRCP 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. Since the College's creation as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518, it has engaged in a wide range of)
- Membership of the Armed Forces
According to the University of Oxford,[2] university degrees should be listed in ascending order: bachelor's degrees first, followed by master's degrees, then doctorates. When degrees are from different universities and the awarding institutions are listed, lower degrees are included if they are not surpassed by a degree in the same faculty from the awarding university (such as John Smith, BA Wales MA London, but Jane Doe, MA Virginia).
See also
- List of post-nominal letters An individual may use several different sets of post-nominal letters. Honours are listed first in descending order of precedence, followed by degrees and memberships of learned societies in ascending order
- Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom
- Pre-nominal letters
- Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. Its members are largely senior politicians, who were or are members of either the House of Commons or House of Lords of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Roman Catholic religious order Religious orders are the major form of consecrated life in the 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. Many of these are enclosed monastic orders, others are not
References
- ^ "Honours and Decorations". Ministry of Justice. 2008-12-04. http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/foa-hons-and-decs.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
- ^ "Oxford University Calendar: Notes on style". Oxford University Gazette. 2008-07-04. http://www2.ox.ac.uk/gazette/calendar/style.pdf. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
Categories: Titles | Post-nominal letters
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Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:29:00 GM
Each level has corresponding . post. -. nominal letters. : C.O.M. , O.O.M. and M.O.M.. The media schedule for the ceremony, recipients' names and additional information about the Order are attached. Please visit our Web site, www.gg.ca, ...
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