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Sir

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This article is about the title and honorific. For other uses, seeSir (disambiguation).

Siris a formalhonorificaddress inEnglishfor men, derived fromSirein theHigh Middle Ages.Both are derived from the old French "Sieur"(Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part of"Monsieur",with the equivalent" My Lord "in English. Traditionally, as governed by law and custom, Sir is used for men who areknightsand belong to certainorders of chivalry,as well as later applied tobaronetsand other offices. As the female equivalent for knighthood is damehood, thesuo jurefemale equivalent term is typicallyDame.The wife of a knight or baronet tends to be addressed asLady,although a few exceptions and interchanges of these uses exist.

Additionally, since thelate modern period,Sir has been used as a respectful way to address a man of superiorsocial statusormilitary rank.Equivalent terms of address for women areMadam(shortened to Ma'am), in addition to social honorifics such asMrs,MsorMiss.

Etymology[edit]

Sirderives from the honorific titlesire;siredeveloped alongside the wordseigneur,also used to refer to a feudal lord. Both derived from theVulgar Latinsenior,sirecomes from thenominative casedeclensionseniorandseigneur,theaccusative casedeclensionseniōrem.[1]

The form 'Sir' is first documented inEnglishin 1297, as the title of honour of a knight, and latterly abaronet,being a variant ofsire,which was already used in English since at leastc. 1205(after 139 years of Norman rule) as a title placed before a name and denoting knighthood, and to address the (male) Sovereign sincec. 1225,with additional general senses of 'father, male parent' is fromc. 1250,and 'important elderly man' from 1362.

Entitlement to formal honorific address by region[edit]

Commonwealth of Nations[edit]

SirThomas Troubridge, 1st Baronet,whose entitlement to use 'Sir' derived from his position as baronet

The prefix is used with the holder's given name or full name, but never with the surname alone. For example, whilst Sir Alexander and SirAlexander Flemingwould be correct, Sir Fleming would not.[2]

Emperor Taishō,a Stranger Knight of theOrder of the Garter,who, as a foreign national, was not entitled to use the prefix 'Sir' (which as a sovereign monarch he would not have used in any case) but was permitted to post-nominally useKG

Today, in the UK and in certain Commonwealthrealms,a number of men are entitled to the prefix of 'Sir', includingknights bachelor,knights of theorders of chivalryandbaronets;although foreign nationals can be awarded honorary knighthoods. Honorary knights do not bear the prefix "Sir" nor do they receive anaccolade;instead they use the associatedpost-nominal letters.[3]

Church of Englandclergy who receive knighthoods do also not receive an accolade and therefore do not use the title 'Sir', but instead refer to their knighthood using post-nominal letters.[2]For example, the ReverendJohn Polkinghorne,KBEwould never be referred to asSir John Polkinghorne.Clergy of other denominations may use different conventions.[2]

Only citizens ofCommonwealth realmsmay receive substantive knighthoods and have the privilege of the accompanying style. In general, only knighthoods in dynastic orders – those orders in the personal gift of the Sovereign and Head of the Commonwealth (the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle and the knighthoods in the Royal Victorian Order) – are recognised across the Commonwealth realms, along with their accompanying styles.

British knighthoods (in the Orders of the Bath, St. Michael and St. George, and in the Order of the British Empire, along with Knights Bachelor) were known asimperial honoursduring the existence of theBritish Empire.Those honours continued to be conferred as substantive, not honorary, awards by most Commonwealth realms into the 1990s. Since then, though former imperial honours are still awarded by certain Commonwealth realms, many of them have discontinued grants of British honours as they have developed their own honours systems, some of which include knighthoods. Today, British honours are only substantive for British nationals so recognised, including dual nationals,[4]and for nationals of those realms which have retained them as part of their honours systems.

Dual nationalrecipients of British knighthoods who hold British citizenship, such as academic and immunologist SirJohn Bell,are entitled to the style ofSiras their knighthoods are substantive. This may not necessarily be the case for dual nationals who are not British citizens and who instead hold citizenship of another Commonwealth realm. In 1974,Lynden Pindling,thePrime Minister of the Bahamas,recommended dual Bahamian-American citizenSidney Poitierfor an honorary knighthood as an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE), an imperial honour, as the Bahamas did not have its own honours system at the time. Although Poitier, as a Bahamian citizen by descent, was eligible for a substantive ('ordinary') award of the KBE, the Bahamian government preferred the knighthood to be honorary as Poitier was permanently residing in the United States.[5]Knighthoods in the gift of the government of a Commonwealth realm only permit the bearer to use his style within that country or as its official representative, provided he is a national of that country; knighthoods granted by other realms may be considered foreign honours. For instance,Anthony Baileywas reprimanded by Buckingham Palace and the British government in 2016 for asserting that an honorary Antiguan knighthood (which was revoked in 2017) allowed him the style of 'Sir' in the UK.[6]

The equivalent for a female who holds a knighthood or baronetcy in her own right is 'Dame', and follows the same usage customs as 'Sir'.[7]Although this form was previously also used for the wives of knights and baronets, it is now customary to refer to them as 'Lady', followed by their surname; they are never addressed using their full names. For example, while Lady Fiennes is correct, Lady Virginia and Lady Virginia Fiennes are not.[8][9]The widows of knights retain the style of wives of knights,[9]however widows of baronets are either referred to as 'dowager', or use their forename before their courtesy style. For example, the widow of SirThomas Herbert Cochrane Troubridge, 4th Baronet,would either be known asDowager Lady TroubridgeorLaura, Lady Troubridge.[10]

Barbados[edit]

Prior tobecoming a republicin November 2021, Barbados awarded the titleKnight or Dame of St. Andrewwithin theOrder of Barbados.This practice has now been discontinued, though individuals who received a knighthood or damehood when the country was still aCommonwealth realmmay continue to use the titles "Sir" and "Dame" within their lifetimes.

Commonwealth realms[edit]

United Kingdom[edit]
Antigua and Barbuda[edit]
Australia[edit]
  • Knight of theOrder of Australia(AK; for male Australian subjects only; discontinued 1986–2014, reintroduced briefly in 2014, again discontinued in 2015)[13][14]
Grenada[edit]
  • Knight Commander, Knight Grand Cross, or Knight Grand Collar of the Order of the Nation in theOrder of Grenada(KCNG/GCNG/KN)
New Zealand[edit]
Saint Lucia[edit]

India[edit]

Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varmawas the last surviving Knight Grand Commander of theOrder of the Star of India.

As part of the consolidation of thecrown colony of India,theOrder of the Star of Indiawas established in 1861 to reward prominent British and Indian civil servants, military officers and prominent Indians associated with the Indian Empire. TheOrder of the Indian Empirewas established in 1878 as a junior-level order to accompany the Order of the Star of India, and to recognise long service.

From 1861 to 1866, the Order of the Star of India had a single class of Knights (KSI), who were entitled to the style of 'Sir'. In 1866, the order was reclassified into three divisions: Knights Grand Commander (GCSI), Knights Commander (KCSI) and Companions (CSI); holders of the upper two degrees could use the title 'Sir'. From its creation in 1878 until 1887, the Order of the Indian Empire had a single class, Companion (CIE), which did not entitle the recipient to a style of knighthood.

In 1887, two higher divisions, Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) and Knight Commander (KCIE) were created, which entitled holders of those ranks to the style of 'Sir'. The last creations of knights of either order were made on 15 August 1947 upon Indian independence. All British honours and their accompanying styles were officially made obsolete in India when theDominion of Indiabecame a modernrepublic in the Commonwealth of Nationsin 1950, followed byIslamic Republic of Pakistanin 1956.

The Order of the Star of India became dormant in the Commonwealth realms from February 2009, and the Order of the Indian Empire after August 2010, when the last knights of the orders died.

Nigeria[edit]

InNigeria,holders of religioushonourslike theKnighthood of St. Gregorymake use of the word as a pre-nominal honorific in much the same way as it is used for secular purposes in Britain and the Philippines. Wives of such individuals also typically assume the title of Lady.

Non-Commonwealth Countries[edit]

Holy See[edit]

Knights and Dames ofpapal ordersmay elect the "Sir" or "Dame" prefix[citation needed]with post-nominal letters, subject to the laws and conventions of the country they are in. ThePope,thesovereignof theCatholic ChurchandVatican City,delegates the awardingorders of knighthoodtobishopsandGrand Masters.Their precedence is as follows:

For Example,Sir Burton P. C. Hall,KSS,KHSwould be the correct style for lay knights.

Lieutenants of theOrder of the Holy Sepulchre,are styled as "Your Excellency", such as H.E. Dame Trudy Comeau,DC*HS.

Catholic clergy who are invested as Knight Chaplains may use post-nominal letters, but must retain their clerical titles, likeRev. Robert Skeris,KCHS.

Knights and Dames ofpapal ordersare not allowed to use the prefix "Sir" or "Dame" in the United Kingdom, although they may use post-nominal letters. Not allowing the prefix is because the use of foreign titles is not permitted by the British Crown without a Royal Licence, and as a matter of policy (currently based on a Royal Warrant of 27 April 1932), a Royal Licence to bear any foreign title is never granted. On the other hand, allowing the post-nominal letters would be explained by the highest and lowest dignities being universal, a king was recognized as king everywhere, and also a knight: "though a Knight receive his Dignity of a Foreign Prince, he is so to be stiled in all Legal Proceedings within England.. and Knights in all Foreign Countries have ever place and precedency according to their Seniority of being Knighted"[16]

Ireland[edit]

Established in 1783 and primarily awarded to men associated with theKingdom of Ireland,Knights of theOrder of St. Patrickwere entitled to the style of 'Sir'. Regular creation of new knights of the order ended in 1921 upon the formation of theIrish Free State.With the death of the last knight in 1974, the Order became dormant.

Philippines[edit]

As a privilege of the members of the Order of theKnights of Rizal(Orden de Caballeros de Rizál), the prefix "Sir" is attached to their forenames while wives of Knights add the prefix "Lady" to their first names.[17]These apply to both spoken and written forms of address. The Knights of Rizal is the sole order of knighthood in the Philippines and a constituted[18]Order of Merit recognized by theOrders, decorations, and medals of the Philippines.[19]The prefix is appended with the relevant post-nominal according to their rank at the end of their names: Knight of Rizal (KR), Knight Officer of Rizal (KOR), Knight Commander of Rizal (KCR), Knight Grand Officer of Rizal (KGOR) and Knight Grand Cross of Rizal (KGCR). Among the notable members of the Knights of Rizal includeKing Juan Carlos I of Spainwho was conferred a Knight Grand Cross of Rizal on 11 February 1998.[20]

Combinations with other titles and styles[edit]

Military[edit]

In the case of a military officer who is also a knight, the appropriate form of address puts the professional military rank first, then the correct manner of address for the individual, then his name. Examples include:

Academic[edit]

This is also the case with academic ranks and titles, such as 'Professor'. For example,Patrick Batesonwas both a professor[note 2]and a knight bachelor; his correct title would be Professor Sir Patrick Bateson. However, the title of 'Doctor' (Dr.) is not used in combination with 'Sir', with the knighthood taking precedence. Knighted doctors are addressed as knights, though they may still use any post-nominal letters associated with their degrees.

Peers and nobility[edit]

Peers who have been knighted are neither styled as 'Sir' nor addressed as such in the formal sense of the style, as their titles of nobility take precedence. The same principle applies for the male heir apparent to a dukedom, marquessate or earldom, his eldest legitimate son (if he is the heir to a dukedom or marquessate with additional subsidiary peerages), and for the legitimate male issue of a duke or a marquess, who are styled 'Lord' followed by their first name. For instance, diplomat LordNicholas Gordon-Lennox,KCMG, KCVO, who was a younger son of theDuke of Richmond,continued to be styled as 'Lord Nicholas' following his knighthood in 1986, not 'Lord Sir Nicholas'. Other male heirs of an earl who lack courtesy titles, and the male heirs of a viscount or baron, do however use the style of 'Sir' if knighted, the style following that of 'The Hon', for example The Honourable SirCharles Algernon Parsons,OM, KCB, FRS.

Educational, military and other usage[edit]

Education system[edit]

'Sir', along with 'Miss' for women, is commonly used in the British school system to address teachers and other members of staff. Usage of these terms is considered a mark of respect, and can be dated back to the 16th century. The practice may have been an attempt to reinforce the authority of teachers from lower social classes among classes of largely upper class students.[23]Jennifer Coates, emeritus professor of English language and linguistics atRoehampton University,has criticised the use of the title for male teachers, saying that"'Sir' is a knight. There weren't women knights, but 'Miss' is ridiculous: it doesn't match 'Sir' at all. It's just one of the names you can call an unmarried woman ", and that" It's a depressing example of how women are given low status and men, no matter how young or new in the job they are, are given high status ".[23]This view is not unchallenged, however. The chief executive of the Brook Learning Trust, Debbie Coslett, said "... they call me 'Miss', I'm fine with that. They're showing respect by giving me a title rather than 'hey' or 'oi, you' or whatever", and dismissed the male/female issue as "just the way the English language works".[23]

In theSouthern United States,the term 'sir' is often used to address someone in a position of authority or respect, and is commonly used in schools and universities by students to address their teachers and professors. Whereas the British and Commonwealth female equivalent isMiss,students will often refer to female teachers asMa'am.[24]

In theNortheast United States,particularlyNew England,there remains influence of both the British and French traditions as noted above; in general parlance, teachers, authority-figures, and so forth, are referred to by a title of respect such as 'Sir' for males and 'Miss, Ms, or Mrs' for females: 'Miss' for unmarried, younger females; 'Ms' for senior, elder, or ranking females that may or may not be married (see article Ms/Mrs/Miss); and 'Mrs' for married or widowed females.

Military and police[edit]

If not specifically using their rank or title, 'sir' is used in theUnited States Armed Forcesto address a male commissioned officer. Lower-ranking andnon-commissioned officers,such as corporals or sergeants, are addressed using their ranks,[25]though in some of the branches (to be precise, in the Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard), "sir" can also be used to address a drill instructor although he is an NCO.

In theBritish Armed Forces,male commissioned officers andwarrant officersare addressed as 'sir' by all ranks junior to them, male warrant officers are addressed asMrby commissioned officers.[26]

In theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police(RCMP), onlycommissioned officersare addressed as 'sir'; NCOs andconstablesare addressed by their rank. MaleBritish policeofficers of the rank ofInspectoror above are addressed as 'Sir' (women of inspecting rank are called Ma'am).[citation needed]

In theHong Kong Police Force,male superiors are respectfully known by their surname followed by 'sir'. For example, Inspector Wong would be addressed or referred to as 'Wong-sir'. Male police officers are sometimes known colloquially as "Ah-sir" ( a Sir) to the wider public.[27]

Service industry[edit]

The term 'Sir' is also used frequently in the customer service industry, by employees to refer to customers, and sometimes vice versa. In the United States, it is much more common in certain areas (even when addressing male peers or men considerably younger). For example, a 1980 study showed that 80% of service interactions in the South were accompanied by 'Sir' orMa'am,in comparison to the Northern United States, where 'Sir' was only used 25% of the time.[24]

'Sir', in conjunction with 'Ma'am' or 'Madam', is also commonly used in thePhilippinesandSouth Asia,not only to address customers and vice versa, but also to address people of a higher social rank or age.[28][29][30][31]

Media[edit]

'Sir' is used as gender-neutral term to address superior ranking officers in the seriesStar TrekandThe Orville.[32]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^abcIn the personal gift of the Sovereign and Head of the Commonwealth.
  2. ^Note a difference in usage between British and US usage. A Professor in the UK is only used for the highest academic rank. Seea summary here.

References[edit]

  1. ^Ayres-Bennet, Wendy (1996). "The 'heyday' of Old French (French in the 12th and 13th centuries)".A History of the French Language Through Texts.London: Routledge.ISBN0415099994.
  2. ^abcdefghij"Knight".Debretts. Archived fromthe originalon 5 February 2014.Retrieved2 February2015.
  3. ^"The Knightage".Debretts. Archived fromthe originalon 19 October 2016.Retrieved10 October2017.
  4. ^"No. 61598".The London Gazette.1 June 2016. p. 12364.
  5. ^Award of Honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE) to Sidney Poitier, actor and joint United States and Bahamian citizen(Report). UK National Archives. 1974.Archivedfrom the original on 5 February 2020.Retrieved7 January2022.
  6. ^"Something of the Knight...",Private Eye,no, 1420, 10 June 2016
  7. ^"Baronetess".Debretts.Archived fromthe originalon 4 February 2014.Retrieved2 February2014.
  8. ^"Family of a Baronet".Debretts. Archived fromthe originalon 15 March 2015.Retrieved2 February2015.
  9. ^ab"Wife of a Knight".Debretts. Archived fromthe originalon 21 February 2015.Retrieved2 February2015.
  10. ^"Wife of a Baronet".Debretts. Archived fromthe originalon 16 March 2015.Retrieved2 February2015.
  11. ^Royal Household."The Queen and the UK > Queen and Honours > Royal Victorian Order".Queen's Printer.Archivedfrom the original on 19 July 2009.Retrieved17 February2019.
  12. ^"Baronet".Debretts. Archived fromthe originalon 19 February 2015.Retrieved3 February2015.
  13. ^"Knight /Dame of the Order of Australia".Australian Government.Archivedfrom the original on 17 July 2014.Retrieved3 February2014.
  14. ^"Australia PM Malcolm Turnbull drops knights and dames from honours system".BBC. 1 November 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 2 November 2015.Retrieved1 November2015.
  15. ^"New Zealand State Honours - The New Zealand Order of Merit".New Zealand Defence Force.Archived fromthe originalon 14 January 2015.Retrieved3 February2015.
  16. ^Velde, Francois."Foreign Titles in the UK".Heraldica.Archivedfrom the original on 5 March 2021.Retrieved24 November2020.
  17. ^Familienverband der Freiherren von Quast (25 October 2015)."Who is entitled to the prefix of 'Sir'?".Nobiliary law – Adelsrecht – Droit nobiliaire.Archivedfrom the original on 1 April 2019.Retrieved6 December2017.
  18. ^"Republic Act No. 646".Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.14 June 1951.Archivedfrom the original on 6 December 2017.Retrieved6 December2017.
  19. ^"Speech of President Aquino at the International Assembly and Conference of Rizal".Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines.17 February 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 6 December 2017.Retrieved6 December2017.
  20. ^R.A.U. Juchter van Bergen Quast (4 March 2015)."Entitlement to the prefix of 'sir'".Nobility News.Archivedfrom the original on 6 December 2017.Retrieved6 December2017.
  21. ^"Admiral of the Fleet Sir Bruce Austin Fraser".Royal Navy Flag Officers, 1904–1945.18 October 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 26 April 2009.
  22. ^Australian Dictionary of Biography:Field Marshal Sir Thomas Albert BlameyArchived28 July 2008 at theWayback Machine,adb.online.anu.edu.au
  23. ^abcPaton, Graeme (13 May 2014)."Stop calling teachers 'Miss' or 'Sir', pupils are told".The Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on 20 March 2018.Retrieved4 February2014.
  24. ^abHudley, Anne; Mallinson, Christine (2011). "A Regional and Cultural Variety".Understanding English Language Variation in U.S. Schools.New York, US: Teachers College Press.ISBN9780807751480.
  25. ^Rush, Robert S. (2010).NCO Guide(9th ed.). PA, US: Stackpole Book. p. 328.ISBN9780811736145.
  26. ^"Frequently Asked Questions".RAF. Archived fromthe originalon 2 May 2010.Retrieved4 February2015.
  27. ^Guldin, Gregory Eliyu (1992).Urbanizing China.Greenwood Publishing Group.p. 171.
  28. ^Holtzapple, Katarina (3 March 2019)."A Conversation about" Ma'am/Sir "".The Gazelle.Archivedfrom the original on 9 October 2020.Retrieved8 October2020.
  29. ^Orante, Bea (14 August 2015)."Netizens react: Is it time to let go of 'Ma'am, Sir'?".Rappler.Archivedfrom the original on 26 September 2021.Retrieved8 October2020.
  30. ^Estrada-Claudio, Sylvia (13 January 2014)."Don't call me Madam".Rappler.Archivedfrom the original on 8 November 2020.Retrieved8 October2020.
  31. ^Martin, Bob (9 July 2007)."Philippine Society can be very formal".Live In The Philippines.Archivedfrom the original on 12 October 2020.Retrieved8 October2020.
  32. ^Rahman, Ray (10 September 2017)."The Orville: Seth MacFarlane discusses sci-fi, spaceships, and politics".Entertainment.Archivedfrom the original on 17 April 2022.Retrieved17 April2022.

External links[edit]

Look upsirin Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
  • Sir– Online Etymology Dictionary
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