General · EdgepediaSeptember 17, 202610 min read

Sir

Sir is a formal honorific prefix in the British honors system, conferred by the Sovereign on baronets, knights bachelor, and knights of the first two classes of certain orders of chivalry; it is prefixed to the bearer's Christian name and is never used with the surname alone¹^•². The same word, uncapitalized, also serves as a polite form of address to any man whose name is not stated, a use that predates its restriction to knighthood³^•¹. A knighthood cannot be bought, and it carries no military obligations to the Sovereign⁴.

Key fact	Detail
Who bears it	Baronets, knights bachelor, and knights of the first two classes of orders of chivalry; the prefix is attached to the Christian name, never the surname alone¹^•⁵
Knight bachelor	An appointment dating from the medieval period rather than an order of chivalry; conferred on men only, with no post-nominal letters and no direct female equivalent⁶
Dame	Conferral of the first two ranks of the Order of the British Empire brought "Sir" for a man; "Dame" for a woman was that order's innovation⁷
Correct address	"Sir John" in speech and formal reference; no prefix or post-nominals in the signature⁸^•⁹
Honorary knights	Foreign citizens are not dubbed and may not use "Sir" or "Dame"; their wives may not use "Lady", but post-nominals such as KBE are permitted⁴^•⁹
Forfeitures	Recorded forfeitures of honors: 0 in 2019, 12 in 2020, 0 in 2021, and 0 in 2022¹⁰
New Zealand	Reinstated "Sir" and "Dame" for the two highest grades of its Order of Merit in 2008; 72 of 85 eligible members chose redesignation¹¹

Definition and scope

As a definite style, Sir is confined in the dominions of the British crown to baronets, knights of the various orders, and knights bachelor, and it is never used with the surname only, being prefixed to the Christian name of the bearer, as in Sir William Jones¹. Modern dictionaries record the same rule: the title is used with a first name or with both first and family names, but never with just the family name⁵, and it appears in front of the name of a knight or baronet². In the United Kingdom the word denotes both the hereditary title of baronet, ranked below the peerage and above the knightly orders and awarded only to men, and the life knightly orders, where the title belongs only to recipients of the two highest classes³.

Generic address. Lowercase sir is also a polite form of address to any adult man when no name is given, in the sense of "mister"³; a shop assistant, for example, might address a male customer as sir². This polite use is the older one: the prefix, like the French sire, was originally applied loosely to any person of position as a mere honorific distinction, the equivalent of the Latin dominus (lord), as it still is in polite address¹. A 1911 reference also recorded "Sir" as a style used in addressing the king or a prince of the blood royal, and described the French form "Sire" as obsolete¹.

Etymology and origins

The word descends from the French sire, like sieur a variant of seigneur, from the Latin senior, the comparative of senex, "old"¹; a Croatian reference work glosses the Old French sire as "feudal lord"³.

Attachment to knighthood. John Selden, in his book Titles of Honor, points out that as a distinct title "prefixed to the Christian names in compellations and expressions of knights" its use "is very ancient", and that in the reign of Edward I it was "so much taken to be parcel of their names" that English Jews merely transliterated it in their documents¹. In the case of baronets, the prefix "Sir" before the Christian name was ordained by King James I when he created the baronetage¹.

Which honors confer the title

Knight bachelor. The appointment of Knight Bachelor originates from the medieval period and does not constitute a Royal Order; it is an appointment, conferred on men only, and the Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor, founded in 1908, acts as the Registry for Knights Bachelor⁶. Recipients have the title Sir but do not have post-nominal letters, and there is no direct equivalent appointment for women⁶.

Orders of chivalry. The life knightly orders include the Garter, Thistle, Bath, St Michael and St George, Royal Victorian Order, and Order of the British Empire, in multi-class orders, the title belongs to recipients of the two highest classes³. The first and second classes of the Order of St Michael and St George carry the titles Dame or Sir⁶. The Royal Victorian Order, founded by Queen Victoria in 1896, stands apart in that all its awards are given at the discretion of the Sovereign and not on the advice of the Prime Minister⁶.

The Order of the British Empire. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire was constituted in five ranks modeled on the French Legion of Honour, with a military division added in December 1918⁷. Conferral of its first two ranks brought with it the title of "Sir" for a man; the title of "Dame" for a woman was an innovation of the order⁷.

Titular and non-titular distinctions. Two Sovereign-gift honors carry no title at all. The Order of Merit, founded by King Edward VII on 23 June 1902, is restricted to 24 members as well as additional foreign recipients, is in the sole gift of the Sovereign, and carries no rank apart from the initials OM after the name¹². The Order of the Companions of Honour was created in 1917 with 18 original appointments connected to the war effort, including four women, and is now restricted to 65 Members from across the Commonwealth, along with Honorary Members in addition to the 65⁶.

Clergy. Clergy who are made knights follow a customary practice of not being dubbed, since wielding a sword is considered unsuited to their vocation, and they likewise cannot adopt the title "Sir".⁴

Forms of address and protocol

The title precedes first name and surname in its full form, while in direct address it is used before the personal name only³; a knight is formally addressed and referred to as "Sir John"⁸. New Zealand guidance says the prefix "Sir" or "Dame" and post-nominals should not be included as part of the signature⁹.

Post-nominals. The Sovereign awards knighthoods of two kinds: membership in the various chivalric orders, shown by the relevant post-nominal letters (such as GCMG, GCVO, and KCB), and knights bachelor, who in ordinary correspondence receive no letters after their name, the title "Sir" before it being deemed sufficient⁸. A recipient may use his title, which is conferred for life, and attach the appropriate letters from the date of the announcement in the London Gazette, without waiting for the accolade to be conferred⁸.

The accolade. In the knighting ceremony the knight-elect kneels on a knighting-stool and the King dubs the knight by laying a bare sword blade on the knight's right shoulder, then the left, before awarding the insignia; Dames are not dubbed with the sword in this way⁴.

Feminine equivalents. The feminine equivalent of the title "sir" is legally "dame" (domina), though in ordinary usage as recorded in 1911 it was "lady"¹. Damehoods are confined to the orders of chivalry, and a dame may use the appropriate post-nominal letters after her name⁹.

By the numbers

The titular distinctions are small by design. The Order of Merit is restricted to 24 members plus additional foreign recipients¹², and the Companions of Honour to 65 Members from across the Commonwealth⁶.

Forfeiture counts. The government's fifth report on the honors system records forfeitures of 0 in 2019, 12 in 2020, 0 in 2021, and 0 in 2022¹⁰. Since 1900, at least eight knights bachelor have been stripped of that honor, including Roger Casement, Joseph Jonas, Lord Kagan, Jack Lyons, Terry Lewis, Fred Goodwin, James Crosby, and Alan Davies, while only one Dame in a United Kingdom order, Jean Else (DBE), has ever had her honor revoked¹¹.

Redesignation uptake. When New Zealand reinstated knightly titles in 2008, 72 of the 85 members eligible for redesignation, almost 85 percent, chose to accept the offer of a knightly title¹¹.

Use across the Commonwealth and honorary awards

Who may use the title. Formal use of "Sir" and "Dame" in the United Kingdom is addressed in a London Gazette notice and a 2016 Hansard written answer¹³^•¹⁴. According to the same response, when a national of a Realm who does not hold British nationality receives a knighthood from their own country, that title is accorded official courtesy in the United Kingdom, whereas knighthoods given to dual British nationals are not granted such recognition¹⁴.

New Zealand. One of the early acts of New Zealand's National-led Government elected at the end of 2008 was to reinstate the titles "Knight" and "Dame" and their prefixes "Sir" and "Dame" for the two highest grades of the New Zealand Order of Merit, applying to future awards and to members appointed since 2000 who chose redesignation¹¹.

Honorary awards. Someone receives an "honorary award" if they have given service to the UK and are neither British nor a national of a country where The King is Head of State⁶. Occasionally, nationals of other countries are granted honorary knighthoods or damehoods under UK orders; such honourees are never dubbed with a sword and may not style themselves "Sir" or "Dame"⁴. The King grants these knighthoods, following guidance from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to foreigners whose efforts have notably strengthened ties between Britain and their own nations.⁴ Honorary knights and dames are not entitled to use the titles "Sir" or "Dame", and the wife of an honorary knight may not use the courtesy title "Lady", but honorary knights and dames may use the appropriate post-nominal letters⁹. The rule runs in both directions: British nationals who have been awarded an honor by another country may not use any associated title that the award might bestow in the United Kingdom¹³.

Revocation and recent changes

Honours are bestowed by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom in the role of "fount of honour" (the Sovereign's role as origin and grantor of all honors)¹⁰. Under the royal prerogative, the Sovereign can award honors and can also rescind them; the last public ceremony of degradation from knighthood took place in 1621¹¹.

The forfeiture process. Recommendations to remove honors are considered by the Forfeiture Committee, whose recommendations are submitted through the Prime Minister to the King for approval¹⁰. Acting on recommendations from the Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), 2021 brought new policies concerning how honors may be stripped away: the count of "hard triggers" prompting automatic forfeiture review rose from two to four, and anyone found guilty of a sexual offense is now automatically reviewed for forfeiture no matter what sentence is imposed¹⁰.

Deprivation cases. Besides the eight knights bachelor and one Dame stripped since 1900 noted above, three men have been expelled from the titular levels of United Kingdom orders of knighthood, excluding foreign and honorary members of orders: Lord Kylsant (GCMG), Anthony Blunt (KCVO), and Albert Henry (KBE)¹¹.

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Conflict and security › Ranks, honours, and service traditions › Orders of merit and state honours

Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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