Post-nominal letters

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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.

Examples of post-nominal letters:

• A Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire is authorized to use the postnominal KBE.
• A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects is authorized to used the postnominal FAIA.
• A Doctor of Philosophy is authorized to use the postnominal PhD (or, in some cases, DPhil).
• A Franciscan friar (the Order of Friars Minor) uses the postnominal OFM.
• A graduate of the University of Cambridge can add Cantab. after their name, and a graduate of Oxford University can add Oxon.; both will usually be added after specifying the type of degree: For example, John Smith BA (Cantab).

Post-nominal letters are one of the main types of name suffix.

[edit] Usage

Letters are listed in the following order after the person's name in the UK (other countries have analogous practices):^[1]

1. Bart., Gent. or Esq.
2. Civil honours and decorations (in descending order of precedence)
3. Military honours and decorations (in descending order of precedence)
4. Appointments (for example, QC for Queen's Counsel, MP for member of parliament)
5. Academic degrees (in ascending order: bachelor's degrees first, followed by master's degrees, then doctorates)^[2]
6. Religious orders (for example, OFM)
7. Fellowship or membership of learned societies or professional institutions (for example, RA, FRCP)
8. Membership of the armed forces

Only the highest degree of the order or type is ever used, even if the person has been awarded lower degrees. For example,

• Jane Montrose, DCB and not Jane Montrose, DCB CB (Dame Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath ranks higher than Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath)

However, when the awarding university is listed, and the degrees are from different institutions, the lower degrees are included (such as John Smith, BA Wales MA London, but Jane Doe, MA Virginia).

[edit] See also

• List of post-nominal letters
• Suffix (name)
• Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom
• Pre-nominal letters
• Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council
• Roman Catholic religious order

[edit] References

1. ^ "Honours and Decorations". Ministry of Justice. 2008-12-04. http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/foa-hons-and-decs.htm. Retrieved on 2008-12-06. 
2. ^ "Oxford University Calendar: Notes on style". Oxford University Gazette. 2008-07-04. http://www2.ox.ac.uk/gazette/calendar/style.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-12-12. 

• UK Honours (Cabinet Office Ceremonial Secretariat)