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| Abbess, Christian Orthodox Abbot, Christian Orthodox Accountant Acting Official Adjutant General Admiral Admiral, Texas Navy Adventist Minister Alderman Archbishop, Catholic Archbishop, Christian Orthodox Archdeacon, Episcopal Archimandrite Architect Archpriest Ambassador, Goodwill Ambassador of one country to another country Ambassador of the U.S. to another country by a U.S. citizen Ambassador of the U.S. to the U.K. American Indian Chief Assemblyman U.S., State / or Assemblywoman Assistant Secretary Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice of a State Supreme Court Astronaut Attorney Attorney General Attorney General, Assistant Attorney, U.S. Australian Officials Awards, Name on an
Baron, Baroness British Officials, Royalty, Nobility Brother, Catholic Brother, Christian Orthodox Bishop, Catholic Bishop, Christian Orthodox Bishop, Episcopal Board Member Boy Brigadier General Business Cards
Canadian Officials Candidate Captain, USA, USAF, USMC Cardinal Certificate, Name on a Chairman Federal Reserve Chairwoman Chancellor Chaplain in the Armed Services Chaplain of Congress Chargé d’Affaires Chief Executive Officer Chief Judge Chief Justice, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, of a State Supreme Court Chief of Police Chief of Staff Chief Operating Officer Child Chiropractor City Manager Clergy & Religious Officials Club Official Colonel, Kentucky Colonel, USA, USAF, or USMC Commandant Commissioner, Court Commissioner Commodore of a Yacht Club Congressman, U.S. Congresswoman, U.S. Consul and or Consul General Consultant Corporate Executive Councilman Councilwoman Counselor (Diplomat) Countess County Officials Couples U.S. Military U.S. Officials Private Citizens Same Sex Curator
Dalai Lama Deacon Dean, academic Dean, clergy Deceased Persons Degree, honorary Delegate, U.S., State Dentist Deputy Chief of Mission Deputy Marshal Deputy Secretary Designate, Elect, Pro Tempore Diploma, Name on a Diplomats Director District Attorney Doctor, Chiropractor Doctor of Dentistry Doctor of Medicine Doctor, Military Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Doctor, Optometrist Doctor of Osteopathy Doctor, Other Disciplines Doctorate Doctorate, honorary
Earl Elect, Designate Pro Tempore Emeritus/emerita Eminence Emperor Engineer Esquire, Esq. Excellency
Family Fiancee Firefighter First Names, Use of Formal / Informal First, Second, Third , etc . First Lady, Spouse of the President of the United States First Lady, Member of Her White House Staff First Lady, Spouse of a U.S. Governor or Lt. Gov. First Lady, Spouse of a U.S. Mayor First Lady of a Church First Lieutenant Former Officials Freeholder
Gay Couple Geshe General USA, USAF, USMC Girl Goodwill Ambassador Governor General Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Lt., Spouse Governor, Tribal Council Governor, U.S. State Governor, Former Governor Spouse of Governor's Staff, Member of Governors, Board of
High Commissioner Honorable, The Honorary Ambassador Honorary degrees Honorary doctorate Honourable, The Indian Chief Inspector General Interim Official Introductions Invitations Writing & Addressing Invitations Military: Writing & Addressing
Judge, former Judge of US City County or State Judge, US Federal Junior, Senior, I, II, III, etc . Justice, Associate Federal Supreme Court Justice, Associate State Supreme Court
King Knight
Late, The (deceased persons) Lawyer Lesbian Couple Lieutenant Lieutenant Colonel, USA, USAF, USMC Lieutenant General, USA, USAF, USMC Lieutenant Governor
Ma'am Major USA, USAF, USMC Major General, USA, USAF, USMC Man, business Man, social Marquess / Marchioness Married Women Marshal for a Judicial District, U.S. Mayor, U.S. City Mayor, Canadian City Mayor Pro Tempore Mayor, Vice Medic Minister, Protestant Clergy Miss Monk, Christian Orthodox Monsignor Most Reverend, The Mother Superior Mr. (Social) Mr. (Business) Mrs., Ms. (Use, Social Forms) Mrs. vs. Ms. Mr. & Mrs. / Couples
Name Badges or Tags Nobility, UK/British Nobility, Other & Former Nun, Catholic Nun, Orthodox Nurse
Officer, Police Optometrist Pastor, Christian Clergy Patriarch, Christian Orthodox Patriarch, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople People with Two Titles Permanent Representative Petty Officer Pharmacist Physician PhD Place Cards Plaque, Name on a Police Chief Police Officer Pope, Catholic Pope, Coptic Postmaster General Post-Nominal Abbreviations Presbyter, Orthodox President, corporate President of College or University President of a Secondary School President of a US State Assembly President (current) of the U.S.A. President (former) of the U.S.A. President of the U.S.A., spouse of President-elect of the U.S. Priest, Catholic Priest, Christian Orthodox Priest, Episcopal Prime Minister Principal Professionals & Academics Professor Pro Tempore, Elect, Designate Psychologist
Queen Rabbi Ranger, Texas Representative, U.S., Federal Representative, U.S., State Reservist, Military Resident Commissioner Retired Military 1. Formula For How to Address 2. Use of Rank by Retired Military 3. Q&A on How to Address Retired Military Retiree Reverend, The Right Reverend, The
Same Sex Couple Salvation Army School Board Member Second Lieutenant Secretary, U.S. Department, Member of the Cabinet Secretary of Defense, U.S. Secretary, Assistant Secretary General of the U.N. Senator, U.S., Federal Senator, U.S., State Senator, Canadian Senior, Junior, I, II, III, etc. Senior Judge Sergeant Sergeant at Arms Seventh Day Adventist Minister Sheriff Sister, Catholic Sir Solicitor General Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Specialist Spouse of the President of the U.S. Spouse of the Vice President of the U.S. Spouse of an Elected Official State Attorney Surgeon General Texas Ranger Titles & Forms of Address, Useless? Tombstones, Names on Town Justice Town Manager The Honorable Tribal Officials Two Titles, Person With Under Secretary US Attorney US Federal Officials US State Officials US Municipal Officials
Venerable, The Veteran (not Retired) Veterinarian Very Reverend, The VFW Officer/Official Vice Mayor Vice President of the U.S. Spouse of the Vice President of the U.S. Vice President-elect of the U.S. Viscount and/or Viscountess Warrant Officer Widow White House Staff Woman, business Woman, social Yacht Club Officer
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| How to Write a Name On a Grave Marker or Tombstone Questions & Answers, Frequently Asked Questions, and Blog
Site updated by Robert Hickey on 4 December 2019
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| See also: How to Write a Name on a Plaque, Award, Diploma or Certificate
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How Do I Write a Name on a Headstone? Daughters of a deceased United States Air Force Colonel have asked for my help for the wording on a headstone/gravestone. I am thinking of:. Col. John Patrick Delaney USAF, Retired -- Betty I want to purchase a paver (a personalized brick) in a local veterans memorial for my grandfather. He retired from the United States Army as a CW4. His name is Harold E Copper. Any ideas? -- JB Is it O.K. to put Esq. after my father's name on his headstone? He was very proud of being an attorney. -- Katie Dorset
My father was a physician. On his grave marker should I put Dr. before his name? Or MD after his name? -- Bruce Dear Betty, JB, Katie, and Bruce: Deceased persons just have their their NAME on grave markers. Honorifics (Mr., Mrs., Dr., etc.), ranks (captain, major, etc.), courtesy titles (excellency. honorable or reverend), and academic and other post-nominal abbreviations (MD, PhD, RN, etc.) – which are parts of a person's name at various times during their lives – are not included. The marker is for their whole life and their name was what they had the entire time. I'm not saying you don't see these elements included every now and then, but it's not what's traditional. When there is a desire to note roles and ranks they held during their lives – these are listed afterward their name. Military tombstones are a good model. In military cemeteries stones bear just the deceased NAME and other information, such as rank and branch of service, follows. "Retired" is never included. It was pertinent when the person was living and necessary to note that the person was not on active duty. So, if the family wants ranks or roles noted, the traditional style would be: (Full Name) Rank, Branch of Service Or: John Patrick Delaney Colonel USAF Or: Harold E Copper CW4 USA Or: John J Pershing General of the Armies of the United States Or: Theodore Isen Husband, Father and Friend See the photos below. -- Robert Hickey  
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Punctuation on Tombstones I am having a double cemetery headstone made for my parents. The surname will be in large letters in the center. Below and to the left will be my father’s first and middle name and on the right, my mother’s first and maiden surname. My father was a "Jr." My question regards punctuation. Is a comma placed after the middle name, before Jr.? John James, Jr. or John James Jr. -- Jan Dear Jan, I vote for no punctuation. Traditionally punctuation is not used on tombstones: no periods with middle initials; no commas after names or periods with sequence post-nominals like Jr or III. Stone carvers use elegant spacing to define the names: John James Jr -- Robert Hickey

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Order of Military Personnel's Names on a Memorial Our veterans association is placing a headstone in a cemetery for 13 armed services personnel who perished in a crash after takeoff from Wake Island in 1977. What is the correct order for listing the names of deceased crew members? Do we list them in descending order from the highest ranked officer to the lowest ranked enlisted, alphabetically by rank/rate, or alphabetically by last name? - JM
Dear JM, They definitely have to be "in order". The order you choose will show your view of the individual's listed. The rules of precedence would dictate that names be listed in precedence order: that is high to low If you look at WW1 memorials they are often officers first – in order first by rank & then by date of rank. Then enlisted personnel are listed next – in the same order. [I recently saw a feature on TV about a WW1 memorial in the South with "Colored" listed as a third category and an effort by members of the local community wanting to revise the listing on the bronze plaque.] This contrasts with what you see at the 9-11 Memorial at the Pentagon. There they were both armed services and civilian deaths in both the Pentagon and on the plane. They might have chosen to put them in order by rank, armed services personnel first, then civilians, last. This would be correct "by-the-book" based on established precedence lists. But that not what they did They put them in order by their age the day of the crash — youngest first -- oldest last. How could anyone disagree that the death of a infant wasn't a great loss? Thus the order selected sends a statement of the organizer's view of those remembered in the memorial. 1. Alphabetical by family name is defendable — in keeping with the idea that everyone is equal in death. 2. Since all were armed services personnel — rank order makes sense — reflecting their status in life within the group. So, I throw it back to you: Which will your committee decide feels right? – Robert Hickey
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Not Finding Your Question Answered? (1) At left is a list offices/officials covered and (2) below are other topics covered in my blog. Between the two I probably have what you are looking for. But after checking both lists if you don't see your question answered send me an e-mail. I am pretty fast at sending a reply: usually the next day (unless I am traveling.) If I think your question is of interest to others, I will post the question & answer – but I always change the names and specifics. -- Robert Hickey USE OF NAMES & HONORIFICS Mr., Miss, Jr., III, & Names Married Women Deceased Persons People with Two Titles Post-Nominal Abbreviations and Initials Sequence Post-Nominal Abbreviations: Sr., Jr., etc. Couples: Private Citizens / Joint Forms of Address Couples: U.S. Military / Joint Forms of Address Couples: U.S. Officials / Joint Forms of Address
USE OF SPECIFIC OFFICIAL TITLES Former Officials Professionals and Academics
United States Federal Officials, Currently In Office United States State Officials, Currently In Office United States Municipal Officials, Currently In Office All About The Honorable with U.S. Officials Former United States Officials of all types United States Armed Services Addressing Active Duty Personnel Addressing Retired Personnel Use of Rank by Retired Personnel Use of Rank by Veterans
Tribal Officials Clergy and Religious Officials Canadian Officials Australian Officials British Officials, Royalty, and Nobility Diplomats and International Representatives Foreign National Officials and Nobility SPECIFIC SITUATIONS Author's Name on His/Her Book Business Cards, Names on, Couples Introductions, Names in Invitations: Names on Invitations: Names of Armed Service Personnel on Name Badges & Tags Names on Programs, Signs, & Lists Naming a Building or Road Place Cards Plaques, Awards, Diplomas, Certificates, Names on Precedence: Ordering Officials Tombstones, Names on
Site updated by Robert Hickey on 4 December 2019
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