titles applied to names

The following rules apply to:

  • Academic titles
  • Honorific titles
  • Honorary titles
  • Formal titles
  • Academic titles
  • Royal titles
  • Military titles
  • Work titles
  • Government/elected titles

Titles before a name are only capitalized when:

  1. the title is a formal title, a royal/nobility title, an academic title, a military rank, or a legislative title
  2. AND used before a person’s name

Always capitalize at least the first word of any title if it’s the first word in the sentence or at the beginning of a line.

Example:

  • Professor Thurston Green, president of the Royal Society of Canine Breeders at Oxford University, met with King Charles III Thursday for tea.
  • Sincerely,
    Dr. Lindsey Lewis
    Secretary
    Society of Podiatry
  • Today, we remember Sen. Dianne Feinstein and movie star John Wayne.
  • Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Black woman to sit on the bench of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Otherwise, titles — including work titles, courtesy titles, and other titles — are not capitalized. Do not use honorifics in news such as Mr., Mrs., Mx. or Ms.

Example:

  • Although president of the board Robin Rex was new, they were determined to see change.
  • Sandra Day O’Connor, a justice for 25 years, was the first female on the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • Kamala Harris, the U.S. vice president, is the first woman to hold the office.