Introduction

A title of honour or honorary title is a title bestowed upon individuals or organisations as an award in recognition of their merits.

Sometimes the title bears the same or nearly the same name as a title of authority, but the person bestowed does not have to carry out any duties, except for ceremonial ones. The title may sometimes be temporary, only valid for the individual’s visit or for a single day, though they can also be permanent titles. In some cases, these titles are bestowed posthumously.

Some historical honorary titles may be bought, like certain titles of nobility. This has long been a matter of fraud, both outright and indirect. Honorary titles also serve as positions of sinecure and honorary retirement.

Refer to Victory Title.

Examples

Some examples of honorary titles from various areas include:

• Academician – Honorary title (academic)
• Fellow of an academic, artistic, or professional society
• Fire chief
• Freeman of the City of London
• Hero of the Russian Federation
• Honorary Colonel
• Honorary degree or position, such as honorary Professor
• Knight, Dame, or Companion of an honorific order
• Military positions (e.g. officer) and ranks (e.g. admiral), for people who are not part of the military
• New Knowledge Worker of Korea
• People’s Artist
• Honorary counsellors (neuvos) in Finland, such as valtioneuvos (Counsellor of State) and vuorineuvos (Counsellor of Mining)
• Last of the Romans

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