Entering Titles in Genealogy Programs:

When we find a family member with a title, how do we enter it in our genealogy program?

Titles are facts of importance.  They help define the individual and help in building family relationships.

Genealogy programs have a variety of fields to include information beyond simply the person’s name and dates and places of important events.  Fields such as Nickname, Prefix and Suffix fields exist to expand on the name.  Other fields such as Dynasty, Clan, House exist to identify family identities.  A program may have dozens of special fields.

Which field in our genealogy program should be used for the Title?  If the program has a “Prefix” field, the Prefix field is used for royalty.  The following applies:

• Title                                       Entry in Prefix Field

• Holy Roman Emperor         Emperor.

• King of Spain                       King.

• Queen of Carinthia             Queen.

• Priince of Egypt                  Prince.

• Princess of Austria             Princess.

• Duke of Bedford                 Duke.

• Duchess of Brittany           Duchess.

All ranks below are entered as Lord.or Lady. in the prefix field.  These ranks include: Earl, Thane, Count, Countess, Viscount, Viscountess, Marquess, Marchioness, Baron, and Baroness.  A Knight is entered as Sir.  His wife is entered as Lady. unless she possesses as higher ranked title.

Why did I put a period behind each title including Lord and Lady? So the title will not be confused as being part of the name.  Yes, there are people whose first name is King or Prince or even Lady.

Where do you enter the full title?  Most programs have many fields available for use such as:  Title of Nobility, Title(Nobility), Noble Rank, Noble Title, Peerage, etc.  Use the one that you feel best describes the individuals.  I use Title of Nobility.  For Archbishops, Nuns, Abbess, etc.  I use Title (Religion).  For Knights I use Title in the Other Section

No Prefix field in the program?  Use the Suffix field if available, in this case use the full title – King of Spain, Queen of Aragon, Prince of England, Duke of Bedford, Count of Autun, etc.

How do you enter titles for Political/Military.

I use the Prefix:  President, Governor, Sheriff, Col. Lt, Maj, General, Dr., Hon., Rev. etc. For full title, I use the Title field in the other section.

Suffix Field.  If you use the prefix for titles, use the suffix to complete the Title.  For instance if Henry V was King of England and you entered King in the Prefix Field, you may enter “of England” in the Suffix Field.  You may notice when you read about royalty in history, Henry V is usually called King Henry V of England not King of England, Henry V.  Occasionally see Henry V, King of England.  If you use the Prefix/Suffix method, you will have used the most commonly seen in articles.

Most titles are not present at birth.  Men/women are not usually born and Kings and Queens, Dukes, Earls, etc.  The titles are gained when a predecessor dies, at time of marriage, for a heroic act, by marriage, by conquest, etc.  Many titled persons have held multiple titles in their life.

Here is an example from my own lineage.  My 22^nd Great-Grandfather was Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, born in 1274.

This is how he is entered in my genealogy Program:

Surname:                  Bruce

Given Names:          Robert

Nickname:                The Bruce

Title (Prefix):            King.

Title (Suffix):            de Brus

In the Other Events section of his individual page, the following is entered:

Title of Nobility:  King of the Scots

Title of Nobility:  Earl of Carrick

Title of Nobility : 6^th Lord Annandale

I would think that my readers are English speakers and the genealogy program used is English language based.  The recommendations in this article are based on English being the user’s language.

Do we enter a title as we find it on a source document?  We can. The problem is that since our program is in English, most readers will not understand the title if in a foreign language.  A German Count is called a “Graf.”  If we enter an individual as Graf Johann of Berlin, will people understand that Graf is his title, or will they think his first name is Graf?  Even though there is no established rule, it makes sense to convert a foreign title to its English equivalent unless the individual is famous and has been known historically by the foreign title.  We probably should not change Czar Nicholas to King Nicholas, or Julius Caesar to Julius the King.

Titles and their rank are almost consistent throughout Europe.  However, there are some titles that do not directly convert.  For Instance, some countries have titles such as Crown Prince (heir to throne).  England doesn’t use that designation.  England’s heir is the Prince or Princess of Wales instead.  Sometimes a title can have more than one English equivalent.  This is usually because of an internal family relationship.  In Scotland, a Thane’s equivalent is based on how much land he holds.  He is usually a Marquess, but he can be equivalent to an Earl or a Baron.  These are unusual circumstances.  Most titles can be directly converted to the English equivalent.  Another inconsistency is the Title of Earl.  This title does not have a direct tie to most countries.  It is a carry-over from Anglo-Saxon times.  In most countries an Earl is equivalent to a Count.

Consorts:  If a female marries a royal male, she assumes the female equivalent of the husband’s title with a certain provision.  These following scenarios illustrate royal marriages.

1.  Isabel is the ruling Queen of Sicily.  She marries Robert III, King of Modavia.  He is King Robert III.  She is Queen Isabel.

2. Lady Ruth, the daughter of George, Earl of Berwick marries King Barney the 1^st of Scodovia.  They are King Barney and Queen Consort Ruth.