# Signature

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Mark made as a proof of identity and intent

Not to be confused with [Autograph](/source/Autograph). For the use of signatures within the Wikipedia community, see [Wikipedia:Signature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Signature). For other uses, see [Signature (disambiguation)](/source/Signature_(disambiguation)).

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 [John Hancock](/source/John_Hancock)'s signature is the most prominent on the [United States Declaration of Independence](/source/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence) and the [Articles of Confederation](/source/Articles_of_Confederation). The name "John Hancock" or just "Hancock" has become a synonym for "signature" in the United States.[1]

A **signature** ([/ˈsɪɡnɪtʃər, ˈsɪɡnətʃər/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English); from [Latin](/source/Latin_language): *signare*, "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, [handwritten](/source/Handwriting) or stylized. The writer of a signature is a **signatory** or **signer**. A signature may be confused with an [autograph](/source/Autograph), which is chiefly an artistic signature. This can lead to confusion when people have both an autograph and signature and as such some people in the public eye keep their signatures private whilst fully publishing their autograph.

## Function and types

### Identification

Signature of [Benjamin Franklin](/source/Benjamin_Franklin) (1706–1790)

Signature of [Empress](/source/Shahbanu) [Farah Pahlavi](/source/Farah_Pahlavi) of [Iran](/source/Iran) (1938–) in [Persian](/source/Persian_language) handwriting

Signature of [Sava I of Serbia](/source/Sava_I_of_Serbia) (1169/1174–1236), the first [Archbishop of Serbia](/source/Archbishop_of_Serbia), in the [Cyrillic alphabet](/source/Cyrillic_alphabet). Here, the letters [А](/source/A_(Cyrillic)) and [В](/source/Ve_(Cyrillic)) are combined into a single [digraph](/source/Digraph_(orthography))

The traditional function of a signature is to permanently affix to a document a person's uniquely personal, undeniable self-identification as physical evidence of that person's personal witness and certification of the content of all, or a specified part, of the document. For example, the role of a signature in many consumer [contracts](/source/Contracts) is not solely to provide evidence of the identity of the contracting party, but also to provide evidence of deliberation and informed consent.

In the United States, signatures encompass marks and actions of all sorts that are indicative of identity and intent. The legal rule is that unless a statute specifically prescribes a particular method of making a signature it may be made in any number of ways. These include by a mechanical or rubber stamp [facsimile](/source/Facsimile). A signature may be made by the purported signatory; alternatively someone else duly authorized by the signatory, acting in their presence and at their direction, may make the signature.[2]

Many individuals have much more fanciful signatures than their normal [cursive](/source/Cursive) writing, including elaborate [ascenders](/source/Ascender_(typography)), [descenders](/source/Descender) and exotic [flourishes](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/flourish), much as one would find in [calligraphic](/source/Calligraphic) writing. As an example, the final "k" in [John Hancock](/source/John_Hancock)'s famous signature on the US Declaration of Independence loops back to underline his name. This kind of flourish is also known as a *[paraph](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/paraph)*, a [French](/source/French_language) term meaning flourish, initial or signature. The paraph is used in [graphology](/source/Graphology) analyses.

Several cultures whose languages use writing systems other than alphabets do not share the Western notion of signatures per se: the "signing" of one's name results in a written product no different from the result of "writing" one's name in the standard way. For these languages, to write or to sign involves the same written characters.

### Mark in lieu of signature

Fingerprints may be used instead of signatures where the signer is illiterate, such as this Indian legal document from 1952

In some jurisdictions, an [illiterate](/source/Illiterate) signatory can make a "mark" (often an "X" but occasionally a personalized symbol) on legal documents, so long as the document is countersigned by a literate witness.[3] Courts in [England and Wales](/source/England_and_Wales) are generally likely to recognise such a mark as legally valid.[4] In some countries, illiterate people place a thumbprint on legal documents in lieu of a written signature.

### Mechanically produced signatures

Main article: [Autopen](/source/Autopen)

徐永裕印; *Xú Yǒngyù yìn*, rotating character seal of *Xú Yǒngyù*

Special signature machines, called [autopens](/source/Autopen), are capable of automatically reproducing an individual's signature. These are typically used by people required to sign a lot of printed matter, such as celebrities, heads of state or CEOs.[5] More recently, [Members of Congress](/source/Member_of_Congress) in the United States have begun having their signature made into a [TrueType](/source/TrueType) font file. This allows staff members in the Congressman's office to easily reproduce it on correspondence, legislation, and official documents. In the East Asian languages of [Chinese](/source/Chinese_language), [Japanese](/source/Japanese_language), and [Korean](/source/Korean_language), people traditionally use stamp-like objects known as *name-[seals](/source/Seal_(East_Asia))* with the name carved in *tensho* script (*[seal script](/source/Seal_script)*) in lieu of a handwritten signature.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

### Wet signatures

A wet signature is a person's name written in their own hand with ink. Some government agencies require that professional persons or official reviewers sign originals and all copies of originals to authenticate that they personally viewed the content. In many countries, signatures must be made, witnessed and recorded in the presence of a [notary public](/source/Notary_public) to carry legal force in specific contexts. In the United States this is prevalent with architectural and construction plans.

### Online usage

Main article: [Signature block](/source/Signature_block)

See also: [Real-name system](/source/Real-name_system)

In [e-mail](/source/E-mail) and [newsgroup](/source/Newsgroup) usage, another type of signature exists which is independent of one's language. Users can set one or more lines of custom text known as a [signature block](/source/Signature_block) to be automatically appended to their messages. This text usually includes a name, contact information, and sometimes quotations and [ASCII art](/source/ASCII_art). A shortened form of a signature block, only including one's name, often with some distinguishing prefix, can be used to simply indicate the end of a [post](/source/Posting_style) or response. Some web sites also allow graphics to be used. Note, however, that this type of signature is not related to [electronic signatures](/source/Electronic_signature) or [digital signatures](/source/Digital_signature), which are more technical in nature and not directly understandable by humans.

### Pre-signed signature pages

For guidance applicable in [England and Wales](/source/England_and_Wales) on the use of pre-signed signature pages being subsequently attached to documents to effect a "virtual" signing, see [Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989#Validity of execution under Mercury](/source/Law_of_Property_(Miscellaneous_Provisions)_Act_1989#Validity_of_execution_under_Mercury).

## Detection of forged signatures

Further information: [Postal voting in the United States § Signature verification process](/source/Postal_voting_in_the_United_States#Signature_verification_process)

Handwriting experts say "it is extremely difficult for anyone to be able to figure out if a signature or other very limited writing sample has been forged."[6] High volume review of signatures, to decide if a signature is true or forged, occurs when election offices decide whether to accept [absentee ballots](/source/Absentee_ballot) arriving from voters,[7] and possibly when banks decide whether to pay [checks](/source/Cheque#Cheque_fraud).[8][9] The highest error rates in signature verification are found with lay people, higher than for computers, which in turn make more errors than experts.[10]

There have been concerns that signature reviews improperly reject ballots from young and minority voters at higher rates than others, with no or limited ability of voters to appeal the rejection.[11] [12] When errors are made with bank checks, the payer can ask the bank for corrections.

In 2018, a fifth of adults in the United Kingdom said they sign so rarely they have no consistent signature, including 21% of people 18-24 and 16% of people over age 55. 55% of UK adults said they rarely sign anything.[13]

Researchers have published error rates for computerized signature verification. They compare different systems on a common database of true and false signatures. The best system falsely rejects 10% of true signatures, while it accepts 10% of forgeries. Another system has error rates on both of 14%, and the third-best has error rates of 17%.[14][15] It is possible to be less stringent and reject fewer true signatures, at the cost of also rejecting fewer forgeries.[16] Computer algorithms:

look for a certain number of points of similarity between the compared signatures ... a wide range of algorithms and standards, each particular to that machine's manufacturer, are used to verify signatures. In addition, counties have discretion in managing the settings and implementing manufacturers' guidelines ... there are no statewide standards for automatic signature verification ... most counties do not have a publicly available, written explanation of the signature verification criteria and processes they use.[17]

In an experiment, experts rejected 5% of true signatures and 71% of forgeries. They were doubtful about another 57% of true signatures and 27% of forgeries. If computer verification is adjusted to reflect what experts are sure about, it will wrongly reject 5% of true signatures and wrongly accept 29% of forgeries. If computers were adjusted more strictly, rejecting all signatures which experts have doubts about, the computers would set aside 62% of true signatures, and still wrongly accept 2% of forgeries. Lay people made more mistakes and were doubtful less often, though the study does not report whether their mistakes were to accept more forgeries or reject more true signatures.[18]

Voters with short names are at a disadvantage, since experts make more mistakes on signatures with fewer "turning points and intersections." Participants in this study had 10 true signatures to compare to, which is more than most postal ballot verifications have.[18] A more recent study for the US Department of Justice confirms the probabilistic nature of signature verification, though it does not provide numbers.[10]

## Art

[Vermeer](/source/Vermeer)'s signature

The **signature** on a painting or other work of art is an important factor in assessing [provenance](/source/Provenance). Fake signatures are sometimes added to enhance the value of a painting, or are added to a fake painting to support its authenticity. A notorious case was the signature of [Johannes Vermeer](/source/Johannes_Vermeer) on the fake "Supper at Emmaus" made by the art forger [Han van Meegeren](/source/Han_van_Meegeren). However, the fact that painters' signatures often vary over time (particularly in the modern and contemporary periods) might complicate the issue. The signatures of some painters take on an artistic form that may be of less value in determining forgeries.

If a painting is [abstract](/source/Abstract_painting) or [ambiguous](/source/Ambiguous_figure), the signature may be the only clue to determine which side is up.

## Copyright

Under British law, the appearance of signatures (not the names themselves) may be protected under [copyright law](/source/Copyright_law_of_the_United_Kingdom).[19]

Under [United States copyright law](/source/Copyright_law_of_the_United_States), "titles, names [I c...]; mere variations of typographic ornamentation, lettering, or coloring" are not eligible for copyright;[20] however, the appearance of signatures (not the names themselves) may be protected under copyright law.[19]

## Uniform Commercial Code

[Uniform Commercial Code](/source/Uniform_Commercial_Code) §1-201(37) of the United States generally defines **signed** as "using any symbol executed or adopted with present intention to adopt or accept a writing". The Uniform Commercial Code §3-401(b) for [negotiable instruments](/source/Negotiable_instruments) states "A signature may be made (i) manually or by means of a device or machine, and (ii) by the use of any name, including a [trade](/source/Trademark) or assumed name, or by a word, mark, or symbol executed or adopted by a person with present intention to authenticate a writing."

## See also

Listen to this article (5 minutes)

[This audio file](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Signature.ogg) was created from a revision of this article dated 21 May 2006 (2006-05-21), and does not reflect subsequent edits.

([Audio help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Media_help) · [More spoken articles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Spoken_articles))

- [Autograph club](/source/Autograph_club)

- *[Autograph Collector Magazine](/source/Autograph_Collector_Magazine)*

- [Biometric signature](/source/Biometric_signature) as form of the [electronic signature](/source/Electronic_signature)

- [Builder's signature](/source/Builder's_signature)

- [Initials](/source/Initials)

- [Images of signatures](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Images_of_signatures)

- *[manu propria](/source/Manu_propria)* (*m.p.*)

- [Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence](/source/Memorial_to_the_56_Signers_of_the_Declaration_of_Independence), includes depicted signatures

- [Monogram](/source/Monogram)

- [Pawtograph](/source/Pawtograph), an animal's paw print

- [Round-robin (document)](/source/Round-robin_(document)), a signed document where the signatures are arranged in a circle

- [Royal sign-manual](/source/Royal_sign-manual)

- [Shakespeare's handwriting](/source/Shakespeare's_handwriting)

- [Signum manus](/source/Signum_manus)

- [Tughra](/source/Tughra)

- [Huaya](/source/Huaya)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["John Hancock"](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/john%20hancock). *Merriam-Webster*. Retrieved 2 August 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** 80 [Corpus Juris Secundum](/source/Corpus_Juris_Secundum), Signatures, sections 2 through 7

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Horton v. Murden, 117 Ga. 72"](https://cite.case.law/ga/117/72/). *Caselaw Access Project*. Harvard Law School. 1903. Retrieved 10 October 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Gill, C., [Law Commission report on electronic signatures](https://www.walkermorris.co.uk/comment-opinion/law-commission-report-on-electronic-signatures/), *Walker Morris*, published on 26 September 2019, accessed on 15 June 2025

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["10 facts about the 'autopen' - POLITICO"](https://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/autopen-barack-obama-10-facts-085720). *[Politico](/source/Politico)*. 3 January 2013.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-prop_6-0)** Armitage, Susie (2018-11-05). ["Handwriting Disputes Cause Headaches for Some Absentee Voters"](https://www.propublica.org/article/handwriting-disputes-cause-headaches-for-some-absentee-voters). *ProPublica*. Retrieved 2020-06-01.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-ncsl-allmap_7-0)** ["Voting Outside the Polling Place: Absentee, All-Mail and Other Voting at Home Options"](https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voting-outside-the-polling-place). *[National Conference of State Legislatures](/source/National_Conference_of_State_Legislatures)*. Retrieved 2024-11-05.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-sqn_8-0)** ["What Is Automated Signature Verification?"](https://sqnbankingsystems.com/blog/what-is-automated-signature-verification/). *SQN Banking Systems*. Retrieved 2020-08-07.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-mayhew_9-0)** Mayhew, Stephen (2012-05-14). ["Banks Are Now Embracing The Newer And Tougher Signature Verification System"](https://www.biometricupdate.com/201205/banks-are-now-embracing-the-newer-and-tougher-signature-verification-system). *Biometric Update*. Retrieved 2020-08-07.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-comp-methods_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-comp-methods_10-1) Srihari, Sangur (December 2010). [Computational Methods for Handwritten Questioned Document Examination](https://nij.ojp.gov/library/publications/computational-methods-handwritten-questioned-document-examination) (Report). [National Institute of Justice](/source/National_Institute_of_Justice).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-aclu_11-0)** Smith, Daniel (2018-09-18). ["Vote-By-Mail Ballots Cast in Florida"](https://web.archive.org/web/20201202043232/https://www.aclufl.org/sites/default/files/aclufl_-_vote_by_mail_-_report.pdf) (PDF). *ACLU-Florida*. Archived from [the original](https://www.aclufl.org/sites/default/files/aclufl_-_vote_by_mail_-_report.pdf) (PDF) on 2020-12-02. Retrieved 2020-06-01.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-who_12-0)** Wilkie, Jordan (2018-10-12). ["Exclusive: High Rate of Absentee Ballot Rejection Reeks of Voter Suppression"](https://whowhatwhy.org/2018/10/12/exclusive-high-rate-of-absentee-ballot-rejection-reeks-of-voter-suppression/). *Who What Why*. Retrieved 2020-06-18.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-spy_13-0)** ["Sign Of The Times - One In Five Adults Don't Have Their Own Signature"](https://www.onlinespyshop.co.uk/blog/sign-of-the-times-one-in-five-adults-dont-have-their-own-signature/). *OSS Technology*. 2018. Retrieved 2021-03-19.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-hafe-lr_14-0)** These systems handle scanned ("offline") signatures from multiple people ("WI, writer-independent"). Hafemann, Luiz G.; Sabourin, Robert; Oliveira, Luiz S. (2017-10-16). "Offline handwritten signature verification — Literature review". *2017 Seventh International Conference on Image Processing Theory, Tools and Applications (IPTA)*. IEEE. pp. 1–8. [arXiv](/source/ArXiv_(identifier)):[1507.07909](https://arxiv.org/abs/1507.07909). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1109/IPTA.2017.8310112](https://doi.org/10.1109%2FIPTA.2017.8310112). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-5386-1842-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-5386-1842-4). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [206932295](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:206932295).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-bibi_15-0)** Bibi, Kiran; Naz, Saeeda; Rehman, Arshia (2020-01-01). ["Biometric signature authentication using machine learning techniques: Current trends, challenges and opportunities"](https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-019-08022-0). *Multimedia Tools and Applications*. **79** (1): 289–340. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1007/s11042-019-08022-0](https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs11042-019-08022-0). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1573-7721](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1573-7721). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [199576552](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:199576552).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-igarza_16-0)** Igarza, Juan; [Goirizelaia, Iñaki](/source/I%C3%B1aki_Goirizelaia); Espinosa, Koldo; Hernáez, Inmaculada; Méndez, Raúl; Sanchez, Jon (2003-11-26). [*Online Handwritten Signature Verification Using Hidden Markov Models*](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220842960). CIARP 2003. Vol. 2905. pp. 391–399. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1007/978-3-540-24586-5_48](https://doi.org/10.1007%2F978-3-540-24586-5_48).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-stan_17-0)** ["Signature Verification and Mail Ballots: Guaranteeing Access While Preserving Integrity"](https://www-cdn.law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/FINAL-Signature-Verification-Report-4-15-20.pdf) (PDF). Stanford University. 2020-04-15. Retrieved 2020-06-01.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-sita_18-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-sita_18-1) Sita, Jodi; Found, Bryan; Rogers, Douglas K. (September 2002). ["Forensic Handwriting Examiners' Expertise for Signature Comparison"](https://www.academia.edu/1361670). *[Journal of Forensic Sciences](/source/Journal_of_Forensic_Sciences)*. **47** (5): 1117–1124. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1520/JFS15521J](https://doi.org/10.1520%2FJFS15521J). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0022-1198](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0022-1198). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [12353558](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12353558).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Spilsbury_19-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Spilsbury_19-1) Spilsbury, Sallie (2000). *Media Law*. Cavendish Publishing. p. [p. 439](https://books.google.com/books?id=X2qyT3Y7IpEC&pg=PA439). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-85941-530-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-85941-530-6). An individual's signature may be protected under law as an artistic work. If so, the unauthorised reproduction of the signature will infringe copyright. The name itself will *not* be protected by copyright; it is the *appearance* of the signature which is protected.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** "[Copyright Basics](https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.pdf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110305163016/http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.pdf) 2011-03-05 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)", [United States Copyright Office](/source/United_States_Copyright_Office). Retrieved 15 March 2011.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Signatures](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Signatures).

[Wikidata](/source/Wikidata) has the property:

- ***[signature (P109)](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Property_talk:P109)*** (see [uses](https://query.wikidata.org/embed.html#SELECT%20%3FWikidata_item_%20%3FWikidata_item_Label%20%3Fvalue%20%3FvalueLabel%20%3FEnglish_Wikipedia_article%20%23Show%20data%20in%20this%20order%0A%7B%0A%09%3FWikidata_item_%20wdt%3AP109%20%3Fvalue%20.%20%23Collecting%20all%20items%20which%20have%20P109%20data%2C%20from%20whole%20Wikidata%20item%20pages%0A%09OPTIONAL%20%7B%3FEnglish_Wikipedia_article%20schema%3Aabout%20%3FWikidata_item_%3B%20schema%3AisPartOf%20%3Chttps%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2F%3E%20.%7D%20%23If%20collected%20item%20has%20link%20to%20English%20Wikipedia%2C%20show%20that%0A%09SERVICE%20wikibase%3Alabel%20%7B%20bd%3AserviceParam%20wikibase%3Alanguage%20%22en%22%20%20%7D%20%23Show%20label%20in%20this%20language.%20%22en%22%20is%20English.%20%20%20%0A%7D%0ALIMIT%201000))

Look up ***[signature](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Special:Search/signature)*** in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

- [Why Do We Sign For Things? A Rabbi, A Lawyer And A MasterCard Exec Explain](https://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/09/08/345820789/why-do-we-sign-for-things-a-rabbi-a-lawyer-and-a-mastercard-exec-explain) NPR / Planet Money

- [History of signatures](https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2011/03/when-did-we-start-signing-our-names-to-authenticate-documents.html) at *Slate*

- [What is Signature? Signature of 100 famous people](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z0ibH1Y4OY) (video on [YouTube](/source/YouTube))

v t e Personal names and anthroponymy Personal name Birth name Given name Surname patrilineal matrilineal affixes nobiliary particle By sequence Given name list Middle name Surname list By trait Diminutive Double-barrelled Epithet animal common plant Eponymic Matronymic Metonymic Mononymic Occupational Patronymic surname Sobriquet Teknonymic Toponymic surname Patrial Unisex Virtue By life situation Aptronym Bardic name Birth name Code name Maiden and married names Necronym Posthumous name Temple name Placeholder name Notname Regnal name Slave name Pseudonyms (list) Art name bugō Nicknames list hypocorism list of monarchs nom de guerre Pen name heteronym Ring name shikona Stage name list list of mononyms Username By culture (surnames) East Asia (Sinosphere) Chinese art courtesy generation titles Hong Kong Formosan Japanese Amami Okinawan Korean Vietnamese Northern Asia and Central Asia Kalmyk Manchu Mongolian Sakha Tibetan West Asia / Middle East and North Africa Afghan Arabic Azerbaijani Berber Coptic Hebrew Mandaean Pashtun Persian Somali Tatar Turkish Oceania Australian Aboriginal Fijian Hawaiian Māori Vanuatuan Sub-Saharan Africa Ashanti Congolese Eritrean and Ethiopian Ewe Ghanaian Igbo Rwandan Yoruba Zimbabwean Europe, Americas and Australasia (Western world) Baltic Latvian Lithuanian Celtic Cornish Irish Manx Scottish Welsh Germanic Dutch English American African-American Canadian German Gothic Icelandic Scandinavian Swedish Romance French Italian Occitan Portuguese Roman praenomen nomen cognomen agnomen Romanian Spanish Hispanic America Catalan Slavic Bulgarian Croatian Czech East Slavic Belarusian Russian Ukrainian Kashubian Macedonian Polish Serbian Slovak Suffixes Uralic Estonian Finnish Hungarian Other Albanian Armenian Basque Georgian Greek ancient Cypriot South Asia and Southeast Asia (Indosphere) Balinese Bengali Bhutanese Burmese Filipino Indonesian Chinese Javanese Cambodian Malaysian Mizo (Lushai) Indian Lao Pakistani Sindhi Sinhalese Tamilian Thai By religion Christian biblical papal russian orthodox clergy saint Buddhist surname Dharma Jewish Hebrew surname Mandaean Theophoric Manners of address (list) Of authority and of honour Styles Honorific diplomatic imperial, royal, and noble judiciary religious ecclesiastical Pre-nominal letters Suffix emeritus Post-nominal letters academic orders, decorations, and medals Titles Academic Imperial, royal and noble chivalric courtesy false hereditary subsidiary substantive Military professional Academic educational honorary Corporate Diplomatic Judicial Religious ecclesiastical papal Related traditions Baptism Name day Calendar of saints Related Acronym Anonymity Anthropomorphism personification national Call sign Deadnaming Endonym and exonym Family Galton–Watson process Legal name name change Namesake Naming taboo Nomenclature nomen nescio Misnomer Onomastics -onym Personal identity identifier Proper noun Signature monogram royal cypher khelrtva signum manus tughra Surnames by country

Authority control databases International GND National United States Japan Czech Republic Israel Other NARA Yale LUX

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