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Names and titles: Daniel; Mr Lewis

Names and titles are used both when talking about people and when talking to them. There are some differences.

Talking about people​

When we talk (or write) about people we can name them in four ways.

First name (also Christian name; AmE also given name or forename)​

We use first names mostly informally, for colleagues, relatives, friends and children.

  • Where’s Daniel? He said he’d be here at three.
  • How’s Mia getting on at school?

First name + surname (also last name or family name)​

This is neutral – neither particularly formal nor particularly informal.

  • Isn’t that Daniel Connolly the actor?
  • We’re going to Ireland with Emily and Daniel Sinclair.

Title (Mr, Mrs, etc) + surname​

This is more formal. We talk like this about people we do not know, or when we want to show respect or be polite.

  • Can I speak to Mr Lewis, please?
  • We’ve got a new teacher called Mrs Campbell.
  • Ask Miss Andrews to come in, please.
  • There’s a Ms Sanders on the phone.

Note that it is less usual to talk about people by using Mr, Mrs, etc + first name + surname (e.g. Mr John Parker). Mr, Mrs, etc are not used before the first name alone (Mr John).

Surname only​

We often use just the surname to talk about men and women in public life – politicians, sports personalities, writers and so on.

  • Do you think Roberts would make a good President?
  • The 5,000 metres was won by Jones.
  • I never liked Eliot’s poetry.
  • Thatcher was the first British woman Prime Minister.

Surnames alone are sometimes used by members of groups (especially all-male groups like soldiers or team members) when they refer to each other.

  • Let’s put Billows in goal and move Carter up.

Talking to people​

When we talk (or write) to people we generally name them in one of two ways.

First name​

This is informal, used for example to colleagues, relatives, friends and children.

  • Hello, Olivia. How are you?
  • Hi, Dan. Did you get my last email?

However, it is now becoming common for first names to be used by strangers in advertising literature and similar correspondence.

  • Dear Michael,
  • We can offer you 5% interest guaranteed for 3 years …

Title + surname​

This is more formal or respectful.

  • Good morning, Miss Williamson.

Note that we do not usually use both the first name and the surname of a person that we are talking to. It would be unusual to say ‘Hello, Peter Matthews’, for example.

Members of all-male groups sometimes address each other by their surnames alone (e.g. ‘Hello, Smith’), but this is unusual in modern English.

Mr, Mrs and Ms are not generally used alone.

  • Excuse me. Can you tell me the time? (not Excuse me, Mr.) or Excuse me, Mrs.

Sir and madam are used in Britain mostly by people in service occupations (e.g. shop assistants).

  • Can I help you, madam?

Some schoolchildren call their teachers sir or miss. In British English, Dear Sir and Dear Madam, Dear Sir or Madam and Dear Sir/Madam are common ways of beginning letters to strangers (see here) – note the capital letters. In other situations sir and madam are unusual in British English.

  • Excuse me. Can you tell me the time? (not Excuse me, sir …)

In American English, sir and ma’am are quite often used (especially in the South and West) when addressing people, both formally and informally.

Notes on titles​

Abbreviated titles like Mr, Mrs and Dr are generally written without full stops in British English, and more often with full stops (Mr., Mrs., Dr.) in American English (see here).

Note the pronunciations of the titles Mr, Mrs and Ms (used before names):

  • Mr /ˈmɪstə(r)/
  • Mrs /ˈmɪsɪz/
  • Ms /mɪz/ (or /məz/)

Mr (= Mister) is not normally written in full, and the other two cannot be.

Like Mr, Ms does not show whether somebody is married or not. It is often used, especially in writing, to talk about or address women when one does not know (or has no reason to say) whether they are married. Many women also choose to use Ms before their own names in preference to Mrs or Miss.

Dr (= Doctor) is used as a title for medical and other doctors.

Professor does not simply mean ‘teacher’. It is a title reserved for university teachers (especially, in Britain, for more senior university teachers).

Note that we do not normally combine two titles such as Prof Dr or Mrs Dr.

note

For ways of addressing people in letters, (see here).

For ways of introducing people, (see here).