This is a list of titles and appellations used in the Ottoman Empire. In place of surnames, Muslims in the Empire carried titles such as "Sultan", "Paşa", "Ağa", "Hoca", "Bey", "Hanım", "Efendi", etc. These titles either defined their formal profession (such as Pasha, Hoca, etc.) or their informal status within the society (such as Bey, Agha, Hanım, Efendi, etc.). Later, family surnames were made mandatory in Turkey by the 1934 Surname Law.

Usage by Ottoman royalty

The sovereigns' main titles were Sultan, Padishah (Emperor) and Khan; which were of Arabic, Persian and Turkish/Mongolian origin, respectively. His full style was the result of a long historical accumulation of titles expressing the empire's rights and claims as successor to the various states it annexed or subdued. Beside these imperial titles, Caesar of Rome (Kayser-i Rûm) was among the important titles claimed by Sultan Mehmed II after the conquest of Constantinople. The title sultan (سلطان), originally meaning "authority" or "dominion", used in an ungendered manner to encompass the whole imperial family, men and women, reflected the Ottoman conception of sovereign power as a "family prerogative". Male dynasty member carrying the title before their given name, with female member carrying it after.^[1] Nevertheless, when used to refer to female dynasty members and relatives, title sultan often translated to sultana in to outside Ottoman, possibly to distinguish them from the Ottoman ruler. Hadrah or Hazretleri is honorific Arabic title; a literal translation of Hadrah is "Presence", which is often translated as "Your Highness".

Sovereign

The emperors' formal title consisted of Sultan together with Khan (in Turkish language the word became Han). This dual title symbolized the Ottomans' dual legitimating heritage, Islamic and Central Asian. Formal titles and styles:

• Short: Sultan (given name) Han Hazretleri, with the style of hünkarım (my sovereign, equivalent with "Your Imperial Majesty"), padişah efendim (my lord emperor), or sultanım (my sultan)
• The full style of the Ottoman sultan once the empire's frontiers had stabilized became:^[2]
  "Sultan (given name) Han, Sovereign of The Sublime House of Osman, Sultan us-Selatin (Sultan of Sultans), Hakan (Khan of Khans), Commander of the faithful and Successor of the Prophet of the Lord of the Universe, Custodian of the Holy Cities of Mecca, Medina and Kouds (Jerusalem), Padishah (Emperor) of The Three Cities of Istanbul (Constantinople), Edirne (Adrianople) and Bursa, and of the Cities of Châm (Damascus) and Cairo (Egypt), of all Azerbaijan, of the Maghreb, of Barkah, of Kairouan, of Alep, of the Arab and Persian Iraq, of Basra, of El Hasa strip, of Raqqa, of Mosul, of Parthia, of Diyâr-ı Bekr, of Cilicia, of the provinces of Erzurum, of Sivas, of Adana, of Karaman, of Van, of Barbaria, of Habech (Abyssinia), of Tunisia, of Tripoli, of Châm (Syria), of Cyprus, of Rhodes, of Crete, of the province of Morea (Peloponnese), of Bahr-i Sefid (Mediterranean Sea), of Bahr-i Siyah (Black Sea), of Anatolia, of Rumelia (the European part of the Empire), of Bagdad, of Kurdistan, of Greece, of Turkestan, of Tartary, of Circassia, of the two regions of Kabarda, of Gorjestan (Georgia), of the steppe of Kipchaks, of the whole country of the Tatars, of Kefa (Theodosia) and of all the neighbouring regions, of Bosnia, of the City and Fort of Belgrade, of the province of Sirbistan (Serbia), with all the castles and cities, of all Arnaut, of all Eflak (Wallachia) and Bogdania (Moldavia), as well as all the dependencies and borders, and many others countries and cities."

Dynasty member

Imperial prince

Male descendants of a sovereign in the male line.

• Gentleman (çelebi, چلبى). Used before the reign of Mehmed II. Format style: "(given name) Çelebi".
• Sultan Imperial Prince (şehzade sultan), or simply Imperial Prince (şehzade, شاهزاده). Format titles and styles:
  • Short: "Şehzade Sultan (given name)", i.e. Sultan Imperial Prince (given name) or "Şehzade (given name)", i.e. Imperial Prince (given name), with the style of şehzadem (my imperial prince) or efendim (my master).
  • Full: Devletlû Najabatlu Şehzade Sultan (given name) Hazretleri Efendi
• Crown Prince (vali ahad). Full titles and styles: Devletlû Najabatlu Valiahd-i Saltanat Şehzade-i Javanbahd (given name) Efendi Hazretleri.

Imperial princess

Female descendants of a sovereign in the male line.

• Lady (hatun, خاتون). Used before 16th century and also used for sultan's mothers and consorts. In the 16th century, title sultan carried by prominent members of the imperial family and hatun carried by lesser female member.
  • Format style: "(given name) Hatun", i.e. Lady (given name)
• Sultana (sultan, سلطان). Used after 16th century. Formal title:
  • Short: "(given name) Sultana", i.e. Sultana (given name), with the style of sultanım (my sultan(a)) or efendim (my mistress).
  • Full: Devletlû İsmetlu (given name) Sultân Aliyyetü'ş-Şân Hazretleri

Sons and daughters of sultana

• Prince Sultan (sultanzade, سلطانزاده). Sons of sultanas (imperial princes).
  • Formal title: "Sultanzade (given name) Bey-Efendi", i.e. Sir Prince Sultan (given name)
• Sultana madam (hanımsultan, خانم سلطان). Daughters of sultanas (imperial princesses).
  • Formal title: "(given name) Hanımsultan", i.e. Sultana madam (given name)

Relative of dynasty member

Imperial mother

Mothers of the reigning sultans

• Lady mother (valide hatun). Used before 16th century. Formal style: "(given name) Valide Hatun" or "Valide (given name) Hatun", i.e. Lady mother (given name).
• Sultana mother or Queen mother (valide sultan, والدة السلطان). Used after 16th century. Formal titles and styles:
  • Short: "(given name) Valide Sultan" or "Valide (given name) Sultan", i.e. Sultana mother (given name), with the style of sultanım (my sultan(a)) or validem (my mother).
  • Full: Devletlû İsmetlû (given name) Vâlide Sultân Aliyyetü'ş-Şân Hazretleri
• Sultana grandmother or Grand Sultana mother (büyük valide sultan). Grandmothers of the reigning sultans; first made by Murad III as a gift to his aunt Mihrimah Sultan at the beginning of his reign; later used by Safiye Sultan, during the reigns of her grandsons and great-grandson; last used by Kösem Sultan during the reign of her grandson Sultan Mehmed IV

Imperial female consort

Consorts of the sultans and imperial princes.

• Sultana consort or Imperial Consort (haseki sultan, خاصکى سلطان). Title for the chief consort of the sultan in the 16th century. In later periods, the meaning of the title began to change to something more general like an "Empress consort" for Hurrem Sultan and then Imperial or Principal Consort for Nurbanu Sultan and Safiye Sultan and later for Mahpeyker Kösem Sultan it became title used for the "mother of the imperial princes". This title was only used until around the 17th century. Formal title:
  • Short: "(given name) Haseki Sultan" or "Haseki (given name) Sultan", i.e. Sultana consort or Empress Consort (only for Hurrem Sultan) (given name), with the style of sultanım (my sultan(a)) or efendim (my mistress).
  • Full: Devletlû İsmetlu (given name) Haseki Sultân Aliyyetü'ş-Şân Hazretleri
• Lady consort (haseki kadın). Title for sultan's consort who became mother of the imperial princes. This title was used around 17th century.
• Lady (hatun, خاتون). Also used for imperial princesses and sultans' mothers. In the 16th century, the title sultan was carried by prominent members of the imperial family and hatun was carried by lesser female members.
  • Format style: "(given name) Hatun", i.e. Lady (given name)
• Lady (kadınefendi, قادين افندی). Title given to main imperial consort of Ottoman sultan from the 17th century. The title was a replacement of the early title Hatun.
  • Format style: "(given name) Kadınefendi", i.e. Lady (given name)
  • Full titles and styles: Devletlu İsmetlu (given name) (rank) Kadınefendi Hazretleri
• Madam (hanımefendi, خانم آفندی). Title given to the imperial consort of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from the 17th century, who came below the rank of kadınefendi. The title was also given to the official consorts of the imperial princes.

Imperial male consort

Husbands of the sultana.

• Prince consort (damad, داماد). Full titles and styles: Damat-i Shahriyari (given name) Bey Efendi.

During the time of Suleiman

Titles and appellations in the time of Suleiman the Magnificent, from Albert Howe Lybyer's book "The government of the Ottoman Empire in the time of Suleiman the Magnificent":^[3]

Other princely, noble, aristocratic, and honorific titles

Other titles include:^{[citation needed]}