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 various origins such as Arabic, Persian and Turkish or Mongolian, 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 was among the important titles claimed by Sultan Mehmed II after the conquest of Constantinople. The title sultan (), 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 carried the title before their given name, with female member carrying it after. Nevertheless, when used to refer to female dynasty members and relatives, the title sultan often translated to sultana in outside contexts, possibly to distinguish them from the Ottoman ruler. or is honorific Arabic title; a literal translation of 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) , with the style of (my sovereign, equivalent with "Your Imperial Majesty"), (my lord emperor), or (my sultan) The full style of the Ottoman sultan once the empire's frontiers had stabilized became:"Sultan (given name) Han, Sovereign of The Sublime House of Osman, (Sultan of Sultans), (Khan of Khans), Commander of the faithful and Successor of the Prophet of the Lord of the Universe, Caesar of Rome, 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 , 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 (Land of the Romans), 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. Çelebi (). Gentleman. Used before the reign of Mehmed II. Format style: "(given name) ". Şehzade or Şehzade Sultan (). Prince of the imperial blood. Format titles and styles: Short: " (given name)", i.e. Sultan Imperial Prince (given name) or " (given name)", i.e. Imperial Prince (given name), with the style of (my imperial prince) or (my master). Full: (given name) Vali Ahad (). Crown Prince. Full titles and styles: (given name) .
Imperial princess Female descendants of a sovereign in the male line. Hatun (). Lady. 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) ", i.e. Lady (given name) Sultan (). Princess of the imperial blood. Used after 16th century. Formal title: Short: "(given name) Sultan", i.e. Sultana (given name), with the style of (my sultan(a)) or (my mistress). Full: (given name)
Children of imperial princess Sultanzade (). Son of princess of the imperial blood. Formal title: " (given name) ", i.e. Sir Prince Sultan (given name) Hanımsultan ). Daughter of princess of the imperial blood. Formal title: "(given name) ", i.e. Madam Sultana (given name)
Relative of dynasty member
Imperial mother Mothers of the reigning sultans Valide Hatun. Lady mother. Used before 16th century. Formal style: "(given name) " or " (given name) ", i.e. Lady mother (given name). Valide Sultan (). Sultana mother. Used after 16th century. Formal titles and styles: Short: "(given name) " or " (given name) ", i.e. Sultana mother (given name), with the style of (my sultan(a)) or (my mother). Full: (given name) Büyük Valide Sultan. Grand or senior sultana mother. 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 sultan and prince of the blood.
Haseki Sultan (). Sultana consort. Title for the chief consort of the sultan in the 16th century and originally could not be held by more than one consort simultaneously. In later periods, the meaning of the title began to change from chief consort to something more general like a senior imperial consort when Sultan Ibrahim granted this title for his eight consorts. This title was only used until around the 17th century. Formal title: Short: "(given name) " or " (given name) ", i.e. Sultana consort (given name), with the style of (my sultan(a)) or (my mistress). Full: (given name) Haseki Kadın. Lady consort. Title for sultan's consort who became mother of the imperial princes. This title was used around 17th century. Hatun (). Lady. 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 was carried by lesser female members. Format style: "(given name) ", i.e. Lady (given name) Kadınefendi (). Lady. Title given to main imperial consort of Ottoman sultan from the 17th century. The title was a replacement of the early title . Format style: "(given name) ", i.e. Lady (given name) Full titles and styles: (given name) (rank) Hanımefendi (). Madam. Title given to the imperial consort of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from the 17th century, who came below the rank of . The title was also given to the official consorts of the imperial princes.
Imperial male consort Husbands of princess of the blood.
Damad (). Full titles and styles: (given name) .
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":
Agha (, ): a general officer. Ajem-oghlan (, ): a cadet or apprentice Janissary. Akinji (, ): the irregular cavalry. Ashji-bashi (Commons) , ): a chief cook Azab (, ): the irregular infantry. Bashi (, ): The Head or Chief of an organization. Berat-emini (): a distributor of ordinances. Boluk-bashi (, ): a captain of the Janissaries. Bostanji (, ): a gardener; a euphemism for the Sultan's palace guard. Bostanji-bashi (, ): The "chief gardener" and head of the palace guard. Equivalent to the rank of pasha. Chakirji (, ): a falconer. Chasneji (, ): a taster. Chasneji-bashi (, ): the chief taster. Tchaoush or Chaush (, ): an usher. Çavuşbaşı or Chaush-bashi (, ): chief of the Chaushes, and a high court official. Equivalent to the rank of pasha. Chelebi (, ): a gentleman. Cheri-bashi (, ): a petty officer of feudal cavalry. Danishmend (, ): a master of arts. Defterdar (, Modern Turkish: defterdar): a treasurer. Defter-emini (): a recorder of fiefs. Deli (, Modern Turkish: deli): appellation of a scout or a captain of the Akinji. Derebey: a feudal lord in Anatolia and the Pontic areas in the 18th century. Dervish (, Modern Turkish: derviş): a member of a Muslim religious order. Deveji (, Modern Turkish: deveci): a camel-driver. Emin (, Modern Turkish: emin): an intendant. Emir (, Modern Turkish: emir): a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.; a commander, a governor. Emir al-Akhor (, Modern Turkish: ahır bakıcısı): a grand equerry. Ghurabâ (, Modern Turkish: guraba): a member of the lowest corps of the standing cavalry. Gonnullu (, Modern Turkish: gönüllü): a volunteer soldier or sailor. Grand vizier Hekim-bashi (, Modern Turkish: hekimbaşı): a chief physician. Helvaji-bashi (, Modern Turkish: helvacıbaşı): a chief confectioner. Hoja (, Modern Turkish: hoca): a teacher; the Sultan's adviser. Ikinji Kapu-oghlan (, Modern Turkish: ikinci kapıoğlan): a white eunuch in charge of the second gate of the palace. Imam (Ottoman Turkish: امام, Modern Turkish: imam) the Caliph or lawful successor of Mohammed; a leader of daily prayers. Iskemleji (Ottoman Turkish: اسکمله جی, Modern Turkish: iskemleci): a page of high rank. Itch-oghlan (Ottoman Turkish: ایچ اوغلان, Modern Turkish: içoğlan): a page in one of the Sultan's palaces. Jebeji-bashi (Ottoman Turkish: جيب جي باشي, Modern Turkish: cebecibaşı): a chief armorer. Jerrah-bashi (Ottoman Turkish: جراح باشی, Modern Turkish: cerrahbaşı): a chief surgeon. Kâim (Ottoman Turkish: قائم, Modern Turkish: kaim): a caretaker of a mosque. Kanuni (Ottoman Turkish: قانونی, Modern Turkish: kanuni): legislator. Kapu Aghasi (Ottoman Turkish: قاپی آغاسی, Modern Turkish: kapıağası): the white eunuch in charge of the principal palace. Kapudan Pasha (Ottoman Turkish: کاپیتان پاشا, Modern Turkish: kaptan paşa) an admiral. Kapuji (Ottoman Turkish: قاپی جی, Modern Turkish: kapıcı): a gatekeeper. Kapuji-bashi (Ottoman Turkish: قاپی جی باشی, Modern Turkish: kapıcıbaşı): literally "head gatekeeper"; master of ceremonies. Kapujilar-kiayasi (Ottoman Turkish: قاپی جی لر قایاسی, Modern Turkish: kapıcılar kâhyası): a grand chamberlain. Katib (Modern Turkish: Kâtib): scribe or secretary Kazi or Kadi (Ottoman Turkish: قاضی, Modern Turkish: kadı): a judge. Kazasker (Ottoman Turkish: قاضيعسكر, Modern Turkish: kadıasker): one of the two chief judges of the Ottoman Empire, entrusted with military matters. Kharaji (Carzeri, Caragi), a non-Muslim who pays the kharij. Khatib, a leader of Friday prayers. Khazinehdar-bashi (Ottoman Turkish: خزانه دار باشی, Modern Turkish: hazinedarbaşı), a treasurer-in-chief. Khazineh-odassi (chamber of the treasury), the second chamber of pages. Khojagan, a chief of a treasury bureau. Kiaya (Cacaia, Cahaia, Caia, Checaya, Chechessi, Chiccaia, Chietcudasci, Gachaia, Ketkhuda, Quaia, Queaya) (common form of ketkhuda), a steward or lieutenant. Kiaya-bey, the lieutenant of the grand vizier. Kiaya Katibi, a private secretary of the Kiaya-bey. Kilerji-bashi, a chief of the sultan's pantry. Kizlar Aghasi (general of the girls), the black eunuch in charge of the palace of the harem. Kul, a slave; one of the sultan's slave-family. Masraf-shehriyari (imperial steward), substitute for the intendant of kitchen. Mektubji, a private secretary of the grand vizier. Mihter (Mecter), a tent-pitcher; a musician. Mihter-bashi, the chief tent-pitcher.