What title is prohibited by the United States?

Asked by: Shayne Buckridge  |  Last update: January 31, 2026
Score: 4.5/5 (32 votes)

The United States prohibits granting or accepting "Titles of Nobility" (like Duke, Baron, Sir) under Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the Constitution, meaning the U.S. government can't bestow them, and officials can't accept them from foreign powers without Congress's consent, reflecting a rejection of aristocracy and hereditary rank, though U.S. citizens can hold foreign titles if they don't hold federal office.

What kind of titles shall not be granted by the United States?

Article I, Section 9, Clause 8: No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

Why are titles of nobility prohibited in the Constitution?

A response to this perceived foreign threat, the Amendment was intended to prevent the recruitment of American officials and citizens by foreign states with titles, such as the Legion of Honor, or other attractive presents and offices.

What does the 27th amendment actually say?

The 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says that no law varying the compensation for Senators and Representatives shall take effect until an election of representatives has intervened, meaning Congress can't give itself a pay raise that takes effect immediately; they have to wait until after the next election, allowing voters to decide if they approve. It was originally proposed in 1789 by James Madison but wasn't ratified until 1992, making it the last ratified amendment, with a long history due to its lack of a time limit for ratification.
 

Can American citizens hold foreign titles?

Titles of Nobility Amendment

Under the terms of this amendment, any United States citizen who accepted, claimed, received or retained any title of nobility from a foreign government would be stripped of their U.S. citizenship. After being approved by the Senate on April 27, 1810, by a vote of 19–5.

United States Constitution · Amendments · Bill of Rights · Complete Text + Audio

18 related questions found

Can Americans be called sir?

Only people of countries that have the Brit monarch as their head of state use titles Dame/Sir. Here in the USA, we don't give royalty type titles to Americans. When I type a British actor's name and although he has "Sir" before his name in England, I don't put Sir before his name.

What does article 7 of the US Constitution say?

Article VII of the U.S. Constitution is about the ratification process, stating that nine of the thirteen states needed to approve it through special state conventions for the Constitution to become the law of the land, replacing the Articles of Confederation. It established the conditions for the new government to take effect and included the date the Constitution was signed (September 17, 1787). 

Did the founding fathers put God in the Constitution?

No, the U.S. Constitution does not explicitly mention God or a supreme being in its main text, a deliberate choice by the Founding Fathers to establish a secular government and protect religious freedom, though it does contain a date reference ("Year of our Lord") and the First Amendment prevents religious tests for office, reflecting a consensus on separation of church and state despite their personal faith. 

Who can remove the President from office?

The Constitution gives Congress the power to impeach federal officials. An official can be impeached for treason, bribery, and “other high crimes and misdemeanors.” The House of Representatives brings articles (charges) of impeachment against an official. Learn more about the House's role in impeachment.

What are the two rejected amendments?

The two rejected amendments from the original 1789 proposal, which became the Bill of Rights, were the Congressional Apportionment Amendment (setting a formula for House size) and the Congressional Pay Amendment (requiring intervening elections for pay raises). While the first remains unratified, the second eventually passed in 1992 as the 27th Amendment.
 

Can you have a royal title and be an American citizen?

Royalty of foreign nations

Americans may remain American and hold titles of nobility. However no American governments can bestow titles of nobility, and no one holding such title can hold a government job.

What is the 13th Amendment missing?

It is then alleged that the ABA-controlled system is illegal and in violation of what is referred to as the "missing Thirteenth Amendment", to the United States Constitution, which stated that any person who accepts a title of nobility forfeits his United States citizenship and which amendment was ratified but ...

Can I buy a title of nobility?

Whilst you can't actually buy a title of Scottish nobility, our gift is a fun, novelty and affordable gift. We have put together a handy guide explaining how you can buy a title of Scottish nobility, what you can expect to pay, and how that compares to buying a title gift pack from Highland Titles.

Can a president receive money from foreign countries?

Even though heads of state have traditionally exchanged gifts as expressions of goodwill, the Constitution (Article I, Section 9) prohibits anyone in the US Government from receiving a personal gift from a foreign head of state without the consent of Congress.

What is the difference between a lord and a duke?

Lord is used as a generic term to denote members of the peerage. Dukes and duchesses are addressed with their actual title, but all other ranks of nobility have the appellation Lord or Lady.

Can a president change the Constitution?

The Constitution does not give a president the power to violate the Constitution, create or change congressional statutes, or override U.S. Supreme Court decisions—no matter what the EOs say.

Who can declare the President disabled?

Presidential inability or disability is specifically covered in Section 3, whereby the President may declare a disability, and Section 4, whereby a presidential disability is declared by the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet or such other body as may be established by law.

Can the President fire the vice president?

The Constitution of the United States gives Congress the authority to remove the vice president of the United States from office in two separate proceedings. The first one takes place in the House of Representatives, which impeaches the vice president by approving articles of impeachment through a simple majority vote.

Who has power to overrule the President?

Congress can override a presidential veto with a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate, making a bill law without the President's signature, while the Vice President and Cabinet can initiate the process under the 25th Amendment to declare the President unable to serve, and the Supreme Court can declare executive actions unconstitutional, though Congress ultimately controls impeachment. 

What did Albert Einstein say about Jesus?

Though Jewish, Albert Einstein expressed deep admiration for Jesus Christ, calling him a "luminous figure" whose personality "pulsates in every word" of the Gospels, acknowledging Jesus's historical existence and his profound, "divine" teachings, even if some sayings echoed earlier prophets, while advocating for a purified Christianity stripped of priestly dogma, focusing on Jesus's ethical message for humanity.
 

Did all 613 laws come from God?

Yes, the 613 mitzvot (commandments) in Judaism are traditionally considered to have been given by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, forming the core of the Torah, though the Bible doesn't explicitly state the number 613; Jewish tradition, particularly Maimonides' work, compiled and enumerated them from the texts of the Torah, with the Ten Commandments serving as a summary of these broader laws. The exact list and interpretation vary, with some laws being ceremonial, moral, or judicial, and not all are applicable today. 

What did Stephen Hawking say about God?

Stephen Hawking stated that science offers better explanations for the universe's origins than religion, concluding there is no God or divine creator, and that the universe arose spontaneously from nothing according to physical laws, not divine will, seeing no need for a higher power to set things in motion. While initially suggesting God might have set the laws, he later clarified he was an atheist, believing the simplest explanation is no God and that humans invented God to explain the unexplainable, which science now addresses.
 

Who opposed Article 7 and why?

Anti-Federalists pointed out that Article VII was inconsistent with Article XIII of the Articles of Confederation, which required that changes in constitutional arrangements be “agreed to in a Congress of the United States, and be afterwards confirmed by the legislatures of every State.” Article VII required agreement ...

What is the 1st Amendment word for word?

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

What is the Article 4 Section 4?

Section 4 Republican Form of Government

The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.