Sir

Sir is an English title used in respectful address and before the names of men who hold certain honors. Its history runs through French sire, an older term for a lord. As a registered given name, Sir adopts that familiar word directly rather than borrowing a longer traditional personal name.

The choice became widely recognizable when Beyoncé and Jay-Z named their son Sir. That is a modern naming association, separate from the formal use of Sir in a title. A child whose given name is Sir has not thereby received a knighthood or other honor. Families considering it can distinguish its sound and personal significance from the social conventions attached to the ordinary English word.