Abbess,
    Christian Orthodox       
Abbot,
    Christian Orthodox        
Accountant        
Acting Official       
Adjutant General     
Admiral         
Admiral, Texas Navy   
Adventist Minister       
Alderman         
Archbishop, Catholic        
Archbishop,
   Christian Orthodox        
Archdeacon, Episcopal        
Archimandrite        
Architect
Archpriest        
Ambassador to the U.S.
   from a foreign country      
Ambassador of the U.S.        
American Indian Chief        
Assemblyman
   U.S., State / or           
   Assemblywoman            
Associate Justice,
   U.S. Supreme Court          
Associate Justice of a
   State Supreme Court
Astronaut      
Attorney         
Attorney General           
Attorney General,
       Assistant   
Attorney, U.S.         
Australian Officials    

Baron, Baroness           
British Officials,
   Royalty, Nobility     
Brother, Catholic         
Brother,
   Christian Orthodox          
Bishop, Catholic            
Bishop,
   Christian Orthodox         
Bishop, Episcopal        
Board Member     
Boy        
Brigadier General       
Business Cards      

Canadian Officials    
Candidate    
Captain,
   USA, USAF, USMC     
Cardinal             
Chairman
    Federal Reserve      
Chairwoman      
Chancellor      
Chaplain in the
    Armed Services        
Chaplain of Congress          
Chargé d’Affaires         
Chief Executive Officer 
Chief Judge          
Chief Justice,
      U.S. Supreme Court 
Chief Justice, of a State
      Supreme Court             
Chief of Police          
Chief of Staff     
Chief Operating
   Officer          
Child            
Chiropractor     
City Manager    
Clergy & Religious
    Officials     
Club Official          
Colonel, Kentucky      
Colonel, USA, USAF,
    or USMC     
Commandant       
Commissioner, Court     
Commissioner         
Commodore of a         
      Yacht Club         
Congressman, U.S.               
Congresswoman, U.S.   
Consul and or
   Consul General    
Consultant      
Corporate Executive         
Councilman
    Councilwoman      
Counselor (Diplomat)      
Countess     
County Officials       
Couples     
Curator        

Dalai Lama          
Deacon         
Dean, academic            
Dean, clergy            
Deceased Persons        
Delegate, U.S., State            
Dentist             
Deputy Chief of Mission      
Deputy Marshal          
Designate, Elect,
    Pro Tempore      
Diplomats      
District Attorney           
Doctor, Chiropractor     
Doctor of Dentistry           
Doctor of Medicine              
Doctor, Military           
Doctor of
   Veterinary Medicine          
Doctor of Osteopathy            
Doctor, Other Disciplines     
Doctorate        
Doctorate, honorary      

Earl            
Elect, Designate
   Pro Tempore      
Emeritus/emerita      
Eminence     
Emperor    
Engineer    
Etiquette    
Excellency           

Family     
Fiancee      
Firefighter    
First, Second,
   Third, etc.        
First Lady, Spouse
   of the President of
   the United States 
First Lady, Member
    of Her   
    White House Staff      
First Lady, Spouse
   of a Governor
   or Lt. Gov.    
First Lieutenant   
Flag Protocol     
Former Officials    
Freeholder       

Gay Couple      
Geshe
General
    USA, USAF, USMC
Girl
Governor General         
Governor, Lieutenant 
Governor, Lt., Spouse   
Governor, Tribal Council          
Governor, U.S. State       
Governor, Former    
Governor
    Spouse of     
Governor's Staff,
    Member of      
Governors, Board of 

High Commissioner    
Honorable, The          
Honorary degrees    
Honourable, The       

Indian Chief         
Inspector General    
Interim Official   
Introductions       
Invitations  
   Writing &  
   Addressing  
Invitations
    Military:
    Writing &
    Addressing

Judge, former     
Judge of US City or
        US Count     
Judge, US Federal            
Junior, Senior,
    I, II, III, etc.       
Justice, Associate
     Federal
     Supreme Court
Justice, Associate
     State
     Supreme Court

King     
Knight      

Late, The
   (deceased persons)        
Lawyer      
Lesbian Couple    
Lieutenant      
Lieutenant Colonel,     
   USA, USAF, USMC          
Lieutenant General,
   USA, USAF, USMC      
Lieutenant Governor         

How to Write Your Name
On a Business Card
Questions & Answers, Frequently Asked Questions, and Blog

I Have Two Degrees With The Same Post-Nominal
Can I Use Both on My Business Card?
     After May, I will have two master's degrees, both MS.  When I create a business card, do I just write MS once after my name?  How would I indicate both?
        -- Dan

        I see in my copy of your book that you cover academic forms of address on pages 162-164. But, I have a friend that has two Bachelor of Arts Degrees.  What post-nominals would be appropriate on her card?  Would you use simply a B.A. once, or would you use B.A., B.A.?
        -- Justin

Dear Dan & Justin,

     SHOULD I INCLUDE TWO POST-NOMINALS?
     In academia and research .... you see people listing every degree and honor the have ever earned ... since all their degrees are central to the academic environment.
    Outside academia include only degrees that are directly pertinent to the service you offer / job you hold (see below).
    So MS, MS would not be wrong -- you might get some questions, but if they come it's an opportunity to tell them about your education. Regarding BA, BA .... in an academic journal it would be pertinent but outside of academia It is not often you see a BA included with a person's name.

     ACADEMIC POST-NOMIALS ON A BUSINESS CARD?
     Clearly getting those degrees are great accomplishments. Whether you include degrees on your business card ... or don't ... may just depend on several things.
    #1 A business card is not a resume/CV.  A card is what you give to another person so you can keep in touch.  What's important are addresses and numbers.
    #2 On business cards what's always included is your job title ... which defines what your role and the functions or services you offer .... rather than degrees that are your qualifications to hold the job.
    #3 Following up on #2, you should include the pertinent degrees for the professional service you is rendering. Academic degrees are included to establish the professional certifications required to provide the service ...  MD, DDS, DV, OD, RN, CPA, MSW, MBA .... etc.
      E.g., a CPA might list only CPA after his name since it's pertinent to his/her professional practice ... even though he/she might have a BA and a MA as well ... a business consultant and holder of an MBA might list MBA ... but not other, less pertinent, degrees.

    Ultimately it will be your peers who are the most critical ... so see what others are doing and follow their lead!

         -- Robert Hickey

How to Include a Former Title On a Business Card?
       I have a request to print a business card for a former governor.  The person no longer holds any official office & wants to know how or if it is proper to create the card to show that he was the former governor.
            -- Shirley in North Carolina

Dear Shirley:
     If he wants the information to appear on a business card he could include:
          John Smith
          Governor of the State of North Carolina, 2000-2008
     His name would appear without The Honorable (never used by the person himself: others address him as such), and Governor would not appear before his name.
     BUT whether he should do it is another question.
     A business card is given to another person with your contact information so you can communicate directly after meeting. So it is not a resume.  If he gives this card to someone, won't they know he is? He's a former governor!
     If it's a social card ... just his name, address and contact numbers would be appropriate.
       -- Robert Hickey

 How to Write My Name On a US-Style Business Card?
      I am a Spanish citizen, married to a US citizen. I am trying to print my business cards, but I am not sure what will be the right form for the USA.
      I am a Knight by the kingdom of Spain and the Vatican State. In addition, I am a former Captain of the Spanish Navy and I have my JD, LL.M, and MBA.
      Finally, my full name is Antonio MONTOYA DE LOS RIOJA y SEVILLE. However to avoid misunderstandings, since I am in USA, I just use a contracted hyphened last name: Antonio  MONTOYA-SEVILLE.
                  -- AMS

Dear AMS,
       A business card is designed to be presented at the beginning of a relationship.
       Many cultures include every honor, honorific, courtesy title, decoration and degree, and those are generally seen as status-conscious societies.
       Spain .. The UK … & much of Asia are status conscious country compared to the US. 
       E.g, the British include everything …  so they might list you as
              Captain Sir (name), {Spanish Navy), Retired, JD, LL.M, MBA, etc.
              It highlights all your marks of status.
       In the US we are a less status conscious culture than Spain (research shows in the US we are more likely to want to treat all people equally regardless of their status) and only include what is pertinent to the interaction on which topic we are actually an expert … and anything else might be revealed later if it comes up. 
              (Name), JD, MBA
              Captain (Name), {Spanish Navy), Retired
              Sir (Name)
              ... all depending on how you are presenting yourself
       Sometimes people say to me "I am an expert on all of them" or "including all paints a complete picture of who I am"
       In the US in a situation where we are exchanging business cards -- we are going to start out being more interested what the other person can DO for us … rather than finding out what a wonderful person they are.
        Selfish? Maybe it's efficient and practical.
       I observe we will find out the other things once we've gotten over the first steps in finding out if we are useful to one another.
       E.g., I am not initially interested to have my dentist to present himself as having multiple skills not related to his practice of dentistry. I don't care so much in the beginning if he's a championship horseman or a direct descendent of Lithuanian nobility.
       To start, I care about having a dentist who has one focus … and that's to be the world's best dentist.  And a business card is designed to be presented at the beginning of a relationship!
       You should use the form of your name you want others to use in correspondence and conversation. That too might vary based on the purpose of your card. 
              -- Robert Hickey

Another Question?
Here are some other places to look that relate to how to write your name on a business card.
Mr., Miss, Jr., III, & Names         
Post-Nominal Abbreviations and Initials