As a salesperson, I deal with alot of people’s names. Today I took an order from a guy that had “Esquire” as part of his full name. This got me to pondering two things:
What exactly does the “Esquire” addition to a name mean?
Are there any “Esquire” people here? If so, do you use the “Esquire” addition when you fill out order forms and the like? Do people tend to pre-judge you when you use that addition?
“Esquire” often means that someone is an attorney, at least in the U.S. I’m not sure if it has another meaning in the UK.
Hi -
It means “attorney.”
Yes, there are some here, but I am not sure if they add Esq. to their names.
Can the “Esquire” addition be passed on to offspring, as in “Bill S. Preston Esquire” from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure?
These days, in the U.S., it means you’re an attorney. (Technically, it means you’re entitled to pass the Bar – not the Bar exam, but what was in old courtrooms an actual bar that separated the lawyers from the gallery; in current U.S. practice, to be so entitled, you usually need to graduate from law school, achieve a satisfactory score on the Bar exam, be “of good character” as your state defines it, and have been sworn in to practice by a court.)
I don’t use it in daily life, but it is part of my professional name. I introduce myself as “Alex Pascover,” but I sign letters to clients “Alexander Wms. Pascover, Esq.” I wouldn’t really use it on order forms, but if I were a sole practicioner and I were ordering something for my business I would. Also, if I were ordering something like stationery I’d use it too. (If I wanted that on the stationery – I used to sell the stuff and I can’t tell you how many times our printers just read the name off the order form instead of looking at the name they actually wanted on the product.) So I guess to evaluate if it were appropriate, I’d have to know what you sold. But as to being permissable, it’s just like “Dr.”; you’re the one who earned it, you’re the one who gets to decide when to use it.
–Cliffy, Esq.
I work for MobilePlanet, and this particular person bought an earpiece for his cellphone. His credit card has “Esq” on it, so I had to enter his name as such. Whether it was appropriate or not was a moot point in that case.
Thanks for all your answers by the way!
Oy, preview is my friend, preview is my friend…
No. Or rather, yes, but only by paying for them to go to law school… 
–Cliffy
P.S. Bill was just a dorky kid who thought “Esquire” was cool.
At one time, it seemed that anyone who could be considered a “gentleman” might use Esquire; there was a time in my life when I did so, because I was enamored of 19th century manners and customs. But is the use of the word Esquire now restricted by law to attorneys, or is that just tradition? Could I have been prosecuted for practicing law without a license?
I’d imagine that if I gave out business cards that said, “Javaman, Esq.”, many people might wrongly assume that I was an attorney, and that would be illegal. But if the cards said, “Javaman, Esq., Programmer Extroardinaire”, then would that absolve me of guilt or liability?
This was answered in the mailbag a while back
This is my first post, so I’ll probably screw it up a bit – but here goes. Javaman, I’ve always heard that the “esquire” schtick stemmed from days of old, knights and squires, trial by combat, that sort of thing. Fella gets challenged to a duel, thinks the challenger is beneath him, sends out his designated shield-bearer to fight the guy on his behalf. Through the years, one’s attorney took over significantly similar functions and got entitled to the “esquire” treatment.
As for your personal use of the term, I’d refer you back to what Cliffy already said; substitute “Doctor” in your question and see where it gets you.
Oh, man, look at that. Five seconds before I post, someone beats me to it. Must happen a lot around here. Makes me look like an idiot, though.
This site gives the British usage:
This sort of “esquire” is not hereditary; the title was, at one time, claimed by the leading gentleman of a parish without being bestowed, and was in this sense inherited at times. Neither variety of “esquire” is much used any more, aside from being used by certain officials. Lawyers in Britain are gentlemen, but not squires.
I think the mailbag answer was slightly wrong. In England, I believe, it is perfectly acceptable (if slightly old fashioned) for any adult man to use “Esq.” instead of “Mr.” It long ago became a courtesy title (just like “Mr.”) for anyone without some other title.
But there’s a significant difference between Doctor and Esquire. Doctor specifically means that you have a doctorate level degree.
Esquire, on the other hand, still has vestigial usages besides designating someone as an attorney. So I’d assume I could still call myself Esq. if I wanted to, as suggested by the mailbag link above. Not that I would now, of course: When I used to do it I was just a dorky kid who thought it sounded cool.
I dunno, javaman. “Doctor” seems to have a unofficial connotation to boot; witness Dr. J, Doctor Demento, and, uh, that guy on “Third Watch.”
Boy, that argument sure petered out right quick. But all the same, I’d figure a “Doc” nickname or the like is not unheard of. Throw in honorary doctorates and we’re straying into territory where the term begins to lack any real meaning. (Didn’t Kermit the Frog receive a bona fide honorary degree?)
i wish i could be an “esquire”
as my real name is Ed Squires
You’re not going to be prosecuted for using it. You’re not going to prosecuted for calling yourself “Doctor,” either, or even “Mr. President,” as long as you’re not using it as part of a scam. But people will think you’re a boob.
–Cliffy
<hijacking my own thread>
Is there any difference at all between a solicitor, a lawyer, and an attorney, or do they all mean the same thing?
In Cambridge at least, you’re entitled to be called “esquire” after you’ve completed an undergraduate degree. I assume the same is true at Oxford, but am not sure about other universities in England.