# What's Up, Ph.D.?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-ph-d/774655>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 14, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-ph-d/774655 "2016-12-14T02:38:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 14

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**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-ph-d/774655/14 "2016-12-14T08:39:22Z")

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> [@friedo](#):
>
> OTOH, physicians don’t get to call them selves “esquire.” 🆒  
> .

In the U.S., I think “Esquire” has always been a courtesy title like “Mister” available to any male. In the U.K. I think it is now treated similarly, although once it was available only in specific instances, such as

[ul]  
[li] the eldest sons of knights and their eldest sons in perpetuity[/li][li] the eldest sons of younger sons of peers and their eldest sons in perpetuity[/li][li] esquires of knights constituted at their investiture[/li][li] person holding a military commission of Captain or higher[/li][li] persons assigned certain high ranks by the King, including Justice of the Peace (and Groom of the Stool :eek: )[/li][li] barristers (but not solicitors)[/li][li] chiefs of a clan, or lords of a manor[/li][li] foreign noblemen[/li][li] doctors of any faculty[/li][li] holders of an office, such as herald, entitled to wear a livery collar[/li][/ul]

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