How do I come up with titles of authority?

“This is probably an unusual question, but how do you come up with titles? I don’t mean titles for chapters or such, but titles for positions, like general, governor, doctor, emperor, cardinal, etc. I’ve had a hard time trying to invent names for governmental positions, social classes, priests (I’ve thought about priests of different deities having different titles), because I haven’t found any existing ones that fit.”

This definitely isn’t a common question, but honestly I don’t know why, because this is absolutely one of the most difficult bits of being creative! The bigger parts of world-building come so much easier, but the little details like titles of authority are exactly the kind of thing that makes a world feel true and lived-in. It’s what makes a world feel real.

Why titles matter

Titles do more than label a character’s job; they reveal how a society organises itself, what it values, and how its powers are structured. A world that calls its leader “the Shepherd” implies something very different from one that uses “the Iron Hand” or “the First Among Equals.”

When readers come across a title, they’re picking up subtle cues about your world’s culture, history, and priorities. This makes them a powerful tool for world-building, but it also means poorly chosen titles can break immersion.

So how do you come up with a title of authority?

Start with function

Before worrying about what something sounds like, consider what it does. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What functions do the character and their organisation serve in society?
• What responsibilities do they have?
• Who do they answer to, and who answers to them?
• What resources or organisations do they control?

Understanding a character’s function in the world is the first step to creating a title that reflects it. A religious leader who interprets the will of the divine would have a very different name to the head of the military branch, for instance.

Draw from etymology

Many real-world titles have origins that can inspire your own. The word “Duke” comes from the Latin dux, meaning “leader.” “Cardinal” comes from cardo, meaning “hinge,” (on which something turns or depends), and “Marshal” originally referred to someone who tended horses and is a proto-Germanic compound of markhaz (horse) and skalkaz (servant).

You don’t need to be a linguist to use this approach; you just need to think about what root concepts you are building your title from. A military leader in a seafaring culture might have a title derived from words for “tide,” “storm,” or “anchor.” A judicial figure might draw from concepts like “balance,” “truth,” or “justice.”

Consider cultural flavour

The titles in your world should feel native to it. A society that values collective decision-making might avoid singular, grand titles in favour of ones that emphasise consensus, for example, a title like “Speaker for the Assembly” instead of “Supreme Ruler.” A militaristic culture, on the other hand, might use martial language even for civilian positions.

Think about what your society believes in. Is it honour, knowledge, bloodline, spiritual purity, martial prowess, or commercial success? Let the values of your world shape how titles sound and what they emphasise.

Use linguistic patterns

Internal consistency helps titles feel like they belong to the same world. Examples of this might include:

• Ending the same branch of titles with a similar suffix. For example, all religious titles might end in the suffix -arch (Sunarch, Planarch), and all military titles might end in the suffix -gard (Saltgard, Irongard).
• Using a prefix system to show hierarchy, like First-Captain, Second-Captain, etc.
• Use family or guild lineage affiliation for naming conventions. For example, Daran of the House of Veth might become Daran Vethborn, and Rani from the Guild of Shipwrights might become Rani Seaborn.

Patterning makes invented titles feel systematic rather than random, and also feeds into building out your characters.

Blend the familiar and the unfamiliar

Combining recognisable elements and words in new ways is probably the most common technique, and the easiest to achieve. Use a word that readers will recognise and combine it with something thematically appropriate, and it’s basically a cheat-sheet for a title of authority.

A seafaring military organisation can give you titles like Tidewarden or Wavemarshall. A monarchy in a country known for volcanic activity could give you titles like Ashlord or Pyroclast.

Like any part of writing, balance is important. A title that’s too alien can be confusing unless you’ve done the heavy lifting of world-building to make it work. But on the opposite side of the coin, something too familiar might feel lazy or cliché. So make sure you get beta reader feedback to ensure everything works in context from a reader’s perspective.

Questions to ask yourself to come up with titles

Governmental positions

• Is power centralised or distributed?
• Inherited or earned?
• Theocratic or secular? (A feudal system might use titles that emphasise land and loyalty, while a meritocracy might use titles that reference achievement or expertise).
• Are there tiers to your government that require different naming conventions?
• Are governing bodies location-based (i.e. rural vs. urban, land vs. sea)?

Religious titles

• How can a title reflect your faith’s core beliefs and structure?
• Is your religion hierarchical or egalitarian?
• Do adherents serve specific deities, aspects of nature, or abstract concepts?
• What role does someone play in their religion (i.e. intercessors, teachers, healers, warriors)?
• Are there internal divisions or sects that might have their own distinct naming traditions?

Military ranks

• How might unit size, specialisation, or historical tradition affect titles?
• Does the military have distinct branches (i.e. naval, cavalry, infantry, magical)?
• Do different branches have their own ranking systems?
• Are there elite units or special forces with unique designations?
• How does your world’s history of conflict shape its military terminology?
• What kind of warfare does your society engage in?

Social classes

• How is your society structured?
• What determines class in your society (i.e. occupation, bloodline, wealth, or spiritual status)?
• Are there mechanisms for moving between classes, and do titles reflect this mobility or rigidity?
• Are there honorifics that distinguish between old and new wealth, or between different professions?
• How do titles reflect regional differences within your story world?