Cleveland Rock
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Ohio.
Is it legal for me to use a title or titles besides "Mr."?
Examples I've seen in popular culture:
Would this sort of thing be covered under the First Amendment or the Title of Nobility Clause? Would it be legal to sign my name with such a title? If I used the title "Dr." for fun, and not to mislead people into thinking I'm an actual doctor, would it be considered impersonating a doctor?
Thanks.
Is it legal for me to use a title or titles besides "Mr."?
Examples I've seen in popular culture:
- Stephen Colbert refers to himself as Sir Dr. Stephen T. Colbert, D.F.A. on his show, although he is a real Doctor of Fine Arts and was knighted by HM Queen Noor of Jordan.
- There was an infamous audition on American Idol by someone who went by the name General Larry Platt.
- On an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star referred to himself as Mr. Dr. Prof. Patrick.
- In the Bill & Ted movies, Bill refers to himself as Bill S. Preston, Esquire.
- Some recording artists use them in stage names, such as Sir Mix-a-Lot and Dr. Dre.
Would this sort of thing be covered under the First Amendment or the Title of Nobility Clause? Would it be legal to sign my name with such a title? If I used the title "Dr." for fun, and not to mislead people into thinking I'm an actual doctor, would it be considered impersonating a doctor?
Thanks.