What is the difference between a "Sir" and a "Lord"?

Question

Paul Mc Cartney is a lord is he?

What about Alan Sugar? Lord or Sir?

I am French and have the intention to be a lord one day.

Answer 1

A Sir is either a knight or a baronet. A knight is given his title by the monarch (and there are several kinds, with the 24 Knights of the Garter at the top) and a baronet inherits his title from his father or another male relative. Very, very few baronets have been created since 1964.

A lord is either a peer (duke, marquess, earl, viscount or baron) or the son of a duke or marquess (like Lord Randolph Churchill). Paul McCartney and Alan Sugar are knights. The barons for life all sit in parliament, while only 92 of the 100s of lords who inherited their titles can sit in parliament. Neither title requires any land.

If you wish to be a British lord, you'll have to move to Britain and perform some form of public service to earn one, and also take out dual citizenship. Inga Stina Robson was Swedish and became a British baroness.

Answer 2

Sir is a knight and a lower order than Lord. Until Blair decided to mess around with nearly 1000 years or history a Lord sat in the House of Lords as a right but could not be elected to the House of commons. A Knight can be elected but must be raised to the peerage (a Lord0 before he can sit in the House of Lords.

There are three houses of Parliament

1. The house of Commons

2. The house of lords

3. the Sovereign  

They act as a check and balance on the power of the executive which is why the elected politicians do not like the other two houses

Answer 3

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU STOP READING EVERYTHING ELSE

you have to go back in time to medieval times when there were real knights and lords,,,,lords were the people who owned the land,, ((land owners today would be a farmer)) there were also people that owned church land who would hire a man to be the head man of the land he would become a lord

the lords in those days would have people working under them (((farm labourers)))the labourers weather belonging to the churches or the farmers(lords)would have had a day set apart to practise their sword fighting and archery,, incase of battles against whoever,, every now and then there would be a tourney or a joust,, where the king of the land would attend ,, the over all winner would have been knighted by the king making him a sir (( john gamage became sir john Gamage )) there were some woman that fought but were never knighted.. Generally a lord may have won the land after a tourney or battle or as a reward for good duty to the king(s) the churches or as a payment for something he had done

Paul McCartney was knighted he is a Sir not a lord hope that helps you

Answer 4

There is a very 'real difference' between being a 'Sir' (a Knight ... usually not an 'inheritable title') and a 'Lord' ... one must be 'titled' (Marquis or above) to be called 'Lord' and that is a hereditary title that goes to the 'oldest son' with his younger brothers called Sir, and sisters called 'Lady' ... or in some cases, it can 'pass' to a female, who is still called 'Lady.'  You are French and you can NOT be a 'Lord' unless you are the 'oldest male son' of a French 'Lord.'  Sorry, but the 'rules' are the same no matter what 'country' you live in.

Answer 5

they are two a penny

Answer 6

Sir is a rgular unworshipped man. A lord is someone who is worshipped. Godd luck!

Answer 7

Don't think it really matters, but just remember that

Once a King, always a King

But once a knight is enough!!

Answer 8

Do you not think Sir Voldermort would sound a little perverse so i don't really know the difference but i guess the varation is good.

Answer 9

"Lord" is passed down - "Sir" is conferred on the person and is not passed down.

Answer 10

If you are "Sir" you have been knighted, if you are "Lord" you are a peer. A peer is higher than a knight and a life peer also has the right to sit in the House of Lords and help govern the country.

Paul McCartney and Alan Sugar are both Knights not peers. Many Peers have a knighthood but the title Lord (or Baron) takes precedence as the higher title.

Contrary to other answers Lords are normally nowadays only Life peers (i.e. can't pass on the title to their sons) and there are hereditary knights called Baronets.

Unfortunately to be a British Peer you have to be a British or Irish citizen.

Answer 11

Sir is not a land owner

Sir is not passed down to your children.

Sir is not royalty, but a title

Answer 12

Forget it chum.  You asked in a previous question whether the Royal Family should be beheaded, so I won't waste time explaining because, if what you want were to happen, the aristocracy, baronets and knights will go the same way.  If you are French you should know that.

Edit:  For those who have said that 'Sir' is not an hereditary title, it is if you are a baronet.

Answer 13

About £2 million a year!!

Answer 14

Sir is a title of respect used in several modern contexts.

It was once used (without the person's name) as a courtesy title among equals, but in common usage it is now usually reserved for one of superior rank or status, such as an educator or commanding officer, or in age (especially by a minor); as a form of address from a merchant to a customer; in formal correspondence (Dear Sir, Right Reverend Sir); or to a stranger (Sir, you've dropped your hat).

The equivalent for a woman is madam.

Sir derives from the Middle French honorific title sire (messire gave 'mylord'), from the Old French sieur (itself a contraction of Seigneur meaning 'lord'), from the Latin adjective senior (elder), which yielded titles of respect in many European languages.

The form sir entered English in 1297, as title of honor of a knight or baronet, being a variant of sire, which was already used in English since c.1205 as a title placed before a name and denoting knighthood, and to address the (male) Sovereign since c.1225, with additional general senses of "father, male parent" is from c.1250 and "important elderly man" from 1362.

While....

A Lord (Laird in some Scottish contexts) is a male who has power and authority. It can have different meanings depending on the context of use. Women will usually (but not universally) take the title 'Lady' instead of Laird or Lord. Two examples of a female Lord are the Lord of Mann, or the current Lord Provost of Edinburgh.

In a religious context, The Lord is a name referring to God, mainly by the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity). In the Pagan religion Wicca, God is also referred to as The Lord and his counterpart is The Lady.

The etymology of the English word lord goes back to Old English hlaf-weard (loaf-guardian) – reflecting the Germanic tribal custom of a superior providing food for his followers. The female equivalent, Lady, may come from words meaning "loaf-kneader".

:)

Answer 15

gaylord sir elton john

no difference

any1 can be a Lord you have to be knighted to be a sir.

Alan sugar is a Sir

Answer 16

Sir is an honorary title.

Lord is a landowner.

The problem over here is that anybody with some money can become a "Sir" these days. Another screwed up thing !

Alan Sugar and P.Mc Cartney are both "Sir"

To be a Lord, you must have lineage and ancestral land.

At least that is the way it used to be.

Answer 17

Well, a "sir" is someone who is designated by a monarch (SIR Ian McClellan, Sir Elton Jone...etc.) A Lord is someone of noble birth, like Aragorn was "Lord" Aragorn. Or Lord Henry...or etc...hope I helped.