These titles were borne by commoners. And, because the government and military were staffed almost entirely by Muslims, very few of the titles could be applied to non-Muslims.
Female Titles
Outside of the court, there were few titles for women.
Hatun: A term of respect that could be applied to any free Muslim woman. It was probably reserved for adult women–that is, women who had been married or had been a concubine. Apart from that detail, Hatun is roughly equivalent to the Tudor “Mistress.”
Hacı: Literally “pilgrim,” this could be borne by any Muslim who had made the pilgrimage to Mecca. Christians and Jews who had made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem could also call themselves Hacı, though it was spelled slightly differently. Unlike most other titles, Hacı precedes the personal name.
While Hacıs of both sexes and all classes could be found, the pilgrimage was costly. Former pilgrims were likely to be well-off or older (to give them more time to save up), and were overwhelmingly male. However, slaves and servants who made the pilgrimage with their masters could also take the title, and the small number of female Hacıs were probably women who accompanied their husbands.
Sultan: Princess. Note than men put the title before their name, and women after their name. “Sultan” was also an ordinary female name.
Male Titles
A man can have one title before his name and one title after. Mevlana is an exception: Mevlânâ Şah Mehmed Çelebi b. Eyüb (the personal name is Mehmed), Mevlâna el-Hâc Veli b. Mehmed (the personal name is Veli).
Titles That Follow the Given Name
Ağa: A title borne by a confusing array of military, court, and administrative officials.
Baba: Probably an informal term meaning “grandfather.” Sometimes used as a male personal name.
Beğ, Bey: A military title borne by certain high-ranking army and navy officers. Also a common element in ordinary men’s names.
Beşe
Bostancı: Literally “gardener,” this title was borne by members of the palace guard.
Çavuş: A high-ranking military messenger.
Çelebi: Gentleman. A generic term of respect that could be borne by well-to-do males of any age; even underaged orphans are sometimes titled “Çelebi” in court records.
Danişmend: A master of arts.
Efendi: An informal title given to learned men.
Emir: Commander or governor. Also a personal name and a common element in ordinary men’s names.
Fakih: Islamic jurist.
Halîfe: A Sufi title. Literally “successor,” a halîfe is the successor to a pîr, or Sufi spiritual master. Although this is the same word as the more familiar “caliph,” the Sufi rank and the generic Islamic rank are not related.
Kethüda: A deputy, often to an ağa or reis. Used in both the military and the civil administration.
Paşa: Pasha. Also a common element in ordinary men’s names.
Reis, Re’is: Naval captain. Istanbul, a major military and shipping center, was full of captains.
Subaşı
Titles That Precede the Given Name
el-Hac: A variant of Hacı.
Hacı: Identical to the female title. Confusingly, it was occasionally used as a male given name.
Mevlâna: Literally “my master.” A high rank within the Sufi orders.
Molla: Mullah
Pîr: Literally “elder.” A Sufi master or spiritual guide.
Seyyid: A descendant of Muhammad.
Şeyh: A preacher, or the head of a religious community.
Sultan: Prince. Note than men put the title before their name, and women after their name.