

Knights and Dames are people who
The naming rules in each category are similar but can vary depending on the type of knighthood. This overview simplifies a complex subject. There are many exceptions and special cases.
In the Middle Ages, knights often formed themselves into associations, some of which became orders. Also, many sovereigns (and quasi-sovereigns) created their own orders. For more information see Wikipedia, Chivalric order.
British knights and dames are not nobles, but many nobles are knights and dames. A knight ranks above Esquire and below Baronet. Knights and Dames are entitled to use the courtesy title Sir / Dame in front of their names. These are titles, not part of the name.
"Legal document: Knights Bachelor are accorded 'Knight Bachelor' or 'Knight' after the name.
The Orders of Chivalry are either spelt in full (with or without the honorific prefix of the Order, eg Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire), or by the recognised abbreviations, eg KBE. Thus Sir John Smith Knight Bachelor, KBE."
See: Debrett's, Forms of Address.
A knight who does not belong to an order of chivalry is a Knight Bachelor. There is no female equivalent. For more information, see Wikipedia, Knight Bachelor.
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Chivalric orders are awarded only by the Sovereign.
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Historically, the prefix Sir was not used just for knights:
The French word for knight is Chevalier. A female knight in her own right is a Chevalière, The wife of a Chevalier is a Chevaleresse. French knights are nobles. The French system can be confusing, because Chevalier is both a rank and a title. Most French knights were members of orders of chivalry, so they had the title chevalier but they held the lower rank of Écuyer (Esquire). For more information, see Wikipedia, French nobility: Titles, peerage, and orders.
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The German word for knight is Ritter. There is no female equivalent. German and Austrian knights are nobles. A Ritter ranks above Edler and below Freiherr. Knighthoods were typically hereditary, with the title passing to all male-line descendants. Germany and Austria abolished titles in 1919. In Germany, the title became part of the surname. In Austria, titles are used socially but not officially. For more information, see Wikipedia, Ritter.
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The Knight in Hungarian "Lovag"; special "Vitéz"
1.) Order of Saint George
The Order of St. George Hungarian: Szent György Vitézei Lovagrend, was the first secular chivalric order in the world established by King Charles I of Hungary (Károly Róbert) in 1326.
2.) Order of the Dragon Hungarian Sárkányrend The Order of the Dragon was a monarchical chivalric order for selected nobility, founded in 1408 by Sigismund, King of Hungary and later Holy Roman Emperor. It was fashioned after the military orders of the crusades, requiring its initiates to defend the Cross and fight the enemies of Christianity, in particular the Ottoman Turks. In 2001, Nagyvárad (Oradea) was born again in the Dragon Knights. The Varadinum ceremony was inaugurated within the framework of a series of re-dragon knights. Grand Master with full power of Chancellor became Count George Lehr de Várhegyi.
3.) Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary or The Royal Hungarian Order of Saint Stephen
The Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary, the royal Hungarian order, founded in 1764 by the empress Maria Theresa of Austria, consisted of the grand master (the sovereign), 20 knights grand cross, 30 knights commanders and 50 knights.
4.) One of the knights in Hungary was/ is the "Knightly Order of Vitéz" - Hungarian Vitézi Rend.
4.) Other Hungarian Order of Knights: "Order of Knights of the Holy Crown"
Order of Leopold (Chivalric order)
The Croatian word for "Knight" is "Vitez", a modern example of the naming convention "vitez Željko Reiner" (2017)
At various times, Croatia was under Venetian, Austrian and Hungarian control, knights from those periods would be referred to using the appropriate titles used by the dominant nation.
The Irish system generally follows the British system. However, there are three hereditary knighthoods. Hereditary knights do not use the courtesy title Sir. For more information, see Wikipedia, Hereditary knighthoods: Ireland.
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There are five orders of knighthood awarded in recognition of service to the Kingdom of Italy.
The degrees of knighthood, not all of which apply to all orders, are Knight (Cavaliere abbreviated Cav.), Officer (Ufficiale abbreviated Uff.), Commander (Commendatore abbreviated Comm.), Grand Officer (Gr. Uff.), Knight Grand Cross (Cav. Gr. Croce) and Knight Grand Cross with cordon
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The Dutch word for knight is Ridder. There is no female equivalent. A Ridder ranks above Jonkheer and below Baron. There is no prefix equivalent to Sir or Dame. Some knighthoods descend to all male-line descendants, while other descend only to the eldest son. For more information, see Ridder.
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Spanish military orders or Spanish Medieval knights orders were a set of religious-military institutions which arose in the context of the Reconquista, the most important of which started during the 12th century, at which time there was no unified Spanish kingdom. These Military Orders or their successors were dissolved the April 29 of 1931 by mandate of the Republican government of Spain.
Knights of an Order were referred to as the "caballeros de la Orden", so a knight would be addressed as a "Caballero", different Orders had mostly similar hierarchies, with ranks being roughly equivalent to those of other European Orders
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There are complex rules about how to combine titles. Some examples:
Caution: Priests and bishops never use the title of knight, even if they hold a knighthood