Major (rank)

Background

The use of Major as part of an official title in Medieval Latin has given the Spanish mayor, French maire, and English "mayor". In English the unadapted form "major" is the title of a military officer now ranking between a captain and a lieutenant colonel. Originally the word was used adjectivally in the title "sergeant major", an officer of high rank (third in command of an army) who performed the same duties of administration, drill and encampments on the staff of the chief commander as the sergeant in a company performs as assistant to the captain. This was in the latter half of the 16th century, and very soon afterwards the "sergeant major" became known as the "sergeant major general"—hence the modern title of major general.

By the time of the English Civil War "majors" had been introduced in each regiment of foot, who corresponded in a lesser sphere to the "major general" of the whole army. An early (1643) attestation of the term, used alone, can be found in Bulstrode Whitelocke's Memorials of the English affairs: "Major Gunter was shot dead in the place, and Hampden wounded, whereof he died a week after." referring to the deaths of John Hampden and Major John Gunter in the Battle of Chalgrove Field.

In the 20th century, the word appears also in the British service in "brigade major" (the adjutant or staff officer of a brigade). "Town majors" (garrison staff officers) are now no longer appointed. In the French service up to 1871 the "major general" was the chief of the general staff of a field army, and thus preserved the tradition of the former "sergeant major" or "sergeant major general".

The term major can also be used to denote the leader of a military band such as in pipe major or drum major.

Links to major ranks by country

Alphabetically sorted by name of country:

• Major (Canada)
• Major (France)
• Major (Germany)
• Major (Sweden)
• Major (United Kingdom)
• Major (United States)

Insignia

Army insignia

File:ALB-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (Albanian Land Force) File:Angola-Army-OF-3.svg|Mayor (Angolan Army) File:11.RABDF-MAJ.svg|Major (Antigua and Barbuda Regiment) File:Argentina-Army-OF-3.svg|Mayor (Argentine Army) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-3.svg|մայոր Mayor (Armenian Ground Forces) File:Australian Army OF-3.svg|Major (Australian Army) File:Bundesheer - Rank insignia - Major.png|Major (Austrian Land Forces) File:13.AzLF-MAJ.png|Mayor (Azerbaijani Land Forces) File:Bangladesh-army-OF-3.svg|মেজর Mējara (Bangladesh Army) File:10.BDF-MAJ.svg|Major (Barbados Regiment) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-3.svg|Маёр Major (Belarusian Ground Forces) File:Belgium-Army-OF-3b.svg|Majoor(NL) / Major (FR) (Belgian Land Component) File:Belize-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (Belize Defence Force) File:MayorEB.svg|Mayor (Bolivian Army) File:Bosnia&Herzegovina-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (Bosnian Ground Forces) File:Botswana-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (Botswana Ground Force) File:Brazil-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (Brazilian Army) File:13.RBrLF-MAJ.svg|Mejar (Royal Brunei Land Force) File:Rank insignia of Майор of the Bulgarian Army.png|Майор Mayor (Bulgarian Land Forces) File:Burundi-Army-OF-3.svg|Major () (Burundi Army) File:Canadian Army OF-3.svg|Major () (Canadian Army) File:Cape Verde-army-OF-3.svg|Major (Cape Verdean National Guard) File:SS.OO.5.EJER.MAYOR.svg|Mayor (Chilean Army) File:Colombia-Army-OF-3.svg|Mayor (Colombian National Army) File:DR Congo Army OF-3.svg|Major (Land Forces of the DR Congo) File:Cuba-Army-OF-3.svg|Mayor (Cuban Revolutionary Army) File:CzArmy 2011 OF3-Major shoulder.svg|Major (Czech Land Forces) File:Denmark-Army-OF-3-M69-service.svg|Major (Royal Danish Army) File:Capona de Mayor Ejercito Nacional.svg|Mayor (Dominican Army) File:12.ECA-MAJ.svg|Mayor (Ecuadorian Army) File:El-Salvador-Army-OF-3.svg|Mayor (Salvadoran Army) File:Estonia-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (Estonian Land Forces) File:Fijian-OF-03.svg|Major (Fiji Infantry Regiment) File:Majuri kauluslaatta.svg|Majuri () (Finnish Army) File:10.Gambian Army-MAJ.svg|Major (Gambian National Army) File:Georgia-Army-OF-3.svg|მაიორი Maiori (Georgian Land Forces) File:HD H 51 Major FJg.svg|Major (German Army) File:Guatemala-army-OF-3.svg|Mayor (Guatemalan Army) File:09. Guinea-Bissau MAJ.svg|Major (Army of Guinea-Bissau) File:Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Major rank insignia.svg|Major (Guyana Army) File:HON-army-OF-3.svg|Mayor (Honduran Army) File:Major of the Indian Army.svg|Major (Indian Army) File:16-TNI Army-MAJ.svg|Mayor (Indonesian Army) File:IT-Army-OF3.svg|Maggiore (Italian Army) File:Jamaica-Army-OF-3 (new).svg|Major (Jamaican Army) File:14-RKGF-MAJ.svg|Майор Mayor (Kazakh Ground Forces) File:10. Kenyan Army MAJ.svg|Major (Kenya Army) File:Kosovo-Army-OF-3 2024.svg|Major (Kosovo Security Force) File:11.Kyrgyzstan Army-MAJ.svg|Майор Mayor (Kyrgyz Army) File:LV-Army-OF3.png|Majors (Latvian Land Forces) File:Blank.svg|Major (Lesotho Army) File:Blank.svg|Major (Liberian Ground Forces) File:16-Lithuania Army-MAJ.svg|Majoras (Lithuanian Land Force) File:Luxembourg-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (Luxembourg Army) File:North-Macedonia-Army-OF-3.svg|Мајор Major (North Macedonia Ground Forces) File:Malaysia-army-OF-3.svg|Mejar (Malaysian Army) File:10. Malawi Army - MAJ.svg|Major (Malawi Army) File:Maldives Army OF-3.svg|މޭޖަރ Meyjar (Maldivian Marine Corps) File:11.Malta Army-MAJ.svg|Maġġur (Army of Malta) File:Mexico army OF3.svg|Mayor (Mexican Army) File:12-Moldovan Army-MAJ.svg|Maior (Moldovan Ground Forces) File:13-Montenegro Army-MAJ.svg|Major (Montenegrin Ground Army) File:Mozambique-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (Mozambican Army) File:10-Namibia Army-MAJ.svg|Major (Namibian Army) File:Netherlands-Army-OF-3.svg|Majoor (Royal Netherlands Army) File:New Zealand-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (New Zealand Army) File:11-Nicaragua Army-MAJ.svg|Mayor (Nicaraguan Army) File:Nigeria-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (Nigerian Army) File:Norway-army-OF-3.svg|Major (Norwegian Army) File:OF-3 Pakistan Army.svg|Major () (Pakistan Army) File:PNGDF Land OF-03.svg|Major (Papua New Guinea Land Element) File:Paraguay-Army-OF-3.svg|Mayor (Paraguayan Army) File:Peru-Army-OF-3.svg|Mayor (Peruvian Army) File:PA Major.png|Major (Philippine Army) File:Army-POL-OF-03.svg|Major (Polish Land Forces) File:Portugal-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (Portuguese Army) File:Romania-Army-OF-3.svg|Maior (Romanian Land Forces) File:Russia-Army-OF-3-2010.svg|Майо́р Majór (Russian Ground Forces) File:10-Rwanda Army-MAJ.svg|Major (Rwandan Land Forces) File:Belize-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (SKN Regiment) File:STeP OF-3.svg|Major (Army of São Tomé and Príncipe) File:12-Serbian Army-MAJ.svg|Мајор Major (Serbian Army) File:Seychelles Army OF-03 (2018).svg|Major (Seychelles Army) File:Army-SVK-OF-03.svg|Major (Slovak Ground Forces) File:15-Slovenian Army-MAJ.svg|Major (Slovenian Ground Force) File:SAA-OF-3.svg|Major (South African Army) File:Sri Lanka-army-OF-3.svg|Major (Sri Lanka Army) File:Nl-landmacht-majoor.svg|Majoor (Suriname Army) File:Sweden-Army-OF-3 (M1987).svg|Major (Swedish Army) File:CHE OF3 Maj.svg|Major (Swiss Army) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-3.svg|Майор Mayor (Tajik Ground Forces) File:11-Tanzania Army-MAJ.svg|Meja (Tanzanian Army) File:10.TLDF-MAJ.svg|Major (Timor-Leste Army) File:Tonga-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (Tongan Land Component) File:TaT-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (Trinidad and Tobago Regiment) File:Post-Soviet-Army-OF-3.svg|Maýor (Turkmen Ground Forces) File:Uganda-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (Ugandan Land Forces) File:UA shoulder mark 15.svg|Майор Maior (Ukrainian Ground Forces) File:British Army OF-3.svg|Major (British Army) File:US Army O4 (Army greens).svg|Major (United States Army) File:Blank.svg|Mayor (National Army of Uruguay) File:Uzbekistan-army-OF-3.svg|Mayor (Uzbek Ground Forces) File:Rank insignia of Major (OF-3) Pontifical Swiss Guard.svg|Major (Swiss Guard) File:MAYEJB-GNB.png|Mayor (Venezuelan Army) File:Zimbabwe-Army-OF-3.svg|Major (Zimbabwe National Army)

References

Attribution

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