Don (honorific) - Portugal and Brazil

Portugal and Brazil

The usage of Dom was a prerogative of princes of the royal blood and also of other individuals to whom it had been granted by the sovereign. In most cases, the title was passed on through the male line. Strictly speaking, only females born of a nobleman bearing the title Dom would be addressed as Dona, but the style was not heritable through daughters. The few exceptions depended solely on the conditions upon which the title itself had been granted. A well-known exception is the descent of Dom Vasco da Gama.

There were many cases, both in Portugal and Brazil, in which the title of Dom (or Dona) was conceded to, and even bought by, people who were not from the royalty. In any case, when the title was officially recognized by the proper authority, it became part of the name.

Today, in Portugal and Brazil, Dom is ordinarily employed only for higher members of the clergy, and for superiors of religious orders, such as the Order of Saint Benedict, wherein it is also associated with the status of Dom Frater. Dom is similarly used within the Benedictine Order throughout France and the English speaking world. In France, it is also used within the male branch of the Carthusian Order.

In the Portuguese language, the female, Dona (or, more politely, Senhora Dona), has become common when referring to a woman who does not hold an academic title. It's commonly used to refer to First Ladies, although less common for female politicians.