Major (rank)

Not to be confused with Mayor.

Major is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators, major is one rank above captain in armies and air forces, and one rank below lieutenant colonel. It is considered the most junior of the senior officer ranks.

Background

Etymologically, the word stems from the Latin word major meaning "greater". The rank can be traced back to the rank of sergeant major general, which was shortened to sergeant major, and subsequently shortened to major.

When used in hyphenated or combined fashion, the term can also imply seniority at other levels of rank, including major general, denoting a low-level general officer, and sergeant major, denoting the most senior non-commissioned officer (NCO) of a military unit. The term major can also be used with a hyphen 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)
• Major (India)

Insignia

Army insignia

• 
  Major
  (Albanian Land Force)
• 
  Mayor
  (Angolan Army)
• 
  Major
  (Antigua and Barbuda Regiment)
• 
  Mayor
  (Argentine Army)
• 
  մայոր
  Mayor
  (Armenian Ground Forces)
• 
  Major
  (Australian Army)
• 
  Major
  (Austrian Land Forces)
• 
  Mayor
  (Azerbaijani Land Forces)
• 
  মেজর
  Mējara
  (Bangladesh Army)
• 
  Major
  (Barbados Regiment)
• 
  Маёр
  Major
  (Belarusian Ground Forces)
• 
  Majoor
  (Belgian Land Component)
• 
  Major
  (Belize Defence Force)
• 
  Mayor
  (Bolivian Army)
• 
  Major
  (Bosnian Ground Forces)
• 
  Major
  (Botswana Ground Force)
• 
  Major
  (Brazilian Army)
• 
  Mejar
  (Royal Brunei Land Force)
• 
  Майор
  Mayor
  (Bulgarian Land Forces)
• 
  Major
  (Kirundi: Majoro)
  (Burundi Army)
• 
  Major
  (French: Major)
  (Canadian Army)
• 
  Major
  (Cape Verdean National Guard)
• 
  Mayor
  (Chilean Army)
• 
  Mayor
  (Colombian National Army)
• 
  Major
  (Land Forces of the DR Congo)
• 
  Mayor
  (Cuban Revolutionary Army)
• 
  Major
  (Czech Land Forces)
• 
  Major
  (Royal Danish Army)
• 
  Mayor
  (Dominican Army)
• 
  Mayor
  (Ecuadorian Army)
• 
  Mayor
  (Salvadoran Army)
• 
  Major
  (Estonian Land Forces)
• 
  Major
  (Fiji Infantry Regiment)
• 
  Majuri
  (Swedish: Major)
  (Finnish Army)
• 
  Major
  (Gambian National Army)
• 
  მაიორი
  Maiori
  (Georgian Land Forces)
• 
  Major
  (German Army)
• 
  Mayor
  (Guatemalan Army)
• 
  Major
  (Army of Guinea-Bissau)
• 
  Major
  (Guyana Army)
• 
  Mayor
  (Honduran Army)
• 
  Major
  (Indian Army)
• 
  Mayor
  (Indonesian Army)
• 
  Maggiore
  (Italian Army)
• 
  Major
  (Jamaican Army)
• 
  Майор
  Mayor
  (Kazakh Ground Forces)
• 
  Major
  (Kenya Army)
• 
  Major
  (Kosovo Security Force)
• 
  Майор
  Mayor
  (Kyrgyz Army)
• 
  Majors
  (Latvian Land Forces)
• 
  Major
  (Lesotho Army)
• 
  Major
  (Liberian Ground Forces)
• 
  Majoras
  (Lithuanian Land Force)
• 
  Major
  (Luxembourg Army)
• 
  Мајор
  Major
  (North Macedonia Ground Forces)
• 
  Mejar
  (Malaysian Army)
• 
  Major
  (Malawi Army)
• 
  މޭޖަރ
  Meyjar
  (Maldivian Marine Corps)
• 
  Maġġur
  (Army of Malta)
• 
  Mayor
  (Mexican Army)
• 
  Maior
  (Moldovan Ground Forces)
• 
  Major
  (Montenegrin Ground Army)
• 
  Major
  (Mozambican Army)
• 
  Major
  (Namibian Army)
• 
  Majoor
  (Royal Netherlands Army)
• 
  Major
  (New Zealand Army)
• 
  Mayor
  (Nicaraguan Army)
• 
  Major
  (Nigerian Army)
• 
  Major
  (Norwegian Army)
• 
  Major
  (Urdu: میجر)
  (Pakistan Army)
• 
  Major
  (Papua New Guinea Land Element)
• 
  Mayor
  (Paraguayan Army)
• 
  Mayor
  (Peruvian Army)
• 
  Major
  (Philippine Army)
• 
  Major
  (Polish Land Forces)
• 
  Major
  (Portuguese Army)
• 
  Maior
  (Romanian Land Forces)
• 
  Майо́р
  Majór
  (Russian Ground Forces)
• 
  Major
  (Rwandan Land Forces)
• 
  Major
  (SKN Regiment)
• 
  Major
  (Army of São Tomé and Príncipe)
• 
  Мајор
  Major
  (Serbian Army)
• 
  Major
  (Seychelles Army)
• 
  Major
  (Slovak Ground Forces)
• 
  Major
  (Slovenian Ground Force)
• 
  Major
  (South African Army)
• 
  Major
  (Sri Lanka Army)
• 
  Majoor
  (Suriname Army)
• 
  Major
  (Swedish Army)
• 
  Major
  (Swiss Army)
• 
  Майор
  Mayor
  (Tajik Ground Forces)
• 
  Meja
  (Tanzanian Army)
• 
  Major
  (Timor-Leste Army)
• 
  Major
  (Tongan Land Component)
• 
  Major
  (Trinidad and Tobago Regiment)
• 
  Maýor
  (Turkmen Ground Forces)
• 
  Major
  (Ugandan Land Forces)
• 
  Майор
  Maior
  (Ukrainian Ground Forces)
• 
  Major
  (British Army)
• 
  Major
  (United States Army)
• 
  Mayor
  (National Army of Uruguay)
• 
  Mayor
  (Uzbek Ground Forces)
• 
  Major
  (Swiss Guard)
• 
  Mayor
  (Venezuelan Army)
• 
  Major
  (Zimbabwe National Army)

See also

• List of comparative military ranks