Social rank

Social rank or simply rank is a hierarchy based on one's perceived importance in society.

In modern usage, the term is somewhat ambiguous; is this importance to be determined in the traditional sense, based on class and lineage (or breeding) or are factors such as wealth, education and notoriety to be considered?

Social rank has usually been a somewhat fluid concept, depending on social mobility in a given place. In some countries and eras, social rank was indicated by a strictly-observed order of precedence.

See also

• Social class
• Caste