Daily Ancestorsieur
Sieur is an old French title meaning "Mister", placed before a man's name in legal and notarial writing, as in le sieur Jean Mercuret.
Sieur comes from Latin seniorem, the same root as seigneur. In legal and court language it is placed before a man's name, as in le sieur Mercuret, and later mentions shorten this to le dit sieur, the said Mister.
Scribes commonly abbreviated it sr, one of the few short forms that an 1834 commentary on French notarial law still accepted in formal deeds, alongside de for dame and ve for veuve.
As seen in a recordNotarial deed, Quebec City, 1780s
le sieur Hyacinthe Mercuret, négociant en cette ville
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Daily Ancestor. "sieur." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/french/sieur. Last checked 2026-10-28.