Deep into the 20th century, the choice of honorific and given name associated with a female, particularly as used in print, told much about her marital status.

• "Miss" (Miss Sally Jones) indicated a never-married female (of any age), or a divorced woman who had reclaimed her maiden name.


• "Mrs." followed by a man's given name (Mrs. John Smith) indicated she was married.


• "Mrs." followed by the woman's own given name (Mrs. Sally Smith) implicitly stated she was widowed or divorced (or occasionally, legally separated).

--Jim