She explains: “Until the 19th century, most women did not have any prefix before their name. Mrs and, later, Miss were both restricted to those of higher social standing.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Wimbledon has tinkered with its traditional naming titles for this year's tournament. Spectators at the All England Club and those watching at home will still hear the ...

There’s a long history of Mrs. and Miss in the English language. As Merriam-Webster notes, Mrs. was first used in 1574, and Miss came into fashion in 1667.

Wimbledon has dropped the titles of “Miss” and “Mrs” when announcing scores in women’s matches. They say they wanted to "move with the times" and "achieve consistency" between the sexes.

A version of this article appears in print on , Section A, Page 26 of the New York edition with the headline: Ms., Miss or Mrs.: Marital Status Shouldn’t Matter.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’m a 37-year-old woman who has never been engaged, married or had children. I’ll be graduating soon, ... Miss and Mrs. -- to denote marital status. A bad idea.

"Mrs", "Miss" or "Ms"? Which do you prefer? Does it really matter that a woman's social title still defines her marital status when a man's does not? Or, in this age of gender equality, should ...

Miss/Mrs./Ms. Manners (who keeps ‘em guessing) is happy to tell you that we do have a female courtesy title that is unrelated to marital status: Ms.

Spectators at the All England Club and those watching at home will still hear the chair umpire refer to female players as Miss, Mrs. or Ms., but only at certain times — in the same instances ...