Originally, this guideline was developed in response to some prolonged Wikipedia:Categories for discussion procedures that debated the categorization of people in articles. As has been proven since, this guideline can be helpful for other "delicate" categorization issues.

Be aware that mis-categorizations are more sensitive for articles on people than for articles on other topics.

Example: Categorizing a politician involved in a scandal as a "criminal" would create much more controversy than categorizing a behaviour or act as "criminal".

Furthermore,

• Exert extra precaution with regard to the categorization of living people

  See Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons § Categories, lists and navigation templates

• Not all categories are comprehensive: For many categories it is better to think of the category as a set of representative and unquestioned examples, while a list is a better venue for an attempt at completeness. Particularly for sensitive categories, lists can be used as a complement to categorization. See also Wikipedia:Categories, lists, and navigation templates.

• Categorize by those characteristics that make the person notable

  See also Wikipedia:Overcategorization § Non-defining characteristics

Apart from a limited number of categories for standard biographical details (in particular year of birth, year of death and nationality) an article about a person should be categorized only by the reason(s) for the person's notability. Examples:

• Relating to occupations:
  • A film actor who holds a law degree should be categorized as a film actor, but not as a lawyer unless his or her legal career was notable in its own right. Many people had assorted jobs before taking the one that made them notable; those other jobs should not be categorized.
  • Similarly, none of the celebrities commercializing a fragrance are listed in the perfumers category: not everything a celebrity does after becoming famous warrants categorization.
• Relating to living people: categories regarding religious beliefs or sexual orientation should not be used unless the subject's beliefs or sexual orientation are relevant to their public life or notability.^{[under discussion]}

• Categorize by characteristics of the person, not characteristics of the article: The most common mistake of this type is adding an article to Category:Biography. That category may legitimately contain articles about biographical films or biographical books, but should not contain articles about individual people. The article is a biography; the person is not.
• Keep people categories separate: categories with a title indicating that the contents are people should normally only contain biographical articles and lists of people, and perhaps a non-biographical main article, though this can also be added in a text note at the top of the category. This is for clarity and ease of use, and to preserve the integrity of trees of people articles.
• Double check: Always check after saving an article whether the categorization strikes you as offensive or indelicate. The Wikipedia system allows anybody to edit the article and remove a questionable categorization. To avoid that, follow your intuition in finding those categories you think most to the point and inoffensive. Create a new category that better serves what you want to communicate, rather than using an existing category that is (partly) inconsistent with the content of the article.
• Categories should not be automatically assigned: Categories are only assigned as the result of an individual assessment of the content of an article (lists are easier in this sense, because a doubtful assignment can be marked as such). See also Wikipedia:Bots for a general discussion of contra-indications regarding automated operations.

Currently, people tend to be categorized by the following broad categories. There is currently no consensus about the order in which these categories should be placed at the bottom of an article.

By association

Currently, Wikipedia supports categorizing People by educational institution and People by company, as well as numerous more specific categories.

Sensitive categories

Sensitive categories, like those on ethnicity, gender, religion, and sexuality, should only be added to biographical articles,

• when the qualification expressed by the category can be verified unambiguously for the subject of the biography
• when this doesn't result in overcategorization, at least the characterization expressed by the category should be defining for the subject of the biography

By the person's name

In certain very notable cases, an individual's name can be used to categorize the person itself, for example Category:Abraham Lincoln. However, this should not be done simply to reduce the number of categories displayed in an article.

Categories using the name of a person hold articles directly related to that person. Remember this when placing the article in larger categories. If the person is a member of a category, put the article about the person in the larger category. If articles directly related to the person are also members of the larger category, put the category with the person's name in the larger category. This often results in the article and category being categorized differently. For an example of this see George W. Bush and Category:George W. Bush.

By nationality and occupation

People are usually categorized by their nationality and occupation, such as Category:Ethiopian musicians. The template {{Fooian fooers}} is used to provide navigation on each category page, such as:

Please note that this template may need to be modified for some categories, because some nationalities are listed as "Country people" instead of "Fooian people", such as Category:Bosnia and Herzegovina musicians and Category:Democratic Republic of the Congo musicians.

By place

The place of birth, although it may be significant from the perspective of local studies, is rarely defining from the perspective of an individual.

People are sometimes categorized by notable residence, in the form People from Foo (not "Natives of Foo"), regardless of ethnicity, heritage, or nationality. Residential categories should not be used to record people who have never resided in that place. Nationality is reflected by the occupation category (above), not country or county or city of residence.

The category page of People from Foo may mention the most commonly used names for residents ("Fooians", or "Fooers"), assuming that common usage is verifiable (e.g. by Google). Such names may also helpfully be used to redirect towards People from Foo. For an example of this, see Category:People from New York.

The place of death is not normally categorized; consider using a list if this relates to a specific place or event. If it is relevant to identify the place of burial (either from the viewpoint of the person or the burial place), then someone buried in a less notable cemetery, or in a place with just a few notable burials, should be recorded in a list within the article about the burial place. However, if the burial place is notable in its own right and has too many other notable people to list, then burials should be categorized. Such a category will be recorded in the form Burials at Foo Cemetery.

By year

People are categorized by their year of birth and year of death. See Wikipedia:People by year for how to categorize people by their years of birth and death.

It is possible to change the default order in which the articles in a Category are displayed on the Category: page. For general instructions and conventions about this, see Wikipedia:Categorization#Sort keys. Note that there are two techniques for defining a sort order different from the sort order that would result from the page name:

1. Adding {{DEFAULTSORT:<category sort key>}} in the article sets the category sort key for all categories without sort keys in that article, before or after it.
2. Per listed category, overriding the DEFAULTSORT, [[Category:Type X people|<category sort key>]]

The sort key should mirror the article's title as closely as possible, while omitting disambiguating terms. Some exceptions are made, however, to force correct collation.

Sort by surname

If the article is titled "Forename Surname", the category should be added to the article as [[Category:Type X people|Surname, Forename]] (or: {{DEFAULTSORT:Surname, Forename}}) so that it will be sorted by surname (surname and family name are used interchangeably in this article). However, there are exceptions depending on customs, where a person lives and when they lived. If the country is not listed, try consulting with Names of persons : national usages for entry in catalogue in the bibliography section. It is a resource for how librarians and institutions inside their respective country sorts names. However, the sort value may be inappropriate outside their country.^[1]

• Arabic names or Islamic names historically had no family or given names, but a full chain of names. These names should be sorted as they are written out. However, after 1900, Arabic names became similar in structure to those of Western names, and these should be sorted as if they were Western names, except for certain areas; for example, Islamic names in Malaysia follow a patronymic pattern. An example would be Saddam Hussein. Hussein is derived from his father's first name, but is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Hussein, Saddam}}.^[2][3]
  • In modern names with Abu, Abd, Abdel, Abdul, Ben, Bin and Bent are considered a compound name and are integral to the name. Osama bin Laden is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Bin Laden, Osama}}. Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Abdel Nour, Mounir Fakhry}}.^[2][3]
• Burmese names have no surnames or patronymic system, therefore they are sorted as they are written.^[4][5]
• Chinese names, Korean names, Vietnamese names and Cambodian names are generally written with the family name first: Mao Zedong is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Mao, Zedong}}.^[6][7]
• Icelandic names are generally patronymic and occasionally matronymic, with a person's last name derived from their father's or mother's given name. For example, Arnaldur Indriðason is the son of Indriði G. Þorsteinsson. Normally a patronymic name is sorted as they are written.^[8] However, on English Wikipedia, the DEFAULTSORT value is Western order while an Icelandic category's sort value is as the name is written. Arnaldur Indriðason is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Indridason, Arnaldur}}, while the Icelandic category of photographers is done, [[Category:Icelandic photographers|Arnaldur Indridason]]. For the listas= parameter in project templates on article talk pages use the DEFAULTSORT value (since it mainly categorises in non-Icelandic categories), e.g., | listas = Indridason, Arnaldur .^[9]
• Japanese names for people born after 1885 follow Western order. For people born before 1885, names followed the same practice as Chinese names.^[10][11][12]
  • There are exceptions. Sumo wrestlers, Geishas, Kabuki actors and practitioners of traditional crafts and arts may take professional names. These names follow the same practice as Chinese names. Sumo wrestler Toyohibiki Ryūta's sort value is {{DEFAULTSORT:Toyohibiki, Ryuta}}.^[12]
• Malaysian, Eritrean and Ethiopian names use a patronymic system and are sorted as they are written. There are exceptions; most notably Malaysian Chinese names are handled as regular Chinese names.^[13][14]
• Portuguese names (Portugal only) are commonly composed of one or two given names, and two family names. In a compound family name, the first name is the mother's maiden name, with the second name being the father's surname. These names should be sorted on the last element or the father's name. Francisco da Costa Gomes is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Gomes, Francisco Da Costa}}.^[15][16]
• Spanish names are similar to Portuguese names in that they are commonly composed of one or two given names, and two family names. However, in a compound family name, the first name is the father's name, while the second name is the mother's name. The sort value depends on how many names are in the articles title. For Gabriel García Márquez, with two family names and one given name, the sort is {{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia Marquez, Gabriel}}. For José Ignacio García Hamilton, with two family names and two given names, the sort is {{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia Hamilton, Jose Ignacio}}. Be careful, as the article's title may included any combination of given names and family names.^[17][18]
• Thai names have only contained a family name since 1915 and the name follows the western pattern of "Forename Surname". However, people in Thailand are known and addressed by their forename. Thai names are sorted as they are written with the forename first. Thaksin Shinawatra is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Thaksin Shinawatra}}.^[19]
• Most Muslim Turkish names before 1934 had no surname. After 1934, people adopted surnames.^[20]

Historical patronymic names

The patronymic system was once common throughout Europe and in some parts of the world. See Patronymic for the list of systems used in each country. Patronymic names should be sorted on their first name. The following is to distinguish how to sort the relevant historical people in some of the more common languages:

• East Slavic languages (Russian and Ukrainian) with the ending -ovich, -ovych, -yevich, -yich are used to form patronymics for men. For women, the endings are -yevna, -yivna, -ovna, ivna or -ichna. For example, in Russian, a man named Ivan with a father named Nikolay would be known as Ivan Nikolayevich or 'Ivan, son of Nikolay'.
• Irish names were formed by using Mac for "son of", Ó or Ua for "grandson of", Ní for "daughter of the grandson of", Nic for "daughter of the son of" and finally, Uí for "wife of the grandson of". The transition to fixed surnames began around 1000 and was completed after 1200. An example would be Ailill mac Dúnlainge, son of Dúnlaing mac Muiredaig.
• Jewish names were formed by using ben or bar for "son of" and bat for "daughter of". Permanent surnames started in the Iberian Peninsula around 1000 and spread eastward over the next 700 years.^[21]
• Scandinavian names (Danish, Swedish and Norwegian) were formed by using the ending son, søn, sen to indicate "son of", and dóttir, -dotter, datter for "daughter of". Norway outlawed the patronymic system in 1923, Denmark in 1828 and Sweden in 1901. However, the countries started to abandon the patronymic system much earlier. The nobility and academics started using surnames in the mid 1500s, the middle class around 1700, with most people having surnames in the 1800s. An example of a patronymic name would be Sverker Karlsson, the son of Karl Sverkersson.
• Scottish names began using fixed surnames around the 12th century, though the practice continued in some areas until the 1700s. In the Gaelic language, the word meaning son is mac. The word meaning daughter is nic. Máel Coluim mac Donnchada was the son of Donnchad mac Crínáin and is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Mael Coluim Mac Donnchada}}.^[22]
• Welsh names before the 1536 Act of Union were mostly patronymic, but people had begun to use fixed surnames for over 100 years. The patronymic practice continued after 1536 and is still used today. In the Welsh language, the word meaning son is ap or ab. The word meaning daughter is merch or verch (modern spelling ferch). Rhiryd ap Bleddyn was the son of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn and is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhiryd Ap Bleddyn}}.^[23]

Nobility

• Kings, queens, emperors, emirs, sultans, popes and others known by their official names should be sorted as spelled out. An ordinal number is converted to an Arabic numeral with a leading zero. Louis IX of France's sort value is {{DEFAULTSORT:Louis 09 of France}}. In some cases, you can leave off redundant information in a category, [[Category:French monarchs|Louis 09]].^[24]
• European princes and princesses are sorted by their given name. Prince Charles is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Prince of Wales}}. Because of the prevalence of princes with the same name, Arabic or Muslim princes are sorted by their given name, but a second name (usually their father's given name preceding bin or ibn) is added. Prince Talal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, whose father is King Abdul-Aziz, is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Talal Bin Abdul-Aziz}}.^[2][25]
• British peers are sorted by name of the title rather than surname, e.g. Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury is alphabetized under "Salisbury", not "Gascoyne-Cecil" or "Cecil": {{DEFAULTSORT:Salisbury, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of}}.^[25]
• Some peers are almost invariably known by some name other than their peerage (which will not, in such cases, appear in the article title); for example, Frederick North, Lord North (who was 2nd Earl of Guilford) or Anthony Eden (who was 1st Earl of Avon). This should be followed for most categories, sorting them under North,... and Eden,...; but categories directly relating to the peerage should still sort them under it. [[Category:Earls in the Peerage of Great Britain|Guilford]] and [[Category:Earls in the Peerage of Great Britain|Avon]], respectively.
• Unless necessary for identification, Sir, Dame, Lord and Lady should be omitted from the sort value.^[25]

Other exceptions

• Eliminate epithets: e.g. "Saint" in Saint Alban: [[Category:Saints|Alban]].^[26]
• Suffixes to names, such as "Jr." or "III", should be placed at the end of the sort key, rather than with the surname: Robert J. Smith II sorts as [[Category:New Jersey politicians|Smith, Robert J., II]], not [[Category:New Jersey politicians|Smith II, Robert J.]].^[27]
• Only hyphens, apostrophes and periods/full stops punctuation marks should be kept in sort values. All other punctuation marks should be removed. The only exception is the apostrophe should be removed for names beginning with O'. For example, Eugene O'Neill is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:ONeill, Eugene}}.^[28]
• Accented letters and ligatures should be replaced by their unaccented or separated counterparts. (Without these alterations, all punctuation marks would be sorted before A, and all accented characters and ligatures would sort after Z). For example, György Budaházy is sorted by {{DEFAULTSORT:Budahazy, Gyorgy}}, and Gerhard Schröder is sorted by {{DEFAULTSORT:Schroder, Gerhard}}, not {{DEFAULTSORT:Schroeder, Gerhard}}.^[29]
• Clerical titles, academic titles, military titles and honorifics should not be used in sorting. For example, Martin Luther King, Jr. is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:King, Martin Luther, Jr.}} and without the titles "Doctor" or "Reverend", for his academic and clerical achievements.^[30]
• Surnames beginning with Mac or Mc are sorted as they are spelled. Douglas MacArthur is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:MacArthur, Douglas}} and Malcolm McDowell is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:McDowell, Malcolm}}.^[31] This is also British standard (BS 3700:1988)^[32] and ISO 999:1996 standard for preparing indexes.
• Names with particles or prefixes are a complex field and there are exceptions and inconsistencies. Examples of particles are al, de, della, di, dos, du, el, la, and von. Whether or not to include the particle in sorting can be up to the individual's personal preference, traditional cultural usage or the customs of one's nationality.
  • Generally, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish names do not include lowercase particles in sorting, but do include uppercase particles. For example, Otto von Bismarck is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Bismarck, Otto von}}, Jean de La Fontaine is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:La Fontaine, Jean de}}, and Alberto Di Chiara is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Di Chiara, Alberto}}.
  • American, Australian, Canadian and English names generally sort on the prefix, regardless of capitalization. However, there are discrepancies between different sources on whether to sort on the prefix or not.^[33][34][35]
  • In Belgium, Dutch/Flemish and French/Walloon names sort differently by time period. For people in the Southern Netherlands (Belgium) before 1830, surnames are sorted on the body of the surname and not on the prefix(es). For example, Rogier van der Weyden is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Weyden, Rogier van der}} and Gérard de Lairesse {{DEFAULTSORT:Lairesse, Gerard de}}. In contrast, Belgian people since 1830 are sorted on the prefix. For example: Paul van Ostaijen is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Ostaijen, Paul}} and Christian de Duve is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:De Duve, Christian}}.^[36][37]
  • In South Africa and Namibia, Dutch/Afrikaans and German surnames are sorted by prefix, e.g. F. W. de Klerk is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:De Klerk, F. W.}}.^[36][37]
  • In modern Arabic or Islamic names, the prefixes al and el, regardless of capitalization, are never part of a family name for indexing. For example, Osama Al-Muwallad is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Muwallad, Osama}} and Ezzat el Kamhawi is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Kamhawi, Ezzat}}.^[2][3]
  • Sometimes the name containing the prefix is not a family name, but a description of where the person is from. In these cases, the sort value is how the name is spelled. For Peire de Corbiac, "de Corbiac" is a description where Peire is from, the town of Corbiac. So, the name means Peire of or from Corbiac and is sorted {{DEFAULTSORT:Peire de Corbiac}}.
• Sometimes a given name is combined with neither a surname nor a peerage title; it is preferable to sort on the first name in these cases. Example: for Augustine of Hippo, use [[Category:Christian philosophers|Augustine of Hippo]] or simply [[Category:Christian philosophers]].
• Some people are known primarily by their first name only. When it is not possible to set the first name alone as the article title, as with many articles in Category:Brazilian footballers, you should sort with the first name first to make the article easier to find in the categories. For example, Leonardo Araújo is commonly known as Leonardo, and should be sorted as {{DEFAULTSORT:Leonardo Araujo}}.^[38]

Before creating a new category

Before creating a new category, please be sure a similar category does not exist.

Example: You might want to list someone in Category:Mexicans. Before creating that category, try to find it under a similar name. By starting at Category:People by nationality, you will discover that Mexicans are placed in Category:Mexican people.

Consider making a list

Consider whether a list or other grouping technique would be more appropriate:

• for trivia (such as "dog owners" etc..., see also general trivia policies)
• for categories whose members would require frequent notes to explain the reasons for each inclusion.
  • Note: Wikipedians are divided about whether categories should be used for such topics, and might propose such categories for deletion. Nonetheless: always follow your own gut instinct in this matter.
• Please note that lists would be useful where it is important to see dates, for example, a list of medal winners or a List of Nobel laureates.

Consider whether the category might be considered category clutter

See also Wikipedia:Categorization of people/Sensitive categories for examples of overcategorization.

Choose an appropriate name for the category

A good category name is generic and neither too long nor too short.

Finding a good category name for sensitive people-related topics is not a "mathematical" science, but relies on good taste, and more than often on a bit of creativity to find a good solution that satisfies all.

Clearly define the category

It is preferable that the category definition (on the category page) tries to exclude vague and/or non-Neutral point of view (NPOV) cases. In many cases, only referencing a Wikipedia article explaining the term is not sufficient as a definition for a category. This is true for almost every sensitive category. If the article you want to use as definition is problematic in itself, consider improving the article. Otherwise, or if that is not sufficient, write a definition of what goes in and what goes out of the category on the category page, with the reference article(s) as background information.

Example: "Atheist" can be used as an offensive term (people living under a Fatwa are still today often called atheist by their condemnors, irrespective of whether the former consider themselves atheist). Some of the vague (and non-NPOV) edges of an "Atheists" category are about the unclear distinction between "strong" and "weak" atheism (see the atheism article) and about whether only outspoken followers of atheistic beliefs should be named or everyone generally considered to be an "Atheist". See Category:Atheists for how the category is currently defined.

Place the new category in another category

See the general rules regarding categorization, and try to position the new category in a suitable place on the tree of "people" categories.

Improper categorization

If a person has an "incorrect" categorization, remove the category from the article and replace it (if applicable) with a correct category.

If the categorization is "correct" and the category is reasonable, but still seems problematic, please discuss the categorization on the talk page of the article in question. If the same concern applies to many members of the category, you can list the category for discussion at Wikipedia:Categories for discussion if a merge or rename is required, or at a relevant WikiProject board.

Improperly named categories

If the category name has an obvious typographical error, please list it for speedy renaming at Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy.

Redundant categories

If the category name has an obvious and unnecessary redundancy with another existing category, please list it for deletion or merging at Wikipedia:Categories for discussion.

Inappropriate categories

If the problem is not about accuracy, but about an "(in)appropriateness" for a single article to be in this category, you can remove that categorization from that article, but also consider the following:

• Check whether you can solve (part of) the problem by making (a) better category definition(s);
• If still needed, find or create a more appropriate category, for re-categorizing this single article.
• If it seems clear to you that there are more articles to which this category is applied "inappropriately", add the {{SCD}} disclaimer to the bottom of the text or the {{Categorisation of people disputed}} dispute notice to the top of the text of the category description. Allow some time for this notice to take effect—possibly help with some manual recategorization (if you are familiar with the topics of the articles to which this categorization was applied). Remove the "disclaimer"/"dispute notice" if the use of this category seems OK again.
• If you have a proposal for a better name for the category, a wider re-arrangement of the categorization scheme, or if you see a more general contradiction with Wikipedia policies and guidelines regarding this category, participate in and/or post new discussions on the discussion page of the category. Consider whether you can invite more potentially interested people to take part in the discussion, for example by leaving messages on their user talk pages (check, for example, the discussion page of the category and history tabs to find out who might be concerned by this category—also try to contact project people if the category is part of one or more Wikipedia projects).
  • If there is no agreement within a week or so, and you are in the middle of a conflict, see Wikipedia:Dispute resolution for what to do next. When reaching the "voting" (or "poll") step, Wikipedia:Categories for discussion is the usual platform to proceed with such a vote.

Most of the templates that can be found at Wikipedia:Template messages/Category namespace are about sorting and organising categories. Here are two that can be used for problematic "people" categorizations:

• See Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Howto instructions to use the templates for deletion ({{cfd}}), for renaming ({{cfr}}), or for merging ({{cfm}}).

• Butcher, Judith; Drake, Caroline; Leach, Maureen (2006). Butcher's copy-editing: the Cambridge handbook for editors, copy-editors and proofreaders (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-84713-3. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
• Indexes - A chapter from the Chicago Manual of Style (PDF) (15th ed.). University of Chicago Press. 2003. ISBN 0-226-10406-0. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
• International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), ed. (1996). Names of persons : national usages for entry in catalogue (PDF). UBCIM publications ; new series, vol. 16 (4th revised and enlarged ed.). Munich; New Providence; London; Paris: K. G. Saur. ISBN 3-598-11342-0. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
• Mulvany, Nancy C. (2005). Indexing Books (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-55276-4. Retrieved January 17, 2012.