Nobility and royalty titles to describe a socially superior person

[Eman.J.T]

Is it common in English to use nobility and royalty titles to describe a socially superior person?

I mean, is it common to describe the best singer, for example, as 'king of singers' or the best actress as 'queen of actresses'.

If these expressions are not common, what are some of the common expressions that convey the same meaning?

Thanks a lot.

 

[probus]

It depends on what you mean by socially superior, but it is pretty common, yes. For example, Babe Ruth was nicknamed the Sultan of Swat and Elvis Presley the king of rock and roll. Their only claim to superiority was their fame, but in America fame alone entails superiority in the minds of some people.

 

[Skrej]

Jazz has Duke Ellington and Count Basie as further examples.

None were of course actual royalty. Ellington got his nickname fairly young for his habit of elegant dressing and classy mannerisms. Basie's was given to him as a marketing gimmick to mimic other similar names such as Count Basie and Earl Hines to stand out from his given name of 'Bill'.

Hines's actual given name was Earl (Earl Kenneth -both relatively common male names), so his wasn't exactly a title in the nature of Basie or Ellington. His nickname was 'Fatha'.

Then there's Queen Latifah, which was I believe was a self-imposed stylism, again for marketing purposes.

Also, the term 'Queen' is current slang for a woman who's either deemed a prime example of class and beauty, or viewed as an inspiration and uplifting example and/or symbol of empowerment and support.

Oddly enough though it has a very derogatory (and older) counter meaning which is used to refer to particularly flamboyant male homosexuals. I think (but I'm not certain) that usage may be falling out of use to some extent.

 

[emsr2d2]

Also, the term 'Queen' is current slang for a woman who's either deemed a prime example of class and beauty, or viewed as an inspiration and uplifting example and/or symbol of empowerment and support.

Oddly enough though it has a very derogatory (and older) counter meaning which is used to refer to particularly flamboyant male homosexuals. I think (but I'm not certain) that usage may be falling out of use to some extent.

Like some similar words that used to be used about the gay community, I believe that "queen" has been adopted into use by that community, but not for use by anyone else anymore. I don't know any straight people who would use it these days. It is, however, used fairly extensively by my male gay friends. Note that they use it positively, negatively and with a neutral meaning, depending on context.

 

[PeterCW]

There are plenty of examples above but not all are genuine nicknames. The use of such titles as a genuine expression of admiration, rather than a publicist's invention, is vary rare indeed.