In the Western English-language naming tradition, a name suffix comes after a person's full name and offers further information about the individual. Post-nominal letters signify that the person has a position, a degree, accreditation, an office, or an honor (e.g., "PhD," "CCNA," "OBE"). Other suffixes indicate religion ("MIA"), ethnicity ("AMERICAN"), profession ("SONNETTE"), state of residence ("ILLINOIS") or other affiliation ("UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY"). Names may also be suffixed with years ("YEARS-SERVICE"), places ("OF NORTH CAROLINA"), events ("THE BATTLE OF BLENHEIM"), or other elements ("-IAN"). Surname suffixes are used to provide more information about the person. Sometimes these suffixes are used as an alternative way to describe the person. For example, "the Professor" or "Mrs. Smith." Other times they are simply used to identify groups of people who share the same ancestor but may not have shared last names. This is most common with families where there are multiple siblings born over several years. They often use a surname suffix to distinguish between them. Many surnames have multiple different suffixes used by different people for various reasons.