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You may have recently come across an email signature that includes pronouns, like he/him/his or she/her/hers. These pronoun lists are the sender’s way of telling you (and others) what pronouns they want you to use when addressing them. 

So, what does “he/him/his” mean in a signature? It means the person who sent you the message wants to be referred to as “he” or “him” when using pronouns. If you talk about something that the sender possesses, you would use the pronoun “his” to describe it.

Adding pronouns to email signatures or online profiles lets people communicate their gender identity, which is how they see themselves and want to be seen. This may differ from a person’s gender expression, which is the gender they seem to be based on appearances.

Table of contents

  1. How to list pronouns
  2. How to add pronouns to email signatures
  3. Pronouns in email signatures: examples

 

How to list pronouns

  1. She/her/hers
  2. My pronouns are: he/him/his
  3. My pronouns: she/her/hers and they/them/theirs
  4. Pronouns: they/them/theirs
  5. (He/him/his)
To list pronouns, you can use any of the commonly accepted formats listed above.

As you can see from the examples, you can include two lists. Some individuals choose this option if they seem to be one gender but actually identify as nonbinary. 

For instance, someone who appears female to most people but identifies as nonbinary might have a signature that says “My pronouns: she/her/hers and they/them/theirs.” This means that person is OK with being addressed as she or they. 

You may also see some people shorten the pronoun list to just the first two, such as they/them or he/him. This is a way of visually shortening the list, and it implies that people should use the possessive pronoun that matches the first two personal pronouns.

How to add pronouns to email signatures

To add pronouns to your email signature, it’s usually best to place the pronouns next to or beneath your name. This provides a clear signal to the people reading your email. For example, “Your Name (they/them/theirs).”

If you want to list your pronouns after your job title and company name, then it’s helpful to include a label like “Pronouns:” or “My pronouns:” so readers know what the list means.

Pronouns in email signatures: examples

To get a better idea of how to list pronouns in email signatures, here are some examples of commonly used formats. 

Andre Powell (he/him/his)
Sales Manager
apowell@salescompany.com
555-555-1212

Email signature example that includes an image.
email signature with he/him and they/them

 

Woman creating a signature using HubSpot's Email Signature Generator

You can create a professional email signature with your pronouns for free using HubSpot’s Email Signature Generator. From there, easily copy and paste your new signature into your email client.