Social rank or simply rank is a hierarchy based on one's perceived importance in society.

In modern usage, the term is somewhat ambiguous; is this importance to be determined in the traditional sense, based on class and lineage (or breeding) or are factors such as wealth, education and notoriety to be considered? A social class is, at its most basic, a group of people that have similar social status. ... Breeding has several meanings related to procreation: In animal husbandry and in horticulture the selection of stock for propagation and the act of insemination by natural or artificial means is called breeding. ... Wealth usually refers to money and property. ...

Social rank has usually been a somewhat fluid concept, depending on social mobility in a given place. In some countries and eras, social rank was indicated by a strictly-observed order of precedence. Social mobility is the degree to which, in a given society, an individuals social status may change throughout the course of his or her life. ... An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of nominal importance of people; it is used by many organizations and governments. ...