Each parish is administered by a Douzaine. Douzeniers are elected for a four year mandate, three Douzeniers being elected by parishioners at a parish meeting in November each year. The Vale elects four each year and St Peter Port five. The senior Douzenier is known as the Doyen (Dean). Two elected Constables (French: Connétables) carry out the decisions of the Douzaine, serving for between one and three years. The longest serving Constable is known as the Senior Constable and his or her colleague as the Junior Constable.
Inhabitants of each of the parishes of Guernsey also have traditional nicknames, although these have generally dropped out of use among the English-speaking population. The traditional nicknames are: