Apple Inc's head of design was awarded knighthood in the United Kingdom in the New Year Honors list.

Jonathan "Jony" Ive, the man who was a major factor in the design of best-selling Apple products like the iMac, iPhone and iPod, can now call himself Sir Jonathan after Queen Elizabeth II named Ive a Knight Commander of the British Empire. Ive received the honor for services to design and enterprise.

"To be recognized with this honor is absolutely thrilling and I am both humbled and sincerely grateful," Ive said in a statement provided to BBC. "I discovered at an early age that all I've ever wanted to do is design. I feel enormously fortunate that I continue to be able to design and make products with a truly remarkable group of people here at Apple.

Ive is currently the vice president of industrial design at Apple. He began working for Apple in 1992 and headed Apple's design efforts since 1997. He is credited for helping Steve Jobs create its most iconic products like the iPod, iPhone and the iPad. Six of Ive's works are shown in a collection in New York's Museum of Modern Art.

The Knighthood is the second time Ive has been honored. He was made a Commander of the British Empire in 2005 for achievements in British design and innovation but it did not allow him to use the "Sir" title.

Britain's honors are awarded twice a year by the Queen- at New Year and on her birthday in mid-June. Anyone can be nominated for honors but they must be approved by committees of civil servants and the Queen. There were 1,000 people honored with Ives including Oscar-nominated actress Helena Bonham Carter, art historian John Patrick Richardson and music producer Steve Lillywhite.