Is a boy who is named after his father (the father is a jr.), but has a different middle name, a third (III)?

Question

The child's grandfather's name is William Marc Johnson
The child's father's name is William Marc Johnson, Jr.
The child is to be named William Joseph Johnson.
Is the child a third (III)? Why or why not?

For example, should the child be put down on the birth certificate as William Joseph Johnson, III (even though he has a different middle name from the grandfather and father).

Answer 1

No, the boy will not be the third. To be William Marc Johnson, III, his name must include the entire name of his father & grandfather as stated. One can also be a "third" if they are the third person in the family, not consecutively, to be named a specific family name. i.e. - John Jacob Jinglheimerschmidt, III, need not be the third person in a row (grandfather, father, child) just the third person in general (great great grandfather, great uncle, child). This child in the example will have no suffix added to his name on the birth certificate.

Answer 2

No the child is not the third. He is technically the first William Joseph Johnson, not the third. He must have the exact same name as the second and first, William Marc Johnson, to be considered the third.

Answer 3

The term ‘junior’ is only correctly used if a son is given exactly the same name as his father.[citation needed] (See, for example, Emily Post's Etiquette by Elizabeth L. Post 1985(?) When the suffixes are spelled out in full, they are always written with the first letter in lower case. In French, the designations are père (‘father’) and fils (‘son’).

Sons with a different middle name or initial are not called junior. An example is Ronald P. Reagan, the son of the late U.S. president, who is not titled junior because his middle name, Prescott, differs from his late father’s middle name, which was Wilson. This notwithstanding, a son may sometimes be called junior even if he is not titled as such, because "Junior" is a popular familial nickname in the United States. One instance of this is George W. Bush, who is nicknamed Junior by his family. Interestingly, the son of actor Lon Chaney, was billed by Hollywood as Lon Chaney, Jr., to capitalize on his father’s success, even though he had an entirely different birth name. A similar situation exists with singer Hank Williams. His son, Randall Hank Williams, is professionally known as Hank Williams, Jr. Randall's son Shelton Hank Williams, is known professionally as Hank Williams III.

Answer 4

Technically, No, they aren't Jr, III or IV, but some people will still call them that anyway. My dad's middle name is different than my grandpa's, but he was still called Jr.
To be a Jr, III, or IV, the name has to be exactly the same. Any difference makes it a different name and therefore isn't a Jr, etc......

Answer 5

Exactly that if the name differs in any way then it is not a Jr or a (III), (IV) and so on. Traditionally this is how it works, however you can put what you want on it. Call him TurboTax if you want. lol

Answer 6

no, to be jr., III, etc. names have to be exactly the same.

Answer 7

no he is not a third...the name has to be exactly the same