Why do some fathers give their sons their same first name? "Jr."?

Question

Doesn't this cancel out any chance of their son being an individual?

Answer 1

I don't understand this myself. My brother and his wife just had their first son and named him John Joseph V. Yes, we now have Johnny 5. I asked my brother "Don't you think this needs to stop?" He said "Not with me".

Answer 2

I would suspect that there are several people by the same surname, and the father wants people to know (maybe by his being known in the community) exactly which son is his.
But also it could be he's called Junior to determine which is the father and which is the son with regard to people who phone their home, or maybe the son is old enough to be in the same organizations that the father is in, or maybe even work in the same business (the father as the owner).

People who want prestige usually use the II, III, IV after the surname. And yes, that really becomes and stays part of their name.

I do genealogy and I know what in years past and in Europe that when a person died, for instance a great-grandfather or grandfather died then the next male child born was named after the relative who died. But say for instance the great-grandfather's name was William, and the grandfather was named William as well, and their son was named William, but the family chose to name their baby William also...and the II, III, IV were never used, well people could just be calling themselves Senior and Junior". The correct way to write it after a name is "Jr." or "Sr."

No, this does not cancel out any change of their son being an individual because when the father (Sr.) dies then the son (Jr.) will then drop the name of Jr. and remains his own person, an individual.

Answer 3

No, I don't think it takes away a person's individuality. My brother in law is a Jr. and his son is the third. It used to be done and I guess still is out of respect and to carry on the family name. Each of the people I mentioned are individuals with different opinions and personalities. I guess if you are wealthy or well known and named Jr or the third then it could cause a lot of pressure on the namesakes, but in general, I don't think it has any affect on them. Not from what I've seen anyway.

Answer 4

In the first instance, I would say it is because a father feels a sense of pride in his newborn son. His son is an extension of himself and no doubt, he too will have high hopes for his child. A good man will teach his son good principles and develop the individual qualities that his son has. In some cultures it is not just a name but because the family line continues through the male line it is also recognition of your family and your ancestors who have come before. We should all feel a sense of pride and honor about who we are and to be given the name say, of your grandfather (who is held in high esteem), by your grandfather is considered an honor, that child is special. Of course it could be considered to be a burden by some, but it should be taken in the way that it was intended.

Answer 5

I think it is to distinguish the father from the son. No, I think everyone is an individual and some parents for some reason (selfish I think) name their son after themselves to create a boy in dad's image, which isnt fair to the boy who is then expected to live up to the father's dreams of what his son should be. It seems more common in America.

Answer 6

No it won'rt cancel out the chance of a son being an idividual! JR! Is just a legacy!

Answer 7

It could, but there are many parenting factors besides the name that would come into play.

I had an uncle who was a "Jr." and they actually CALLED him "Junior". For years I thought that was his real name!

I think that really did screw him up - he was an active alcoholic for a while, and he had quite a few sibling rivalry problems with his brothers and sisters. Bad enough when brothers fight as kids, but these were adults punching the snot out of each other.

Answer 8

It doesn't cancel out the child's personality. The father names the child to honor himself. The child's identity and individuality come from much more that just his name.

Answer 9

He is proud to carry on a family name. A son is in someways a fathers greatest pride and hopes they will grow up just like them. Not discounting daughters, but i would not give a girl a boys name.

Answer 10

the biggest part of this whole jr thing is...... if the father has made a bad name for himself, his son will be haunted by it.and possibly need to change his name because of his fathers mistakes. dont pass problems onto your children.