Why do Americans call themselves 'senior, junior, 'the First', 'the Second' etc?

Question

It seems like they often call their children by the same first names as themselves so you get George Bush Junior, so and so Rockefeller the Third etc etc.
What's the idea? Isn't it confusing for everyone to have a child with the same name as yourself? Isn't it belittling for the child to be referred to as 'junior' even when they are an adult? Oh and I've always wondered also why the use of middle initials, eg John F Kennedy. Isn't it all generally a bit pompous? How widespread is it? Why not just have a first name and a family name?

Answer 1

My son isn't named after me, but regarless, it's not a tradition that started in the United States, that's for sure. Think of all the European Kings (Henry VIII, Louis the XIV, etc.) No doubt it was common amongst peasants as well.

Answer 2

Often they are family names, and the family is trying to honor it's ancestors by keeping to the same name. Of course there are the instances where people are pompous and just want a kid named after themselves.

The middle name gives a little more distinction to the name. There might be a million Mary Smiths but only 100,000 Mary Lou Smiths. It also provides another opportunity to honor someone in the family. So Mary Lou might be named after her two grandmothers, Mary and Lou.

People might choose to use their middle initial to distinguish themselves (the same reason as having a middle name at all) or because the name sounds better for whatever goals they have in mind.

In Russia they also use middle names, or, more exactly, two lastnames. Pyotr Pyotravich Orlov= Orlov is the family name; Pyotravich is Pyotr+avich=father's name and ending; Pyotr is the chosen first .

Answer 3

There is no first and second. When there are two living, like father and son, the father is the senior and the son is the junior. This takes care of number one and two. The grandson with the same name becomes the third.
The middle initial is used to differentiate two people in public life with the same name. Just imagine an actor or politician named John Smith. He'd have to use his middle name wouldn't he?

Answer 4

They name their son after their father, and to keep people from getting confused, they use junior, senior, or in some cases, ll, lll, etc.

Middle names: Sometimes they give a middle name of a grandparent for the child's middle name.

It's called personal freedom/preference...after all, it's a free country.

Funny you point out a couple of examples of famous people. Believe it or not, not all Americans follow the tracks of the rich and famous.

Answer 5

This isn't an American thing, necessarily. Many cultures encourage men to name their sons after themselves, or to recycle the same few names within the family. For an ancient example, look at Pliny the Elder and his Younger nephew.

Answer 6

you're showing stunning lack of information; you're doing that quite stupid element of assuming that human beings who seem an analogous, or have an analogous pores and skin color, ought to consequently be of an analogous race. It does not. Caucasian refers to precise populations of eu international places. The Irish, alongside with the Scottish and the Welsh, are descended from the Celts. Technically it rather is a distinctive 'race', although at one time they could have descended FROM and separated off the Caucasians. additionally, 'Caucasian', opposite to its cutting-side utilization, did no longer rather recommend 'white'. there have been many somewhat brown and Asian peoples who have been seen component to the Caucasian race. Italians, in addition, do no longer directly descend from Caucasians. in actuality there's a brilliant variety of argument that Italians are a minimum of in part of black/African descent from the inter-breeding with the Moors. finally, on an analogous time because it ought to look stupid to YOU, immediately, to contemplate the Irish by way of fact an analogous race as 'Caucasians' on the foundation that, to you, they seem an analogous, the white racists of three hundred years in the past could have disagreed with you; those comparable white ruling instructions who placed "No blacks" indicators exterior homes additionally yet "No Irish" indicators too. in actuality, maximum of those indicators reported only; "No blacks or Irish" - so on an analogous time as you'll be able to evaluate Irish human beings of the 'white race' that could have been chilly convenience to the Irish human beings residing 3 hundred years in the past.... All of this rather only highlights the reality of it, it rather is this seen 'race' does not rather exist; it is something WE made up. Technically we are all of one race - all human beings descend from an analogous group of early hominids in Africa. What we are calling 'races' immediately are only actual distinction gained via generations of breeding one after the other in distinctive environments. So it is all a count of stages - you'll be able to evaluate Aboriginal Australians to be of an analogous 'race' as black Africans, even although they're separated by utilising hundreds of generations from one yet another - only as many generations as Caucasians and Africans - regardless of if it finally it is all thoroughly arbitrary. yet once you are able to call white Europeans and black Africans distinctive 'races', then there isn't any reason you are able to't evaluate Irish human beings of a distinctive 'race' - it is all a count of stages.

Answer 7

I agree with you, a child should have their own name within their nuclear family. I think it's OK to name a child after a favorite uncle or grandparent, as long as the name skips at least one generation. I'm not really sure why people do it. Probably by the time you get to III or IV, they continue the tradition so that they don't let their ancestors down....some sort of familial obligation. Why do they start it? A sense of grandiose, perhaps?

Answer 8

I would have advised that it is strictly to avoid confusion...then I heard George Foreman tell of his four sons names: All George!
Hard to believe but I wouldn't THINK of GRILLing him about it.

Answer 9

It's an inferiority complex. They have to make themselves sound more important than they really are.

Answer 10

Good question.