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Quesition about 'jr's and 'second's, 'third's, etc.
To be "[name] Junior", you must have the same name as one of your parents.
How does this work with things like "[name] the Third"? Do you have to be the third in a consecutive line of [name]s, or can there be other people in between?
How do middle names fit in to all of this? If Michael James has a son named Michael John, is Michael John not a 'junior' because the middle name is different, or does it only go by first names?
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http://www.behindthename.com/faq.php?type=names#junior" Junior is used to distinguish a son with the same name as his father. The following conditions apply: 1. The Junior must be a son of the father, not a grandson.
2. The names must be exactly the same, including the middle name.
3. The father must still be living. 'II' is used whenever any close relative, including for example a grandfather or a great-uncle, shares the same name as the child. "
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3. The father must still be living.I've heard that technically all the same named relatives must be living for you to need to use jr., III, etc. But people don't really practice that. They just keep going with the numbers. I've known someone who was a XII. I think it's neater that way.
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I think it means the father must still be living, in order to use Junior. Basically, for there to be a Junior, there should be a Senior who is living, bearing the identical name, is how I interpreted it. I knew a guy who was the IV with his name. His dad went by III, and they never used Sr/Jr. I thought it was cool too. But I am still pretty glad I don't have to call my husband, his father, and my son by the same first name =)
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There are no hard and fast rules , only conventions. In my experience a "Junior" has the exact name as a parent--first, middle, and last. If the middle name is different, Junior is not normally used. Thirds (and fourths, etc.) do not have to be in a consecutive generational line. If, for instance, a grandfather were a Junior, and his son did not share his name, a grandson of the same name would be the Third.
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