Which suffix to use for my father, Jr. or III?

Question

My father's grandfather was George Franklin Gray Hazard (1881-1922).  My father's father was George Franklin Hazard (1913-1996).  My father was also George Franklin Hazard (1945-2018).  He used Jr. throughout his life, but on other genealogy sites people have listed him as III, and his father as II or Jr.  Is this correct, or is it not correct because his grandfather's name is not identical (added Gray)?  Even if it's technically correct, should I list my father as Jr. here because that's what he used and what shows up in records?

Answer 1

As a person who matches your example, you should use what the birth certificate says or best available documentation.  In my case, I am a Jr.  my father named me after himself only to find out years later that his birth certificate was different than he thought.  But I have always been a Jr. and it stays in my name. I have plenty of other relatives who named their children with their first name but then switched things up in the middle name by either changing it or adding mother's maiden name. No Jr. was used in any of those cases because it was intentional.

BTW, you and I are 9th cousins.

Comments

Thanks, and Hi, cousin!

Answer 2

Go with the documents. Those document not only his legal name, but also his father's intent in his naming, as well as the name your father himself used. I am a Junior, and I would find it very condescending and offensive for someone else to assume to know better than me what my name is or should be.

Also, as a Junior, it is my opinion that the purpose of the Junior suffix (or, alternately, "II.") is to indicate someone, usually a son, who otherwise has exactly the same name as their father or another close relative of a prior generation (who didn't have a generational name suffix himself). If there is some other differentiating element in their name, "Junior" is not necessary.

Comments

Thanks!  I've updated the profiles and I feel better about it now.  I don't have proper documentation (e.g. birth certificate) yet, but I know that he used Jr. throughout his life and it didn't feel right to use III as some other sites are doing.  His grandfather died well before he was born (and the name was not identical), so there was no risk of confusion there.