Name Suffixes - Terminology for Genealogists

Have you ever noticed that some people have letters after their name, like "Jr." or "Sr." or "III"? These are called suffixes, and they can tell us something important about a person's name and their family history.

A suffix is a letter or set of letters that comes after someone's name, and it usually indicates a person's relationship to someone else in their family. For example, "Jr." is a suffix that means "junior," and it is used when a son has the same name as his father. So, if John Smith Sr. has a son named John Smith, the son might be called John Smith Jr. to distinguish him from his father.

Similarly, "Sr." is a suffix that means "senior," and it is used when a father and son have the same name, but the father is the older of the two. And "III" is a suffix that means "the third," and it is used when a person has the same name as their father and grandfather.

Suffixes can also be used to indicate a person's profession or academic degree. For example, "MD" stands for "Doctor of Medicine," and it is used by medical doctors. "PhD" stands for "Doctor of Philosophy," and it is used by people who have earned a doctoral degree in a non-medical field.

Suffixes can tell us a lot about a person's name and their family history. They can also be a way of showing respect for someone's family traditions and heritage. If you're ever unsure about what a suffix means or why someone has one, don't be afraid to ask - learning about people's names and histories can be a great way to connect with them and learn more about the world around us.

So, that's what a suffix is - a letter or set of letters that comes after someone's name and can tell us something important about their family history or professional qualifications.