See the results of this poll: Do you like Generation Names?
Respondents: 17 (This poll is closed)
- Yes: 3 (18%)
- No: 14 (82%)
I love the tradition, personally. I always wanted to marry a [name]Jr[/name]. so I could have a third and call him [name]Trip[/name]. If the tradition was already begun in my husbands’ family, I would certainly continue it. Since my husband is the first, I am not pushing the idea of a junior, but if he wants one, I think that is his prerogative. Most women bestow their own names upon their children by giving their daughter their full name or middle name, or giving their child of either gender their maiden name. The reason women don’t have Jrs, III’s, etc. is that women traditionally change their surname, thus rendering the differentiation between names unnecessary. It is also most traditional for men to drop the suffix when it becomes unnecessary, as well. So if a [name]Junior[/name]'s father dies, he either moves up to Senior if he has a son with his name, or drops it completely. This is why there is USUALLY not many V’s and [name]VI[/name]'s running around.
@phoebemom I’m a tradition breaker. I would have to stop that tradition in the tracks. There are so may great boy names that wouldn’t get used especially if I don’t have another son to name.
I agree with the OP! Therefore our girls will also have family names as well. The first girl will have my MOM’S name, and we are thinking the 2nd girl will have my name. The 2nd one([name]Martina[/name] II.) will be nicknamed [name]Minnie[/name] or MJ. I think more women should do this 
I think it is kind of pompous and arrogant to name a child after yourself. I also think it can be confusing in the house to have a parent and child with the same name and can cause credit/identity/banking problems and mistakes.
I think women SHOULD give their girls family names to honor relatives, I also think that there is nothing wrong with honoring a female relative with a male namesake by bestowing her surname or maiden name on a boy. It is actually very common for women to pass their names down. As I said, it is not sexist that only men use [name]Jr[/name], III, etc, it is simply because these suffixes are intended to differentiate between identical names, and that is usually not necessary with womens’ names.
This is actually the reason nicknames came into existance.
This is actually the reason nicknames came into existance.[/quote]
Exactly. Of course, legal/identity problems do arise, which can be an issue. But honestly, those are resolved easily. I don’t think there’s anything wrong (or arrogant) with naming your child after yourself, either partially or in full. I gave my first son my middle name and still got to use other names I love.
This is actually the reason nicknames came into existance.[/quote]
Exactly. Of course, legal/identity problems do arise, which can be an issue. But honestly, those are resolved easily. I don’t think there’s anything wrong (or arrogant) with naming your child after yourself, either partially or in full. I gave my first son my middle name and still got to use other names I love.[/quote]
And what will a child think is neater when they have grown up? That they have their great-grandfather’s, grandfather’s, and father’s name? Or that they have a name their mom thought was cool 25 years ago? There is much to be said for tradition and continuity.
I think keeping family names alive through generations is an excellent idea. My extended family has consulted our diverse family tree for baby name ideas for decades. It’s most common in my family to give a child a family middle name and a “new” first name. That way, their name is not superfluous but is also not a complete repeat. My immediate family has a tradition of giving baby girls the name of their aunt in the middle name slot, which I think is a great way to honor the women in our lives.
I quite dislike naming a child EXACTLY the same thing as his/her father or mother. It seems really unoriginal to me. I am dating a man who is a [name]Jr[/name]., and his parents literally spent no time coming up with a name for him while they spend months creating an original, meaningful name for his older sister. That seems pretty unfair that [name]John[/name] cannot enjoy a name his parents put energy into–he was automatically a [name]Jr[/name]. the moment they discovered he was a boy. Also, it was really confusing for me when I met his extended family because his grandfather, uncle, cousin and second cousin all have the exact same name: [name]Francis[/name] [name]John[/name]. They all go by [name]Frank[/name], except for his grandfather whom everyone calls Pa. I never know who he’s talking about, and it seems so unoriginal for all the men in that part of the family to have the same name. I think it would be much more interesting if they kept family names in the mix in another way. I hate having the conversation “Are you talking about [name]Frank[/name], [name]Jr[/name]., [name]Frank[/name] III, or [name]Frank[/name] IV? Which one is [name]Little[/name] [name]Frank[/name]? Who’s the one that lives is Syracuse?”. Get’s really old, really fast. It’s better to be more original, [name]IMO[/name].
What if your husband thinks this and thinks that your name isn’t that good?