# ".Jr" name suffix for females? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 30, 2002, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jr-name-suffix-for-females/126237 "2002-08-30T04:25:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jr-name-suffix-for-females/126237/1 "2002-08-30T04:25:59Z")
Pardon me for posting, but I was wondering…as the title says, is the “Jr.” (Junior) suffix ever used for a woman’s name? Or is there an female-exclusive equivilant? We’ve all seen names like “John Smith Jr.”, but I can’t ever recall a name like “Jane Doe Jr.” Well, thanks for your time, Ranchoth ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jr-name-suffix-for-females/126237/2 "2002-08-30T06:02:20Z")
The “Jr.” is used to distinguish the son from the father who has the exact same name. How many daughters do you know who share the same given name with their father? ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jr-name-suffix-for-females/126237/3 "2002-08-30T06:33:14Z")
'Actually, I was thinking of daughters who would have been named after their mother. Not that that’s very common, either, though. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jr-name-suffix-for-females/126237/4 "2002-08-30T07:11:45Z")
There was once a movie actress who went by the name of [Cobina Wright Jr.](http://sunsite.berkeley.edu:2020/dynaweb/teiproj/oh/suffragists/reyher/@Generic__BookTextView/2588) The site records part of an interview with Rebecca Hourwich Reyher in which Cobina Wright and her daughter, Cobina Wright Jr. are mentioned. This is an excerpt from the site: _“I had many experiences with such women who expected me to get them full publicity value in return. Before a drawing-room meeting one such sponsor, a beautiful blonde, Mrs. Cobina Wright, who later went to Hollywood and became a well-known columnist, brought me a photograph to use of herself with her baby–later known as Cobina Wright, Jr.”_ This is the only instance of such a thing that I know of. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jr-name-suffix-for-females/126237/5 "2002-08-30T11:55:29Z")
Back in high school we watched a video of (IIRC) _The Crucible._ The mother in the movie was Sarah and the daughter was Sarah, Jr. It was kinda wierd. It might be that “junior” is unisex, but using it on girls fell out of common usage a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jr-name-suffix-for-females/126237/6 "2002-08-30T12:03:04Z")
Sure, isn’t there Nancy Sinatra, Jr.? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jr-name-suffix-for-females/126237/7 "2002-08-30T15:08:45Z")
I think such a suffix is usually consider unneccesary for girls, as the traditional assumption would be that they would get married and have a different last name from their mother. My mother was named after her mother, and never had any sort of suffix. Her family did call her by a shortened version of the name (which my mother hates) to avoid confusion. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jr-name-suffix-for-females/126237/8 "2002-08-30T15:27:59Z")
It does seem uncommon to name a daughter after her mother, but I think when it happens, like **Lamia** said, the daughter is just given a nickname. For example, Margaret Simpson and Margaret Simpson, Jr. become Marge and Maggie Simpson. 🙂 Happy ---
**Author:** ![bleach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bleach/32/3106_2.png) [@bleach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bleach)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2002, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jr-name-suffix-for-females/126237/9 "2002-08-30T17:47:54Z")
Slight nitpick **Happy Lendervedder** , I believe Marge is short for “Marjorie,” not Margaret (whence Maggie).