GillianBoardman, that’s how my folks did it with my brother. Dad was Michael William Lilly, bro is Michael William Lilly II because they didn’t want people calling him Junior his whole life. And since I know you guys are on the edge of your seats wondering, there will be a Michael William Lilly III sometime in November.
So is the OP’s son Evil Was II?
Oops. :smack: That should say “the father of J. Martin Briggs, Jr. would be J. Martin Briggs, Sr.”
Not according to the Social Security administration and the State of North Carolina.
My Father’s License and SS Card has Papa Magill III on them, and my brother’s has Papa Magill IV.
I’ll back up what Maus Magill says above. The US govt knows me as a Jr. The State of NH knows me as a Jr. My birth certificate has me listed as a Jr.
Though I have no son to name III, I wouldn’t have anyway… and I’m not going to drop the Jr. when the sad day of my father’s death rolls around (hopefully a long time away yet).
The way they did it in my family was a like this, in order of birth, oldest first:
Joe Bob (no middle name or initial)
Joe Jim Bob Sr.
Joe Jim Bob Jr.
Joe Jim Bob III
When Sr. & Jr. died, III became just Joe Bob (he never really used the III much, anyway). Apparently the original Joe Bob didn’t count in the numeric sequence, since “Joe Bob” is not “Joe Jim Bob”.
There’s always Pope John XXIII, who died in 1963. I’m not sure that quite answers the OP though.
Sr, Jr, III, that’s it. No moving up a notch. No dropping anything. After the III, his namesake son would be nothing until such time as he might name a son after himself at which time he becomes Sr and his son becomes Jr.
III nicknamed Tertius
I’ve known several III’s that were nicknamed “Trey”, actually.
They could be nicknamed Spanky as well.
It’s just a nickname not a requirement. 
I’ve known a couple called “Tripp”, too.
I’m the VIth or VIIth in a row in my family with the same first/middle/surnames, tho I never used a number (well, maybe a time or 2 in grade school!)
I wasn’t thrilled with being a “Junior”, so I broke the string with my kid.
Maybe Jr. is part of your legal name, but what about Sr.? It could not ever be part of someone’s legal name. John Doe doesn’t become John Doe Sr. until he names his son John Doe.
Does John Doe then have to go to the social security office to legally add the suffix Sr. to his name?
If John wants Sr. to be specifically part of his legal name, then yes. Otherwise, it’s not a legal part of a name, but a generally accepted convention. It’d also be more than just an addition to the SS office, it’d have to go through whatever court system that manages that sort of thing where he lives.
My father is Edward P. <lastname> (no Sr.) His father was Edward J. <lastname>. I am Edward P. <lastname> Jr. It’s part of my legal documentation, but the Sr. is not part of my fathers.
Of course, my family decided they’d just call me Ted to avoid the confusion in case all three Eds were in the same place… but I hated Ted, and reverted to Ed in my public life in middle school. The only people that still call me Ted are the family of my Mother & Father (mostly Mom’s side, I’ve not seen anyone from my father’s side in years.) My Aunts/Uncles/Cousins/Parents & Siblings know me as Ted, my wife, however, calls me Ed… So I screwed up that plan for them.
You’re forgetting II, which can be used by a nephew.
Depending on the situation, I don’t think the practice of moving up a notch is very helpful. If Sr. or Jr. or II becomes well known in the community, or even in the world at large, it seems confusing that everybody should change their number when someone dies. Henry Ford and Henry Ford II (his nephew) were different people. It wouldn’t have made sense for II to drop the number when the elder Ford died. It would have been confusing.
If I have a male child I believe I shall call him Percival Antonius XVII. It just has a nice ring to it.