Student Suffix Etymology: A Comprehensive Guide

A name suffix, following a person's surname, provides additional information. These suffixes, common in the Western English-language naming tradition, can indicate various aspects of an individual, ranging from academic achievements and professional qualifications to generational distinctions and religious affiliations. This article will look into the etymology and usage of student suffixes.

Academic Suffixes: Designating Educational Attainment

Academic suffixes denote degrees earned at colleges and universities. Examples include A.B., B.S., B.Sc., B.Tech., L.L.B., M.S., and M.L. In the case of doctorates, either the prefix (e.g., "Dr.") or the suffix (e.g., "PhD") is typically used, but not both. These suffixes are post-nominal letters, indicating the individual holds an educational degree.

Professional Titles: Indicating Expertise and Membership

Professional titles used as suffixes signify expertise, certification, or membership in professional societies. "Esq." or Esquire, once used to distinguish a man who was an apprentice to a knight and is used for a man of socially high ranking. In the United States, "Esq." is used as a professional styling for a licensed attorney. Other examples include CA (Chartered Accountant), CPA (Certified Public Accountant), and CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst). Sommeliers who have passed the Master Sommelier exam use the MS suffix. Engineers certified as Professional Engineers use PE (PEng in Canada), Certified Professional Geologists use PG, Certified Professional Logisticians use CPL, and Chartered Engineers use CEng. Registered Architects sometimes use RA or suffixes like AIA or RIBA, referring to their professional society. Examination Office personnel registered with the Examination Officers' Association use MEOA. Project managers certified as Project Management Professionals may use PMP. Physical Therapists use PT to denote state certification, distinct from DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy). British physiotherapists use MCSP or SRP to denote membership to professional bodies. Post-nominal letters indicate that the individual holds a position, accreditation, office, or honor (e.g. ""CCNA"", ""OBE"").

Generational Suffixes: Distinguishing Family Members

Generational suffixes distinguish individuals sharing the same name within a family. The most common in the United States are Senior and Junior, abbreviated as Sr. and Jr., with or without preceding commas. In Britain, Snr and Jnr are used, though less frequently. The use of these social terms is governed by etiquette but not enshrined in law. According to The Emily Post Institute, Jr. is correctly used only if a male child's full name is identical to his father's current name. When a male child shares the same name as his grandfather, uncle, or male cousin, he can use the II suffix.

Roman numeral suffixes can be used to name a child after another family member like an uncle, cousin, or ancestor (including grandfather or great-grandfather). For example, Quentin Roosevelt II was named for his late uncle, Quentin I. Historically, when child mortality was high, a child could be named for its deceased sibling (a necronym), with or without a suffix (such was the case of Salvador Dalí). There is at least one known case of multiple siblings having the same name in modern times-that of George Foreman's five sons, including eldest George Jr.

The suffix III is used after either Jr. or II and, like subsequent numeric suffixes, does not need to be restricted to one family line. For example, if Randall and Patrick Dudley are brothers and if Randall has a son before Patrick, he may call his son Patrick II. If Patrick now has a son, his son is Patrick Jr. (or Patrick III; alternatively, Patrick II if Randall did not have a son named Patrick II). As time passes, the III suffix goes to the son of either Patrick Jr. or Patrick II, whoever is first to have a son named Patrick. This is one way it is possible and correct for a Junior to father a IV. Another example involves President Ulysses S. Grant and his sons Frederick, Ulysses Jr., and Jesse. When Frederick's son Ulysses was born in 1881, Ulysses Jr. did not yet have a son named after himself. Therefore, Frederick's son was Ulysses III. Ulysses Jr.'s son, born afterwards in 1893, was Ulysses IV.

There is no hard-and-fast rule over what happens to suffixes when the most senior of the name dies. Etiquette expert and humorist Judith Martin, for example, believes they should all move up.

Usage with Women's Names

There are instances of daughters being named after their mothers and also using the suffix Jr. (such as Anna Eleanor Roosevelt Jr., Winifred Sackville Stoner Jr., and Carolina Herrera Jr.) or after their grandmothers or aunts with the suffix II, but this is not common. Usually, the namesake is given a different middle name and so would not need a suffix for differentiation. Furthermore, once the woman marries, she would most commonly take the surname of her husband and thus do away with the generational suffix.

Informal Usage and Nicknames

The title Jr. A wife who uses the title Mrs. often would also use her husband's full name, including the suffix. In less formal situations, the suffix may be omitted: Mrs. Lon Chaney Jr. on a wedding invitation put Mrs. L. Chaney or simply Shannon Chaney for a friendly note. Juniors sometimes go by their first initials and "J" for Jr. regardless of middle initial. Examples include American football players Terrell Ray Ward Jr. (who goes by T. J. Ward) and Erick R. Former Major League Baseball player B. J. Upton, whose real name is Melvin Emanuel Upton Jr., is called B. J. due to his father's nickname being "Bossman"; B. J.

Common nicknames for a junior or II include "Chip" (as in "chip off the old block"); e.g., President James Earl Carter Jr.'s second son James Earl Carter III goes by "Chip". Another is "Bud" (predominantly in the American South); e.g., Marlon Brando Jr.'s childhood nickname was "Bud". Another alternative is "Skip"; e.g., Harry "Skip" Caray Jr. and Harry Christopher "Chip" Caray III, or "Skip" may imply that the name skips a generation. Common nicknames for a III are "Trip(p)", "Trace", and "Trey" which denote that the name carrier is the third person to carry the name.

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Cross-Cultural Variations

In the United Kingdom, the suffixes "Snr" and "Jnr" are rare, and not usually considered part of a person's name as such. In French, the designations for a father and son with the same name are père (father) and fils (son), an example being Alexandre Dumas père and Alexandre Dumas fils. In Dutch, "sr." and "jr." are used socially rather than legally, but the system is not extended to "III" and beyond. Instead, Piet de Vries jr. will become Piet de Vries sr. upon the death of his father if there is a grandson also named Piet to take on the junior title. In Swedish, den äldre (the elder) and den yngre (the younger), abbreviated d.ä. and d.y. respectively, are sometimes used to distinguish two people with the same name, often but not necessarily, father and son. An example is Gösta Ekman d.ä., actor and grandfather of actor Gösta Ekman d.y., cf. In Irish, óg (young), sometimes anglicised as "oge", may be used to distinguish two related people who might otherwise have the same name.

Religious Institutes: Indicating Membership and Order

Members of religious institutes commonly use their institute's initials as a suffix. For example, a Franciscan friar uses the post-nominal initials OFM, derived from the order's name in Latin, Ordo Fratrum Minorum (Order of Friars Minor). Equally, a Viatorian priest uses the suffix "CSV" from the name of his religious institute, Clerici Santi Viatori (Clerics of Saint Viator).

Military Suffixes: Disambiguating Seniority and Reserve Status

Officers and enlisted personnel in the United States Military will add an abbreviation of the service frequently to disambiguate seniority and reserve status.

Etymology and Language Learning: A Student's Perspective

Understanding suffixes is crucial for language learners, particularly in spelling. For example, knowing the etymology of 'silent' can aid in correctly spelling 'silence' with the <-ence> suffix, rather than a phonetic spelling like *silints. By understanding the underlying structure and consistency of spelling, students can improve their vocabulary and writing skills. Instead of phonetically spelling it as *silints (which they may do anyway - phonics runs deep), they have a chance of knowing that it will have an <-ence> suffix.

Instead of “know this by Friday for the test”, I am not telling students what to know. I let them see for themselves. I give them time to let things sink in.

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