What should an undergraduate enter in the suffix options JR SR ii iii iv?

Answer 1

It doesn't matter if you are an undergrad or graduate (or anything else in life.)

The suffix options after a name are determined by how the parents named a male son.

Jr. and Sr.

A father may be born John Joseph Smith. (He is NOT designated a Jr. unless his father gave him the exact same name AND that father designates the son as Jr.)

If he and his wife choose to, the son can be named John Joseph Smith, Jr. (junior) (Note: At this point, the father can then choose to add "Sr. (senior) to his own name. This is done mainly to distinguish father from son.) The designation of Jr. and Sr. are typically carried on throughout each man's life.

II, III, IV

In some families, a father John David Jones, who names his son by the same name, may not wish to adopt "Sr." after his name. The father remains "John David Jones" throughout his lifetime. The son of the same name is often given the suffix II (roman numerals) to designate "the second".

A son who carries the name John D. Jones, II then has a son and gives him the same name John David Jones III to denote that the son is the 3rd consecutive generation in the same direct family line to have the name John David Jones. The same with the designation IV, meaning "the fourth". Typically, family naming patterns do not go much beyond II and III.

So, you may have a name without a suffix. In that case, leave the suffix box blank or put n/a (not applicable).

Legalities of Naming

If you have a designation after your name, it will appear on your birth certificate (unless you became a "Sr." after the birth and naming of a son with your *exact* name AND designated the son as "Jr." on his birth certificate.

NOTE: Simply calling a son, Junior, in the home is not a legal suffix, but is used as a shorthand among family members only.

ALSO, in the past, some families had not decided on a name but had to pick one for the legal birth certificate. The U.S. Census pre-1930 shows many boys/men with the FIRST name as Junior.

ALSO, in the past, nurses or doctors misheard what the mother and father said and some birth certificates show "Junior" in the middle, as if it was a middle name. For example, John Junior Smith (when the parents intended it to be John Smith, Jr.). In this case, the LEGAL name remains John Junior Smith, with no suffix. The person can petition a Court to officially change the name and issue an amended birth certificate.