Why not use Benigno C Aquino III and not Benigno S. Aquino III?

Answer 1

It is personal choice.

In the Philippines, it is the custom to use the mother's maiden name as the middle initial, and President Aquino knows this. That is how we do it in the Philippines, but not in other countries like the USA.

However, his grandfather and father who had the same name did not use their mother's maiden name as a middle initial either. The grandfather wrote his name as "Benigno S. Aquino" even if his mother's maiden name is "Quiambao". Many government officials like him during that time wrote their name without including the mother's maiden name (Manuel L. Quezon, José P. Laurel, etc.). Ninoy was "Benigno S. Aquino, Jr." The style all three Benigno's use is very common in the USA.

Benigno Simeon Aquino, Sr.
Benigno Simeon Aquino, Jr. (Ninoy)
Benigno Simeon Aquino III (Noynoy)

Lastly, Noynoy says: "If you use C., I'm the first." (There is no one else named Benigno Cojuangco Aquino)


The (original) purpose of the suffix is to separate your name from your father/grandfather when you have exactly the same name. In the Philippines, children cannot really have the exact same name as their fathers because we always include our mother's maiden name, but we use the suffixes anyway. (Family is more important to us than "traditional" usage.)

Parallel US example:

John Fitzgerald Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. (Exact same name = suffix used)

George Herbert Walker Bush
George Walker Bush (Not exactly same name = no need for suffix)

Plus Ninoy (indirectly) told Noynoy to write his name as "Benigno S. Aquino III" when he wrote his 1973 letter to him.


See source below.