What is with name suffixes?

So two weeks ago I was sitting in a VERY cramped venue attending my sister's college graduation convocation. My knees were sticking 3 inches over the seat in front of me and I was trying mighty hard not to inadvertently bump the poor kid in front of me in the back of his head. I had been sitting there for what felt like hours (it probably had been at least 1 hour) and I was zone out, wondering if it was ever going to end, when I hear a name read for some kid, followed by the suffix "the thirteenth."

The 13th?!! Is someone kidding me?! At first I thought I had heard wrong, so I turned to my mom and asked if she had also heard the 13th. She confirmed that I was not crazy(at least not then), so did the guy in front of her. Sadly some poor schumck had the unfortunate name of "John Smith, the 13th" (or some name similar to that). While I get the whole idea of passing along a name from one generation to another, or naming a child after a relative, don't you think that there comes a time when it is just ridiculous? Personally I think it becomes ridiculous at "the 3rd", even more ridiculous at the 4th and 5th, BUT a 13th? That is "off the charts" ridiculous, and I am not even talking about the ramifications of such a "unlucky" number.

Seriously, who do these people think they are? The only people with suffixes that high are kings who lived way back in "the day." Think Louis XVI, etc. Last time I checked we didn't have kings in America, but kudos to those who are holding out for a monarchy in the US. Best wishes to them but I hope they don't hold their breath.

Further, think about the pressure on the person who decides to break that chain. They would be ruining a tradition spanning ~400 years (based on the assumption of each generation beginning 30 years after the preceeding generation). That is a lot of pressure! All I am saying is that I hope there is some SERIOUS trust fund cash involved in keeping that family tradition alive, otherwise someone needs to pull the plug and end that madness!

So for all you folks out there with a little bun in the oven or who are contemplating the naming of your posterity, use a little creativity! I am not saying go crazy and make up names and spellings that are going to get your kid beat up, but mix it up a little. Give the kid mom or dad's name as a middle name or have the share the same middle name. If you really feel the urge to "pass on the family name" resist the urge to have a "Junior" or "the 3rd" running around. Give the kid a name that is unique to them (at least amongst the blood relatives.)