Editing Personal name (section)

==== Generational designation ====
When names are repeated across generations, the senior or junior generation (or both) may be designed with the [[suffix (name)|name suffix]] "Sr." or "Jr.", respectively (in the former case, retrospectively); or, more formally, by an [[ordinal numeral|ordinal]] [[Roman number]] such as "I", "II" or "III". In the Catholic tradition, papal names are distinguished in sequence, and may be reused many times, such as [[Pope John XXIII|John XXIII]] (the 23rd pope assuming the papal name "John").

In the case of the American presidents [[George H. W. Bush]] and his son [[George W. Bush]], distinct middle initials serve this purpose instead, necessitating their more frequent use. The improvised and unofficial "Bush Sr." and "Bush Jr." were nevertheless tossed about in banter on many [[entertainment journalism]] opinion panels; alternatively, they became distinguished merely as "W." and "H. W.".