Last name suffix - My full name is John D. Perkins VII. How many people in
United States have the suffix "VII" at the end of their name? How many have
a higher suffix than VII? And finally what is the highest suffix currently
held in the U.S.?  

My questions are listed in order of importance to me (1, 2, 3).  The
first question MUST be answered for the fee.  Considering the low # of
people with the VII suffix, I want the answer to be fairly exact +/- 5
or 10 people.  I've searched/asked the census bureau, they can't
answer it, so good luck, and THANKS in advance!

---

Clarification of Question by johnthe7th-ga on 22 Mar 2005 12:15 PST

Let's make it +/- 5 people.  People are getting pretty good answers on
here for a lot less than $20.  Obviously I'll need some kind of proof
too.  Anybody can make up a number...  Thanks again...

Unless one is a monarch, such a high suffix seems rather pompous.  You
must get a lot of funny looks.

--Nelson
(not a researcher)

YES, I prefer to go by the name King John! (Just Kidding) I'm in my
late 20's and still single.  Talk about putting girls I date under
pressure!  At least they don't doubt my desire to have kids...

All males in the german noble family of Reuss are christened Heinrich,
all of them, not just those in the line for duchy.  They start
renumbering at the beginning of each century.  If one of them
emigrated to the States, he would probably be a contender for your no.
3.
Twenty (+/-?) years ago, there was a Wisconsin representative, Henry
Reuss, chairman of the banking committee.  I always wondered if he was
a member of the German family with an angliziced first name  (and
secretly had a number ...?)

King John (Robin Hood and all that, Magna Carta) kind of put the name
in disrepute in England, ditto with Edward VIII.  The Danish and Popes
seem to have upside.
Went to school with a IV, who was burdened by family expectations that
he could go to college where I II and III went.  And in college there
was a III, nickname Terry, for Tertius.
Septimus  -"Septy" doesn't do so well.  In some cultures in Europe,
there is a tendency NOT to name kids after their parents, sort of a
heathen superstition that passing on the name might shorten Dad's
life.  I got my gran's names, in reversed order, but he was 91, and
still lived for a couple of years.
Oh, and thanks for joining the beer party.

It's always been my understanding that this type of suffix changes
during one's lifetime.  Say Jon James Sr, Jon James Jr, and Jon James
II are all alive, when Jon James Sr dies, Jon James Jr would then
become Jon James Sr, Jon James II would become Jon James Jr.  The
process is repeated each time someone dies.  Only royalty don't follow
this standard.