Tonight with Andrew Marr 6pm - 7pm
Why Are Sons 'Jnr' But Girls Aren't?
Why is a son named after his father is referred to as junior, but girls named after their mothers aren’t?
Mystery Hour Question
Why is a son named after his father is referred to as junior, but girls named after their mothers aren’t?
Bill, Westminster
Answer
Name: Wallid, Nottingham
Qualification: “I’m an Arab and lineage is very important in my country”
Answer: It’s to do with lineage and passing on the family name. Lineage historically has always been male-dominated. It’s the reason that going back to Victorian times we had a number of variants of names like Dick for Richard because in one house they can’t call each other Richard the first and Richard the second etc; it'd be confusing.