Junior is the Latin word for "younger" and started as the suffix that marks a son who carries his father's full name. In the United States it became a given name in its own right, first as a family nickname and then on birth certificates, especially in Hispanic and African American families. Junior has been in the top 1000 every year since 2000, when it ranked number 674; it peaked at number 609 in 2005 and stands at number 752 in 2025.