Talk:Charles Chaplin Sr.

Latest comment: 9 years ago by Cassianto in topic Full Name and Suffixes

Full Name and Suffixes

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Numerous sources such as http://www.geni.com/people/Charles-Chaplin/6000000004662663699 and http://charles-chaplin.ememorials.in/ note that Chaplin Sr.'s full name is Charles Spencer Chaplin, Sr., not just simply "Charles Chaplin". Otherwise, he wouldn't actually be a Sr. Shouldn't this really should make the comic actor "Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr." and the comic actor's son "Charles Spencer Chaplin III"? Thesomeone987 (talk) 20:30, 10 February 2013 (UTC)Reply

Yes I've seen his name given as Charles Spencer in some sources as well. But David Robinson is considered the authority on all things Chaplin, he conducted extensive research into their family tree, and he just writes of Charles Chaplin. I'm quite sure that if this CC definitely had a middle name, Robinson would have found it. He gives his brother's full name as Spencer William Chaplin, so he obviously could find this information. And that brings up another point - it's pretty unlikely that CC Sr would have had the middle name Spencer when he already had a brother called Spencer.
As for the suffixes, I suppose this Chaplin isn't *technically* a Sr, but it's how he is referred to in the Chaplin biographies (and at the official Charlie Chaplin site), and it's obviously the easiest means of differentiating between the two. --Lobo (talk) 23:29, 10 February 2013 (UTC)Reply
While siblings don't tend to share a name with one as the middle name and one as the first name, it has happened at times. For instance, the children of John Winthrop Chanler and his wife Margaret Astor Ward include Winthrop Astor Chanler, Elizabeth Astor Winthrop Chanler, and Robert Winthrop Chanler. Another example is Bouvier Beale and his sister Edith Bouvier Beale. So even if unlikely, it still is possible.
I figured that this Chaplin would likely have the same middle name as the comic actor, because suffixes such as Sr., Jr., II, III, etc. imply that the relatives share the exact same full name. If he has no middle name, I would suggest this article have a title like "Charles Chaplin (1863—1901)" or "Charles Chaplin (singer)". If he has a different middle name than his son (such as "Thomas"), the article could have a title like "Charles T. Chaplin" (or whatever the middle initial is). Thesomeone987 (talk) 00:30, 14 February 2013 (UTC)Reply
Well...like I said, he is almost always referred to as "Chaplin Sr" in the sources. And WP:NAME says, "Generally, article titles are based on what the subject is called in reliable sources." --Lobo (talk) 07:41, 14 February 2013 (UTC)Reply