My father's name was Joe Bradford, and my mother wanted me to have his name, but not be a "junior." Also, several cousins and nephews had already been named after him, so, instead of "Joe," my mother chose the more formal "Joseph," with middle name "Alan." (she used to kid him that I was actually named after Joseph Cotton and Alan Ladd, two particularly handsome movie stars)
It didn't really matter, however, since my grandfather named me "Rip" the first time that he laid eyes on me, and that is the name that I go by to this day, in everything except the more formal occasions where the legal name is required, such as military service.