What’s in a name? Is it something used to identify someone? Is it the first thing a person is given? Or can it be something generational — something passed on from father to son and even grandson?

Wayne Duhon, his son and grandson take pride in their names and what comes with it.

Wayne Duhon Sr., 68, married his wife, Victoria and the two started their family after 11 months of marriage. Forty-eight years later, the two have three children — Samantha, Wayne Jr. and Sonya — and six grandchildren, and the Duhon family name is something they keep close to their hearts.

After Samantha, the eldest child, was born, Wayne Sr. wanted to have a son to carry on the family name.

“The second baby, 15, months later, became the boy, so I wanted to give him my name, be a junior and of course I was so overwhelmed when (Wayne Duhon Jr.) had their baby, they decided to name him Wayne III,” Duhon Sr. said. “And that just put me on top of the ladder.”

The “Wayne” name isn’t the only thing that is close in their family — all live within walking distance of each other.

“Wherever we are, we are close-knit, whether that would be our kids all the way down to our grandkids,” Wayne Sr. said. “I can’t ask to be where we are today — not financially — but where we are as a family. Everybody gets along perfectly.”

Wayne Sr. attributes the family’s tight-knit nature with raising his kids the right way, and Wayne Jr. remembers that.

“Growing up with a close-knit family, and then kinda seeing my son growing up, I tell everybody he’s my son, but we’re bros, we do everything together,” Wayne Jr. said.

Whn he gets home, he said, his son is always excited to have his father home, so the two can play together, whether that be basketball, football or card games, rekindling memories of when he was a child.

“I think that stems back from when we were kids, how we were raised, how we are raising ours now,” Wayne Jr. said.

Wayne Duhon Jr. said he is trying to instill the same values in his son, who is known in the family as “Trey,” that his dad instilled in him.

“He’s the best,” “Trey” Duhon said of his father. “Sometimes he’s tired from work but he does a lot for me. There are so many reasons why he is a good dad, I can’t even count.”

Father’s Day is a special occasion for the Waynes, as Wayne Jr. is proud to be both a father and a son, and the three gather to spend time together.

“Being in the middle of this structure, him teaching me what I know and me taking what he taught me and some of the things I learned on my own and teaching him is generational,” Wayne Jr. said.

Wayne Sr. and Jr. are close not only because of family, but also because they work together at Duhon’s Heating & Cooling Inc., their family-owned business.

Wayne Jr. says some people might not be able to deal with working with their father, but he enjoys every moment he can spend with his father.

“I couldn’t see myself not working with my dad,” Wayne Jr. said. “I look at it the opposite way.

Nicole Duhon, Wayne Jr.’s wife, loves to watch the way the three generations act when they are around each other. From similar mannerisms like the way they fold their arms or the size and shape of the hands, she knows the Waynes are bonded for life.

“They are proud of their name, the union they have with each other,” Nicole said. “They are really close.”

Every father wants to do what he can to help his sons and daughters learn and grow as people, and for the Waynes, young and old, it’s no different.

“You try to teach your kids what’s right and they learn and they teach their kids,” Wayne Sr. said.