I knew a guy named J___ Smith many years ago. He lived in a major metro area and there were 5 other people with the same first and last names. Even then, when the internet was in its infancy, he had tremendous difficulties because two of the others were unsavory characters with long records of everything from bad checks to drugs and non-support.
It seems sloppy work has been around a long time, as evidenced by the occasional old tombstone out this way with words like "hanged by mistake" on it.