John Doe

Meaning

Name

A fictitious name used chiefly in legal documents for an unknown or anonymous, usually male, person.

Noun

Any unknown or anonymous, usually male, person.

Synonyms

Joe Blow

John Q. Public

Joe Bloggs

man in the street

John Smith

John Q. Citizen

John Q. Voter

Jane Doe

John Doo

Jane Doo

the man on the Clapham omnibus

Fred Bloggs

Joan Doe

so-and-so

the man in the street

John Hancock

person unknown

Mr. Nobody

Richard Roe

G. Raymond

Translations

John Doe

John Doe

John Doe

John Doe

Otto Normalverbraucher

John Doe

Jean Dupont

Fulano

Tartempion

John Doe

Max Mustermann

Untel

Etymology

Books that documented and taught the legal profession in England were using the names John Smith, John Doe, Richard Roe, and others as generic placeholder names (for roles, such as plaintiff, defendant, partitioner, etc) by the mid-seventeenth century (perhaps earlier). Compare also Tommy Atkins.

Sentences

An appeal to John Doe .