I know that they use this "name" for people whose name is unknown and i've heard it in millions of films and tv shows.
But what i would like to know is where did the use of Jane Doe originate.
And do they use it for men and women.
[This message was edited Thu Mar 11 4:58:24 2004 by noepie]

taken from http://www.word-detective...12701.html

Stalking the wild Doe.


Dear Word Detective: Can you please tell me the origin of the expression "John or Jane Doe" used for an unidentified person? I've searched the net, asked anyone I could think of and bought etymology books hoping to get an answer. I guess everyone knows how it feels to be obsessed by something. I just can't give up until find the answer! -- Hanne Svendsen, Oslo, Norway.

Well, I guess it beats being obsessed by baseball statistics or collecting bits of twine. Actually, on a more serious note, your kind of obsession is the source of much of what we know about word origins, especially the origins of slang terms and popular phrases.

In any case, you've picked a good question to become obsessed about, because the use of "John Doe" and "Jane Doe" as stand-ins for the names of unidentified persons is so widespread in everyday life that most of us never think to wonder why that should be.

Fortunately, I happen to have on my shelf a fine book called "What's In A Name?" by the learned and prolific Paul Dickson (Merriam-Webster, 1996) which deals with just this sort of question. It turns out that the "John Doe" custom dates back to the reign of England's King Edward III, during the legal debate over something called the Acts of Ejectment. This debate involved a hypothetical landowner, referred to as "John Doe," who leased land to another man, the equally fictitious "Richard Roe," who then took the land as his own and "ejected," or evicted, poor "John Doe."

These names -- John Doe and Richard Roe -- had no particular significance, aside from "Doe" (a female deer) and "Roe" (a small species of deer found in Europe) being commonly known nouns at the time. But the debate became a hallmark of legal theory, and the name "John Doe" in particular gained wide currency in both the legal world and general usage as a generic stand-in for any unnamed person. According to Mr. Dickson, "John Doe" and "Richard Roe" are, to this day, mandated in legal procedure as the first and second names given to unknown defendants in a case (followed, if necessary, by "John Stiles" and "Richard Miles"). The name "Jane Doe," a logical female equivalent, is used in many state jurisdictions, but if the case is federal, the unnamed defendant is dubbed "Mary Major."

Hey Noepie, were you watching the Medical Detectives last night that was on in Holland? Because they were talking about a Jane Doe on the show.

minneapolisgenius said:

I wasn't but my GF was.

CarrieMpls said:

Thanks for the info!!

noepie said:

Oh, ok.