Jack (name)
| Pronunciation | dʒæk (jak) |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Word/name | Middle English, indirect diminutive of "John" |
| Related names | John, Jacob, Jackie, James, Jackson, Johnny, Jacqueline, Jacques, Jake, Jay, , Jacobi |
Jack /ˈdʒæk/ is a male given name, although in some cases it can be used as a female given name (a shortened versioned of "Jacqueline" or "Jackie", for example), and sometimes as a surname. In English Jack was traditionally used as the diminutive form of John, though it is now also a proper name in its own right.
The name Jack is unusual in the English language for its frequency of use as a verb and a noun for many common objects and actions, and its use in many compound words and phrases, e.g.: apple jack, hijack, jack of clubs (playing card), jack straw (scarecrow), jack tar (sailor), jack-in-the-box, jack-of-all-trades, jack o'lantern, jackdaw, jackhammer, jackknife, jackpot, lumberjack, union jack, etc. The Encyclopædia Britannica article on the history of the word "jack" linked it directly to the common name: "Jack, a word with a great variety of meanings and applications, all traceable to the common use of the word as a by-name of a man."
Jack is thought to hark back to Medieval times as a common derivative of the name John. The nickname has also been seen as Jackie among men (examples of note: Jackie Coogan, Jackie Cooper, and Jackie Gleason, all formally named John). This "Jackie" diminutive of the nickname Jack is thought by some to have hailed from the earlier "Jackin" (born of the appellation Jankin). Alternatively, it may be derived from the name Jacques, the French form of the name James or Jacob. There is also a theory that it is Celtic in origin, meaning "healthy, strong, full of vital energy" (compare the Welsh word iach, "health"), from a putative Ancient British Yakkios. Whatever its origin, both the name and the word "jack" were long used as a term to refer to any man, especially of the common classes.
In recent years (most notably since 2003), the nickname Jack (for the more formal John and, to a lesser extent, for Jacob) has become increasingly used as the actual formal name (i.e., baptismal name rather than a nickname) for boys in England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, the United States, and Wales. Jack was included on lists of the most frequently used male baby names in the UK for 2003–2007. The high status of Jack as a formal male given name (versus its traditional John-derivative) is a recent phenomenon, although the formal name from which it derives – John – has held the title, along with William, of most frequent male name throughout the 1880s and first half of the 1900s. In 1994, "Jack" was the most popular name in London but does not appear among the top-10 most popular in the preceding 970 years. A survey in December 2008 showed that Jack was the most popular name in the UK for the 14th year running, since it took over from Thomas in 1994.
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