history behing the name john doe?

Question

why do we call unidentified people/bodies by this name? curious

Answer 1

You know, until you asked I never thought about it. Looking it up it apparently dates back to the reign of Edward III. The English legal system of the time had various technical requirements that had to be met so if someone refused to give their name for some reason or the body of a dead person could not be identified, a false name was used to satisfy the the legal requirements. John Doe (or Doo), Richard Roe (or Roo), John Noakes (or Nokes) were among the various false names found in the legal records of the time

Answer 2

John Doe was used as a substitute name for an unknown, deceased, or person who was not to be legally identified in a legal action. The name Joe Bloggs was used in the United Kingdom, as well as being used in Australia and New Zealand. Jane Doe is the female equivalent.

Answer 3

The origin of John Doe is in English law.



ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Doe#Origin