My brain...

[tencrush]

I'm so fucking tired, I can't see straight.

ANYWAY:

Need to know why Americans call people who are called John "Jack" instead of "John," which is their name. Don't ask, I seem the be watching the Kennedys. But seriously, WHY IS THAT?

Comments

[off_coloratura]

The British started it LOOOONG before us.

The Internets seem to say it's from Jankin (John-kin) which became Jackin.

[tencrush]

Yes, but the British also seem to have stopped doing it ages ago, when Jack became a name in its own right, whereas it seems to me Americans still do it sometimes, or do they not? Is it a generational thing? Is John Kennedy the last guy that did it (that guy played by Billy Zane in Twin Peaks notwithstanding)?

[off_coloratura]

Americans do it all the time, but I thought Brits did it too.

[shaggydogstail.livejournal.com]

We still do it. Former Home Secretary Jack Straw was born John f'rinstance.

[caledonius72.livejournal.com]

Not just Americans. My father in law is called Jack, but his real name is John. No idea why though. Maybe it's an oldentimes thing?

[timberwolfoz.livejournal.com]

Don't know any RL examples (John seems to have gone quite out of use, unless your surname is Johnson) but it was the same in the Master and Commander series - Jack Aubrey was christened John.

Now if anyone can tell me why he signed himself "Jno. Aubrey"...

[thedorkygirl.livejournal.com]

I'm in the south - I know a lot of given names as John, Johnnie, and Jonathan (Johnathan, Jonnathan, over and over), but very few Johns are called Jack. My nephew is John called Johnny :)

[fide-et-spe.livejournal.com]

I think it is just because Jack is a form of John so it's like a nickname. I have to say I never knew that about Jack Straw, see your journal is so informative.

[thedorkygirl.livejournal.com]

BUT it is changing -- I hate it - but a lot of Jacks are actually Jackson now, or, the horror, Jaxon (or worse - just Jax!). JACK IS A DIMINUTIVE OF JOHN, DAMNIT.

Why can William be called Will or Bill? Why can Edward be Ed or Ned? It's because so many people were William or Edward that they needed to differentiate between the two, so the second Will became Bill, etc. I think John to Jack is along those same lines :)

What we Americans want to know is why Harry is a given name when obviously it's the shortform of Henry (or even *gasp* Harold!). But then we remember that you're so close to all those French folk, and obviously Henri would become Haaaa-rriiiii. Which I totally didn't see until I viewed the movies, and he wasn't "Hairy."

[51stcenturyfox.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Americans still do it; my friend Emo Cop is a John who is called Jack. His father is John Sr and is called Jack too.

It's just weird. I don't even know.

[kelspots.livejournal.com]

I've never understood the Jack/John thing, but it's closer than Peg being a nickname for Margaret.

I named my son Jack though - just Jack. It's interesting to see the generational divide where older people ask if he's really John, and younger people ask if he's really Jackson.

[meleth.livejournal.com]

I was hoping that Margaret to Pet would get brought up at some point.

[meleth.livejournal.com]

*peg